Small Blessings is, overall, predictable and a little too saccharine at times, but I enjoyed the decent and quirky characters. It's the perfect light, amusing, beachy read that so many people crave during the summer. Martha Woodroof is a good storyteller, and I liked the way the entire book was developed with an even flow. I would definitely read other books by her, and I will suggest Small Blessings to many of my friends. (I wish we weren't restricted to only 1-5 ratings. It is better than "average" in my opinion but just short of a solid 4. I settled on a 3 but my true rating would be at least a 3.5.)

I reacted to Jamie Ford's second novel exactly the way I did to his first: I LOVED it! Though the stories are very different, I found Songs of Willow Frost to be quite similar to Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet in terms of the author's unique voice and my emotional response. I learned a great deal about that time in history (1920s-1930s), and I completely fell in love with the well-defined characters. I'll miss them. I would highly recommend this wonderful book to, really, anyone who loves to read, and definitely to book groups for the wealth of discussion topics throughout the book.

This is a book with two distinct story lines. Its chapters flip back and forth between present time and 70 years ago, but there is no confusion or difficulty in following the time line. The entire book is engaging and very well written, and I was right there with the events occurring the whole book through. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to any of my contemporaries, as well as those younger or older. I can't wait for Julie Kibler's NEXT book!

I was immediately drawn to this book because of its gorgeous cover and the fact that I'd read and loved Tatjana Soli's other novel, The Lotus Eaters. This one I liked slightly less, but it generally kept my interest and educated me in various ways. At certain moments I felt frustrated with the time frames abruptly going back and forth -- I didn't feel a good flow as a result. But it was an interesting story with well-defined characters, and Tatjana Soli writes SO well. All in all, I'm glad I read this book and will recommend it to my friends who enjoy the types of books I do.

With Anna Quindlen being one of my top favorite writers, I was so eager to read this book. It was not chronologically written but, rather, separated into various core subjects. I was not on her wave length initially, but as the book progressed I got more into the groove. I preferred the latter part of the book because I'm in my 60s and the subjects of aging and assessing life (our own and in general) were most interesting to me. I loved learning more about Anna Quindlen, her viewpoints, and some of her life events through her always intelligent and beautiful phrasing. I prefer her novels, but I'm very glad I read her memoir. Thank you BookBrowse for the opportunity!

I felt initially that the stated ingredients in this book, close friendships and all of them dealing with one of the women battling a serious illness, would guarantee a satisfying read for me. However, the vast majority of this book was written in a very surface style which made me not care nearly enough about any of the characters. It was easy to pick up, yet also very easy to put down. I never considered giving up on it. It just won't be very memorable for me, nor will I recommend it to any my friends who prefer books with more substance to them.

This beautifully written and well constructed novel pulled me right in. The characters had their own distinctive voices and I felt empathy for each one. Reading it at times took a little patience and concentration because the events of the story and the characters' personalities were very slowly revealed in a flip-flopping way between then and now. That took a little getting used to, but I eventually liked that aspect and felt it added depth to the book as a whole. The best thing about this book, though, is the author's sensual and poetic writing style, and I really will look forward to her next effort. Highly recommended!

This is a beautifully written and emotional little memoir. It is comprised of non-sequential short anecdotes which encapsulate the year following the sudden death of the author's thirty-eight-year-old daughter. The author and his wife move into their son-in-law's home to help care for their three young grandchildren. The sparse format of the book precludes deep intimacy with the family, yet I still came away with a sense of knowing and caring about them all, adults and children. I will remember these people and will wish I could know how their lives play out in the years to come (perhaps a sequel?). This is a book I will keep and cherish and one which I'll recommend to friends. It would also make a great book club selection!

This extremely dark novel with an incredibly dysfunctional and complicated array of family members was often difficult for me to read. Each one of the characters was struggling with his or her own set of sad circumstances through most of the book. I also had a hard time making the frequent transitions from past to present without often feeling jarred and slightly confused.

Even so, I gave this book a fairly high rating because I thought the writing was generally expressive (though not of the caliber of Sue Miller to whom Teri Coyne has been compared), and I think the primary characters and plot will probably be memorable for me. I don't feel the grittiness and true intent of this book would translate well to the screen, but I do think it would be an excellent book club choice because of the tough issues providing strong opportunities for discussion.

Even though I am generally a little too much of a realist to comfortably read and enjoy stories of time travel, I was nonetheless very excited to read Allison Winn Scotch's new novel. I have to admit that the concept of the main character (Jillian) retreating seven years and reliving (possibly even altering) events did strain my brain at times. That aside, I really responded to the emotional honesty of Jilly as she worked her way through issues, and the writing itself was crisp, clever, and engaging. Toward the end, I almost couldn't wait to see how it all resolved, and I always love when I feel that kind of uncertainty and anticipation in a book. It was a great read and a book I will definitely recommend to my friends.

After I fairly quickly connected with the characters in this emotional and at times utterly heartbreaking book, I was hooked! I found myself both eager to keep reading, yet a few times, knowing what was likely ahead, too afraid to continue without at least a short break. Although fictional, I felt the well-defined characters undoubtedly epitomized the people who actually experienced the horrors of the Holocaust.

When the book was finished, I felt much more educated regarding some of the events of that harrowing time in history and I had a better sense of the geography of that region (although a map would've been helpful).

I know I won't forget this amazing book, and I highly recommend it!