Indie book reviews

IndieReader’s reviewers are tough, but fair

Our Reviewers won’t judge your book as compared to other self-published titles, but against other books, period. Our ratings are based on the following criteria, although reviewers are able to award partial stars (i.e. a 1.3 or a 4.7), rather than rounding up or down to a whole or half number.

1/5

Really bad 
Work on it.

2/5

Mediocre
1-2 bright spots.

3/5

Good
Worth reading.

4/5

Very Good
1-2 spots that need work

5/5

Excellent!
Must-read.

* IndieReader receives compensation for most of the books it reviews, along with copies of those books.

Rating:
3.5 / 5.0

Damen Howard's VAN LIFE WITH CATS (The Digital Nomad’s Guide to Traveling the Americas) is a short and simple guide best used as a starting...

November 7, 2022

SOLDIER TO SOJOURNER

By Gordon Schwerzmann
Rating:
3.8 / 5.0

Gordon Schwerzmann's enthusiastic and informative memoir, SOLDIER TO SOJOURNER, details his time serving in Korea and provides a fascinating and insightful account of the culture...

IR Approved
March 2, 2022

SILVER SCREEN CITIES AMSTERDAM & BRUSSELS

By David Kintore
Rating:
5.0 / 5.0

Written with the enthusiasm, erudition, and cinematic eye of a dedicated explorer, David Kintore's evocative, lavishly detailed SILVER SCREEN CITIES AMSTERDAM & BRUSSELS is not...

Rating:
3.5 / 5.0

An artistic and varied outsider's take on Italy, UNDER VESUVIUS: A Reflective Travelogue in Verse and Prose, paints a picture of the place and also...

IR Approved
December 13, 2021

THE TOPOGRAPHY OF FEAR

By Mathew Sturtevant
Rating:
4.6 / 5.0

Somewhere between timeless adventure (Kerouac’s "On The Road") and tortured sojourn (Neal Peart’s "Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road"), there exists THE TOPOGRAPHY OF...

November 19, 2021

HITTING THE ROAD WITHOUT A MAP

By Fred Rutter
Rating:
2.8 / 5.0

HITTING THE ROAD WITHOUT A MAP, the saga of author Fred Rutter's RV journey from Ohio to Oregon, has some nice photography and fun historical...

August 16, 2021

FAMILY TRIP TO MAGICAL MADAGASCAR AND BEYOND

By Nicki Geigert
Rating:
2.9 / 5.0

FAMILY TRIP TO MAGICAL MADAGASCAR AND BEYOND is an informative and visual travel book with spectacular images, let down by a less-than-polished prose style.

IR Approved
October 7, 2020

TRAVELS WITH HAFA

By Nathan Pettijohn
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0

Nathan Pettijohn’s TRAVELS WITH HAFA reveals the not-so-pretty realities of an extended RV trip, while never losing a sense of wonder and appreciation for the...

IR Approved
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

Thrilling adventure, soulful insights and crisp, fast-paced writing combine to make Jean-Philippe Soulé's DANCING WITH DEATH a great read.

IR Approved
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0

Covering everything from sun block to bail bonds, THE PUNK ROCK LAS VEGAS SURVIVAL GUIDE is ideal for both veteran and new festival attendees. Oedyuses...

Get A PROFESSIONAL REVIEW FOR YOUR BOOK!