BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

The Lost English Girl
by Julia Kelly

The Lost EnglishGirl (3/6/2023)

I enjoy historical fiction, especially those set during WWII. Viv is a Catholic, pregnant and about to marry a Jew. All the emotions of both their parents are on display. Viv's mother is a despicable person. She insists that Viv's daughter be sent away during Operation Pied Piper which evacuated children to the countryside, something Viv is loath to do. This is a heartbreaking and thought-provoking story about Viv and Joshua the baby's father and beautifully written.

On a Night of a Thousand Stars
by Andrea Yaryura Clark

True Crime Story (3/9/2022)

This is a cross between fact and fiction. It's an account of a university student, Zoe Nolan, who left a party and went missing. Years later writer Evelyn Mitchell tries to dig into the mystery and enlists the help of Joseph Knox to assist. It was a clever twist for the author to write himself into the book.

True Crime Story: A Novel
by Joseph Knox

True Crime Story (11/13/2021)

Blending fact with fiction, Joseph Knox has written an impressive book about a university student who went missing walking home from a party. Told mainly through interviews with a writer years later, the characters are all unlikable. Joseph Knox is also featured in the story as he is consulted by the writer to give his perspective. An interesting and long read.

The Temple House Vanishing
by Rachel Donohue

The Temple House Vanishing (4/14/2021)

This book is about Louisa, a 16-year-old girl, who wants to reinvent herself at an elite Catholic girls' boarding school where she has earned a scholarship. She finds that the fee-paying girls look down on her as well as the nuns who run it. Soon Louisa meets a charismatic art teacher, Mr. Lavelle, and fellow student Victoria and things seem to be looking up. However, Mr. Lavelle and Louisa disappear. Years later a journalist is investigating the disappearances in the hope of solving the case. This is a gothic and atmospheric novel but the characters are difficult to connect with.

The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman: A Novel
by Julietta Henderson

The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman (2/26/2021)

The Funny Thing about Norman Foreman was an amazing book by a debut author. This book about a 12-year-old boy and his single mother was a delight. Although there was pathos and sadness surrounding the loss of Norman's best friend, Jax, and comedy partner, there was love and growth and friendship and stamina and determination. Norman is determined to take part in the Edinburgh Fringe to perform his comedy, even though Jax was the funny one of the duo. He also wants his mother to help him find his father, one of four possibilities. What a wild ride this was and what a pleasure it was to meet the characters along the way. I loved this book!

Raft of Stars
by Andrew J. Graff

Raft of Stars (12/3/2020)

I am so amazed by the beauty of this book. What a wonderful story filled with characters that I learned to love and an adventure that keeps you on the top of your toes. The author is an amazing writer. I found myself having to stop after reading a sentence and admiring its perfection. I hope to find more books from this author in the future. This deserves more than a rating of 5 for Very Good. It was exceptional. This is one of the best books I've read in years.

He Started It
by Samantha Downing

He Started It by Samantha Downing (2/12/2020)

Beth, Portia, and Eddie Morgan's grandfather passes away and in order to claim the money in his will, they must reenact a trip that he took them on years before across the country. The siblings haven't been together for ages so it could be a strain. Two of them bring their siblings along for the ride. We learn many secrets and opinions as they trudge across the route. Each one is all about the inheritance and not so much each other. We learn more about the oldest child who disappeared on the first trip. I have to admit I was a little taken aback with the ending which I won't give away.

The Women with Silver Wings: The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II
by Katherine Sharp Landdeck

The Woman with Silver Wings (1/15/2020)

I love all books set during WWII and this was especially enticing because it is about women pilots during and after Pearl Harbor. I was really inspired by the camaraderie and bravery of each of these heroes. Wonderful writing, wonderful story.

American Dirt: A Novel
by Jeanine Cummins

American Dirt (11/28/2019)

This is a beautifully written story of the plight of immigrants from dangerous countries who seek sanctuary in America. I have a much deeper understanding of what they have to go through to pass into the USA (stepping onto American dirt) and the unbelievable risks they take in order to do so. I loved the characters in the book and have so much compassion for the real-life people who a president who has denigrated and victimized.

