SPR’s book reviews of new self-published books
Success Through PICKSS by Muthuswamy N
PICKSS is a system developed by Muthuswamy N, the founder of Quest Systems, a business consulting firm. His acronym stands for Prevention of Ineffectiveness through Concentration in Key Specifics Strategy. In Success Through PICKSS, Muthuswamy lists many reasons people often give for not being able to do their work, then shows how they can be productive by resetting attitudes and utilizing both sides of the brain—left (logic) and right (creativity).
Muthuswamy’s manual lists several different steps businesses can take, no matter the budget. For example, one must identify a “Super System,” or “Receiver”: to whom is your product targeted? […]
Not Fit For Human Consumption: Triggered Traumatic Memories and the Violence Profile by licensed Clinical Psychologist A.P. Filosa focuses on the myriad problems that trigger our worst impulses, and how we can ultimately overcome them. Beginning with the claim that the book is the “CURE TO HUMANITY’S ILLS,” it’s a wide-reaching treatise that can help those suffering from traumatic experiences, and especially those prone to violent impulses.
Elmeeria is a place of magic and wonder, and for now it’s in a delicate balance. The garden kingdom enjoys a prosperous existence, yet must guard itself against threats from beyond the great wall and from those that may infiltrate them at any moment: witches.
In Mateguas Island, the first novel in this series, Bill Anderson mysteriously drowns (or did he?) after moving his family to the idyllic locale, but Mateguas Island turns out to be rife with magic and the specter of ancient rituals. His body was never recovered, so ten years later, his twin daughters, Terri and Sophie, are determined to find out what happened to their father. Karen, their mother, is unsurprisingly reluctant, given she’s moved on and remarried, but she accompanies them back to the island, where the mystery deepens, as does the danger.
Beato Goes to Israel by Sucheta Rawal is the second in the series of “Beat Goes to” books – the other books taking him to Greenland and Indonesia – featuring a globetrotting cat and his adventures. Here Beato travels throughout Israel with a girl named Helena who teaches Beato about the country’s history, culture, religion, food, and more.
In the Fullness of Time by Katherine P. Stillerman is an inspiring work of historical fiction, and the sequel to Stillerman’s eloquent first novel, Hattie’s Place. In the first novel, Hattie tries to make her way through early 1900s South Carolina, dealing with sexism, and especially children’s rights, or lack thereof in the early century. In this novel, the concentration is again on rights: specifically, the suffrage movement, and the right to vote.
Crossed Lines by J.T. Marsh is a bold romance about a familiar, and controversial, relationship – the male high school student and his older female teacher. Seventeen-year-old Keith has a relationship with a Spanish teacher twice his age. When they meet up again ten years later, their present entanglements make their relationship all the more difficult, and soon realize their love and obsession comes with a dangerous price.
First Person: Supernatural Interviews by Okisha Jackson is a collection of religious poetry focused on a number of different themes, such as “Vanity,” “Love,” “Insecurity,” “Pride,” and others. Poems are told in the first person from the perspective of the theme, or the author, and followed by corresponding scripture. It’s a unique work that touches on religious themes in a modern-day context.