Reviews by Katherine Y. (Albuquerque, NM)

Order Reviews by:
Three Weeks in December
Three Weeks in December
by Audrey Schulman
Best Book I've Read All Year (12/20/2011)
I've reviewed many books for BookBrowse and this one is by far my favorite. There are two story lines - one takes place in 1900 and the other in 2000, both over the course of just three weeks. The 1900's storyline involves a gay engineer from Maine as he tries to construct …more
Arcadia
Arcadia: A Novel
by Lauren Groff
Another Hit from Lauren Groff (12/5/2011)
If you enjoyed Ms. Groff's first book, "The Monsters of Templeton", you're bound to enjoy this second excellent effort. And, if you haven't read her first novel, I recommend them both. The world she creates is filled with wonderful characters and a great story.
The Orphan Master's Son
The Orphan Master's Son: A Novel
by Adam Johnson
Compelling Story, Wanted to Get Inside the Characters More (11/10/2011)
While the writing was excellent and the story fascinating and complicated, I wanted more characterization. I felt the story wasn't as powerful because, the events of the story overshadowed the actual people experiencing them.
Turn of Mind
Turn of Mind
by Alice LaPlante
Super compelling book (4/27/2011)
This book was just gripping. I put aside some other books just to read this one and finished it easily over the course of two evenings. The real strength of the novel is in the rich personality of the main character. The "mystery" itself is not very compelling, but watching …more
Original Sin
Original Sin: A Sally Sin Adventure
by Beth Mcmullen
Fun Idea, Terrible Execution (2/10/2011)
I selected this book based on my enjoyment of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. The concept of this book seemed to hold the same promise for humorous crime solving. Given the large publicity campaign cited on the back of the book, I can't believe the publisher didn't …more
The Discovery of Jeanne Baret
The Discovery of Jeanne Baret: A Story of Science, the High Seas, and the First Woman to Circumnavigate the Globe
by Glynis Ridley
Interesting book, but not really a biography (1/4/2011)
Glynis Ridley did an excellent job with researching the time period and the history of botany, so if those topics interest you then this would be a good book for you. But if you are looking for a biography of a woman adventurer breaking out of the roles prescribed for women …more
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
by Amy Chua
Interesting Ideas for Book Group Discussions (11/3/2010)
While I disliked the author and her "Chinese parenting" techniques - I found myself ultimately sympathetic to what she was trying to do for her daughters. Some of the points made are simplistic (e.g. I am not sure that the children's book "The Five Chinese Brothers" is the …more
Your Republic Is Calling You
Your Republic Is Calling You
by Young-ha Kim
Get ready to stay up late! (7/2/2010)
Once you start reading this fun, informative, compelling story you won’t want to stop. The protagonist is a North Korean spy who has been living quietly with his wife and daughter in South Korea for many years when he receives a message ordering him to return to North Korea …more
The Lovers
The Lovers: A Novel
by Vendela Vida
Begins with such promise, then dwindles (4/2/2010)
This book is very short - almost a novella. The plot is very intriguing ,the characters are interesting and I admired the author's writing style, but I wanted to see more happen between the characters before the ending arrived. As it was the ending felt abrupt and not …more
The Lieutenant
The Lieutenant
by Kate Grenville
Interesting subject, lovely writing, but too short (9/23/2009)
Ms. Grenville book has some lovely imagery and great writing and the historical theme is very interesting, but overall it seems that not enough time is spent on any of the elements of the story. I was left wishing for a deeper examination of the characters and events. …more
The Secret Keeper
The Secret Keeper
by Paul Harris
A disappointment (3/12/2009)
I selected this book hoping to learn more about Sierra Leone while reading an engaging story, but I found the writing to be "flabby" as another reviewer accurately described it and the story to not be as compelling or tightly plotted as I would have liked. Overall, I can't recommend this one.
Some of the Dead Are Still Breathing
Some of the Dead Are Still Breathing: Living in the Future
by Charles Bowden
Looking for a New Type of Reading Experience? (2/6/2009)
You have to be ready for the non-linear structure of this book. I enjoyed some parts of this book very much and found myself reading them aloud to my family while other parts I just wanted to skip over. This book is like being inside the author's head and hearing his entire …more
Cutting For Stone
Cutting For Stone
by Abraham Verghese
A Rewarding But Uneven Effort (1/9/2009)
The first two parts of “Cutting for Stone” are fabulous. The characters come off the page and are entirely real. The reader is right there with them in the hospital in Ethiopia and their stories are fascinating. Unfortunately the second two parts do not live up to the …more
The Music Teacher
The Music Teacher
by Barbara Hall
Too Many Storylines (10/13/2008)
While the author of this book has a great, breezy writing style there are too many different storylines for this short book. Her relationship with Hallie isn't developed well enough to make the conflict over Hallie quitting music or her "betrayal" very moving. I was also …more
  • Page
  • 1

BookBrowse Book Club

  • 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.
1
2
3
4
5
PrevNext

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Girl Falling
    by Hayley Scrivenor

    The USA Today bestselling author of Dirt Creek returns with a story of grief and truth.

    Read the Reviews
  • Book Jacket

    Jane and Dan at the End of the World
    by Colleen Oakley

    Date Night meets Bel Canto in this hilarious tale.

    Read the Reviews
  • Book Jacket

    The Antidote
    by Karen Russell

    A gripping dust bowl epic about five characters whose fates become entangled after a storm ravages their small Nebraskan town.

    Read the Reviews
1
2
3
PrevNext
Who Said...

I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

T B S of T F

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.