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Reviews by Barbara H. (Alexandria, VA)

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Through the Evil Days: A Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mystery
by Julia Spencer-Fleming

Through the Evil Days (10/6/2013)

This is a well-written, thoughtfully plotted, suspenseful story with finely nuanced characters and natural sounding dialog.

The author excels when it comes to interpersonal conflict. The scenes between two officers, Kevin Flynn and Hadley Knox, were especially well done.

…more

How the Light Gets In: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel, #9
by Louise Penny

Maybe the best so far (7/19/2013)

I always eagerly anticipate Louise Penny's next Chief Inspector Gamache novel, in this case "How the Light Gets In.'' This novel might just be the best in the series so far. The writing, plot and character development are excellent. When I finished the last page I said to …more

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry: A Novel
by Rachel Joyce

A walk that can drag (7/15/2012)

Harold Fry is a recent retiree living in a small English village and has a sense of overall failure as a son, as a husband and as a father. His cross-England walking trip to visit an old co-worker begins almost by mistake.

Along the way, Harold meets many other individuals …more

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

Slow (10/15/2010)

The book is haunting, sad and lovely. The descriptions of Shanghai are enlightening.

I really enjoyed the book at the beginning. It was interesting to learn about the differences in languages and about aphasia. However, I soon grew to dislike the ponderous descriptions of …more

Alice I Have Been
by Melanie Benjamin

Alice was in Wonderland (10/25/2009)

Alice I Have Been is a fascinating study of human nature during the late19th and early 20th centuries and is well written, especially as a first book.

Written in 3 parts, the book follows Alice’s life from her childhood friendship with Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll) to her …more

Cutting For Stone
by Abraham Verghese

Good but not great (1/22/2009)

To be honest, I lost interest in this book by the end of the third part and did not finish it -- there are so many terrific books out there. The protagonist engaged me well at the beginning. The prose was easy and fluid. Somewhere, this got lost with a sudden increase in the pace.

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Book Jacket — Lessons in Chemistry
by Bonnie Garmus

Praised by *Parade* and *The New York Times Book Review*, this debut features a 1960s scientist turned TV cooking star.

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