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Beast of the North Woods: Monster Hunter Mysteries #3
by Annelise Ryan
Entertaining novel (11/26/2024)
I'm not exactly sure what to think of this one. Given the premise, that the heroine is a cryptozoologist, and the fact that it's the third book in the Monster Hunter series, I guess I was expecting something more supernatural.

It was an entertaining mystery with littlemore
The Stone Girl: A Novel
by Dirk Wittenborn
Fast and Entertaining (6/4/2020)
My husband read this book before I did, and encouraged me to pick it up as well. When he asked me my opinion, I replied, "Do you want my personal opinion or my technical one?"

From a personal standpoint, I loved this book. It was a perfect dose of escapism and exactly themore
Homer & Langley
by E.L. Doctorow
Good, but not great (10/18/2009)
Historical fiction should offer a new perspective on real-life events or people, adding details created by the author to supplement what is known and factual. I felt like Doctorow didn’t do enough of that. The book, to me, felt a bit too “light,” with too little includedmore
The Girl Who Played with Fire
by Stieg Larsson
Better than the first in the series (10/18/2009)
This, the second book in the series, is more engaging than the first, and fans of the series will definitely enjoy learning more about its protagonist, Lisbeth Sanders. Far more of the plot revolves around her than it did in the first book, and the story also moves along atmore
The Help
by Kathryn Stockett
Perfect historical fiction! (10/18/2009)
What an amazing book. It should be required reading for everyone too young to remember the racial injustice and turmoil of the 1960s. In addition to simply having something important to say, The Help is exceptionally well-written. All the characters are three-dimensional,more
The Giver
by Lois Lowry
Interesting view of a dystopian future (10/11/2009)
I read this book in celebration of Banned Book Week (2009-09-26 through 2009-10/03). I'm not entirely sure why it would have been a challenged novel, as the future it paints is so distant that I personally believe children in its intended age group would be unlikely to findmore
Day After Night
by Anita Diamant
Good, but not great. (10/11/2009)
Anita Diamant's latest is a fast read and I found it reasonably enjoyable, but I left it feeling oddly disappointed. I thought she could have done so much more with her characters and with the history behind the events in her book. The book's four main heroines are somewhatmore
Random Acts of Heroic Love
by Danny Scheinmann
Beautifully written novel in all respects (6/8/2009)
The chapters that follow Moritz Daniecki’s WWI exploits are marvelous historical fiction. They’re rich in detail without bogging down. His story is the more entertaining one, something like the story of Odysseus - without the gods and monsters (although some he met alongmore
Ghostwalk
by Rebecca Stott
Good, but not great. (6/5/2009)
The author started with an obvious passion for the 17th century, and her extensive research into the period is evident. There are parts of this novel that seem like they could have been the kernel of the author’s Ph.D. thesis. She layers a rather spooky ghost story on topmore
Gone For Good
by Harlan Coben
Fun, exciting read (5/31/2009)
This is the second Harlan Coben novel I've read, but it certainly won’t be the last. I'm finding that he is fast becoming one of my favorite "light" authors. This book, in particular, was intriguing and fast-paced with many unexpected plot twists that kept me amplymore
People of the Book
by Geraldine Brooks
Good historical fiction (5/22/2009)
I really loved the idea of tracing an important book back through history using clues left in its binding. The parts of this novel that focused on the object's past and on the people who had been involved in its handling were excellent and illuminating; it made greatmore
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
by Alan Bradley
Good, but not great (5/19/2009)
The biggest problem I had in reading this novel was with the protagonist: 11-year-old Flavia. It seems as if many readers and reviewers really liked this character, but I found her reasoning skills and actions so unrealistic for an 11-year-old that it led me to feel themore
Beat the Reaper: A Novel
by Josh Bazell
What a ride! (3/1/2009)
Beat the Reaper is a fast, furious, fun roller-coaster ride of a book, and I enjoyed it tremendously. Its protagonist was unique, entertaining, and three-dimensional. I kept waiting for the plot to take some predictable turn, but it never did; I was constantly surprised bymore
Tell No One
by Harlan Coben
My first Coban, but not my last! (2/7/2009)
I don't read many mystery-thrillers. There are so many mediocre entries in this genre that I think it's very difficult to find a good one. I was therefore initially disappointed when my book club chose this novel, but I decided to participate regardless. I was so glad thatmore
War Trash
by Ha Jin
Informational, but lacking emotional depth (2/7/2009)
I enjoyed reading War Trash, in that it was an excellent account of life as a Chinese prisoner of war during the Korean War. Although my father was enlisted in the army during that conflict, I know very little about that period of history. Ha Jin's novel illuminated a smallmore
The Terror: A Novel
by Dan Simmons
Excellent, but with weaknesses (2/3/2009)
I'm a huge fan of Dan Simmons' novels. I've read everything he's written some books more than once. There were elements of The Terror that I enjoyed very much, and consider to be far and away some of his best work. This is particularly true of the historical sections. Notmore
A Map of Home
by Randa Jarrar
Wonderful comingofage novel (1/4/2009)
I think finding a well written coming of age novel that features a female protagonist is a rare event. Most of those I've read in this genre have had a sacharine-sweet lack of realism that has left me less than enthusiastic about the story. A Map of Home, by Randa Jarrar,more
Animal's People: A Novel
by Indra Sinha
My favorite of the year (12/15/2008)
This might be my favorite book of 2008. I found it to be extremely original and very entertaining. The protagonist, Animal, is one of those fictional characters you wish you knew in real life and are reluctant to leave behind once completing the novel. He feels real. He'smore
The Story of a Marriage: A Novel
by Andrew Sean Greer
The Story of a Marriage (12/2/2008)
This is certainly a very well-written, involving novel that examines the complexities of love and marriage. Greer's prose is evocative and at times almost poetic. His characters are well-drawn and three-dimensional. I do have to admit, though, that although I enjoyedmore
The Botany of Desire
by Michael Pollan
I found this book fascinating (11/17/2008)
I have to admit I'm truly dismayed by some of the other reviews of this book posted here at Bookbrowse. While everyone is entitled to their opinion, I think perhaps Botany of Desire requires a certain curiosity about that world that many of us develop later in life, andmore
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Babylonia
by Costanza Casati
From the author of the bestselling Clytemnestra comes another intoxicating excursion into ancient history. When kings fall, queens rise.
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Let's Call Her Barbie
by Renée Rosen
She was only eleven-and-a-half inches tall, but she would change the world. Barbie is born in this bold new novel by USA Today bestselling author Renée Rosen.
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The Memory Library
by Kate Storey
Journey through the pages of this heartwarming novel, where hope, friendship and second chances are written in the margins.
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Help Wanted by Adelle Waldman

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    The Secret History of the Rape Kit
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    The story of the woman who kicked off a feminist revolution in forensics, and then vanished into obscurity.

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