weekly self published book review – Page 21

Book Reviews, Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week, Uncategorized, weekly self published book review

Saturday Book Review: “Untold Secrets About Auto Repair”

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, courtesy of Midwest Book Review:

untold secrets of auto repair odi

Untold Secrets About Auto Repair

by H. Odi

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781478772040

Synopsis*:

Hezekiah Odi wants to save you from being ripped off on your next car repair! As an ASE automotive technician since 1993, he has been helping family, friends, and customers save big money with his trustworthy approach toward car repair. Some of his customers refuse to drop their car off for service if Hezekiah is off duty. He often receives cash tips from grateful customers, and one even gave him a car in appreciation for his hard work, honesty, and respect. Now Hezekiah wants to help even more people by exposing the secrets of automobile repair. In his easy-to-follow yet comprehensive guide, he shares tips on what to look for in a repair shop; when to do it yourself and when to let an expert take over; and even how to teach teenage drivers to take good care of a car. He also covers the basics of preventive maintenance, simple repairs, and how to spot warning signs. With countless concrete tips and down-to-earth advice, all designed to save time and money, Untold Secrets About Auto Repair is a must-have for every car owner.

* courtesy of Amazon.com

Critique:

Enhanced with the inclusion of numerous concrete tips and replete with down-to-earth advice, all of which is specifically designed to save time and money, “Untold Secrets About Auto Repair” is thoroughly ‘user friendly’ in tone, organization and presentation. “Untold Secrets About Auto Repair” will prove to be an enduringly popular and highly valued addition to personal and community library instructional reference collections

[ reviewed on The Automotive Shelf of Midwest Book Review ]

Here’s what some other reviewers are saying:

This book is an amazing book.It explained so many ways car owners has being exposing themselves in to unnecessary ripoffs. The book gives in details all signs to look for and way to correct it before it cost more money. The book further explain repair shop labor, how to find good repair shops, and other ways to save money on car repairs. This book in design for any body that has a driver license, or aspiring to get one.

– Amazon Reviewer olubunmi aina

This book has equipped me with a wealth of knowledge about cars. It is a MUST HAVE for anyone who owns an automobile. This book is especially helpful for women like me who tend to blindly seek out mechanics for repair work without knowing how simple or extensive the problem may be.

– Amazon Reviewer Lisa Johnson

saturday self-published book review

Thanks for reading! Keep up with the latest in the world of indie and self-published books by watching this space every Saturday!

Self Publishing Advisor

Book Reviews, Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week, Uncategorized, weekly self published book review

Saturday Book Review: “I Wonder: A Book for Children, Parents and other Grownups”

I Wonder: A Book for Children, Parents and other Grownups by Jane Altman

I Wonder: A Book for Children, Parents and other Grownups

by Jane Altman

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781478765820

Synopsis*:

This book is a treasure! It is unusual in its endearing and educational verses and illustrations for children and in its engaging and varied pieces for parents – and other grownups. The rhymes are appealing, the illustrations are wonderful and the writings range from heartfelt to very funny. All in all a must read.

* courtesy of Amazon.com

Critique:

The author has written this book as if it were a poem. It will probably be recognized since it is similar to “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”. Children will get into the swing of the book in no time. The beginning of each verse is a question about the different animals, such as, “How I wonder little bat, being blind in the dark, how you fly like that.” This allows the children to stop and think about it. The adults can talk about the bat and how it lives with the child. It’s a learning experience. With each verse there is a colorful illustration of the animal. There is a nice little page that has a frame where your child can put his or her own picture. Very cute. Then there is a magical fantasy story “The Glow-Stones” which allows children to see the magic where adults have a hard time slipping into that fantasy of magic.

In Part Two, there is poetry for the adults.Some are pieces about the future and how the child will feel when certain events happen.Some of the poems are on everyday things such as flowers. Then there is a funny piece which will make you chuckle and think. A wonderful book that is great to bring parent and child together for a reflection of the past and a look into the future. A book that every grown up and child should have on their book shelf to read and re-read.

