BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

The Little Italian Hotel: A Novel
by Phaedra Patrick

Good Book to Take On Vacation (4/25/2023)

This is a light hearted book that you can read on the beach or during your flights this summer. Ginny Splinter, acclaimed radio advice expert, invites four of her listeners to join her on an Italian three week vacation. She believes she will "heal" her guests, but she finds she may be the one who needs healing. This book is a little light for my book club, but it's probably just right for a summer beach read. And we all would love to find our own Little Italian Hotel.

Exiles: Aaron Falk Mystery #3
by Jane Harper

Jane Harper Is Back (8/26/2022)

I've enjoyed Jane Harper's books, especially her first book The Dry, which introduced us to Federal Investigator Aaron Falk so I was looking forward to The Exiles. I received the book on a Saturday afternoon, started it that evening, and read almost non-stop until I finished it Monday. What a great read.

Aaron Falk is back visiting a group of close friends in South Australia's wine country. A year earlier while he visiting the same friends, a young mother disappeared from a busy festival, leaving her young baby alone in her stroller. The baby is not noticed until the Festival is closing. Now a year later still no one knows what happened to the mother. Falk still wonders why a mother would leave her baby alone, and he begins to try to find out what happened to her.

Once again Harper gives us a group of interesting, likeable characters. Book Clubs will not only enjoy the mystery, but will find many threads to follow as long-buried secrets begin to emerge. And readers will find a real page-turner, and perhaps a new favorite Jane Harper mystery.

The Blind Light: A Novel
by Stuart Evers

Two Families...Sixty Years (10/26/2020)

I've read many historical novels set in Britain (particularly WWI and II), but this story of two families, one well-to-do and one working class, over 6 decades still affected by post-nuclear security concerns is quite different to any other book I've read. I found the story very interesting, and couldn't help but reflect on what I remember of this period here in the U.S. I did at times feel like I was missing important events in the characters' lives by the way the book is structured. I imagine anyone who enjoys British historical novels would enjoy reading The Blind Light.

Migrations: A Novel
by Charlotte McConaghy

Such An Amazing Book (3/30/2020)

Once I began reading Migrations I found it very difficult to put down, and the day after I started it I finished it. The writing is so beautiful, poetic and melancholic. In this desolated world of Migrations, there is still love...love of birds, adventure, and those special people in our lives. I will definitely share Migrations with my Book Club and other special friends. And I imagine in years to come I will remember Migrations as one of my most favorite books. I wish I could have rated it higher.

The Secrets We Kept: A novel
by Lara Prescott

Such A Great Book (7/3/2019)

I wish I could rate The Secrets We Kept even higher than 5 stars. Once I started reading, I just could not put down this literary love story set during the Cold War with Russia. Secrets has everything...spies, romance, history, and a captivating story. It is beautifully written and I look forward to more books from this author. I am eager to introduce Secrets to my book club after it is published, and know we will have a very interesting discussion. I predict this will be one of the best books of 2019.

Ellie and the Harpmaker
by Hazel Prior

Harps and Hearts (4/5/2019)

I found Ellie and the Harpmaker to be an unexpected gift, heartwarming and touching. I liked the characters...I could both visualize them and hear them (and almost hear the beautiful music the harps made). And I was deeply touched by Ellie and Dan as they alternately told their story. While this book is easy to read, it is not a simple book and I think most readers will enjoy it. It would be an excellent selection for my own book club.

Gone So Long
by Andre Dubus III

Gone So Long - A Really Long Book (9/24/2018)

Three people are still suffering from a 40-year-old trauma...David Ahearn whose impulsive act of violence causes him to lose his daughter; his daughter, Susan, who has never gotten over that night she can't remember; and Susan's maternal grandmother whose life has never been the same. At 447 pages, the author slowly develops his story of how these three people try to find recovery and absolution. For me the book is just too long for the story it tells, and would have been better had it been edited to be much tighter. I generally like longer books that really develop characters and story-lines, but I found it difficult to finish this book.

The Devoted
by Blair Hurley

Finding Enlightenment (5/23/2018)

This book asks what one will sacrifice to find enlightenment. I'm sure many readers will find this book itself enlightening, but for me I grew weary of the Buddhist stories and writings. I did finish the book because I was interested in Nicole Hennessy's journey and wanted to know where her journey would end and if she would find the security and love she was searching for.

A Place for Us
by Fatima Farheen Mirza

Finding Our Own Place (3/27/2018)

Beautifully written, A Place for Us introduces us to an Indian Muslim family finding their own place in California. It covers love, family, faith, betrayal, contrition, absolution as we follow the family and watch the the two sisters and their brother grow from young children to mature adults. We see the mistakes that are made and experience the heartache that can follow. My only problem with this book is the structure which goes back and forth in time and from one character's perspective to another and which sometimes broke the flow for me and was not always as smooth as I would have liked. I did enjoy learning more about this family's faith.

Force of Nature: Aaron Falk Mystery #2
by Jane Harper

Lost in Australian Bushland (10/23/2017)

Force of Nature author, Jane Harper, reintroduces us to Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk, the main character in her first novel, The Dry, one of my favorite books. Falk is drawn into the investigation of a woman who fails to return from a three day wilderness hike with four other co-workers. The missing woman is the whistle-blower in his latest case. It takes Falk's investigative skills to find out what happened during those three harrowing days. I was glad to learn more about Aaron Falk and hope there will be future books in this series. While I didn't think Force of Nature was quite as good as The Dry, Harper is such a good writer that this is still a very good read.

