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Reviews by Gary R. (Bolingbrook, IL)

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The Book of Speculation
by Erika Swyler
if you breathe up you'll drown (4/23/2015)
one of the great pleasures of BookBrowse is being introduced to debut authors like Erica Swyler, just a pleasure to read. The story of librarian Simon and his sister Enola who he hasn't seen in some time,though she calls from the road from time to time. The mystery and the fun starts when an ancient book arrives on Simon's doorstep and a message on his answering machine announces the arrival of his sister. Really enjoyed the switch to the late 1700's traveling circus and back to the present. I'm not going to give to much away you'll just have to read the book,hard to believe this is her first novel. I'll be waiting for her next!
The Witch of Painted Sorrows: A Daughters of La Lune Novel
by M. J. Rose
protect her from love! (3/24/2015)
Alright, I admit it, it's my first time reading M.J. Rose. Where have I been?

It's Paris in the late 1800's,and this is the story of Sandrine,who has run away from her husband in the States after some shady banking deals and the suicide of her father caused by said deals. She has gone to Paris to seek the comfort of her grandmother and the house that she hasn't been to since she was fifteen. Now you are going to have to get a copy and read it yourself. This book has everything: A great setting (you can hear the winter rain on the sidewalks), romance, the occult, art, and characters that you care about. I really liked this book and you will too. Now to find her other books!
Shocking Paris: Soutine, Chagall and the Outsiders of Montparnasse
by Stanley Meisler
Starving artists (1/5/2015)
I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book but once I started to read it I was quite surprised by how quickly it sucked me in. The story of a group of Jewish painters,mostly grouped around Soutine and Chagall,and their time spent in Paris.From their beginnings as artists trying to get by, to the darlings of the scene to the Nazi occupation and their trials, if you are at least a little interested in art and artists this is the book you should read. I'm glad I had a chance to.
Backyard
by Norman Draper
a gardener's delight (10/27/2014)
If you want blood and gore you won't find it here, just the sap from the flowers. A decent story of gardening gone goofy. When the gardening contest to end all contests is announced, things get seriously out of hand. A fun read with a cast of characters, give it a try!
Doing Harm
by Kelly Parsons
Game on (11/12/2013)
I wasn't sure, starting this book, what I was in for. A debut novelist writing a medical thriller who just happens to be a doctor! Not being a great fan of medical thrillers I must say this book is a really good read. A series of accidents seem to point to the incompetence of chief resident Steve Mitchell,rising surgeon and supervisor of a group of med students,but is it really his fault? With all signs pointing to Steve, he sets out to prove his innocence. Even though you find out who's really responsible halfway through the book the game is on! Great read that sucks you in and is hard to put down. Recommended! Why only four stars? A few medical terms I had to stop reading and look up disrupted the flow, but still well worth it!
The Spirit Keeper
by K. B. Laugheed
A great journey! (9/17/2013)
Being a fan of James Fenimore Cooper's Mohican books, I looked forward to going back to that time, and The Spirit Keeper does not disappoint. It's the story of Katie O'Toole, the thirteenth child of a family living in the Pennsylvania wilderness who's home is raided and the survivors captured by "savages". But the book is so much more; Katie decides to go with the two strangers back to their land. There her journey begins! Through the course of the book I began to wonder who the real savages were? In my opinion, a really good read,whose characters stick with you long after the last page is turned.read it, see if you agree! Just remember,don't lean against the current, go with the flow!
The Daughters of Mars
by Thomas Keneally
The war to end all wars! (5/28/2013)
Another great book by a master.a tale of two Aussie sisters who volunteer as nurses during the great war.really enjoyed this book,the descriptions of the conditions that existed and the horrors everyone endured we're written as if Keneally was there.read this this book,it will make you realize that our methods of killing may have changed but in the end it's always the endurance and heroics of the people that matter!
Ghostman
by Roger Hobbs
The new king of crime fiction (1/5/2013)
Find your self a comfy chair, grab yourself a favorite beverage, turn off the phone and television, strap yourself in and get ready for a wild ride. Without giving to much away, the story follows a botched robbery at a casino, and a man more or less hired, a man with no identity, a ghost man, to retrieve the money before it explodes in 48 hours! Throw in the Feds, and the local Boss and the fun begins. I understand this was written while the author was still in college. There should be many years of good reading from Mr. Hobbs!
Sentinel: A Spycatcher Novel
by Matthew Dunn
The spy game (6/17/2012)
An enjoyable read,obviously written by an author who knows what he's writing about.fast paced,gritty and scary.believable characters,and all to believable premise involving a rogue military faction and a deep cover agent,sentinel,and the man sent to find him and stop the threat! The cold war isn't over,it's just started,read it!
Wife 22: A Novel
by Melanie Gideon
Wife 22 (4/12/2012)
OK, I'm a guy reading, what I heard called chic lit? Being married over that 20 year mark, this book really opened my eyes. It made me think about how we both can, over time, take each other for granted; and how little things people do can drive others crazy. Very good read, went fast. Really enjoyed the writing style. Come on guys, pick this up, worth the time. Next time I hear those little words, turn over your snoring, I'll think of Alice!
Losing Clementine: A Novel
by Ashley Ream
Another good read! (2/19/2012)
