Unsolicited Book Reviews

Unsolicited book review Tuesday.Today's installment: Conversation with Richie Billing about his book Together We Rise (2025)Today I sit down with my friend and fellow writer Richie Billing--who's across the pond in Liverpool. Richie reached out via email, and truly I was just captured by his book from the jump. Both the inventiveness of including a score, the beauty of the maps, and, of course, the story that, while fantasy, was both prescient and timely. Here's his bio:Richie Billing gave up his job as a lawyer to pursue his passion for writing. He writes all kinds of stories, but mostly fantasy fiction. His tales often explore real-world issues, zooming in on the characters and their troubles. His short fiction has been widely published, with one story adapted for BBC radio. In March 2021 his debut novel, Pariah’s Lament, was published by indie press Of Metal and Magic Publishing. Richie also hosts the podcast The Fantasy Writers’ Toolshed, and his craft book on writing fantasy, A Fantasy Writers’ Handbook, has helped some writers land book deals. When not writing, Richie works as an editor and digital marketer and teaches creative writing both online and in his home city of Liverpool. Most nights you can find him up into the early hours scribbling away or watching the NBA.You can find him online at: https://richiebilling.com/

Or at his Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/RichieBillingYou can order copies through his webpage: https://richiebilling.com/booksThanks for listening and/or watching!Your friendly intensely curious author and indie publisher!http://www.michaelmacbride.com#unsolicitedreview #bookreview #unsolicitedbookreview #macbride #books #booktok #bookstagram #fantasy #richiebilling #togetherwerise #urbanfantasy

On Tuesday, September 9, 2025, Michael David MacBride (that's me!) and Francine Romine MacBride sat down in front of a live audience at Fine Print Bookshop in Saline, Michigan to launch MacBride's latest novel: At The Wake. Recorded live with no edits. Enjoy!

Grab a copy from Fine Print or anywhere you can buy books.

Here's the blurb from the book:

At the Wake is an unflinching exploration of family, legacy, and the long shadow cast by one man's life. Achiel Van Slyck was a man of contradictions-a war hero who took pride in his service, but also a vindictive neighbor, a volatile father, and a man whose actions shattered lives, including his own. When he murdered Clifford Ellis in 1975, the crime sent shockwaves through his family and community, leaving scars and secrets that would ripple across generations.

Through a kaleidoscope of perspectives-his wife, children, siblings, and even his victims-Achiel's story unfolds in fragments, revealing a complex portrait of a man shaped by trauma, war, and a simmering rage. As each family member recounts their experiences, they grapple with the truths of their shared past, the weight of Achiel's legacy, and their own struggles to reconcile love, anger, and loss.

Set against the backdrop of small-town dynamics and spanning decades, At the Wake delves into the messy, often painful process of confronting one's history. It's a tale of resilience, reflection, and the ways in which families try to move forward while bearing the imprint of the past. Michael David MacBride weaves a haunting and evocative narrative that challenges readers to ask: can we ever truly escape the shadows of our ancestors?

Today I sit down with my friend and fellow writer Bronson Lemer, and even though we're on Zoom he's also in Minnesota. He chose the book we both read--The Evening Crowd at Kirmser's--and we sit down to talk about the book, writing, memoirs, queer history and culture, and any number of other things.Here's his bio:Bronson Lemer is the author of The Last Deployment: How a Gay, Hammer-Swinging Twentysomething Survived a Year in Iraq and The Lonely Veteran’s Guide to Companionship. His work has appeared in Guernica, Creative Nonfiction, The Southeast Review, Twentysomething Essays by Twentysomething Writers, and elsewhere. A 2019 McKnight Writing Fellow, he lives in St. Paul.You can find him online at: https://bronsonlemer.com/Or on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/blemerYou can pick up copies his books at  @MagersandQuinn : --https://www.magersandquinn.com/product/The-Lonely-Veterans-Guide-to-Companionship/27097640--https://www.magersandquinn.com/product/The-Last-Deployment-How-a-Gay,-Hammer-Swinging-Twentysomething-Survived-a-Year-in-Iraq/2187786

And grab a copy of Brown's book right at the University of Minnesota press: https://www.upress.umn.edu/9780816636228/evening-crowd-at-kirmsers/Thanks for listening and/or watching!Your friendly intensely curious author and indie publisher!http://www.michaelmacbride.com#unsolicitedreview #bookreview #unsolicitedbookreview #macbride #books #booktok #bookstagram #memoir #ricardojbrown #kirmser #eveningcrowd #lgbtqia #stpaul #minnesota #lastdeployment #lonelyveteran

Today I sit down with my friend and fellow writer, William D Dyer, along with his old friend John Gottcent. John read and responded to both of Dyer's books--Teaching Fools and Traumatizing Linda--and I wanted to get them together to chat about them. So, slightly unorthodox unsolicited book review format, but I think you'll enjoy it nonetheless.

