Category: Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

We post a weekly book review of a self-published book (submitted by the author). To submit your review, please send it to selfpublishingadvice@gmail.com with a .jpg image of your cover. Self Publishing Advice will post your review and cover image on our blog.

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self Published Book Review: Hoop Hussies

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:

Hoop Hussies

Hoop Hussies

Hollie M. Woods

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432770396

The game off the court often becomes more entertaining than the game on the court. “Hoop Hussies” tells the story of star player Jackson Midas, the NBA’s latest star, and his crossovers with love and everything else. With an assortment of girls and plenty of romance and intrigue, “Hoop Hussies” is presented in screenplay format and proves to be an intriguing and worthwhile read to consider.

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self Published Book Review: The Trojan Horse Conspiracy: The Infiltration and Destruction of American Democracy

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:

the trojan horse

The Trojan Horse Conspiracy: The Infiltration and Destruction of American Democracy

Dick Nelson

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432795085

Reviewed by Leslie Granier

The original idea of a Trojan horse is found in Homer’s works. They recount how the Greeks were unable to overtake the Trojans militarily causing them to come up with a clever plan to infiltrate from within. They offered a large wooden horse. which the Trojans accepted as a peace-offering. However, inside the horse were Greek soldiers who, using the element of surprise, defeated the Trojans to win the war. In “The Trojan Horse Conspiracy” by Dick Nelson, the Russian and Chinese governments team up to formulate a long-term plan to secretly manipulate people and events to cause the US economy and government to crumble without any blood being shed. Through the use of timely political figures (beginning with Ronald Reagan) and events (including the 9/11 terrorist attacks) the author demonstrates just how far people are willing to go to attain world domination.

At the center of the story is Brad Tilsdale, a US government agent who is not big on following rules. However, he is extremely perceptive and has an excellent track record. As he gets close to uncovering the foreign governments’ plot, moles in the US government constantly shuffle him to different projects to keep their scheme intact. As he begins to realize something is not quite right with the situation, Brad really has to be careful about whom he can trust as he sifts through government bureaucracy and cover-ups.
“The Trojan Horse Conspiracy” is an amazing book. The author laid out the plot in such a way that the reader was allowed to know what was going to happen but had absolutely no idea what events would unfold to reach the endpoint. There were numerous plot twists, which made it more exciting to watch the story unravel. No one was above suspicion in this tangled web for the quest for political dominance.

I highly recommend “The Trojan Horse Conspiracy” by Dick Nelson. It will appeal to an adult audience of both genders. Having an interest in politics is not required for the reader to enjoy this story. Anyone who appreciates a finely crafted work that challenges the mind and soul will be pleased with this selection. I definitely will seek out new releases from this author.

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self Published Book Review: The Upside of Down Times: Discovering the Power of Gratitude

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:

the upside of down times

The Upside of Down Times: Discovering the Power of Gratitude

Lisa Ryan

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432790554

Reviewed by Jennifer Hass

I have to say that “The Upside of Down Times: Discovering the Power of Gratitude” by Lisa Ryan is just what I needed. In my own personal journey, it has been suggested that I work on being grateful for what I have. It is a struggle at times to remember that when it seems everything is going wrong, it’s not really everything.
This workbook has really good exercises that forces you to dig deep to find the good. In most cases, it’s not really that hard; it’s really about if you want to recognize it. Looking at things from a positive perspective is not something I do easily or even very often.
The first exercise follows a short story about a trip to a restaurant where Lisa had experienced exceptional service. She asked for the general manager’s business card and sent a note about the server. The next time she came in, he remembered her and had written her a poem of gratitude and how her small note touched his life in a huge way. The exercise says to write to or about someone who has provided excellent service to you. This one I had to skip because I haven’t been out much. I will do this the very next time I have a great experience.

Lisa goes on to say “Gratitude is in the details” and “gratitude is not a now-and-then thing.” Boy is that true! It takes practice to make it a part of your everyday life, something I have not ever done in mine. No wonder I haven’t had much positive reactions to life.
Another exercise is to go about your day and make a point to bring a smile to someone’s face and log what you have learned from the experience. This is just another exercise from the introduction part of the book.

This book is filled with great ways to reflect on yourself and remember the good in the life you have, even when everything is not at its best. I believe this is a great tool for me. I can imagine this would be great for someone in the process of recovery, and I mean recovery of all types; mine is co-dependency, so I am working on making my life more enjoyable and setting the past free.
“The Upside of Down Times: Discovering the Power of Gratitude” by Lisa Ryan is a workbook I will work over and over, so I chose not to write in the book but rather in a notebook so I can do this over and over. This is part of my new self-loving program, and I will even purchase copies for my friends that have similar struggles!

