BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

The Housemaid's Daughter
by Barbara Mutch

A Beautiful Story (10/30/2013)

The Housemaids Daughter is a great read. It is written in the gentle voice of the black heroine, and explores South Africa and its history during apartheid. The author uses such beautiful language that she is able to draw pictures in the reader's mind. It is a fictional story but the characters came to life and I could feel what they were going through. I highly recommend this book.

Lost Luggage
by Jordi Punti

Lost Luggage (8/16/2013)

"Lost Luggage" is a story about 4 boys trying to find the father who abandoned each of them and their 4 different mothers. The main story is quite clever, but the author is so ambitious in his telling of it that he introduces too many side characters and goes off on too many tangents. While this helps to make the story unique, it also tends to weigh the story down. When the story was revolving around the main 5 characters it had a charm to it, but I found my attention wandering during much of the book. It was interesting enough that I wanted to find out what happened to the father and the boys in the end, but a lot of the other characters were a distraction. I had to push myself sometimes to keep going.

Three Things You Need to Know About Rockets: A Memoir
by Jessica A. Fox

Great Memoir (6/6/2013)

I loved this book! It had smart, witty writing, a modern love story, and a heroine that had me routing for her the whole way.

Jessica Fox lets us have a glimpse into her life in this charming memoir, and it is handled in such an intelligent way with such clear writing that I was hooked from the very start. I look forward to more from this author.

The Laws of Gravity
by Liz Rosenberg

The Laws of Gravity (4/5/2013)

A beautiful story full of the joys, disappointments, and love that go into being a family. The characters are set up well, each is real and the author makes us care about them all.
Ari and Nicole are cousins, and best friends since childhood. When Nicole becomes ill she asks Ari a life-altering question and it is this question and the after effects his answer causes that make up the heart of the story.
While there is sadness in the story it is not the main tone. This is truly a beautiful story about family. It would be a good book for a book club to read, as it is bound to lead to a lot of discussion.

Walk Me Home
by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Walk Me Home (3/27/2013)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is well written, the characters are believable, and I felt connected to them right from the very beginning.

Two sisters, sixteen and eleven, are left on their own after the death of their mother. They begin trying to get back to their mother's last boyfriend, the only family they have known, and make their way to a Native American reservation before they are forced to stop. There the 16 year old is forced to make some painful decisions.

It is a heartbreaking and touching story, and the pace of the writing makes it an easy read. It is a feel good story.

Peking to Paris: Life and Love on a Short Drive Around Half the World
by Dina Bennett

Adventurous Trip (3/11/2013)

This was an interesting look at an adventurous road trip. The author conveyed the sense of adventure inherent in driving a vintage car through faraway places. Not an everyday experience by any means! She told her story with humor and wonderful description. I felt like I was along for the ride. This book was part travelog, part exploration of human relationships, and part history lesson. A very well written book.

The Imposter Bride
by Nancy Richler

The Imposter Bride (11/28/2012)

I was hooked on this book from the minute I started reading until the satisfying end.

This was an excellent unfolding of a story from 2 different perspectives- first the actual story of " The Imposter Bride" and second the story through the eyes of the daughter she left behind.

The author has a beautiful way of making the characters come alive, and an interesting way of exploring relationships, particularly between mothers and daughters. The book is not action packed, instead it is a character driven story dealing with family in the aftermath of World War II, and there is a bit of mystery blended. All in all a very satisfying read.

Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard von Bingen
by Mary Sharratt

Illuminations (9/5/2012)

Hildegard was a fascinating character in the history of the church, and the writing was good but I just couldn't get into this book. Little is known of the events in the period of her 30 year confinement, and the treatment of this section seemed too fictionalized, with sexual innuendos added just to make the book more readable. The second part of the story seemed to have a rushed feeling with only a fleeting look given to events.

I just was couldn't form an attachment to either the characters or the story.

Have Mother, Will Travel: A Mother and Daughter Discover Themselves, Each Other, and the World
by Claire & Mia Fontaine

Have Mother, Will Travel (6/4/2012)

This book was outstanding. It was at times funny, at times insightful, at times a travel guide, and above all it was always a worthwhile reading experience. The mother/daughter team gave corresponding personal reflections not only on their relationship, but on life in general. Many of their observations really hit a true not with me, or else opened my eyes to something I have not thought about in regard to relationships, or life experiences. I recommend it to all women, even if (like me) you are not the mother of a daughter!

Paris in Love: A Memoir
by Eloisa James

Paris in Love (3/7/2012)

I really liked this book. For the most part it is written with short entries much like a diary. Eloisa James has a charming and witty style, and the book is put together in such a way that it gives a delightful look at not only Paris, but also the author's family. It is spot on funny in many places, and tenderly touching in others. It makes me want to go to Paris, and sit down in a cafe to soak up the atmosphere! If you like memoirs, you will love this book!

