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Reviews by Talya

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The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai: A Novel
by Ruiyan Xu

Beautiful novel about language and relationships (10/30/2010)

A man goes has a brain injury and forgets his dominant language. He can only speak in English, the language he learned and used as a child. He can no longer communicate with his family and they enlist the help of a famous US neurologist, who specializes in bilingual amnesia. …more

Daughters of the Witching Hill: A Novel
by Mary Sharratt

A cunning novel of witchcraft (4/6/2010)

This book is a great historical fiction novel that puts together magic, religious persecution, and witch hunts. Bess Southerns a poor widow starts using her gifts to help those in her village. She teaches her cunning craft to her granddaughter and best friend. One goes to …more

Serena: A Novel
by Ron Rash

Beautiful work of Southern fiction (9/20/2009)

This work of art transformed me to the Carolina's during the Great Depression. It was a dark novel and I felt what all the characters were feeling, especially the author's Lady Macbeth herself, Serena. It was amazing to see how greed transforms the characters from beginning …more

Gifts of War: A Novel
by Mackenzie Ford

A beautiful story set in the turbulent times of WWI (4/24/2009)

During the Christmas Truce in WWII, a moment when enemies stopped fighting to celebrate life and Christmas, two men shared a moment that would change their lives forever. A British soldier made a promise to find the German soldier's girlfriend and tell her that he was …more

Something Like Beautiful: One Single Mother's Story
by Asha Bandele

An intense, emotional memoir about love, single motherhood, and depression. (1/6/2009)

In this powerful memoir Asha shares her life with the reader. Her emotions are so beautifully shared and it is not just about being a single mother or about loving an unavailable man, but a book about depression, family, and reflection. The writing feels a bit disjointed at …more

Greasing the Piñata
by Tim Maleeny

Greasing the Piñata - Cape Weathers, PI (11/5/2008)

This is the third and in my opinion, the best Cape Weathers' Investigation novel. The characters are all very unique, including the reappearance of Sally, the beautiful trained assassin sidekick. The novel includes politics, drugs, the environment, and murder--everything to …more

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
by Stieg Larsson

Exciting mystery by a Swedish author (9/27/2008)

I had never heard of this novel when I received it, although it has been a bestseller all over Europe. I had a long plane ride from Seattle to Tokyo and needed a long book to get me through it. What a delightful surprise this novel ended up being. I fell in love with the …more

Holding My Breath: A Novel
by Sidura Ludwig

Holding my Breath (6/8/2008)

I can't believe this is a work of fiction. I felt like a member of Beth's family with the wonderful character descriptions in the novel. The family felt so real and you could tell that the author loved them with the amount of care she put into each character. I think any …more

BookBrowse Book Club

The Devil Finds Work
by James Baldwin

A book-length essay on racism in American films, by "the best essayist in this country" (The New York Times Book Review).

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Real Americans
by Rachel Khong

From the author of Goodbye, Vitamin, a novel exploring family, identity, and the shaping of destiny.

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The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris
by Evie Woods

From the million-copy bestselling author of The Lost Bookshop.

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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.

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