BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

Reviews by Jane H. (Owensboro, KY)

Safe with Me
by Amy Hatvany

Safe With Me (11/9/2013)

This was a nice little story but having just finished THE GOLDFINCH, I feel like I am going a little hard on it because that book was so epic whatever I read next was going to feel a little drab! I liked the general story line, although it was a little simplistic. I felt …more

The Goldfinch: A Novel
by Donna Tartt

THE GOLDFINCH (11/9/2013)

I wish your reviews went higher than 5 ….. I would give this book a 10. Although 800 pages in length, I was bereft when I had to finish the last few pages knowing my time with this story was over.
This book had everything I love, superb writing (I read sentences over and …more

The First Affair
by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus

First Affair (6/8/2013)

Yes, it's the tired old story we've all heard before ... BUT ... what I found interesting as the story unfolded was the authors' attentiveness to all the side stories. It's hard to feel sympathy for what is admittedly a stupid act on the part of both main characters, but …more

The Sisterhood
by Helen Bryan

THE SISTERHOOD by Helen Bryan (5/20/2013)

Although the content was interesting, I'm afraid I found the writing to tie it all together was just average, resulting in a less than exciting novel. I normally read 3 books a week and this one really slowed me down as I just wasn't motivated to get to the end and find out …more

The Headmaster's Wager: A Novel
by Vincent Lam

The Headmaster's Wager by Vincent Lam (8/2/2012)

I have been sending reviews to First Impressions for a while, but this is the first time I have EVER given a 5 to a book I have read through this program. Extremely well written, this is the Vietnam story told from a point of view never heard before. The war is only a …more

This Burns My Heart: A Novel
by Samuel Park

This Burns My Heart (3/7/2012)

I hate to admit that the cover of a book could influence my opinion but when I received this paperback from BookBrowse for me to read, I was a little put off by the cover. It reeked of soap opera and bad chick lit! So imagine my surprise when I began reading, I couldn't put …more

A Good American: A Novel
by Alex George

A Good American (1/3/2012)

This book started out great as a historical fiction book but somewhere along the way the author decided to insert wry humor into the mix. In my opinion, this diluted the effectiveness of the story. Maybe if the entire book had been written this way, I wouldn't have felt so …more

The Most Dangerous Thing
by Laura Lippman

The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman (8/5/2011)

I expected this to be more like her other books so was a little disappointed through the first part of the book that there wasn't more suspense and action. After getting used to the fact this was going to depart from her usual action/mystery format, I settled into reading …more

The Tender Mercy of Roses: A Novel
by Anna Michaels

The Tender Mercy of Roses (3/31/2011)

It is rare I meet a book I don't like, but this is one of those books. I thought it was a poorly executed attempt to piggyback on the success of THE LOVELY BONES. The characters were so stereotypical, the writing so elemental, the plot so predictable. Maybe it would do well …more

Minding Ben: A Novel
by Victoria Brown

Minding Ben (12/17/2010)

I guess giving this book a 3 rating sounds worse than the book actually was. It was an entertaining story and fairly well written but just an average story about being an immigrant "nanny" in New York City. I found the main character a bit too refined to be believable …more

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter: A Novel
by Tom Franklin

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter (9/30/2010)

The clever title drew me to request this book and I was happy I received it. I found the overall story absorbing and unique. I think whoever edited this story will keep it from being a huge hit. The first 100 pages of the book were sloppily edited ... maybe with a view to " …more

Stash
by David Matthew Klein

Stash by David Klein (5/2/2010)

This book was full of moral dilemmas and will be a treasure trove for a good book club read. I thought the storyline was superb, fast-paced and very readable.

The only negative was I had a hard time accepting the actions/thoughts of the two main characters, the couple, …more

The Swimming Pool
by Holly LeCraw

The Swimming Pool (2/21/2010)

This is an amazing "first book" by a new author. I felt it could have benefited by a little tighter editing in the first half ... but that's about all the criticism I have. Great story ... I thought it was going to be predictable, but pleasantly wasn't. It has a haunting …more

The Things That Keep Us Here: A Novel
by Carla Buckley

The Things That Keep Us Here (11/8/2009)

This is a very timely little book about what could happen in the event of a flu pandemic. I have to tell you I was riveted to the pages until I finished. I was so "into it" that I found myself much more aware of people sneezing, coughing in public -- finding myself almost …more

The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel
by Maureen Lindley

The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel (8/6/2009)

Giving this book a three might put off some readers from picking it up to read, but I hope it doesn't. Despite the fact that I believe it to be only an "average" read, it does have its moments and I really had no problem staying interested in the story.

