SPR’s book reviews of new self-published books
The Improbable Rise of Paco Jones by Dominic Carrillo
The Improbable Rise of Paco Jones by Dominic Carrillo is about the awkwardness of teenage years through the eyes of Bi-racial Paco Jones. Paco transfers to a rich high school from a poor neighborhood. It doesn’t help matters in his new environment that he’s fairly odd-looking, with an unsightly birthmark on his neck, pigeon toes, and overly-hairy arms, so he’s teased mercilessly by his classmates. He then falls for the most popular girl in class, who has a boyfriend, and is tasked as an eighth-grade Cyrano by her boyfriend. Soon Paco finds himself at the center of a whole lot […]
Daydream and Shadow: A Collection of Poetic Images by Nicholas Nossaman is a collection of poems and photographs about subjects large and small – from appreciating a meal to the scourge of war – using subtle, but evocative imagery.
A Million Different Ways by P. Dangelico is a steamy, character-driven romance novel with an international flair. Albanian Immigrant, Vera Sava is desperately traveling through Europe looking for work. Though eminently qualified as a medical student, she takes a job as a housekeeper working for the gruff Sebastian Horne, heir to a banking dynasty, who regards Vera with indifference. Vera comes to learn that Sebastian’s gruff demeanor has a reason: he has secrets of his own, and someone wants him dead. A romance blooms and their collective secrets have the potential to upend both their lives, as well as Sebastian’s […]
Béla’s Letters by Jeff Ingber is a work of historical fiction so closely tied to history that it reads more like a moving non-fiction account. Inspired by Ingber’s family history, the novel spans eight generations, beginning with Béla who endures the horrors of the Holocaust, and the terrible aftermath where survivors feel guilt, sorrow and immeasurable pain trying to put their lives back together. Woven through the novel are letters to Béla from his family, which serve as a tragic historical window of the period, as horrifying events unfold in real time.
Stumbling Toward the Buddha by Dawn Downey is a collection of interconnected essays about finding “enlightenment” in the modern world. Refreshingly honest, and filled with self-deprecating humor, Downey is not afraid to admit her faults, as well as delve into her painful past, to fully understand herself and the world around her.
Rescuing America’s Democracy From Its Collapsing Morality by Savannah Jordan is a polemic about how America has gotten off the path of helping all of its citizens. In a culture that is seeped in celebrity worship, drug abuse, homelessness, and a litany of other problems that are not being adequately addressed, something is seriously amiss. Jordon covers everything from evolutionary biology to religion to specific policies that can help the country get back on track.
Joseph Van Pearce and the Prophecy of the Dragon’s Head Medallion by C.C. Brampton follows Joseph Van Pearce, a moody teenager who’s lost his father, tearing his family apart, and he can’t focus on much of anything. His luck’s about to change when he finds a mysterious photograph, which leads him to discover that he’s the guardian of a mysterious medallion. Meanwhile, he’s being followed by an evil crow-like creature that wants the powerful Dragon’s Head Medallion for itself, and now Joseph has to save his family in more ways than one.
Fracktured by Lance Simmens is a political novel following the lives of three people: a politician and his wife, and a madam, all trying to navigate a world in which the political system is broken, affecting all our lives. Primarily, the book centers around the fossil fuel industry, and society’s addiction to oil. Far from touting “Drill, Baby, Drill” this is an anti-fracking novel to the core, exposing how toxic fracking has become: both in what it does to communities, and how toxic the political discourse has become.