You Were There Too
by Colleen Oakley

You Were There Too (8/21/2019)

I can't say enough good things about this book by Colleen Oakley. I've never read this author but boy was I impressed. This is a heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking. This is a true love story with a twist.

Gone So Long
by Andre Dubus III

Gone So Long (10/2/2018)

Gone So Long is the 4th book I've read by Andre Dubus III. Although this is an emotionally difficult book to read. It is the story of a man who has done a terrible thing who seeks to find forgiveness and redemption from his estranged daughter. Daniel murdered his young wife in a fit of jealousy when his daughter, Susan, was 3 years old. He is sent to prison. This novel is set 40 years later, after Daniel has been out of prison for 25 years when he seeks out his daughter. The book switches back and forth between characters and is long and dense and sophisticated and ultimately satisfying.

Our House
by Louise Candlish

Our House by Louise Candlish (6/13/2018)

The concept of having your house bought out from underneath you is scary. Especially if you weren't given any recompense. Also when you discover a sociopath is behind the scheme. This book follows the husband and wife as they deal with the situation in different ways. A shocking ending is in store.

Les Parisiennes: How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved, and Died Under Nazi Occupation
by Anne Sebba

Les Parisiennes (7/7/2016)

As a person born during WWII I've always been fascinated with the struggles that Germany perpetrated onto their foes. I've read many books about the Nazi overtaking of Paris and particularly enjoyed this book because I am a woman. This book centers on the choices the women of the time had to make in order to survive and it's fascinating.

Shelter
by Jung Yun

Shelter (1/5/2016)

Shelter has that "can't put it down" quality that every reader covets. The book shows three generations of a family that are seriously impacted by the behavior of the oldest generation. Heartbreaking yet redeeming. Gorgeous and devastating.

Five
by Ursula Archer

Five (10/9/2014)

This book had a very interesting concept; the murder victims all had a tattoo of a GPS coordinate on the bottom of their feet. I had never heard of the term or the hobby of geocaching before, but it certaining sends detectives on an unusual hunt for the killer.

Brutal Youth
by Anthony Breznican

Brutal Youth (5/14/2014)

The title of this book is certainly apt. I still remember issues that I went through during high school, but nothing like this. It's such an impressionable time and, unless you are among the most popular and elite of students, it can definitely be stressful and hard to overcome. That was in my day. If experiences in this book are what high school is like now, I need to get my niece's and nephew's kids in intense therapy. This was difficult to read because of the subject matter, but I think the author is good at his craft.

Safe with Me
by Amy Hatvany

Safe With Me by Amy Hatvany (11/13/2013)

The comparison to Jodi Picoult is what drew me to this book; however, the subjects discussed and the characters themselves are what connected me to the story from start to finish. This is a thought-provoking book about difficult subjects: domestic violence, death of a child, organ donation, and women's independence.

Once We Were Brothers
by Ronald H. Balson

Once We Were Brothers (8/12/2013)

This is an provocative story of two boys who grew up together in Poland prior to World War II. Ben Solomon is Jewish and ends up in a Nazi concentration camp during the war. Otto Piatek lived with Ben's family until his parents felt it was politically dangerous for him to be living with Jews and he chooses a different path as a Nazi. Fast forward 60 years and Ben seeks to prove that a wealthy and revered Jewish benefactor living under an alias is indeed Otto and that he not only destroyed Ben's family but committed many other war crimes. I couldn't put this book down and finished it during the middle of the night.

Where You Can Find Me: A Novel
by Sheri Joseph

Where You Can Find Me. (2/27/2013)

This is a story about an 11-year-old boy who was abducted by a pedophile and discovered 3 years later and returned home to his family. His mother moves him and his sister to Costa Rica to remove him from the limelight of the media. This is an uncomfortable book to read, although I felt compelled to read ahead. I had a feeling of dread throughout as though afraid of the outcome. I had feelings of compassion for the son and daughter but frustration with the mother. I felt like the book just dropped off rather than come to a successful conclusion.

All You Could Ask For
by Mike Greenberg

All You Could Ask For (11/15/2012)

I never expected a man to so convincingly capture the heart and soul of a woman. In this case, he tapped into the personalities and emotions of three unique women.