BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

Walk Me Home
by Catherine Ryan Hyde

This book SHOULD be read! (4/26/2013)

Catherine Ryan Hyde writes no bad books. This should be the only thing you need to know about it....................anything else would be spoiler!

One Minus One: Nancy Pearl's Book Lust Rediscoveries
by Ruth Doan MacDougall

It's Not "The Cheerleader" (3/28/2013)

I read "The Cheerleader" by this same author years ago and always wondered if she had written anything else really enjoyable. I will continue to wonder.

It's also puzzling to me why Ms. Peart picked this as one in her new line of books that should be reprinted. Of course, I didn't like "The World According to Garp" either, so you might want to read this book and judge for yourself.

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

Just a short junket (3/13/2013)

I do so wish I had the nerve to do what Dina Bennett did when she went from Paris to Peking as the navigator for a road race with her husband......she and I would be good friends, I think, as we have one foot in the "want-to" and the other foot in "oh, no - I can't do that." What an adventure for all involved! To say more would be a major spoiler, but please read the book - it's definitely more than a travelogue!

The Spy Lover
by Kiana Davenport

Oh, how I loved this book! (12/4/2012)

This book may not be everyone's cup of tea (a Civil War novel) but it, for me, was one where I didn't skip a word because Ms. Davenport's writing was so wonderful. I will be going back and reading her other book in the hopes that it was equally good. Because the books I am treated to by BookBrowse are in so many different genres, I haven't found a bad one - some are just better than others - this is at the top of the stack so far. Please read it.

Oxford Messed Up
by Andrea Kayne Kaufman

OCD? (3/14/2012)

I certainly never imaged that a book focused on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder could be so entertaining - and how much information about anxiety disorders in general could be woven into something that wasn't dry or scholarly. I was rooting for Gloria all the way. You might too!

Wayward Saints
by Suzzy Roche

What a lovely book! (11/4/2011)

It seems, when I read other readers' reviews, that mine do not dissect the book the way some do. If it holds my interest and don't want to stop after the first three or four chapters, I will finish it. This is one of those books. I liked it. I would imagine quite a few reviewers might not. However, I loved Suzzy's word choices and enjoyed the story. It let me know that, in many ways, you really can go home again.

Proof of Heaven: A Novel
by Mary Curran Hackett

At Odds with the Other Reviewers So Far (8/29/2011)

I actually enjoyed the book. It was an interesting premise, I enjoyed the characters, and basically liked the whole book. For a first book, I didn't pick it apart - I just read.............and, to me, it was worth reading. Is it a classic? Probably not, but I certainly wouldn't discourage others from taking the time to read it. Lots of Catholicity (if people object to that), but I think MC Hackett writes about what she knows..........My two cents........

Low Town: A Novel
by Daniel Polansky

Most Unusual (6/7/2011)

With the plethora of vamp/Goth/absolutely dark books, this one stands out. It is a gritty, grimy, crime-ridden look at the otherworld, and Daniel Polansky is an author to keep an eye on as he matures. He also has a web page to go with the book, so check it out!

The Tudor Secret: The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles
by C. W. Gortner

Tudors - Love Them or Hate Them (4/3/2011)

I personally really enjoyed this book, another take on Elizabeth I and her history, written in the first person, purportedly by Brendan Prescott, an orphan reared by the powerful Dudley family, who has been sent on an illicit mission to the king's sister, the then Princess Elizabeth. I am a sucker for the Tudors, the first person narrative, and historical novels - hence, a hat trick for me in this book. Another don't miss it........

The Philosophical Breakfast Club: Four Remarkable Friends Who Transformed Science and Changed the World
by Laura J. Snyder

Scientists (12/29/2010)

The Philosophical Breakfast Club is well written and very easy to read, even for a truly science-challenged person such as I. Laura Snyder has taken the subject and made it worth a read (even if you care nothing about philosophy/scientists), as it involves much, much more. Please read it when you have some time to sit and savor...

