BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

Reviews by Lee M. (Creve Coeur, MO)

Power Reviewer

If you'd like to be able to easily share your reviews with others, please join BookBrowse.

Darling Days: A Memoir
by iO Tillett Wright

Love? (4/13/2016)

This book begins with a beautiful love letter to the author's mother but... There's always a but! I usually read to be entertained, enlightened or to learn about something new. In my opinion none of these can be ascribed to this book. I did not feel love, just an ill hidden hate and condemnation.

The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins
by Antonia Hodgson

History with a Grin (1/4/2016)

What an exciting romp in the London of 1728. Not having read the author's first book I was totally unprepared for her wonderful descriptions, well developed characters, and good mystery story. Well researched, concise yet very descriptive text especially so that you can …more

Fallen Land
by Taylor Brown

Fell (11/13/2015)

I fell in love with this book. Mr. Brown is gifted with a descriptive sense that makes you feel you're in the book experiencing the ride of your life! He is an eloquent writer and you accept even the most violent parts as necessary to the flow of the story. How can he know …more

The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs
by Matthew Dicks

Enjoy (6/3/2015)

I did not pay any attention to the author's name when I started to read this book. When I finished it, in a few days, I assumed it was written by a female. Applause to Mr. Dicks for being able to pull this off. He accurately describes the dialogue of a mother and teenage …more

Still Life Las Vegas
by James Sie

Growing (5/4/2015)

This was listed as a "coming-of-age" story and tho I usually avoid them, decided to see if this one would be different. And I was pleasantly rewarded. Mr. Sie is such a lovely writer, short to the point, no unnecessary embellishments. I would prefer listing this story as …more

The Book of Speculation
by Erika Swyler

Up and Down and Around (4/14/2015)

What a delightful surprise. Remember all the old time carnivals, the booths, the rides, the fat ladies, and the fortune tellers? Oh what fun it all was. This book is all that and more. Did you believe everything you saw and were told. Simon, our hero, does not. We'll sort …more

The Silver Witch
by Paula Brackston

Past and Present Ghosts (2/27/2015)

If you are a fan of the past/present kind of story this a perfect book for you. The past, in Welsh, between 850 and 950 AD where the Celtic belief in witches was an accepted fact of life, not yet dampened by Christianity. The present, a ceramic artist who has recently moved …more

A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power
by Paul Fischer

Defection or? (12/13/2014)

Based on a true story regarding the disappearance of an actress and her husband, a director, from South Korea. A few years later they reappear in North Korea. Whether they have defected or have been abducted has been a subject of many arguments whether you are North or …more

The Nightingale
by Kristin Hannah

France in the War (9/30/2014)

Do we need another WWII book? Yes! We will never have enough reminders of this inhuman chapter in our history. Especially if they are as well written as this book. I found the beginning a little slow, as the author explains the history and personalities of her leading …more

Small Blessings
by Martha Woodroof

Wonderland (5/10/2014)

Entertaining story of Alice, as in Wonderland, (Rose) a dependable Prince Charming (Tom) and the sweetest, smartest Hero (Henry). Oh, and also includes a Good Witch (Agnes). Rife with cliches and platitudes, and a predictable plot line but stuck together with enough finesse …more

City of the Sun
by Juliana Maio

Wow (1/9/2014)

Fasten your seat belt and settle in for a clever dose of mystery with a sprinkling of history and a darn good story. Ms. Maio knows this part of the world and you can feel her love for it as the plot unfolds. I was really deep into it and then the author added a totally …more

Where Monsters Dwell
by Jørgen Brekke

A Tale of Evil (11/21/2013)

Two intriguing mysteries, seperated by centuries, but connected. Grisly descriptions. Author employes far too many 'tricks of the trade,' like skipping back and forth from character to character, century to century, end before beginning, when the stories were more than …more

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

Rockets or Romance (6/19/2013)

A sweet (do authors cringe at this description) thoroughly enjoyable book. A little slow starting hence a 4 instead of 5. No lurid sex, no violence and no phony drama, just a solid story and fantastic descriptions of Scotland's scenery and residents. You sense a …more

The Daughters of Mars
by Thomas Keneally

World War 1 (5/27/2013)

From Australia to Tripoli, and then to the Western Front in World War I this book follows two nurses, that also happen to be sisters. Thomas Keneally writes very graphically about the atrocities committed in the name of war and makes an excellent case, perhaps …more

The Last Girl: A Maeve Kerrigan Novel
by Jane Casey

Sweet Mystery of …… (4/16/2013)

Not sweet, the opening is a despicable murder of a mother and one of her 15 year old twin daughters. The gory description of the crime, 'bloody hell', leaves little to the imagination. Quickly the story settles into the necessary police procedures use to solve any murder. …more

Calling Me Home
by Julie Kibler

Oh, my what a ride!! (12/14/2012)

Dorrie, a hairdresser in Arlington, Texas, is asked by 'Miss Isabelle," a very good customer, to drive her to Cincinnati, OH. She does not explain why, only that it is important and she will not fly, so it would be a long two-day trip, 986 miles. Dorrie must close her …more

The Forgetting Tree: A Novel
by Tatjana Soli

Mystery or Love Story? (8/11/2012)

“Claire did not believe in the evil of the world” are the warning first words from the author. Claire is faced with a dilemma when she is diagnosed with breast cancer and her hold on the land is at risk. Her family insists she sell, but Claire will not let go and then Minna …more

15 Seconds
by Andrew Gross

Hop On!! (5/24/2012)

Reading 15 Seconds is like being on a merry-go-round that increases speed with every turn with the music blending and blurring together causing that sick feel in your stomach. But what a great and wild ride it is!!

All Woman and Springtime: A Novel
by Brandon W. Jones

WOW (3/15/2012)

One of the best books I’ve read in a long time. The story of Gyong-Ho and Il-sun, two North Korean orphans, spans only a few years but encompasses a lifetime of degradation, and abuse but also holds a glimmering of hope. Perhaps a little too realistic at times, definitely …more

A Good American: A Novel
by Alex George

Not for me (1/18/2012)

The characters did not grasp my interest. The story was good, but did not flow cohesively and seemed interrupted by current events.

BookBrowse Book Club

The Jackal's Mistress
by Chris Bohjalian

From the New York Times bestselling author of Hour of the Witch, a Civil War love story of a Confederate wife and a wounded Yankee.

About Discuss
Dream Count
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

A searing new novel from the bestselling author of Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists, exploring four women's desires.

About Discuss

Members Recommend

Raising Hare
by Chloe Dalton

A moving and fascinating meditation on freedom, trust, and loss through one woman's friendship with a wild hare.

Read the Reviews
The Dream Hotel
by Laila Lalami

A Read with Jenna pick. A riveting novel about one woman's fight for freedom, set in a near future where even dreams are under surveillance.

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

Date Night meets Bel Canto in this hilarious tale.

Read the Reviews
Girl Falling
by Hayley Scrivenor

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

Read the Reviews
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
Fagin the Thief
by Allison Epstein

A thrilling reimagining of the world of Charles Dickens, as seen through the eyes of the infamous Jacob Fagin, London's most gifted pickpocket, liar, and rogue.

Read the Reviews

Who Said...

No matter how cynical you get, it is impossible to keep up

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

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

B O a F F T

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.