Who would of thought that a book about someone who wants to end it all would be so much fun to read! Clementine wants to end it all in 30 days,but wants to tie up a few loose ends before she goes. Funny, witty, an all around enjoyable read! Highly recommended!
Arcadia: A Novel
by Lauren Groff
A lot of Bit of wonderful! (12/19/2011)
Having read the author's first novel I was looking forward to this and was not disappointed! Just a wonderful read, sucked me in till the last page! The story of a life lived. The joy, wonder, awakening and heartbreak, written in words that made me want to re-read passages over again! Maybe I'm a little biased having grown up in this era, but I've already pre-ordered the hardcover. Have you?
Defending Jacob: A Novel
by William Landay
Violence in the blood (10/18/2011)
Without giving anything away,I'd have to say it's a good read about murder in the burbs, children committing murder? An ideal family? Is violence inherited? Not my child! Kept me reading but not outstanding in my opinion! If I'm allowed to say,you want outstanding try Andrew Vachss!
Ten Thousand Saints: A Novel
by Eleanor Henderson
And I thought the 70's were scary! (5/9/2011)
When I started this book I didn't realize I would lose a good three days in New York in the 80's.characters hold you and won't let go. A great story about people and families lost and trying to find something to hold on to. This book will suck you in! Great debut!
Original Sin: A Sally Sin Adventure
by Beth Mcmullen
Dare I say sinfully good! (2/20/2011)
When I received this book it was the day before the blizzard of 2011! 22 inches of snow and then the coldest days of the year! What does that have to do with this,nothing except it was a good time for a little 'Sinning'! This is not a book that requires a lot of deep thought, just very good entertainment, what I needed in the dead of winter! These are the adventures of Lucy Hamilton a.k.a. Sally Sin, former spy turned wife and mother,and her former boss who needs her for one more job. This (if I understand correctly) is the first book of an ongoing series. This is a great intro to the character Sally Sin, a great entertaining read. If you have children you will love Lucy! And even if you don't, read it and like myself you will be waiting for the next book!
Charles Jessold, Considered as a Murderer
by Wesley Stace
a book on a musician by a musician (11/29/2010)
I'm not normally a big fan of historical fiction but finding out that the author Wesley Stace is also the musician John Wesley Harding I thought I would give it a read.really glad I decided to, it's quite a good story told by the music critic Leslie Shepard,who befriends the up and coming composer Charles Jessold,it seems, at least to me, to mirror the opera Mr.Jessold was composing.The insights into the English society at that period of time, before the great war and after, were very interesting. The collecting and transcription of the folk songs of the countryside, the period during and after the war, all add to the authenticity of the story. But mostly it's the story of the rise and downward spiral of a musical genius by someone who knows. Give it a read, well worth the time.
The Ghost of Milagro Creek
by Melanie Sumner
The Wind Talked (8/2/2010)
It would be easy enough to say this is a book about two friends,one girl,one grandmother,one tragedy and a host of other characters but that's not all this book is about.the landscape of the Santa Fe and Taos area of New Mexico permeates this book! The culture of the area also plays a big part. I found this book to be a very good read, but it helps if you know a little bit of Spanish the stories within the story were a very nice touch. A very good writer who knows the area she writes about and who writes from the heart, read it!
The Swimming Pool
by Holly LeCraw
the swimming pool (3/7/2010)
This is a debut novel from Holly Lecraw. Let's hope that the next ones will get better. Tthe premise of the book revolves around two family's,the Atkinson's and the McClatchey's, with plenty of tragedy and secrets to go around, not to mention a little post-partum depression and lots of pent up anger. Sadly I really had no empathy for the characters, mostly due to the lack of development. They were either one-dimensional or lost in another dimension altogether. Also the flashbacks to the past really didn't help matters or clear up to much. This was an ARC copy and the lack of proofing and editing was noticeable. I finished this novel for the review. If it wasn't for that I probably wouldn't have made it. Some may like it,not my cup of tea.
State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America
by Sean Wilsey, Matt Weiland
the good old usa (11/4/2009)
I went into this book with a little trepidation. I don't usually read a lot of non-fiction. 50 by 50, great, a bunch of writers telling me why their state is the greatest right! well after reading the intro alone I could tell that was not to be - some of the writers didn't even live in the state they were writing about. I found the book to be absolutely fascinating. Little known historical events,trips down to the end of the road. The mountains,valleys,cities,and small towns that make this country what it is. Read this book, read it by your favorite author, your favorite state, or just from page one to the last. I loved it!
Some of the Dead Are Still Breathing: Living in the Future
by Charles Bowden
some of the dead are still breathing (2/14/2009)
Charles Bowden is an artist. He creates music on the page through his words. There is truth in this book,and not everybody will like it,because truth is not always goodness and light. Sometimes it's as dark as a moonless night. I myself loved this book. It's hard to explain. So is the truth! As the author himself states, "I cannot seem to feel alive unless I am alert and I cannot feel alert unless I push past the point where I have control". Truth again! If you've been there you know what he means.

Read the book,then pass it on to a friend or a stranger! The author again, "We have to explain everything. We cannot simply be." Myself,I'm going to try and find a little "free time" a little "snaketime".
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