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

A book to make pet owners melt (12/29/2010)

I cannot recommend this book highly enough - I have many other books stacked beside my bed to read and didn't even bother with them. Dr. Nick has written two other books - if they are anything like this one, I am a fan for life, and wish he lived in my neighborhood to treat my animals. Not only is he a good vet - he is an excellent author. Worth, worth, worth your time.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
by Amy Chua

East vs West (11/9/2010)

I wish I had had this book when my children were small. I would have realized that a vast gulf exists between the Western way of parenting and the Eastern way. Amy Chua's writing is very effective in describing not only her parenting style and the effects it can have, but she also seems to be very honest about her role in success or failure in her children's lives. Even when I was cringing at her tactics, a small part of me was cheering her on. Do yourself a favor and read this rather elegant documentation of what to do and what, I feel, not to do. It reads quickly and is very much worth your time.

The Ghost of Milagro Creek
by Melanie Sumner

Hard to Categorize (7/14/2010)

This book, The Ghost of Milagro Creek, is a most unusual book, set in the Southwest, and, for me, as the title of my review states, it was hard to categorize. I couldn't compare it to anything I remember reading before. The language was perfect, however, such that I didn't want to miss a word...I would recommend it, not to regular bestseller readers, but to someone looking for an interesting, well-written, "hard to categorize" novel.

Romancing Miss Bronte: A Novel
by Juliet Gael

Lovely Charlotte (3/8/2010)

As I have said before, I have been very lucky in getting the books I have - this is another lovely book, one concerning Charlotte Bronte's love affair with, and subsequent marriage to, Arthur Nicholls. It is a tender story, with well-drawn characters. Well worth the reading.

The Swimming Pool
by Holly LeCraw

Et tu, Benjamin? (2/16/2010)

This is a new treatment of the Mrs. Robinson/Benjamin Braddock - older woman/younger man story. It is an old story, but Holly LeCraw breathes life into it with some plot twists and well-chosen words. It is definitely a page-turner, or at least it was for me, and very well written, in my opinion. Holly's writing is top-notch! And this book is certainly recommended.

The Secret of Everything
by Barbara O'Neal

Romance is in the Air! (11/16/2009)

This is a lovely romance, and I enjoy lovely romances. The only thing better than a lovely romance is a lovely period romance, but this is not one of those. Tessa and Vince and their many-faceted story will win over even the most curmudgeonly! Please do yourself a favor and read this nice book - no thinking involved, just pure enjoyment.

The Elephant Keeper
by Christopher Nicholson

Enticing Elephants? (6/25/2009)

Who would have thought a novel about elephants would be worth reading? Not I, she said. However, I have to admit I was wrong, very wrong. I am a sucker for stories told in the first person (this time by the elephant keeper, not the elephants - hence, the name of the book) and this one was lovely. It is a book definitely worth your time - and it certainly won't be any trouble.

Palace Circle
by Rebecca Dean

Beach Read (2/12/2009)

I have to agree with all the other 3s. This is a basic enjoyable read - not great, not horrible. I wouldn't put it at the top of my book pile, but it wasn't bad. Another period (although a rarely seen period in historical romance) love story, with a rather surprising ending. Since this is the first in a series, you may find you can't wait for the next book, and then again - you might not.

Murder in Mykonos
by Jeffrey Siger

another got to turn the page quickly review! (10/30/2008)

Couldn't put this book down until the end! Learned much about Greece and the surrounding islands woven throughout this absorbing mystery. I am not a detective when it comes to solving mysteries in books, but I doubt I could have figured this one out, even if I were. Poisoned Pen Press authors always come through!!

Desert Cut: A Lena Jones Mystery
by Betty Webb

Lena rides again! (1/8/2008)

I have enjoyed all of Betty Webb's books, especially as I lived in Scottsdale for a long time on the outskirts of the rez. Betty captures the essence of the desert and lifestyle of the Native American in a very real way. You would be doing yourself a favor if you read all her books, as they are very timely as well as enjoyable.