I was puzzled …more

The Help
by Kathryn Stockett

The Help (3/1/2009)

It's been a long time since I sat down and read a book cover to cover, putting everything else in the world aside. This is one of those books.

If you are a fan of Southern writing I think you will find this book reminiscent of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Maybe not in the caliber …more

Night Navigation
by Ginnah Howard

Night Navigation (2/28/2009)

This is a powerful book. Not only did the author have to have "used personal experience" to write this book, she had to have lived the life of an addict or a co-dependent to get the tone of this tale exactly right.

I have a brother who went through drug addiction, and I …more watched my mother live the life of the mother in this book. Watching the addicted person ruin his life is bad enough, but also having to watch the decline of the co-dependent in the relationship is doubly bad because you feel like they have the power to step away from the craziness. In reading this book I think Ms. Howard has adequately presented the case that the co-dependents are as much addicts as the ones addicted to the narcotic.

I also was intrigued by the character of Aaron -- the second brother. I was never sure whether his demons were exacerbated by narcotics/alcohol or whether he was just struggling with the inheritance of mental illness. In any case, the descriptions of his reactions to the brother, father and mother were reminiscent of some of my own (if you take away the cloudiness of drugs/mental illness!)

The mother, Del, was strangely able to draw a line in the sand with helping Aaron, even with his obvious mental problems. She refused to help him buy a car and pay for his schooling unless he was able to contribute in part to those things. Why did this mother see this son differently ... who knows? But I can tell you my mother saw my brothers and sisters differently than she did my addicted brother too. She had the same all inclusive see-no-wrong view with my addicted brother as Dell did, while the rest of us were expected to stand on our own two feet, did so nicely, and thank God every day we did. That is the role of the parent -- to prepare a child for life not to live that life for them. Most of learning is done by living through mistakes ... a co-dependent doesn't let the object of her attention live through mistakes, and thus they are incapable of functioning on their own.

The character, Richard, the mother's significant other, was right on target for how an outsider sees the madness of a family caught up in this merry-go-round. I was struck by his patience and his strong love for Del in his willingness to continue to offer her solace despite his disgust with her inability to walk away from a toxic situation. I thought he offered insight on how you can still love someone in this situation but distance yourself from the madness ... create boundaries. Even with his boundaries he lost the comfort of having her with him as he went through the most difficult time of his life ... and how that affected his willingness to continue to be a part of what was happening.

This isn't a light beach read. It is a serious look at addiction and how it affects a family. I thought it was extremely well written. I think counselors wanting to help co-dependents should have them read this book. It is a cold shock to be reading this and realize you lived this story. I believe it will help friends and families of addicts take a step back and try to save themselves and learn they cannot save the addict. The addict has to save the addict in order NOT to be an addict. (less)

Sweet Mandarin: The Courageous True Story of Three Generations of Chinese Women and Their Journey from East to West
by Helen Tse

Sweet Mandarin by Helen Tse (5/6/2008)

I was a little ambivalent about this book. On one hand it contained a good amount of interesting, historical information about Hong Kong as well as Chinese culture. On the other hand, it just never grabbed my heart .... and the worst thing is, I'm not sure why.

It was an …more

A Golden Age
by Tahmima Anam

A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam (1/10/2008)

I started reading this book early this morning -- I thought I'd start it with my coffee -- maybe read a couple of chapters. It is now 4 p.m. and I just completed the book. I could not put it down!

Not only is this an illuminating treatise on the Bangladesh war, moreover it …more

Before I Die
by Jenny Downham

Before I Die by Jenny Downham (9/19/2007)

Although I gave this book an overall three, it was not an average book. I thought the first third of the book could do with some rewriting -- just didn't grab me right off the bat.The more I got into the story, the more interested I became.

I have never been with a young …more

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Reviews by Jane H. (Owensboro, KY)

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