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When the Moon Is Low
When the Moon Is Low: A Novel
by Nadia Hashimi
Admirable but (9/1/2015)
boring...I feel so awful writing a mediocre review of When the Moon is Low, but it just didn't grab me. I found the writing stilted and a bit sophomoric, characters didn't grab me. That said, the story is good and demands to be told.
A Little Life
A Little Life
by Hanya Yanagihara
Friendship is its own miracle (6/3/2015)
Brace yourself is right. There are no words available to do this lovely, sprawling book justice. It touched me and taught me and had me marveling at the beauty of love - seeing it in a completely different light. Jude St. Francis is a marvel - he at turns had me sobbing, …more
The Shore
The Shore: A Novel
by Sara Taylor
Messes are hard to clean up (5/7/2015)
I ADORED The Shore. It's less a short story collection than beautiful glimpses into not so beautiful lives. You get a real sense of place, you can smell the crab and the chicken plant, and the desperation. "...but stopping for a pack of smokes because you don't ride into …more
The Silver Witch
The Silver Witch
by Paula Brackston
Witchy women? (2/19/2015)
The Silver Witch started out quite nicely - I liked the characters of Tilda and Seren, and the way Brackston switches the narrative between the two. I appreciated the tension Tilda experiences as she struggles to accept/believe, understand, and then harness, her new found …more
The Secrets of Mary Bowser
The Secrets of Mary Bowser
by Lois Leveen
In a word... (4/8/2012)
Boring. "Mary Bowser" just dragged for me. I didn't see or feel the characters come alive on the page. To be fair, I only made it to page 84, but I simply found myself slogging through.
Cloudland
Cloudland: A Crime Novel
by Joseph Olshan
Cloudy with a chance of murder (3/8/2012)
I'd torn between giving Cloudland a 3.5 - 4. I was compelled to finish it, because I was invested and curious as to the identity of the murderer. Yet by the time "he" was revealed, I felt a little deflated, and I'm not sure why. I found Olshan's writing to be very good... …more
Sweeping Up Glass
Sweeping Up Glass
by Carolyn Wall
Speed read this one! (8/10/2009)
I LOVED Sweeping Up Glass. I read over half of it the day I received it. It's reminiscient of To Kill A Mockingbird, but its story certainly stands alone. I loved the character of Olivia ... and there wasn't a false note throughout the entire book, nor was it predictable.

…more
Cutting For Stone
Cutting For Stone
by Abraham Verghese
Cutting is Captivating (3/9/2009)
Well done...very well done. I'm exhausted...at 534 pages, I have been thoroughly engrossed in the lives of Marion and Shiva stone for close to a month. This book had tons of layers...lots of heart and love and warmth and heartbreak and squirm-inducing scenes. cutting for …more
Eve
Eve: A Novel of the First Woman
by Elissa Elliott
Poor writing ruins plot (12/30/2008)
I did not care for this book. i found the writing to be insipid...the characters' voices (Eva and her daughters, Naava, Dara and Aya) all seemed the same. I did not find that they were truthful to the time or the atmosphere. i found myself thinking, are they really saying …more
The Pirate's Daughter
The Pirate's Daughter
by Margaret Cezair-Thompson
Excellent - didn't want to put it down (7/23/2008)
I SO enjoyed this book. I thought the premise was intriguing (Errol Flynn fathering a child in Jamaica), although Flynn is not the main character, and actually, comes off as sort of a self-absorbed, pitiful character. the book was rich with details about Jamaica, of which I …more
Madapple
Madapple
by Christina Meldrum
It's madness! (3/31/2008)
Hmmm...well, i found this book to be very well written, with beautiful descriptions and haunting images. the author has clearly done her research, and i was fascinated by the botanical aspects. i also liked the trial sequences interspersed between flashbacks. i wanted to …more
Mozart's Sister
Mozart's Sister
by Rita Charbonnier
it won me over! (10/16/2007)
Initially, I was a little bored by and with Mozart's Sister, but about 2/3 of the way through, it began to come alive for me. Although some aspects of the narrative wrapped up a little too conveniently, I found myself enjoying the last 1/3 of the book. I must say I might've …more
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  • Book Jacket
    The River Knows Your Name
    by Kelly Mustian
    A haunting Southern novel about memory and love, from the author of The Girls in the Stilt House.
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