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Reviews by Louise J

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The House I Loved
The House I Loved
by Tatiana de Rosnay
Sublime Reading! (10/21/2012)
Rose writes letters to her deceased husband, Armand who has been gone 10 years. She is writing about the tearing down of the homes and shops on their street so the construction organization can widen the roads. This is going to change the face of Paris forever. Some of the …more
Caught
Caught
by Harlan Coben
A Rollercoaster Ride! (10/21/2012)
CAUGHT is a rollercoaster ride with more twists and turns that you won’t want to get off until the train hits the end of the track!

Seventeen-year-old Haley McWaid is a high school senior who goes missing. She has never been in trouble before, gets good grades and just seems …more
The Forgetting Tree
The Forgetting Tree: A Novel
by Tatjana Soli
Magical! (10/17/2012)
The Forgetting Tree was majestic, monumental, and magical!! An incredibly complex story with well-developed characters, the story basically focuses on two women: Claire, a white-woman dealing with cancer, and Minna, a black-woman who is Claire’s caretaker.

Claire met and …more
My Name Is Parvana
My Name Is Parvana
by Deborah Ellis
Honest and Real... (10/1/2012)
This was a riveting, page-turner that I didn’t want to end. I felt bad that her mother died as she was the last connection to Parvana’s family. Deborah Ellis always writes the most honest stories about real issues that gives us a bird’s eye view of what some of these people …more
Joy For Beginners
Joy For Beginners: A Novel
by Erica Bauermeister
Pure Delight! (9/24/2012)
Kate is home again after just surviving breast cancer. To celebrate she invites six of her closest friends to come and share in an intimate dinner. Kate was hit very hard when she discovered she had breast cancer.

I found I could relate better to some characters better than …more
Below Stairs
Below Stairs: The Classic Kitchen Maid's Memoir That Inspired Upstairs, Downstairs and Downton Abbey
by Margaret Powell
Simply Charming! (9/22/2012)
Below Stairs is the true story of Margaret Powell who worked as a kitchen maid – the lowest of the low – in 1920’s England. I appreciated the book for its honesty, directness, and the informative way in which it was written. I also appreciated the integrity with which …more
Beautiful Ruins
Beautiful Ruins: A Novel
by Jess Walter
Disappointing... (9/22/2012)
I was very disappointed in this novel. For all the hype and drum rolls I heard, I expected an interesting and phenomenal read – boy was I wrong!

It’s hard to explain but I actually found the story confusing at times and at other times rambling on and on and on but really not …more
The Watch
The Watch: A Novel
by Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya
Eye Opening (9/21/2012)
The Watch gives us non-military folk first-hand experience about what war zones are really like. I now have a better understanding why a lot of these soldiers return home changed people. Overall, this was an excellent and eye-opening read.
Behind the Beautiful Forevers
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
by Katherine Boo
Behind the Beautiful Forevers (9/20/2012)
Katherine Boo has written a remarkable, thoroughly researched, engaging, insightful, educational, and informative ethnography of slum life on the outskirts of Mumbai in Annwadi. Boo’s ability to capture the devastating toll this type of living has on its inhabitants is …more
Home Front
Home Front
by Kristin Hannah
The Tragedies of War... (9/19/2012)
Home Front is a hard book to read but reminds us how thankful we need to be to any and all soldiers/members of the military and recognize that they are putting their lives on the line for us. I don’t know that those of us who are non-military families can truly appreciate …more
The Roots of the Olive Tree
The Roots of the Olive Tree: A Novel
by Courtney Miller Santo
Superbly Crafted Debut Novel!! (9/17/2012)
For a debut novel, Courtney Miller Santo has done a remarkable job in writing this novel. The story was superbly engaging, the characters were very well developed, and really gave a believable voice of each of the women. I won’t have any trouble recommending The Roots of …more
The Book of Jonas
The Book of Jonas
by Stephen Dau
Powerful (9/10/2012)
The Book of Jonas is a compelling novel that describes the human cost of war and the long-lasting effects on the human mind. Adjusting to his new life in America proves more difficult than Jonas originally thought. Mandated to see a therapist, Jonas begins to explore what …more
The Little Red Guard
The Little Red Guard: A Family Memoir
by Wenguang Huang
A Memoir & History Lesson in One! (9/8/2012)
The story was well-written, interesting, funny, interspersed with the political state of China at the time. A story and history lesson all-in-one. Excellent read.
Small Damages
Small Damages
by Beth Kephart
Disappointing... (9/5/2012)
Young, Kenzie is sent to Seville, Spain in 1995 and upon arrival is setting off for Los Nietos to a farmhouse or cortijo. It is owned by a man named, Miguel and is actually a bull ranch. Miguel is a friend of, Kenzie’s mother, and he has agreed to take Kenzie in until her …more
No Safe Place
No Safe Place
by Deborah Ellis
Couldn't Put It Down! (8/30/2012)
Abdul is a Kurdish refugee from Iraq who at fifteen-years of age has lost everyone in his family through the war and terror that has plagued his homeland. He meets a boy is own age and they become fast friends, both enjoying playing guitar and loving The Beatles. One day, …more
Sold
Sold
by Patricia McCormick
Sad but True... (8/28/2012)
The writing style in this novel is very unique. It is written in short vignettes making for a simple, quick, but captivating read.

According to the author, each year nearly 12,000 Nepali girls are sold by their families “intentionally” or “unwittingly” into a life of sexual …more
Sacred Hearts
Sacred Hearts: A Novel
by Sarah Dunant
Awesome! (8/27/2012)
A great piece of historical fiction that was hard to put down. It brought to life the world of an Italian convent in Ferrara, Italy in 1570. Back in that era, women could be placed in convents by ‘force’. Many of these women who ended up there were castaways from families; …more
The Sandcastle Girls
The Sandcastle Girls: A Novel
by Chris Bohjalian
Hugely Disappointing... (8/22/2012)
The Sandcastle Girls is a love story between Elizabeth Endicott, a wealthy Bostonian, and a young Armenian engineer named Armen. This love story takes place during the Armenian genocide in 1915- 1916, but the entire storyline reverts backs and forth between the past and the …more
The Age of Miracles
The Age of Miracles: A Novel
by Karen Thompson Walker
The Age of Miracles (8/20/2012)
The story is narrated by eleven-year-old, Julia so really more of the story is about coming-of-age but also part sci-fi and part young adult fiction. However, as a full grown adult I did thoroughly enjoy the book. It is beautifully written and I will be recommending it to my friends.
In the Shadow of the Banyan
In the Shadow of the Banyan: A Novel
by Vaddey Ratner
Exemplary Writing! (8/19/2012)
The story is written in the first person and told through the eyes of Raami. The words are so beautifully written, a real talent for a first time author. An extraordinary story that takes you to the impossible highs and lows of what human beings can do in this life, both on …more

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