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Reviews by Karen J. (Bremerton, WA)

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You Were There Too
by Colleen Oakley
Bad Timing (8/25/2019)
Unfortunately this book arrived right after the loss of my husband of 53 years and so I'm not sure I was in a positive frame of mind for it. Nevertheless, I found the characters and narrative well developed and the story line unfolded with good pace although the dynamic ofmore
The Story of Arthur Truluv: A Novel
by Elizabeth Berg
To Be Shared (6/9/2017)
Occasionally a book comes along that cries out to be shared with a friend. I won't talk about the plot as I want it to unfold for the reader as it did with me -- gently. I will say it's a story that will engage you, a story that is filled with truths and packed with wisdom -more
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
by Phaedra Patrick
Not Harold Fry (3/18/2016)
Having read "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" I anticipated a similar experience with this story. Sadly, for me it was not. Both stories describe an interior journey as well as a physical one. And each character experiences a transformation as a result of his journey.more
The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes
by Anna McPartlin
Pleasant Surprise (7/15/2015)
I am at that age where death has a frequent presence in my life so I was apprehensive, yet curious, about how the author would handle the subject. To my pleasant surprise, Rabbit Hayes is a well told story - not about dying, but about living until you die. More, it is amore
Glitter and Glue: A Memoir
by Kelly Corrigan
Wanted More Depth (11/26/2013)
Fans of Kelly Corrigan will enjoy this touching memoir of her first foray from her childhood home wherein she travels to Australia to live adventurously and experience interesting things, free of the constraints of her strained relationship with her mother. However, soonmore
A Man of His Own
by Susan Wilson
Disappointed (9/5/2013)
I was really looking forward to this book and so was disappointed to find that I had to push my way through it. I think part of my reaction was my expectation that it would be more from the dog's perspective. This is no "Merle's Door" – a book I dearly loved. Nor is it "Themore
Flat Water Tuesday
by Ron Irwin
Breathless & Exhausted (4/28/2013)
I'm breathless and exhausted. I chose this book because I wanted to learn about the sport of rowing – and I did. But that's not sufficiently true because for 3 days and 300 pages I lived and breathed (panted?) it. However, although rowing provides the bones of the narrative,more
The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War
by Daniel Stashower
Disappointing (12/31/2012)
The Hour of Peril tells about Alan Pinkerton, his detective agency and the discovered plot to assassinate Lincoln in Baltimore on his way to his inauguration. It is history told in story form so reads like a novel and not like a history book.
However, I found itmore
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry: A Novel
by Rachel Joyce
Patience Well Rewarded (7/10/2012)
The narrative of this story, like Harold Fry’s journey, starts out ploddingly slow and I was tempted to push it aside. Gradually, however, I was drawn in, knowing Harold’s quest to be impossible yet wanting to believe otherwise. For me, the richness in this tale was in themore
Cloudland: A Crime Novel
by Joseph Olshan
Enjoyable but not memorable. (3/23/2012)
As a former New Englander, I found the clean uncluttered narrative of Cloudland perfectly matching the rural setting of Vermont in which the serial murders take place. Utilizing a no-frills straightforward narration, the author leads the reader from clue to clue, suspect tomore
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
by Katherine Boo
Not easy to read, not easy to put down. (1/18/2012)
Some books carry me along, this one pulled. It was not easy to read, yet not easily put down. Poverty, corruption, racism, economic envy, brutal indifference toward human life pummel the inhabitants of Annawadi, Mumbai’s undercity, yet amazingly, in spite of the slum city’smore
The Night Circus: A Novel
by Erin Morgenstern
Too much icing; not enough cake. (7/17/2011)
Too much icing; not enough cake

I was looking forward to this book so perhaps my expectations were too high. No question about it, the story is unusual and the author has done a magnificent job of building an atmosphere full of nuance, allusions and magic yet although themore
The Art of Saying Goodbye: A Novel
by Ellyn Bache
Disappointed (3/27/2011)
It's a good story but lightly told and given the title and subject I expected more. The cover of the book shows three women and had the author limited her story to three, one of whom was dying, there would have been more opportunity for depth. Instead I felt like I wasmore
Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal
by Conor Grennan
Worthy Successor (12/8/2010)
Ever since I trekked in Nepal I've longed to return and Little Princes took me there. The author's description of Kathmandu, Nepal and its people, so beautifully rendered, brought back a flood of memories, but even more, this story of child trafficking and the author'smore
The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean
by Susan Casey
What a Ride! (8/12/2010)
Well, I’m back – a bit soggy but unbowed. I’ve traveled on the boat Discovery to Waveland in the North Sea with a group of scientists, who are studying how the ocean’s basic characteristics are shifting; surfed in Hawaii with a tribe of tow surfers who are chasing themore
An Eagle Named Freedom: My True Story of a Remarkable Friendship
by Jeff Guidry
Not Wesley but inspirational (4/29/2010)
Fans of Wesley The Owl may be a bit disappointed in this book as I was - at first. In Wesley I got an inside look into his mind and emotions, felt a connection with his quirky personality and character and so was looking for a similar experience with Freedom. However,more
The Journal Keeper: A Memoir
by Phyllis Theroux
Uneven (1/20/2010)
Captures six years of the author's life. A sketchbook of events, impressions, favorite quotes, observations…. I found my attention wandering in parts but deeply engaged in others. It was a bit uneven for me. Interesting, thought provoking at times, but not as good as somemore
The Elephant Keeper
by Christopher Nicholson
Disappointed (6/9/2009)
I am truly puzzled. I had really looked forward to this book having read two others of similar bent and thoroughly enjoyed them. However, this story never engaged me emotionally and that is what I was looking for. I don't know why, it just didn't. I'll be interested to seemore
Cutting For Stone
by Abraham Verghese
Must Read (2/4/2009)
Rarely does a book come along that engages me on so many levels – gorgeous writing, interesting and sympathetic characters, fascinating setting, gripping narrative. Cutting for Stone is a story of love’s many varied forms – brotherly, spousal, unrequited, sexual, parental,more
Broken Colors
by Michele Zackheim
Resonated (2/23/2008)
This book really resonated with me. I've taken some art classes and although I'm no artist I could readily identify with Sophie's obsession with her painting and the difficulty she experienced in trying to reconcile her work with her personal life. Sophie's life was notmore
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