Here's Bill's bio:

Originally from Boston's south shore, William D. Dyer grew up in the small bedroom community of Braintree filled with lots of academic promise, a good heart, and no common sense. Enlisted to become his mother's his mother's primary caregiver at seventeen, he tried to squander that promise when her cancer killed her by spending it all in two very brief encounters with distinguished institutions of higher learning. But, with help of his dauntless teenage spouse, Dyer got back on track, got his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. and plied a successful forty-two-year career in college teaching. They shared two great kids and fifty-seven-year marriage before she succumbed to the horrors of Alzheimer's. Dyer and his Siamese cats now split time between a condo in Minneapolis and the cabin on Lake Superior that Dyer and Linda built together.

And you can find more about him and his books at: https://www.saltybookspub.com/dyer

During our conversation, we ended up spending a fair amount of time talking about:

Robert M Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values (1974): https://amzn.to/4dnvBG8

Bessel van der Kolk's The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma (2015): https://amzn.to/45l2Sjg

Brene Brown's Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience (2017): https://amzn.to/44OPbZS

You can find each of Bill's books at the links below:

Traumatizing Linda: Riding Cumulative Psychic Shocks into Dementia and Alzheimer's (2024): https://amzn.to/3YTGo57

Teaching Fools: Masters and Mentors (2023): https://amzn.to/4kqG1aj

Thanks for listening and/or watching!

Your friendly intensely curious author, researcher, and indie publisher!

http://www.michaelmacbride.com

#unsolicitedreview #bookreview #unsolicitedbookreview #macbride #books #booktok #bookstagram #memoir #medicalmemoir #northshore #minnesota #williamddyer #dyer #teachingfools #traumatizingLinda

Today I sit down with my friend and fellow writer, who's also apparently a musician, and truly just all around great person who's a joy to talk with: Traci Lambrecht. She chose the book we both read--The Partisan--and we sit down to talk about the book, writing, literature in general, her stint as a lead singer for a 90s indie/punk band, and why she chose this particular book for us to chat about.

Here's her bio:Traci Lambrecht spent most of her childhood riding and showing horses. She graduated with a Russian Studies major from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, where she also studied voice. Her aspirations of becoming a spy were dashed when the Cold War ended, so she began writing to finance her annoying habits of travel and singing in rock bands. Much to her mother’s relief, she finally realized that the written word was her true calling. Together, they had a long, prolific career writing together in many genres until PJ’s passing in December 2016. Traci continues to write like a maniac, with PJ’s spirit sitting on her shoulder, cracking wise.

You can preorder copies of Traci's latest book (Deepest Cut) which comes out 9/9/2025 at her home-base bookstore Once Upon A Crime: https://onceuponacrimebooks.com/book/9781639108770We name-check a number of books along the way:

First and foremost, Patrick Worrall's The Partisan (2022): https://amzn.to/3YVVV4l

But also his follow-up The Exile (2024)

and The Aristocracy (2026): https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/288057/patrick-worral

Robin White's Siberian Light (1997): https://amzn.to/45l0jOa

My book, The Life and Times of SKAborough Fair (2022): https://amzn.to/3SKedBX

Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina (1878): https://amzn.to/44HtLh7

Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov (1880): https://amzn.to/4kq1Syz

Fyodor Dostoevsky's Notes From Underground (1864): https://amzn.to/4mHGDKT

Thanks for listening and/or watching!

Your friendly intensely curious author, researcher, and indie publisher!

http://www.michaelmacbride.com

#unsolicitedreview #bookreview #unsolicitedbookreview #macbride #books #booktok #bookstagram #fiction #tracilambrecht #PJtracy #patrickworrall #ThePartisan #Monkeewrench #TheDeepestCut #Poke

Unsolicited book review Tuesday... except it's not on a Tuesday.

Today's installment: Conversation with Colin Scharf about Bret Eason Ellis' Less Than Zero

Hey hey! Quick mailbag episode to answer a couple questions!

Unlike most episodes, this time I sit down with my friend, fellow writer, and professor Christopher Field. He chose the book we both read--Book 2 of My Favorite Thing Is Monsters by Emil Ferris)⁠⁠--and we sit down to talk about the book, teaching, literature in general, and why he chose this particular book for us to chat about.

Book 2: https://amzn.to/4dFDdTG

Unlike most episodes, this time I sit down with my friend Anthony to talk about a book he chose: The Beatles Couldn't Read Music? from the Wait! What? series, by Dan Gutman and illustrated by Allison Steinfeld.

You can grab a copy here: https://amzn.to/4bRC0rN

Thanks for listening!

Your friendly intensely curious author and indie publisher!

http://www.michaelmacbride.com

Unlike most episodes, this time I sit down with Leslie Ritenour (aka: Babybeanlettuce) who is the artist and illustrator and artist for Who Gives a Duck?! We chat about her background, influences, how she approached this project, and a variety of other topics.

You can find Leslie online:

https://babybeanlettuceartllc.com/
https://www.instagram.com/babybeanlettuce/
https://www.tiktok.com/@babybeanlettuce
https://www.facebook.com/BabyBeanLettuce/

Thanks for listening!

Your friendly intensely curious author and indie publisher!

http://www.michaelmacbride.com