Book Reviews | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Summer in Gettysburg by Evelyn Landane

A brother and sister duo find themselves at the heart of their family’s oldest mystery in Summer in Gettysburg, a paranormal, time-jumping whirlwind by Evelyn Landane.

More than a century earlier, Summer Walker is trying to find some sense of peace in the bubbling cauldron of the Civil War, while also navigating the blushing waters of youthful romance. This richly written novel is set in two primary timelines, but the narrative arcs are tied closely by blood and family and an ancient house that holds many secrets, and more than a few ghosts.

The present-day plot feels like a […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-11-17T05:57:53+02:00October 9th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Historical Fantasy, Historical Fiction|

Review: Shaping the Future of Global Leadership by Salar A. Khan, MD, MBA

A well-traveled medical practitioner and executive has created a manual with global conscience for recognizing, training and electing trustworthy, admirable world leaders in Shaping the Future of Global Leadership: Finding a Peaceful Solution.

Author Khan states at the outset that he has religious beliefs but doesn’t wish to “disturb or distract” those with or without such beliefs who read his guide, but it does provide some basis for his treatise, suggesting God can also be referred to as a universal organizing principle (UOP). He asserts that among all great world religions are overarching principles for how we must live […]

SPR2020-11-13T06:04:45+02:00October 8th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Leadership, Salar A. Khan|

Review: Perfectly Round Ripples (Made by a Jagged Stone) by J. Flaherty

In the first, eponymous selection in the engaging collection, Perfectly Round Ripples, poet Johnny Flaherty recalls throwing three objects into a pond—a golf ball, a jagged stone, and “an old sneaker with laces missing.” They all splashed differently, but then, each one

…made perfectly round ripples

that traveled all the way

to the farthest shores

From this Flaherty suggests that our deeds, whether good or bad, will likewise make equal, round ripples in the cosmic sea – a motif reflecting the serene and emotive nature of these poems. He often returns to water, to the sea, for inspiration, as […]

SPR2020-11-09T05:09:07+02:00October 5th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: J. Flaherty, Poetry|

Review: The Curs of Curzon County by Thea Verdak

Thea Verdak unleashes a swirling storm of a story in The Curs of Curzon County, a rapid-fire tale of acute dangers and chronic pain, growing up and leaving home, and all the obstacles along the way that can derail a young life. Richly layered with an original and unforgettable narrative voice, this gritty short story will leave your heart pounding.

All the crises and conditions of Lucretia’s young life distill themselves in this well-penned crucible; the ramshackle pound at the end of the airstrip is the closest thing she has to a home, yet it is also a source […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-11-05T09:58:32+02:00October 4th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction, Short Stories|

Review: The Commander by Dan E. Hendrickson

Author Dan E. Hendrickson unleashes a wild and exhilarating ride with The Commander, an unpredictable high seas thriller in the Gulf of Mexico. Armed with enough action to satisfy those seeking a fictional adventure, but also plenty of rich character development and well-penned relationships, this is an unexpectedly complex read.

At the helm of this novel is Commander Jacob Edwards, a tough-as-nails captain of the First Responder, who suddenly finds himself deadheading into an international crisis. Juggling loyalties, national secrecy, and the lives of his men, this Coast Guard captain has a full plate of action that never seems […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-10-02T02:42:47+02:00October 1st, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Dan E. Hendrickson, Thriller|

Review: The Silver Thread of Life by Phillip B. Chute

An economic advisor, Phillip B. Chute, draws on dramatic material from far different aspects of his working life – spirituality, karma, and the supernatural – in The Silver Thread of Life: True Accounts of Spiritual Interventions.

The author’s business career began with a single, simple episode: returning from service in the Army, he saw his family’s tax returns on the kitchen table, drawing him into the world of finance. Through that career he has made contact with hundreds of clients, some of whom have volunteered personal information about their private lives, seeming to give evidence for such phenomena as […]

SPR2020-11-17T06:17:14+02:00October 1st, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Phillip B. Chute, Spirituality|

Review: Was Michael Jackson Murdered? You Be the Judge by Everett Watson

Author Everett Watson peels back the mysterious events surrounding the King of Pop’s death in Was Michael Jackson Murdered? You Be the Judge, suggesting in no uncertain terms that foul play was undeniably involved.

Despite this globe-shaking death being classified as a drug overdose, the case is complicated by the involvement of Dr. Conrad Murray, the star’s trusted at-home doctor and the administer of MJ’s treatments. The author lays out his belief, based on extensive personal research and the synthesis of court documents and trial testimony, that Murray perpetrated premeditated murder after his underhanded, self-serving manipulation of Jackson was discovered.[…]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2020-10-06T03:08:58+02:00September 30th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Biography, Everett Watson|

Review: The Diamond Soul by George Vasilca

Businessman George Vasilca turns mentor and guides readers through the process of becoming a more upstanding, self-reliant and generous person in the dynamic manual, The Diamond Soul: 5 Stepping Stones to Christlike Character.

Vasilca traces his own search for a balanced, conscientious character to childhood: his mother urged him to be tender and loving, while his father equated Christian principles with strength and will. In contemplating how to combine the two, he creates two potent metaphors. First, based on his hiking adventures, he imagines stepping stones that can be traced out to plan a journey. Second is the image […]

SPR2020-10-28T06:36:11+02:00September 30th, 2020|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Religion|