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Reviews by Beth C. (Sioux Falls, SD)

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A Thread of Sky: A Novel
by Deanna Fei

Mothers/Daughters and the Sights & Sounds of China (3/29/2010)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Deanna Fei's book, "A Thread of the Sky". This novel weaves a marvelous tapestry - both with the relationships of grandmother, sisters, and daughters and the history and perceptions of life that each brings to their two-week vacation trip to …more

The Russian Dreambook of Color and Flight
by Gina Ochsner

Magical Realism in Post-Soviet Russia (12/5/2009)

The characters in this unusual book by Gina Ochsner (Tanya, Olga, Yuri, Zoya, Azade, Mircha, and Vitek) all live in a aging and derelict apartment building that doesn't have functioning indoor toilets. They all must share a latrine that is located in the courtyard. Azade …more

The Possibility of Everything
by Hope Edelman

The Possibility of Everything: A Memoir (7/28/2009)

Taking a family vacation - two parents and a three-year-old to Belize in order to reconnect seemed like a great idea to Hope Edelman and her husband Uzi. The fact that their daughter, Maya, was exhibiting unusual behavior, including an imaginary friend that encouraged bad …more

The Weight of a Mustard Seed: The Intimate Story of an Iraqi General and His Family During Thirty Years of Tyranny
by Wendell Steavenson

Immensely Interesting (2/25/2009)

This non-fiction book by esteemed Journalist, Wendell Steavenson, is immensely interesting. She has gone into Iraq and picked an individual - General Kamel Sachet - to illustrate the fascinating and terrible ways in which the wars in Iraq over the past 30 have affected real …more

Holding My Breath: A Novel
by Sidura Ludwig

Holding My Breath (6/4/2008)

Canadian writer Sidura Ludwig has done a wonderful job with her first novel. I loved that it was set in Winnipeg, Manitoba - a city I have visited several times and always enjoyed.
This is not an action packed novel, but rather a character study of a family. The main …more

Dervishes
by Beth Helms

Dervishes by Beth Helms (12/3/2007)

This swirling novel gives insight into both Turkish life in Ankora in 1975 and the families of diplomats and military personnel coping with postings in unfamiliar cultures. The characters are well drawn and it could be an interesting book group discussion choice. However it …more

Mozart's Sister
by Rita Charbonnier

Discovering the Unfamiliar Mozart (10/10/2007)

Rita Charbonnier has created a wonderful novel depicting the life of Wolfgang Mozart's older sister, known to family and friends as Nannerl. As a child, she too was a prodigy, performing with her brother, but their father's sexist attitudes sent her down another path. This …more

BookBrowse Book Club

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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Daughters of Shandong
by Eve J. Chung

Based on the author’s family story, comes an extraordinary novel about a mother and her daughters’ escape from Taiwan.

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The Lilac People
by Milo Todd

For fans of All the Light We Cannot See, a poignant tale of a trans man’s survival in Nazi Germany and postwar Berlin.

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