King Peggy: An American Secretary, Her Royal Destiny, and the Inspiring Story of How She Changed an African Village
by Peggielene Bartels, Eleanor Herman

King Peggy (12/8/2011)

Peggy Bartels, born in Africa but living in America for 30 years, was awoken one morning with the news that she is to be the next king of Otuam, where her family had originated hundreds of years earlier. What follows is a delightful true story rich with the customs, beliefs, superstitions, and way of life of the people living in this area.

The story of what Peggy accomplishes is nothing short of amazing. The book is full of many interesting characters, and the often dire situations are described with a good deal of humor. This is a wonderful, uplifting story.

Salvage the Bones: A Novel
by Jesmyn Ward

Salvage the Bones (6/28/2011)

Jesmyn Ward uses extensive detail in the writing of her book, and this leaves the reader with a good feeling for the poorness of the people, the texture of the area around Bois Sauvage, Mississippi, and the pain inherent in some personal relationships. However, this extensive detail also interfered with the story for me. I felt the writing was at times disjointed, and I had a hard time getting into the book, and a hard time forming an attachment with the characters.

Also, the grittiness of some of the interactions, and the grimness of some of the scenes involving the dogs bothered me.

The Art of Saying Goodbye: A Novel
by Ellyn Bache

The Art of Saying Goodbye (3/28/2011)

The book revolves around the lives of 5 women both before and after they learn that one of them has a serious illness. It is not a great storyline, and the author doesn't delve deeply enough into any of the character's lives that we form much of an attachment to them.

I kept expecting more, and never felt that I got much. At best it was just an ok read.

Ever By My Side: A Memoir in Eight ~~Acts~~ Pets
by Dr. Nick Trout

Great Read! (12/23/2010)

I loved it! It's a memoir, it's about animals, and it was a delight to read. The book is witty, insightful and heartwarming. It is full of incidents from the Dr.'s life as well as incidents from various animals lives.....some producing tears and many producing laughter. I couldn't put it down!

Raising Wrecker: A Novel
by Summer Wood

Wrecker - A Love Story (10/28/2010)

With beautiful language and strong sentences the author weaves an intricate story of family love. The story begins in the late 60's in northern California, and it focuses on a boy named Wrecker. However, it is really the group of people surrounding Wrecker that make this story so special.

She creates such appealing and real characters, that right from the first page I was drawn into their lives and concerned about what happens to them.

This is truly a rewarding read!

The Ghost of Milagro Creek
by Melanie Sumner

The Ghost of Milagro Creek (7/7/2010)

Melanie Sumner had a good idea for a story, and I really wanted to like this book. The story is set in the Taos, New Mexico area, and sometimes her descriptions were so good that I really felt I got a good sense of not only the area, but also the culture. However, her chapters kept jumping around, not only in time but also in the character speaking. It sometimes took a paragraph or two to figure out who was speaking. This jumping around also interfered with my forming an attachment to the characters.

A sense of mysticism is developed throughout the book, but this only serves as a detraction from the story itself. The author's love of the area is evident, and she does a good job painting a beautiful picture of the Mexican/Indian cultures.

Ten Minutes from Home: A Memoir
by Beth Greenfield

A Touching Memoir (4/19/2010)

Beth Greenfield has written a touching memoir dealing mainly with the years surrounding a tragic accident. She uses clear, concise language and a matter of fact recounting of events to tell her story. Although heartbreaking at times, it presents an honest look at the grieving and healing process. Her honesty in telling her story makes for a very good read, and I think it would appeal to all readers!

The Wives of Henry Oades: A Novel
by Johanna Moran

excellent historical fiction (11/30/2009)

The author used some real life legal facts to create an excellent historical fiction book. The Wives of Henry Oades is an easy read, and it was such a vivid telling of the story that I could picture myself in many of the scenes. The main characters were likable and I could feel sympathy for both women. A great book club read which would surely lead to an interesting discussion about the morals at the turn of the century.

Serena: A Novel
by Ron Rash

Vivid Language, Interesting Characters (9/2/2009)

The vivid language and interesting characters make this a fast moving drama. Serena grabs a hold of the reader's attention from her first introduction, and her greed and ruthlessness are balanced by Rachel's sweetness.

The author uses beautiful phrasing, and wonderful descriptions. He has developed a taut drama that builds to a speeding climax.

There is a lot of information about the logging business, and this is countered with information about the environmental movement which brings in a good counter balancing perspective.

I enjoyed the book and found it to be thought provoking. I still will find myself thinking about the characters, and wondering what made Serena tick.

All in all, a good read.

Sweeping Up Glass
by Carolyn Wall

Wonderful Book (8/10/2009)

From the very first page the language created such clear pictures that I was immediately drawn into each scene. The setting is the 1930s in Kentucky, and I could feel what the times were like.

Olivia is the appealing main character, and the surrounding characters add great dimension. The book has such an honest feel to it that one can't help but get attached to all of them.

It was a great read.