I received this complimentary copy from the author, Jane Altman in exchange for my unbiased review. No other compensation took place.

I would give this book 4 STARS.

[ reviewed by Gayle Pace of Books, Reviews, Etc ]

Here’s what some other reviewers are saying:

In “I Wonder,” Jane Altman has created a poem that children will feel is familiar from the start. It has a similar structure to that of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” that will help young readers easily catch on to the rhythm of the text. Each verse opens up the possibility for discussion about the various animals that are mentioned, elephants, mice, bats, etc. And the illustration for the final verse also allows the child to paste a photo of him/herself into the book and making it very personal. There is also a fantasy story titled “The Glow-Stones,” which portrays the ability of children to perceive the magical when adults only see the commonplace.

Within the second part of the book, Altman has a collection of poetry that is tailored for the adults in the family. Some are nostalgic in tone – pieces wondering over how children will grow up, how one would feel on the very last day of the one-hundredth year of life, or why youth fades away. Others reflect on more everyday occurrences such as admiring flowers or pondering why grass can be so much work to maintain. And then there is the comedic piece about an undergarment that t’aint fittin’ any longer. The whole book feels like a peek into someone’s journal and catching their changing moods from day to day.

This is a book meant to be read together and enjoyed together.

– The Fairview Review

Four out of five stars.

The first section of part one contains a series of four line rhymes that generally have the same rhythm, one that reminded me of the song “Twinkle twinkle little star.” The structure is an image referencing the rhyme on the left side with the text on the right. There are fourteen such items, all but the last referring to animals. The last one is designed to reference the young reader.

The next section of part one is a short story about a small village near the ruins of a very old castle. No one ever goes into it and no one seems to care about it. When a young man decides to leave the village and go out in the world, a stone in the castle glows at him, so he stops to grab it and then takes it with him. Something similar happens when a young woman also starts her journey out of the village.

The two people then marry other people and have children, the story continues after their deaths when their children are going through their belongings and find what appear to be nondescript stones. They all return to the ancestral village and the children then see things in the castle that their parents cannot.

Part two is given the designation that it is for the parents and grownups and is a set of short segments of more complex verse. There are rhymes having various orders where the matches occur. For example, the section of verse called “What to Do?” has three line segments where the first two lines rhyme as well as the third lines of sequential sections. They are designed to be read to children, they will sound pretty good if the proper intonation is applied.

This is a good book for children, one that children will enjoy having read to them, for they have a natural affinity for rhyming verse.

– Charles Ashbacher Reviews

saturday self-published book review

Thanks for reading! Keep up with the latest in the world of indie and self-published books by watching this space every Saturday!

Self Publishing Advisor

Book Reviews, Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week, Uncategorized, weekly self published book review

Saturday Book Review: “The Journey Begins: A Walk Of Faith”

The Journey Begins A Walk of Faith by Lynn M. Strong

The Journey Begins: A Walk Of Faith

by Lynn M. Strong

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781478776932

Synopsis*:

Spiritually fed, spiritually led and poetically said. When Lynn Strong found himself forced into early retirement at age 58, he felt utterly lost. In desperation, he turned to God and prayed for answers-for guidance on this unplanned detour. That day, he surrendered his all and vowed to serve the Lord as never before. The Journey Begins: A Walk of Faith is a collection of poetry that reflects Lynn’s personal and spiritual journey. Inspired by the Spirit as God led him each day, the poems are simple and accessible, yet filled with raw emotion and a joyful celebration of faith.