The Story of Arthur Truluv: A Novel
by Elizabeth Berg

Seeing Beyond Simple Words (6/10/2017)

In her acknowledgments, author Elizabeth Berg says "...you can only hope that readers see beyond the simple words on the page to the more complex meanings behind them." At first I did only see the simple words, but I soon was drawn into this story and the transition of Arthur Moses into Arthur Trulove and the journey that Maddy makes as she finds love and family with these wonderful characters. This would be a good choice for book clubs and for readers looking for a "feel good" experience.

The Weight of Ink
by Rachel Kadish

The Weight of Ink - A Weighty Book (2/20/2017)

At 560 pages long, The Weight of Ink tells the story of two different women, a woman scribe for a Rabbi in 1660s London, and an ailing historian in love with Jewish history in 2000 London. Helen has discovered a cache of 17th century Jewish documents and with the assistance of Aron Levy, an American graduate student, she works to understand the secrets of the scribe Ester. I really enjoyed learning about the role of the Jewish people in England in the 17th century, the role of an intelligent woman who wishes to be more than her religion and society will allow, and the theology of the time. This book takes time to read, but will reward the reader who finishes this fascinating story.

The Girl Before
by JP Delaney

Psychological Mystery That Won't Disappoint (11/12/2016)

Just know that when you start this book you will not want to put it down until you read the last page. The format, alternating chapters between Emma, the girl before, and Jane, the girl after, allows the story to move forward so that we quickly learn that One Folgate Street, an architectural masterpiece and its rules for tenants, is a main character in this story. Emma wanted to feel safe in her new home...Jane wanted a fresh start after a personal tragedy. This book will keep you "spinning through a kaleidoscope of duplicity, dearth, and deception"...as the publisher notes. I can't wait to see the movie which is bound to come.

The Comet Seekers
by Helen Sedgwick

Comets Through Time (8/27/2016)

I anticipated that this book would be set in Antarctica and was somewhat disappointed that very little of the story happens there. Chapters move back and forth in time, not sequentially, from 1066 to 2017, with the first and last chapters set in 2017 and in Antarctica. And in each chapter we meet different people in different settings who do not seem to be connected in any way except through their interest in comets. For me, this disrupted the flow of the story and kept me always trying to understand how everything tied together. I found the writing to be very lyrical and the story of connections through time interesting if a little hard to follow. I would recommend The Comet Seekers to anyone who is interested in comets or astronomy or mystical connections.

The Book That Matters Most: A Novel
by Ann Hood

A Story About Books and Bookstores (6/13/2016)

First, I really enjoyed the organization of this book... Ava, recently divorced after a 25 year marriage, joins a book club where each of the 10 members chooses a book for the club to read and discuss during 10 months of the year. Their theme this year is The Book That Matters Most. Thus as each chapter unfolds we read about the book being read by the group that month. Their discussions are interesting and we see Ava grow and learn independence as each book becomes relevant to her. Not only is she dealing with the divorce, but with a daughter missing in Italy where her mother believes Maggie is studying art in Florence. But Maggie is in Paris where she finds comfort and solace in a bookstore. Maggie's quest to find her daughter and the book that matters most to her ultimately offers her and Maggie the chance to remake their lives. A very satisfying book to read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to read.

Amour Provence
by Constance Leisure

Vignettes of Provence (3/17/2016)

I've never been to southern France, but have always enjoyed books set in Provence so I had high expectations for this book. The book is beautifully written, each chapter introducing us to the interesting inhabitants of two tiny villages. I would have liked a little more plot, but I think Francophiles will be satisfied with the descriptions of the extremes of the landscape and climate and of the people who inhabit these tiny villages.

I'll See You in Paris
by Michelle Gable

Larger-Than-Life Duchess' Story (12/29/2015)

Annie, young, newly engaged, unemployed discovers an old biography of Gladys Spencer-Churchill, the Duchess of Marlborough among her mother's things as they pack to travel to England. Annie becomes fascinated with the larger-than-life Duchess' story, and in the small English village where she and her mother stay, she discovers that there may be a link to her mother and answers to her lifelong quest to find out who her father was. The story of these three women, born generations apart, makes for an interesting read. I not only enjoyed reading I'll See You in Paris, I finished wanting to know more about the real Duchess who inspired this book. I think readers who enjoy English mysteries and like books set in two or more periods will also enjoy this book.

All Is Not Forgotten
by Wendy Walker

What Happened That Night in the Woods (10/6/2015)

From the first page we know what happened that night in the woods. What we don't know is who the perpetrator is, and who the narrator is. You will hate to put this book down until the final page and it should make a great movie. I would have given it 5 stars except I was so put off by the narrator who becomes a puppeteer pulling the strings in the lives of characters I came to care about. I think this is a great book for book clubs and for readers who like mystery and suspense.

Maybe in Another Life
by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Endless Possibilities (5/27/2015)

At first I wasn't sure I was going to like this book and I found some of the dialogue a little annoying. But, then the story took over and I was quite fascinated by the contrast between the two possibilities. I began to like Hannah, Gabby, Ethan and Henry and didn't want to put the book down. I liked the alternating chapters and it was so interesting to see how the characters interact in both "universes". I think young women will love this book, and it would make a great movie. And this senior citizen enjoyed the book and will recommend it to friends.

Letters to the Lost
by Iona Grey

Love in WWII England (3/18/2015)

Letters to the Lost (I don't particularly like this title) tells the story of two people who fall deeply in love in England during the Second World War, and of a young woman who in 2011 discovers their letters and decides to reunite them. With the English setting, a mystery as to what happened to one of the main characters, and settings during WWII and contemporary London, the story kept me returning to the book. It would have been a 5 star read for me if there had been a little more editing to keep the action moving. However, for the most part the characters are very likeable and believable,and the story well written. I think my Book Club would enjoy discussing this book.

Reviews by Betty B. (Irving, TX)

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