SPR’s book reviews of new self-published books
The Burning by Devin K. Asante
A fanatical obsession leads to deadly consequences in The Burning, Devin K. Asante’s chilling work of historical fiction.
The year is 1666. Sixteen-year-old, Agnes Wilmore, has lost her three younger siblings to the plague before arriving in London, hoping to make a new life for herself. Almost as soon as she arrives, she’s raped by Robert Hubert, a tavern barkeep, who’s immediately infatuated with her. She’s rescued by Thomas Farrier and his wife, who hire her as their live-in caretaker for their three young children.
Agnes fervently hopes she’s seen the last of Robert but with each passing day, […]
The Beginner’s Guide to Winning an Election by Michael R. French is a biting and prescient YA satire about big money influencing a local high school election.
A former volunteer for CUSO (Canadian University Service Overseas) recalls those halcyon years living and working in Sabah, Borneo in the entertaining travel memoir Finding Myself in Borneo: Sojourns in Sabah.
When writer, gardener, and Buddhist practitioner Cheryl Wilfong was diagnosed with breast cancer, she wouldn’t “fight” her illness, as so many urged her to do. She would experience it, “not wishing for anything different than what Life was delivering.” This is the inspiring message in her unique and poignant health guide, Breast Cancer Meets Mindfulness: Surrendering to Life.
Investment banker Jake seeks to reconcile his workaholic habits and his life with girlfriend Kara as they navigate their maturing relationship in modern Chicago. Jake loves the thrill of making deals for his clients, while Kara teaches and volunteers. As narrator Jake informs the reader in + One, they are soul mates. Yet Jake can’t quite put Kara ahead of his work, often arriving late to dates and missing important events, putting their relationship at risk.
Nigeria-based poet Joe Odey presents 100 poems touching on human hopes, connections and failings in Becoming a Whisper.