* courtesy of Amazon.com

Critique:

There are times where knowing something about the context of a book makes it more enjoyable to read. This short book, about 90 pages in length, was written by the author when he was put on early retirement at the age of 58, and struggled with feeling old and unappreciated, and having a hard time finding good work again. What he did was something remarkable, and wonderful, and that is writing this particular short book and sharing with the appreciative readers of this book his own reflects and thoughts and poetry. As someone who has read many books from this publisher [1], this book definitely gets self-publishing right, and that is by providing something other people are going to want to read. There are a lot of people who struggle with growing older and being forced into early retirement, and this book is short enough and well-written enough that it would be a comfort to many people and an encouragement for them to write about their own thoughts and feelings and to share their own struggles with the negativity involved in feeling like the purposes of life have been reduced by a lack of work.

After an introduction, that explains the genesis of the author’s writings, this book consists of more than 40 reflections with a particular format, given a title and with three verses or short passages from the Bible, a commentary of one to three paragraphs, and a short poem made up of quatrains with an ABCB rhyme scheme that sound like the metrical psalms popular in many English-speaking Protestant churches. The titles generally give a fair picture of the contents: Help Us Lord, Old Age, Power Monday, Our Walk / Your Way, Keep The Faith, In The Press, and Thoughts In Mind are some examples of the contents provided in these pages. The contents are all very straightforward–this is not deeply symbolic and mysterious poetry but rather direct and often didactic poetry written in the first and second person. As someone who has read more than my fair share of really bad poetry, it is nice from time to time to read poetry that has no pretensions and that manages to convey its point straightforwardly. Those who read this book will not be in any mystery about what the author is talking about, and are likely to find some encouragement in the author’s words as well as the choice citations from scripture.

The title of this book gives the indication that there is likely to be more material from the author yet to come. If, for example, this is the beginning of a journey, there may yet be more volumes of writing from the author, and that is likely to be enjoyable. The author has been married to his high school sweetheart for 40 years and has also been involved in prison ministry, both of which are spoken of here in the book, and both of which likely can provide the author with insight for further books. Perhaps having begun his writing with this particular volume, the success of these efforts will encourage the author to future books, which, if they are as good as this volume, will likely also be encouraging and pleasant to read. The author strikes the reader as someone who was likely not encouraged to be a writer during his youth, and as a result the author appears not to have spent years practicing work. It is noteworthy that it was a crisis of retirement that prompted the author to begin to write, and one can only hope that he found as much peace and enjoyment writing this book as others are likely to find reading it. The world can always use more people who write honestly and well.

[ reviewed by Nathan Albright of Edge Induced Cohesion ]

Here’s what another reviewer said:

At age 58, Lynn M. Strong was forced into early retirement. He felt lost, desperate, looking for guidance…. Lynn turned to God and his prayers were answered. He surrendered himself to the Lord and was filled with these poems and verses that are written in his book, The Journey Begins.

I feel so blessed to be given the opportunity to review this book. As I read each poem I could feel the difficulties that Mr. Strong faced and I could feel how God’s love and guidance lifted him and help him along the way. As I read the poems and the verses I could feel the Lord lifting me from a time of sorrow that I had been placed inside. I know God is there for each of us. Loving us… helping us.. we just need to give him our all. That’s exactly what Lynn Strong did and in his book you feel the love of God as you read each page and enjoy his beautiful soul.

– Amazon Reviewer Amy

saturday self-published book review

Thanks for reading! Keep up with the latest in the world of indie and self-published books by watching this space every Saturday!

Self Publishing Advisor

Book Reviews, Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week, Uncategorized, weekly self published book review

Saturday Book Review: “Read: Decoding the Reading Obstacle – Increase Your Test Scores in Reading and Science”

Read: Decoding the Reading Obstacle - Increase Your Test Scores in Reading and Science by Walker Guerrier

Read: Decoding the Reading Obstacle – Increase Your Test Scores in Reading and Science

by Walker Guerrier

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781478776253

Synopsis*:

This book is design for top students, who have the desire to go above and beyond. I call them the seeds of greatness. The students I grew up who have used this approach are now doctors, scientists, and writers. These particular students became an engineer and doctor. Once you start using this book, your intellect will never be the same. This approach will help you attain your highest potential. Students all over the world use this book as a key to their success.

