SPR’s book reviews of new self-published books
The Kitchen and the Studio by Mallory M. and John A. O’Connor
The Kitchen and the Studio: A Memoir of Food and Art by Mallory M. and John A. O’Connor is a unique take on the memoir – a life told not just through words, but also through paintings, photos, and recipes, for an enchanting combination of media. The O’Connors share their original journey across the years and places of their lives, punctuated by artwork by themselves or their friends, and by recipes taken from a moment or incident at a specific point in their enduring story.
Mallory “Mal” O’Connor narrates the book, covering her early life on a California ranch in […]
Two amateur sleuths unravel a viciously clever scheme to destabilize Australia and rob it blind in Cobra Pose by Susan Rogers and John Roosen, the second installment of their fast-paced Yoga Mat Mysteries series.
A character-driven drama that spotlights the beauty of banality, and the shushed secrets that form the foundation of life, Hold Circulation by Syntell Smith is the third installment of his compelling Call Numbers series.
Sagely addressing spiritual, societal, personal, and hopeful themes, Emma Mnaya-Buzy delivers a multifaceted and empowering work in her sophomore collection of poetry, As Day Alights.
Telling a strongly autobiographical story through a collection of short stories and other prose, Elephant Crusher by S.E. Bourne is a brilliant piece of diaristic writing. From Sophia’s childhood spent swimming in the polluted river by her house, to her travels as a middle-aged woman, the collection is a clear, honest, and original work of autofiction with a delightfully dark sense of humor.
Capturing the elegant yet tongue-in-cheek storytelling of the titular author herself, Jane Austen Time Traveler by Rachel Dacus is an enormously entertaining installment of the century-hopping Timegathering Series.
