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Reviews by Stephanie W. (Hudson, OH)

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With or Without You: A Memoir
by Domenica Ruta

With or Without You (12/7/2012)

A well-written, painful to read book, With or Without You describes the author's horrific childhood with a verbally abusive, drug addicted mother, who somehow manages to provide her with a good education and the means to both ruin her own life and rescue herself. I can't …more

The Mark Inside: A Perfect Swindle, a Cunning Revenge, and a Small History of the Big Con
by Amy Reading

Hard to get through (6/19/2012)

The Mark Inside promises a fascinating account of con artistry in America, but I think fascinating was a bit of an exaggeration. I enjoyed the story of the swindling of Frank Norfleet and his quest for revenge on the perpetrators, but got confused and bogged down by much of …more

15 Seconds
by Andrew Gross

I forgot to eat (5/7/2012)

I wasn't sure I liked 15 Seconds at first. It seemed like every other innocent victim story I have read. But the addition of the story of the real killer and his family, as well as the accused man's sense that he was similar to Harrison Ford in The Fugitive, along with the …more

The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great
by Eva Stachniak

Varvara the spy (1/4/2012)

The Winter Palace tells the story of the rise of Catherine the Great from charity bride to Empress through the eyes of her friend and "tongue," (spy) Varavara. There are nice parallels between the young princess and the narrator in that both are foreigners in Russia without …more

The Night Circus: A Novel
by Erin Morgenstern

Magical! (7/10/2011)

I loved this book! It drew me into its world from the beginning and has not let me go, even though I am finished. I feel like starting again at the beginning, just to remain in the world of the circus. Morgenstern has created a feast for the senses in her characters and …more

My Jane Austen Summer: A Season in Mansfield Park
by Cindy Jones

If you have to ask... (2/20/2011)

At one point in this novel, the protagonist, Lily, turns to a friend and asks, "Am I needy?" He responds that "if you have to ask..." Well this book made me feel like I was that friend, uncomfortable in answering a question that is obvious to everyone else. Lily has plenty …more

Snowdrops: A Novel
by A.D. Miller

Intriguing but anticlimactic (12/6/2010)

"Snowdrops" started out as an exciting read, with lots of mystery and interesting characters. I couldn't put it down, but then I did. About two thirds of the way through I got tired of the hints about how the main character hadn't done anything particularly bad...yet and …more

Juliet
by Anne Fortier

A real page-turner! (7/6/2010)

Juliet was an exciting read from the beginning. Each time the action shifted from present day to 1340 or back, I was disappointed at leaving the story I was engrossed in, but within a page was just as lost in the other story. Ms Fortier takes the well-known elements of …more

Daughters of the Witching Hill: A Novel
by Mary Sharratt

Exciting and informative (3/6/2010)

Daughters of the Witching Hill is a fascinating look at an actual witch trial in England. Real facts from trial transcripts and histories are mixed with imagined thoughts and conversations of the main characters. Even the spirits that visit the "witches" seem realistic and …more

A Girl Made of Dust
by Nathalie Abi-Ezzi

I wish I knew more (5/25/2009)

A Girl Made of Dust was a very engaging story that kept me interested and wondering what was going to happen. The problem was that it sometimes also had me wondering what was happening! I am not familiar with the setting and had to ask my History Teacher husband to explain …more

Lima Nights
by Marie Arana

Lima Nights not very engaging (12/21/2008)

I really had to work to force myself to finish this book. It had some interesting and exciting parts, but overall, I was not engaged in the story. I did not find any of the characters likable and was not satisfied with the ending.

The Book of Unholy Mischief: A Novel
by Elle Newmark

Food and Heresy make for a Good Discussion (10/15/2008)

If you liked "Like Water for Chocolate" and "The DaVinci Code," you'll like this book. The descriptions of food are sumptuous and the characters are, for the most part, likable and interesting. I enjoyed the story and thought that a book club would find much to discuss. The …more

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