* courtesy of Amazon.com

Critique:

A consumable workbook, “Read: Decoding the Reading Obstacle” is especially recommended for both public school, private school, and home-schooling curriculums, and as an ideal, effective, and ‘user friendly’ do-it-yourself study skills improvement manual for college students.

[ reviewed on the Education Bookshelf of Midwest Book Review ]

saturday self-published book review

Thanks for reading! Keep up with the latest in the world of indie and self-published books by watching this space every Saturday!

Self Publishing Advisor

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week, Uncategorized, weekly self published book review

Saturday Book Review: “A Slice of History, Musing on Religion”

a slice of history, musing on religion by frans koning

A Slice of History, Musing on Religion

by Frans Koning

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781478760061

Synopsis*:

A View of the World from Three Continents. . . From a farm in The Netherlands to poverty-stricken Sierra Leone…from the brief peace after the Great War to the horrors of World War II…from Europe to America…this extraordinary book of anecdotal essays ranges through the life of a man who has lived broadly and deeply.

Author Frans Koning shares his observations and impressions on topics ranging from what it was like to be a teenager in a Nazi-occupied country, to his experiences in Africa with the Peace Corps, and his move to the United States. He has experienced the effects of brutality and fear and lived to tell about man’s inhumanity to man. With a perspective gained from three continents, he can see how human experience is both diverse and similar…and how patterns in human behavior emerge, from the Waffen SS to ISIS. Immediately engaging, loosely structured, and retaining a piquant flavor of his native land in a Dutchman’s English, A Slice of History is a uniquely personal yet immediately accessible memoir of life during the most turbulent decades of our time.

* courtesy of Amazon.com

Critique:

Most Americans know World War II from secondary sources like books, documentaries, etc. or from people they know who were alive at that time. “A Slice of History: Musing on Religion” by Frans Koning is a delicious primary source on how a young man experienced the war in the Netherlands. The dominant theme coming so often from the US public on “How we saved Western Europe” misses the complexities involved for the Dutch and all other liberal minded youth in this part of Europe who lived through this period.

The book is written in the style of letters written to friends, or even a thoughtful diary, is a refreshing reading experience. Koning shares his religious and political thoughts and feelings as he tries to create meaning in the midst of the forces of the war around him. The author’s colorful descriptions of a few of his medical practice experiences at home and in West Africa will certainly raise the reader’s curiosity. His ancestors trace back to the Reformation, as he reflects on his own struggles to understand the Christianity he encountered from parents, country, and Americans when he moved to the US. His long, soul searching for religious meaning caused his involvement with a liberal church. The openness and critical thinking of that religion served his questioning mind well.

Finally the narrative is full of personal details that most Americans could never imagine. This includes discovering the proper placement of straw into his wooden shoes, and how his mother saved Koning’s life from a belligerent Nazi SS officer by bribing him with a ham and a half bottle of gin.

This book causes readers to imagine how they would have reacted to events if they had been there. Overall, anyone interested in WWII will find this to be an excellent excursion into understanding how WWII affected a thoughtful young man.

[ reviewed by Gary Gustafson of Midwest Book Review ]

Here’s what some other reviewers are saying:

A nice piece of personal contemporary history from early twentieth century Holland (with some WWII drama, also). There are also medical observations from his years as an doctor in the African bush, and thoughtful views on comparative religion. Enlightening and fun as well.

– Amazon Reviewer Aaron Stafford

A personal opinion of the author and his life experiences: Dr Koning is a friend, and has very cogent opinions about the world, based upon his eighty plus years of life and experiences. His observations, in my experience, are keen and penetrating.

– Amazon Reviewer Scott Chester

saturday self-published book review

Thanks for reading! Keep up with the latest in the world of indie and self-published books by watching this space every Saturday!

Self Publishing Advisor

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