The Seaboard Review of Books, November 17, 2025
Volume 2, Issue 50 of The Seaboard Review of Books, November 17, 2025
In this issue:
In Winter I Get Up at Night by Jane Urquhart (Fiction)
Two Chapbooks by M. G. Turner (Fiction)
Life Is Fighting by Kevin Robert Kesar (Non-Fiction)
Needy Media: How Tech Gets Personal by Stephen Monteiro (Non-Fiction)
Women and Roosters by Fenn Stewart (Poetry)
New, Old and Notable by Gordon Phinn
Thanks for reading this issue of The Seaboard Review of Books!
James M. Fisher, editor-in-chief
Fiction
Two New Chapbooks by M. G. Turner
My literary education has a noticeable gap when it comes to poetry and the ancient classics. While I’ve made some progress with modern classics, the older works remain largely unexplored. And poetry, in particular, has never been my natural choice—not out of dislike, but because it demands a deliberate effort to interpret and appreciate. Much like music…
Non-Fiction
Life Is Fighting by Kevin Robert Kesar
Life Is Fighting is written by Kevin Robert Kesar. He is best known, in the professional wrestling world, as Killer Kross or — as he is known nowadays, through his current tenure in WWE: Karrion Kross.
Needy Media: How Tech Gets Personal by Stephen Monteiro
Needy Media: How Tech Gets Personal by Stephen Monteiro takes the reader on a journey through our history with personal computers, cell phones, and other electronic devices, while also examining how our interactions with these devices leave us open to manipulation by companies eager to leverage our use of them for profit.
Poetry
Women and Roosters by Fenn Stewart
“And if I only could,” sang Kate Bush on her 1985 hit from The Hounds of Love, “I’d make a deal with God, and I’d get him to swap our places. I’d be running up that road, be running up that hill, with no problems.” I know this song plays in Fenn Stewart’s head sometimes, because she’s included it in the playlist she’s assembled on the publisher’s websit…
Michael Greenstein Reviews
New, Old & Notable is a reoccurring column by Gordon Phinn in which he concisely reviews several books from the past and present.
In issue #2, Gordon talks about:
Premieres Posies by Eudore Evanturel
Lives Of Dead Poets by Penn Kemp
Exile: The Literary Quarterly (vol.47, #1)
The Atlantic Magazine (September 2025)
Click the banner to dive in!
Brief Notes on Books Present & Past
(Note: clicking on the underlined link takes you to the book’s publisher page or Amazon.ca for more information or for purchasing purposes. Support your local bookseller or independent publisher if you can.)
In Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab, three women’s lives and deaths intertwine through the centuries.
In 1532 Spain, María hungers for independence, but the only avenue open to her is to marry well and have children, which she does not want. Though she marries, her every attempt to gain independence is foiled by her husband and his mother, and she goes to great lengths to avoid pregnancy. It’s only when she meets the Widow that her life changes … forever.
In 1827 England, Charlotte’s forbidden desires result in her being shipped off to a strict aunt who will see her introduced to society and properly married. When Sabine offers her freedom, Charlotte can’t resist, nor can she imagine the terrible price she will pay.
In 2019 America, Alice has travelled halfway around the world from her home in Scotland, seeking to start fresh in college after a personal tragedy. When an uncharacteristic one-night stand transforms her in ways she never wanted, she sets out to solve the mystery of her new nature and get revenge.
This novel asks tough questions. How much will you sacrifice to get what you want? How far will you go to justify the poor decisions of your past? When revenge fails to make things right, how will you go on? (Contributed by Melanie Marttila)
A new chapbook from John Oughton and Nina West
Double Vision is John Oughton’s collaboration with Atlanta artist/writer Nina West. It’s a two-way collaboration between Nina and John, each of them contributing as both artists or photographers, and writers, reflecting on what they imagine in the process of viewing the other’s visual creations.
Copies can be ordered by contacting John (Canadian orders) or Nina West (US orders). John will share her email address if you message or email him. joughton1[at]gmail.com)
The Seaboard Review of Books is proud to be a sponsor of The New Brunswick Book Awards!
Support Us!
Ko-fi: you can choose from one-time donations to a $5/month membership.
Patreon: memberships from $3/month on up.
PayPal.me/theseaboardreview For one-time payments.
We also appreciate any “likes” and “shares” on social media!
The range of genres covered here is really impressive. I'm particularly curious about the Needy Media book since our relationship with tech devices has become so complx over the years. The Jane Urquhart fiction also sounds intriguing given its title. Thanks for putting togeher such a diverse collection of reviews in one place.