Author: selfpublishingadvisor

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:

Parallel Lives

Martin Gwent Lewis

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432772093

Reviewer: Tia Bach

Can you imagine being at the lowest point in your life and reviewing all your past decisions? Not just reviewing them, but meeting your alter egos who made different decisions. This is the basis of “Parallel Lives,” an intriguing story about a man struggling with life and past decisions. The story opens on Richard’s darkest day; he is about to end it all when a voice yells, “Don’t do it! The repercussions are beyond your wildest dreams.” His savior is his counterpart in another reality, known as Historian.

As the story progresses, Richard meets three versions of himself, each formed by a major decision in his life. Known as Historian, Singer, and Missionary, they are all Richard in a parallel universe. Important events in Richard’s life create a strong pull through the dimensions to bring them all together. The suspense builds from there and takes the characters through London, Geneva, and Africa.

Between realizations and pangs of regret, Richard finds a new job with the World Health Organization and also falls in love. His new job responsibilities send him on a dangerous mission to Africa where nothing is as it seems. The mission culminates in an entertaining and unique battle with unexpected participants.

The scenes where Richard meets with his doppelgängers are intriguing. Who hasn’t looked back on past decisions and wondered how their life would be different if only they had taken another path? Richard gets to see several paths, none perfect, and realize the potential in his own life.

The last half of the book is a thrill ride, and I felt more and more invested in the story. I only wish the first half was as successful. To be fair, there was a lot of necessary explanation and scenes where Richard meets his counterparts and discovers how each came to be. In the end, it all comes together. The love story with Madeline, although rushed, adds a softer side to Richard. My biggest complaint is the story deserves a much more interesting cover. There are so many possibilities for an amazing cover, and the author missed a great opportunity to better showcase his work.

If you enjoy twists and turns, action, and thought-provoking themes, this book is for you. Don’t give up in the beginning or you’ll miss the best parts.

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:

March Forth: My Journey through Diagnosis, Treatment, and Recovery from Breast Cancer

Marci A. Schmitt

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432776008

Reviewer: Vicki Liston

Hearing about breast cancer, Susan G. Komen and the “Race for the Cure” are commonplace in our fast-paced world of information. However, do we really know what it means to endure this diagnosis? To play waiting games with medical tests or paperwork games with insurance companies? What about the physical, mental, and emotional battles that go along with chemotherapy? Author and cancer survivor Marci A. Schmitt spells it all out in her book “March Forth: My Journey through Diagnosis, Treatment, and Recovery from Breast Cancer.”

“March Forth” is an eye-opening personal account of one brave woman’s life-changing experiences with breast cancer. Told from the first person point of view, Schmitt includes every step in her journey toward freedom. After having to watch her mother die of the same disease, she “marches forth” at each chapter’s end, as obstacle after obstacle seem to line up and obstruct her path to good health. After two mastectomies, Schmitt maintains a playful wit while looking the unimaginable in the eyes and holding on when most of us would think we would surely fail. Her vivid descriptions of chemotherapy horrors brought many tears to my eyes and helped me better understand how debilitating these treatments can be on the human body. Thankfully, the book ends on a positive note with Schmitt alive and doing extremely well.

“March Forth” is a beautiful, inspirational read for anyone having to go through cancer themselves as well as those hoping to be a supportive and understanding friend for someone else. It gives the down and dirty on what someone might expect when dealing with this disease, but it also presents advice on how you could effectively help someone going through a cancer diagnosis and treatment. These recommendations can potentially assist in lessening any awkward or uncomfortable moments where someone may not really know what to do or say to be empathetic.

Schmitt is exceptional in recounting her story, describing her situations with detailed clarity, organizing her thoughts, and letting her strength and faith shine through her words. She describes “chemo brain” towards the end of her story, but I didn’t find anything random or foggy about her text. Well-edited while maintaining a constant flow, “March Forth” is a clear light of profound hope and conviction. Inspiring!

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:

My Dreams, My Choices: be courageous, do what you have never done, go where you have never been, and you will see the change

 Clementine Wamboye Girenge

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432771768

Reviewer: Carol Hoyer, PhD

 Felly lived with her extended family in rural Kenya. Given the area they lived in, many obstacles came her family’s way, yet she learned to look at the positives and pursue her goal of getting a good education.

Felly’s grandmother was a bitter old woman and didn’t really care about what was happening to anyone else, including her husband who was sick. Her grandmother lost several of her children to the famines of Africa and didn’t  want anyone else to be happy.

When Felly went to Nairobi to attend school, she was dismayed at the treatment she got because she couldn’t afford the same things as everyone else, and the staff at the school was very mean, beating the children on a daily basis.

When the staff at the school was replaced due to poor performance, many of the students were shocked. But in her heart, Felly knew she could finish her education regardless of what happened.

Through her own strength and the strength of others, she was able to accomplish what she wanted.

“My Dreams, My Choices” is a very inspiring book written by Clementine Wamboye Girenge. There are times in one’s life where things don’t always look bright, but, as the author says, you have to look at the bright side in all that you do

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:

Saving Snowflakes in My Pocket: Love’s Survival Through Years of Deception

Barbara Jean Ruther

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432773281

Reviewer: Leslie Granier

Sarah thought she had a pretty good existence. However, after celebrating her thirtieth birthday, she realizes she has not found the things she wants most out of life. Although she has a well-paying job at a prestigious academy, she was much happier at the previous school at which she taught because she actually felt like she was making a difference in the children’s lives. She has not met the right man nor had children of her own. Her loneliness is magnified by the death of her Aunt Emma who raised Sarah after she was abandoned by her mother. Sarah goes to a remote cabin in the woods to reflect on her life and something incredible happens. She meets Michael, who has issues of his own. He is trying to recover from a bad marriage and desperately needs to regain his faith in the human race. As Sarah and Michael become closer, they begin to help each other heal. However, a secret could end up tearing them apart and affecting many other people in the process.

The plot is good, but the characters in this book are its greatest asset. The author expertly constructs characters with whom it is easy for the reader to connect. Whether it is through Sarah who so eloquently expresses her feelings with poetry or Michael and his brother Jonathon who are wealthy but believe they are called to serve the less fortunate members of society by running a clinic for abused women and children, the goodness and honor of people shine forth. The specially crafted interactions between the characters provide additional enjoyment.

My only criticism of this book is the language used by the characters. Their conversations are too formal. The author does not seem to be a fan of using contractions, which leaves the speech sounding stiff and unnatural.

“Saving Snowflakes in My Pocket” is an uplifting story about love, forgiveness, and service to others. It centers around family, but the author emphasizes that family is not just about biology and genetics. Rather, it is based on the love and acceptance people provide to each other. Although the target audience for “Saving Snowflakes in My Pocket” is adult women, anyone who reads it will undoubtedly experience an emotional response to its content.