Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if they don’t know it exists? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.
When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us to let the community know about a great book. Here’s this week’s book review by Midwest Book Review:
Digging Deep: A Writer Uncovers His Marriages
Boyd Lemon
Publisher: Outskirts Press
ISBN: 9781432768461
Genre: Autobiography
Review: Michael J. Carson
Boyd Lemon’s autobiography, “Digging Deep,” shares insight about his three marriages and his perspective on their failures. Each of Boyd’s wives shared a unique place in his life.
Growing up as an only child, Lemon did not have to compete for attention with siblings. His mother was slender, and he tried to find women who emulated her physically.
Each of the marriages had the same problem, which was finances. He was a successful attorney who had a penchant for spending, and his wives were no better with their buying habits. Furniture, houses, and animals were his anathema. He was constantly trying to pay his bills, forcing him to work long hours, and his personal life suffered.
Lemon desired to live a lifestyle near the water but felt it necessary to sacrifice what he wanted in his early relationships in order to live within his means. He acknowledged that in order for him to cope with his relationships at home, he would drink far too much so that he could block out discussing with his wives how to resolve their problems.
This book also delves into his sexuality and at times gets to be more specific than necessary. Lemon used this book as a cathartic diary written after events occurred. At times, he rambled on in an apparent attempt to resolve old problems.
Some of the anecdotal material is quite interesting. Especially, when he described his last marriage and how he had gotten into raising racehorses. The last wife seems to have been his real nemeses with her love of animals to Boyd’s total detriment with regard to finances. One of the key themes he describes with regard to raising horses is that it was fortunate to break even when breeding or racing. One of their horses won a race, so they invested in quality training, veterinarian fees, and boarding. After ten years, Boyd and his wife invested one million dollars for the luxury of winning a minimal number of races.
When you read this autobiography, keep in mind that the problems he describes are one-sided. Boyd Lemon is giving his viewpoint with regard to how the marriages ended. A collaborative effort by both Boyd Lemon and his three ex-wives would have made this a more meaningful expose’. Each could have given their insight from either a male or a female point of view, which would have given a more interesting storyline.
This is an interesting perspective of Lemon’s life as he experienced it through three failed marriages. This is a two star book.
Self Publishing Advisor 
There’s something to like about this cover. The contour lines might be age lines showing pain, might be–maybe because I’m studying massage therapy–something deeper like facial muscles. Maybe they’re both, like a sort of bared pain. It’s a good example of a cover helping to show the story.