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Reviews by Marissa P. (Tarrytown, NY)

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A Million Things
by Emily Spurr
Awesome (9/13/2021)
Wonderful book on the order of Where the Crawdad Sings. The characters are so well developed and quirky. The book keeps pulling you in and never wanting it to end.
The Secret Language of Stones: A Daughters of La Lune Novel
by M. J. Rose
Compelling Read (4/9/2016)
M J Rose writes a compelling story involving mysticism and a love affair between Opaline and Jean Luc. It is a fast read with many twists and turns. I wished that the author would have focused a bit more on the jewelry making process that Opaline was famous for.
A Simple Act of Gratitude: How Learning to Say Thank You Changed My Life
by John Kralik
Uplifting and Heartfelt (4/5/2011)
This is the story of a man who was suffering in every area of his life, his law firm was struggling to make ends meet and he felt there was nothing positive for him to experience until he decided one day to write 365 thank you notes to people he had contact with either through work or everyday life. This is a triumphant book and a must read.
An Amish Christmas: A Novel
by Cynthia Keller
Heartwarming Tale of Patience, Love and Forgiveness (8/27/2010)
The Hobart family seems to have it all, a beautiful home, fancy clothes, fast cars, but all taken away in an instant. They are forced to leave their possessions and home behind to go and live with family they hardly know in order to survive. On the way to their destination they get into an accident involving an Amish Horse and Buggy. The Hobart's car is badly damaged and the Amish family offer their home to the Hobart's while the car is being repaired. Through this intervention the Hobart's learn that the Amish ways of grace and hard work lead to greater fulfillment than the lives they had known before. It is a wonderful read with a lesson for all.

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Suspensful (6/7/2010)
This is a fast read with a plot that is a race against time. The two main characters, Emma and Mac must prevent global enemies from blowing up a major US city using a yacht filled with deadly explosives. Time is not on their side and the book keeps you guessing from beginning to end.
Making Toast: A Family Story
by Roger Rosenblatt
Heartbreaking & Endearing (10/27/2009)
I thoroughly enjoyed this book from cover to cover. The author who lost his daughter to a rare heart disorder chronicles his and his wife's journey with their late daughter's children and her husband. The grandparents move in with Harris, Amy's husband and James, Sammy and Jessica, their children. Although Amy is gone in a physical sense she never leaves their lives and her parent's thoughts. They struggle with helping to raise the children and find comfort and joy in the process. It is a bittersweet tale that leaves you laughing and crying. Although happiness abounds in this book you are always bought back to the reality of the profound loss and it's meaning to each of the characters.
A Short History of Women: A Novel
by Kate Walbert
Difficult Read (5/15/2009)
This book jumped around so much that it was hard to follow. No character was developed adequately and the book at most was dull.
The Music Teacher
by Barbara Hall
Falls Short of A Symphony (10/16/2008)
This book is not what you expect. It is the story of a music teacher with a lot going on in her world but it misses the mark. The main character is Pearl, a violinist who never made it professionally . She teaches others in a small music store in Los Angeles. The story weaves back and forth between Pearl and Hallie an extremely gifted violinist that comes from a very dysfunctional family. The book captured my interest when the author stayed on the subject of the music and Hallie. Once the author strayed with other character development the meaning was lost.
Tethered: A Novel
by Amy Mackinnon
Not To Be Missed (8/11/2008)
Amy MacKinnon has written a mesmerizing story of pain, terror and, in the end, hope.

The author's main characters, Clara, Trecie, Linus, Alma and Mike all have dark souls. From there MacKinnon weaves a story that is terrifying, heartbreaking and rewarding.

As a mortician, Clara is only comfortable working with the dead. Her childhood was with a brutal Grandmother and no mother. Clara functions better with the dead than the living. For every wake she chooses flowers that have a particular meaning she chooses for the deceased. Clara is an avid gardener which is a glimpse of her attachment to anything living.

The story centers itself on a little girl named Trecie whom Clara met at the funeral home. Trecie goes missing and a tale of evil is woven. The lives of all these characters are exposed and the healing begins.

In the end we have hope for Clara and all the rest of these wonderful characters.

A wonderful book.
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