SPR’s book reviews of new self-published books
Toast: Short Speeches, Big Impact by Eddie Rice
Using a simple, concise, and witty writing style, Toast: Short Speeches, Big Impact by Eddie Rice is a comprehensive guide for anyone preparing to give a speech in public, whether in a professional or recreational context.
Not only focused on giving an expert toast, the easy-to-follow steps in Toast are also aimed at giving a speech to a variety of audiences, including weddings, retirements, birthdays, awards, and promotions. Rice gives the reader a fantastic 7-day writing system that starts with brainstorming, moving on to formatting for the type of speech, rehearsal techniques, and ending with a completed speech, emphasizing that […]
The second in Cole Poindexter’s Parker Derrick series, Rush is a fast-moving crime thriller with a stellar female lead, which expands and improves on its predecessor.
A momentous and impressive display of carefully crafted poetry, The Humbling and Other Poems by Robert J. Tiess is a complex yet accessible collection.
An absolutely adorable children’s book about a cranky gray kitty and her kindhearted sister, Andrea Lane’s Abby the Crabby Tabby Discovers Gratitude illuminates the importance of maintaining a positive attitude and being thankful for what you have.
An emotional work about experiencing amnesia and uncovering harsh personal truths, Chiuba Obele’s The Orientation of Dylan Woodger is a complicated debut novel that touches on difficult subjects.
A detailed recollection of the author’s formative journey in the Peace Corps, Awkward Stumbles and Fuzzy Memories: Memoir of a Peace Corps Volunteer by Kathy Ivchenko is a heartfelt and vividly told memoir of self-discovery.
An amateur sleuth uses her knowledge of crime novels to solve her friend’s murder in Michelle Corbier’s Murder Is Revealing, an engrossing mystery about shady business deals and dishonest scams.
Whimsical, relatable, and more than a little surreal, The Hotchkiss by Pierre Lawrence is an off-kilter but witty novella that examines the petty troubles of married life, and the dark fantasies that inevitably arise.