SPR’s book reviews of new self-published books
Magical Eyes: Dawn of the Sand by Jessica D’Agostini
Princess Martina lives in the kingdom of Brightalia where magic is forbidden, yet she’s gifted with magical abilities. Her secret might be safe, except her brother has it out for her. When tragedy befalls the royal palace, the princess might need to reconcile with her brother in order to save the kingdom, only he has sinister intentions of his own. Teaming up with a newfound friend, a peasant boy named Enzo, they set out to save the kingdom before it falls to ruin.
Magical Eyes unfolds like a movie, with each moment vividly depicted, so it comes alive in a […]


Dad@Home: Fully Domesticated by Gregory J. Tysowski is a kind of “Mr. Mom” for the current generation, a time when stay-at-home fathers are becoming more and more common. Tysowski’s wife was working as a high-powered, and well-paid, lawyer, so it was decided when their first child was born that Tysowski would stay at home. The purpose of Dad@Home is not only to share his own experience, but to also show how stay-at-home fatherhood is completely normal. It’s difficult, to be sure, but so is parenting for anyone.
Gawain and the Green Knight is a retelling of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” – a classic 14th-century Arthurian tale told in verse. In the story, Gawain is challenged to a duel by the Green Knight if he agrees to receive a blow in a year and a day. The Green Knight is beheaded, and Gawain goes on a quest, which tests his honor via a number of dangers and temptations.
How can we conquer physical and mental pain and find spiritual peace? This self-help guide, by Southern African educator/Methodist minister Dr. Thabi Molete is dedicated to “all women whose lives have been touched by pain.”
From Canaanites to Israelites: The Journey of Ancient Near East History from Realism to Idealism by Rudolph C. Evans is an overview of the Canaanites contributions to theology, as well as their cultural and historical achievements. The Canaanites have gotten short shrift in the historical narrative, and Evans aims to alter that perception in this comprehensive work of scholarship.
The Game Changer by Dave Dröge follows the life of flamboyant Henk van Wijnen-Swarttouw, a high-powered businessman whose life is rapidly falling apart. His wife left him, his daughter is an eccentric embarrassment, his business is collapsing, and he might be headed to jail. With everything disintegrating around him, he wants to try to come to terms with at least one difficulty in his life: his activist – and exhibitionist – daughter. In doing so, he may be in danger of unraveling even further.
The Amazing Adventures of 4¢ Ned (Coinworld: Book One) by Benjamin Laskin is an amusing and highly imaginative novel told from the perspective of a nickel coin – you read that correctly – named Ned who’s had the misfortune of being stamped with 4¢ instead of 5. This makes him an outcast among other coins, but hot property for collectors. As coins are ever-changing, Ned learns that he has a troubling destiny, so he teams up with a ragtag group of coins to make sure the inhabitants of Coinworld never lose value.
A stormy night brings a shadowy figure to Professor Nicholas Holloran’s office, and with her comes an offer he cannot refuse. Blackmailed into accompanying the beautiful Captain Salisbury on an expedition, this unlikely pair and their even more unlikely crew set off after a legend even more old and dead than the Mostadic monk who lead them there: Shaifalway – the Well of Youth. Unfathomable adventures across the fathoms continue in the second novel of The Last Prophecy series.