Indie book reviews

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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.

IR Approved
Rating:
4.8 / 5.0

Poignant, moving, and filled with striking details about the globe's out-of-the-way places, Barry Hoffner's BELONGING TO THE WORLD is an uplifting celebration of life and...

Rating:
3.4 / 5.0

Half intriguing travelogue, half political broadside, BEFRIENDING CHINA: People-to-People Peacemaking offers a contentious take on current events. At times, Dee Knight appears to lose sight...

IR Approved
Rating:
4.6 / 5.0

A thoughtful, often funny travel memoir, Cory Mortensen’s MIDDLE MILES: Cycling from Canada to Mexico Along the Pacific Coast Highway trades cycling stats for philosophical...

IR Approved
June 2, 2025

A GUIDE TO JAZZ IN JAPAN

By Michael Pronko
Rating:
4.4 / 5.0

Michael Pronko's A GUIDE TO JAZZ IN JAPAN is a fascinating exploration of how one country embraced a particular genre. Along with carefully considered cultural...

IR Approved
February 10, 2025

EXPLORING WINE REGIONS: MEXICO

By Michael C. Higgins, PhD
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

Michael C. Higgins's EXPLORING WINE REGIONS: MEXICO is a well-organized, beautifully illustrated guide that promises to be of substantial use for travelers wishing to experience...

IR Approved
February 3, 2025

BEIJING BOUND: A Foreigner Discovers China

By Glen Loveland
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0

Glen Loveland’s first book, BEIJING BOUND: A Foreigner Discovers China, is an endlessly fascinating snapshot of life in Beijing at the very beginning of the...

IR Approved
November 27, 2024

TOKYO TEMPOS

By Michael Pronko
Rating:
4.7 / 5.0

TOKYO TEMPOS is an enlightening and entertaining collection of essays, thanks to Micheal Pronko’s careful prose beautifully conjuring a sense of place and the occasional...

IR Approved
November 22, 2024

THE CYCLE OF LIFE

By Greg Scott
Rating:
4.3 / 5.0

Greg Scott's THE CYCLE OF LIFE is a poignant, often humorous memoir of an epic father-son cycling odyssey across Canada and an engaging tale of...

IR Approved
Rating:
4.1 / 5.0

83 ODYSSEY: An Adventure Down the Spine of America on U.S. Highway 83 shines with author Charles Roamer's affection for the Great Plains’ landscape and...

Rating:
3.0 / 5.0

Michael C. Higgins’s EXPLORING WINE REGIONS: The Central Coast of California is a good, solid guide to the region's vineyards, but certain peculiarities of content...

IR Approved
November 10, 2023

NATIONAL PARK MAPS (An Atlas of the U.S. National Parks)

By Michael Joseph Oswald
Rating:
5.0 / 5.0

A valuable resource even in these days of GPS and cell phones, NATIONAL PARK MAPS, compiled by Michael Joseph Oswald, provides a wealth of helpful...

IR Approved
November 6, 2023

THE DAYHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE NATIONAL PARKS

By Michael Joseph Oswald
Rating:
5.0 / 5.0

Michael Joseph Oswald's THE DAYHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE NATIONAL PARKS is chock-full of useful guidance for the dayhiker, offering descriptions of trails, available amenities, the...

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