In a book club and starting to plan your reads for next year? Check out our 2025 picks.

Reviews by Mary Lou F. (Naples, FL)

Power Reviewer  Power Reviewer

If you'd like to be able to easily share your reviews with others, please join BookBrowse.
Order Reviews by:
The Opposite of Everyone
by Joshilyn Jackson
Family Forever (11/22/2015)
This book shows no matter what, family always wins out. The complications involved with a dysfunctional family also show that things can turn around with faith and hope.
Maybe in Another Life
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Choices/chances (5/31/2015)
Very different style of writing. Two different choices to every action. Confusing at first but once you catch on, it makes for a very good read. I would like to read her other books to see how she handles situations.
Make Your Home Among Strangers
by Jennine CapĂł Crucet
Culture Shock (4/11/2015)
A Cuban girl is a minority attendee at an elitist school with no idea of the differences in culture. Her family doesn't help as they don't encourage education and she is torn between her family and wanting something better for herself. Makes one think about backgrounds, familial ties and the chance to go beyond what you have always known.
Her Name Is Rose
by Christine Breen
Family Ties (1/28/2015)
What a wonderful cast of characters interwoven in each others lives. Hated to see the story end. Would love to see a sequel written as there are many more stories behind these characters.
Blue Stars
by Emily Gray Tedrowe
Treating our soldiers (12/5/2014)
Very insightful story especially with the conditions found at Walter Reed Hospital. This novel deals with the care or lack thereof of returning soldiers. Eye awakening--makes you wonder how close to realistic events this novel conveys.
Accidents of Marriage
by Randy Susan Meyers
Anger Management (6/14/2014)
Families with an angry member can become very dysfunctional and everyone suffers. Written very well and I didn't want to stop reading. I now want to read other books Ms. Meyers has written.
Her
by Harriet Lane
Who Do You Trust? (5/10/2014)
This book is a page turner about supposed new friendships and old grievances (misunderstood or not). Very good way of dealing with the characters, each chapter dealing with the new main characters. We'll worth reading.
Mating for Life
by Marissa Stapley
Mating (3/8/2014)
This is an excellent book, characters are very realistic and have very real problems which anyone can relate to. Also, you get to learn the mating habits of various birds and animals which are similar to humans at times. A very worthwhile and easy read.
The Venetian Bargain
by Marina Fiorato
Historical Medicine (12/24/2013)
Very good book written about a period in history that started a lot of modern medical treatments. Good reading from start to finish acquiring a lot of knowledge about that period in history.
Henry and Rachel
by Laurel Saville
Do you really know your family? (9/4/2013)
Very interesting concept - each chapter was the thoughts and doings of one of the characters. The way each character thought and acted about their family was very different for each one of them. Slow going at the beginning but as you got to know the different characters, you wanted to find out how their lives would end up.
The Scavenger's Daughters: Tales of the Scavenger's Daughters, Book One
by Kay Bratt
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES (7/19/2013)
In China, baby girls are thought of as insignificant items. This book shows how one family finds and takes care of these children who are considered orphans as they have been abandoned by their parents. There is a Book Two to this book and I can hardly wait to read it. If you have a daughter, you will cherish her even more after you read this book.
The Sisterhood
by Helen Bryan
Exchange of historical events (5/2/2013)
Excellent back and forth details of Spanish Inquisition and modern day times. Historical religious beliefs interwoven with modern times make for a wonderful piece of work.
The Edge of the Earth
by Christina Schwarz
Living With What You Have (10/15/2012)
Tough living on a mountain maintaining a light house. This book is written very well and the author brings the characters to life. Different plot than most but very intriguing. Good read and you want to finish in one reading.
The Queen's Lover: A Novel
by Francine du Plessix Gray
Learning History (5/29/2012)
I enjoyed this book as I had very little knowledge of Scottish history and French history. Good historical book with plenty of intrigue.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
by Katherine Boo
Strength of Humanity (1/3/2012)
This book shows that no matter how hard one's life is, there is one worse off. Conditions in India are deplorable and the author has put forth a very descriptive analysis of these conditions.
Tides of War: A Novel
by Stella Tillyard
English History (11/2/2011)
Complicated characters with historical backgrounds make for a very interesting read. The characters come together as the story evolves. Very interesting read.
Salvage the Bones: A Novel
by Jesmyn Ward
Getting Along (6/30/2011)
Jesmyn Ward has a wonderful way of using words to describe situations. You can feel the action of the dog fights and, again, during the scary moments of Hurricane Katrina. This book shows that when the chips are down, a dysfunctional family comes together to help each other during a horrific storm -- Hurricane Katrina.
The Tudor Secret: The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles
by C. W. Gortner
English History Revisited (3/20/2011)
Very good interpretation of English history. Exciting and mysterious times back then. Makes you want to read any other books C. W. Gortner writes. Great read for historical history buffs.
A Box of Darkness: The Story of a Marriage
by Sally Ryder Brady
Do You Really Know Someone? (12/27/2010)
This book is about a long-term marriage and love story with dark shadows. You think you know someone after being married over forty years, but do you really? Very well written but very sad.
Minding Ben: A Novel
by Victoria Brown
Appreciating What You Have (12/21/2010)
This book points out the disparity between U.S. citizens and immigrants and what they go through to try and fit into this society. Dialect was a little difficult to interpret at times but all in all, very good writing.
  • Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: The Puzzle Box
    The Puzzle Box
    by Danielle Trussoni
    During the tumultuous last days of the Tokugawa shogunate, a 17-year-old emperor known as Meiji ...
  • Book Jacket
    Something, Not Nothing
    by Sarah Leavitt
    In 2020, after a lifetime of struggling with increasingly ill health, Sarah Leavitt's partner, ...
  • Book Jacket
    A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens
    by Raul Palma
    Raul Palma's debut novel A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens introduces Hugo Contreras, who came to the ...
  • Book Jacket
    The MANIAC
    by Benjamin Labatut
    The MANIAC by Benjamin Labatut is an ambitious work that falls squarely into the category of fiction...

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Pony Confidential
    by Christina Lynch

    In this whimsical mystery, a grumpy pony must clear his beloved human's name from a murder accusation.

Who Said...

What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading, you wish the author that wrote it was a ...

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

H I O the G

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.