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self Published Book Review: The Puppet’s Secret

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:

the puppets secret

The Puppet’s Secret

Alex Samms

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432790349

Reviewed by Tracey Rock

“The Puppet’s Secret” by Alex Samms is a story that journals the life of a woman named Angela, who falls into an obscure obsession with a man that she had a very brief encounter with while at a local beach. To Angela, this man is “the one.” Her obsession with him becomes so extreme that she finds herself completely consumed with the pursuit of this nameless man. Soon, this obsession turns into something darker.
Although Angela is forty-two-years old and married with children, she now finds herself willing to give up everything just to be with the stranger on the beach. To her, any of the consequences that come out of this soon-to-be romance will just be fate. At this point, Angela accepts that she is no longer in control of her obsession. She knows that from here on out, her mind is calling all the shots and she is merely a puppet. Angela knows that she will now do anything to be with her love, including murder.
How far would you go to be with the person of your dreams? What if by the time you found that person you were already married and had kids? Would it matter? Would you give up everything? Author Alex Samms has written a story that pulls the reader into the mind of the main character with a chronological step into the dark side of love. On the surface, this forty-six page novella shows love at its fundamental level. Love at first sight, finding the person of your dreams, etc. Search deeper and you will find that the storyline has more of a psychotic undertone but still allows the reader to relate to the characters and think deeper about how far a person would really go for love.
“The Puppet’s Secret” by Alex Samms is a very interesting book. I think this would be a great topic for a book club discussion. There are a lot of other things going on in the story that are surprisingly not apparent until the end. This is one that you will have to read over and over. However, I would not recommend this to younger readers. It does have adult content.

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self-Published Book Review: Side Effects

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:

side effects

Side Effects

Timothy G. Sheridan

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432767266

Reviewed by Diane Lunsford

“Side Effects” by Timothy G. Sheridan is a mere 102 pages, yet it took me nearly five days to read — not because it was poorly written,  rather its content is riveting.
Sheridan begins his story by describing himself as a troubled, abused kid when he signed up for the Vietnam war. He explains a lot of his motivation in signing on was to right the death of his brother in the same war that took him away forever. What he didn’t know was that while he entered the situation as an angry kid, he would return a broken and haunted man. Sheridan’s raw and telling accounts of actual experiences while in Vietnam are touched upon lightly. The story primarily focuses on his journey upon returning home — home being the Psych Ward of a VA (Veteran’s Administration) hospital located in San Francisco, California.
Sheridan leads the reader through wretched stories of people and the aftermath of the hellish war that lived on in their heads long past Vietnam. He paints the picture of his egregious drug addiction that began in “Nam” and in the back alleys of Saigon and opium dens, only to be reinforced and replaced with prescribed Lithium, Thorazine and whatever other mind-numbing fix available once deposited in the VA. He welcomed the medications in an effort to erase his memories and certainly in the spirit of killing the demons that had captured his mind. He wanted to remember the young soldier who entered the war at the same time repair the broken man he had become upon his return.
What was most engaging, however, is how Sheridan managed to strike a chord of balance as he described accounts and experiences of the many patients (and friends) he met while walking down the road of his own recovery. His periodic and light-hearted infusions of “it is what it is” laissez faire provided the reader some comfort to read on. Yet, on the next page, he would swing his pendulum pen and place strong and direct dialogue about the frenzied mess of the minds (including his own) he encountered. He writes of the schizophrenic torment and delusions of John/Floyd’s multiple personas only to sum up the outcome again, by holding onto the reality that while it may only be in his mind and he is home, the war will always be a part of all of them. It is when Sheridan’s friend Bill imparts a deep-seated and meaningful message to him that the reader gains a sense of strength to continue forward with the final pages of this book— Sheridan’s story.
I have great respect for the way Sheridan delivered his story onto paper. There is an unwritten insistence from beginning to end that he is not a victim, rather he is a survivor. Is the writing a Pulitzer contender? I don’t have the answer to this. Is the story compelling? Absolutely, and it is because of this I would recommend “Side Effects.” I believe it is a story that Timothy G. Sheridan not only needed to tell, but share. As a reader (and writer), sometimes this is why a book is destined to be published.