Month: September 2012

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if he or she doesn’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:

Bodacious Blues

Whitney J. LeBlanc

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432773793

Reviewer: Deb Shunamon

Establishing a career in Hollywood is not easy, particularly if it is the 1980s and you are a young Creole actor. Author Whitney J. LeBlanc, a television director in Hollywood for many years, has clearly based “Bodacious Blues” on what he knows well.

To experience the inner workings of television at a time when series such as “Good Times,” “The Jeffersons” and “The Rhoda Show” were airing, this book is a must read. Had he been visually identifiable as a black man, I’m sure his stories would have been different, but Les easily passes for white so readers are given access to a wide variety of the often harsh experiences and people that Hollywood offers. And when he returns back home to Estilette, Louisiana, readers learn a bit more about Les’ family and its members. However, to truly experience and understand the family, I think the first two books in the series should be read beforehand. (This is the third book in the series.) Without their background it was difficult to understand Les’ actions at times, not to mention that some of his relatives were fascinating. I wished I had known more about them.

A delightful part of this book is the Reviewer Comments at its beginning, which show that LeBlanc has clearly touched many people with his stories and characters. By all accounts, “Bodacious Blues” by Whitney J. LeBlanc appears to be a satisfying conclusion to his series. Entertaining and relevant, this is also a good novel about following dreams, Hollywood and Louisiana cultures, and the maturing of a young man.

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if he or she doesn’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:

A Patient’s Guide to Liposuction: How to Make an Informed Decision

Jeffry B. Schafer, MD, FRSM

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432777166

Reviewer: Vicki Liston

Reconstructive and cosmetic surgeon Jeffry B. Schafer hopes to inform his readers of the myriad considerations when contemplating having a liposuction procedure. In his new book “A Patient’s Guide to Liposuction: How to Make an Informed Decision,” he introduces the history behind the liposuction concept as well as the advances in the field over the last few decades. His aim is to give prospective patients plenty of information so they can feel more confident about the choices they make and the realities of what to expect during the planning stages, surgery, and recovery.

The book begins with ample history – from the first procedures through the updates to technique and equipment. He covers the science of fat cells, how to choose a doctor, deciding which procedure is right for your personal situation, what can be expected (as well as not expected) when undergoing “lipo,” recovery times, and cost estimates. Color photos of machines, tissue diagrams, and before and after shots all greatly assist in better understanding Schafer’s explanations.

All in all, the information given would be enlightening for someone who knows nothing about liposuction.