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Reviews by Iris

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The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors: A Novel
by Michele Young-Stone

The Handbook for Lightening Strike Survivors (4/25/2010)

I loved this book!!! I was hooked within minutes and was totally engrossed with the two stories that ran parallel to each other regarding Rebecca and Buckley. Their characters were well defined as were the others that rounded out their stories. The author's craftsmanship …more

Making Toast: A Family Story
by Roger Rosenblatt

Making Toast (11/8/2009)

Losing a child has to be every parents worst nightmare. In choosing to review Making Toast, a memoir written by a man who has suffered such a loss, I expected to be caught up in an emotionally charged discourse that would be somewhat difficult to read.

As an award written …more

Sweeping Up Glass
by Carolyn Wall

Sweeping Up Glass (8/10/2009)

Carolyn Wall can be compared to an artist only her medium is words. With very few words she has the ability of painting vibrant pictures that set the stage for a beautiful, multi-layered novel that is not only well written, but easy to follow. The characters are well …more

The Last Secret: A Novel
by Mary McGarry Morris

The Last Secret (4/20/2009)

What began for me as a seemingly mindless, predictable, slightly elevated version of the "chick lit" genre became a compelling read. While written in the present, more and more information is masterfully revealed in small increments. The characters become more than just one …more

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet: A Novel
by Jamie Ford

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (2/20/2009)

This is truly a gem of a book.

The relationship between a father and son of Chinese descent is only surpassed by the relationship of the young Chinese boy and a young Japanese girl in 1942 Seattle at the time of the Japanese internment camps. Historically it casts an eye on …more

The Toss of a Lemon
by Padma Viswanathan

The Toss of a Lemon (8/20/2008)

The Toss of a Lemon is a rich family saga set in India between 1896 and mid 20th century. It is a story of a preadolescent girl who enters into an arranged marriage only to be widowed with two children in her teens. According to the standards of her Brahmin caste, she is …more

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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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