Reviews by A Bookshelf Monstrosity

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People of the Book
People of the Book
by Geraldine Brooks
People of the Book (7/9/2010)
Man, I love big, fat books in which I can totally get lost. And this book, spanning multiple countries over 500 years, is the ultimate saga covering art, religious persecution, book conservation, and more. I know that the length of the book can seem intimidating, but …more
The Clouds Beneath the Sun
The Clouds Beneath the Sun
by Mackenzie Ford
The Clouds Beneath The Sun (7/8/2010)
I gave up on this book after 300 pages. I desperately wanted to like this book. The setting was interesting and the plot line had promise. Unfortunately, the pacing dragged and the dialogue was horribly stilted. I finally put the book down when I realized that wanting to …more
Wench
Wench: A Novel
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Great historical fiction on a dark period in American History (6/19/2010)
Lizzie, Reenie, and Sweet, three enslaved African-American mistresses who are regularly brought to a resort called the Tawawa House prior to the Civil War, contemplate running for freedom after a fire sets off a series of tragedies.

I'm a sucker for historical fiction, so …more
A Golden Age
A Golden Age
by Tahmima Anam
One family's struggle in 1970s Bangladesh (3/20/2010)
Meet Rehana Haque. A widowed mother of two in 1970s East Pakistan, Rehana would do anything for her children. Shortly after her husband's death, Rehana allowed her brother-in-law to take custody of her two children for a year, and she never lets herself forget it. She is a …more
Romancing Miss Bronte
Romancing Miss Bronte: A Novel
by Juliet Gael
Romancing Miss Bronte (3/9/2010)
Gael's book completely transports the reader to the Yorkshire Moors of the Bronte sisters. The descriptions of the sisters writing their first novels and struggling to publish them under the pseudonyms of Currer, Acton, and Ellis Bell simply beg the reader to revisit the …more
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel
by Lisa See
Arranged marriages, loss, and motherhood in nineteenth-century China (1/29/2010)
I can't believe I waited so long to read this book. Shame on me. This book was wonderful, lyrical, entertaining - all the makings of a wonderful novel. I was transported to 19th century China as I read the words of Lily and her experiences with footbinding, marriage, and …more
The Zookeeper's Wife
The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story
by Diane Ackerman
Zookeeper's Wife (1/22/2010)
Ackerman pulls from Antonina Zabinski's extensive memoirs of her experiences in World War II Poland and from her own research on the topic to tell the story of the hundreds of Jews that passed through this particular stop on the Polish Underground. Although this book is …more
Here Lies Arthur
Here Lies Arthur
by Philip Reeve
Arthur the punk-raider and the Merlin behind the legends (1/8/2010)
Countless retellings of the Arthurian legend abound in the literary world, and I know some of you are ready to leave this review behind before you finish it. Before you move on, let me tell you why this book is just a little different than all the rest and worth a second …more
Alice I Have Been
Alice I Have Been
by Melanie Benjamin
Meet the real Alice (12/21/2009)
"But oh my dear, I am tired of being Alice in Wonderland. Does it sound ungrateful?"

I had some vague idea that Alice in Wonderland was indeed based on a real girl. What I didn't realize, however, was that Charles Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, knew Alice Liddell …more
Atonement
Atonement
by Ian McEwan
Atonement (12/18/2009)
I usually make a point of not seeing a movie before I get a chance to read the book, but the opposite is true for my experience with McEwan's Atonement. I rented the movie last summer from Netflix and as soon as the movie ended, I stared at the blank screen for a moment, …more
Pope Joan
Pope Joan
by Donna Woolfolk Cross
John, meet Joan... (12/18/2009)
I've always been a big fan of historical fiction and Pope Joan definitely delivers. I mean, a story about a female pope who might have existed? Bring it on!

Joan is a very strong character. She is brave and educated in an age that saw an educated woman as unnatural and …more
Making Toast
Making Toast: A Family Story
by Roger Rosenblatt
Making Toast (11/11/2009)
Rosenblatt's memoir is so heartbreakingly honest; I read it in one sitting and was sad to see it end. I highly recommend this book to fans of Joan Didion's Year of Magical Thinking and Kelly Corrigan's The Middle Place. Highly recommended.
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BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    A Map to Paradise
    by Susan Meissner
    From the USA Today bestselling author of Only the Beautiful. 1956, Malibu, California: Something is not right on Paradise Circle.
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