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Reviews by Gail G. (Northbrook, Illinois)

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A Nearly Perfect Copy
A Nearly Perfect Copy
by Allison Amend
A Nearly Perfect Copy by Allison Amend (3/19/2013)
Story well written and easy to read with lots of art information but I found myself disliking the main characters Elmira Howell and Gabriel Connais, who seemed to get through life on their ancestor's coattails.

Both characters involved in illegal activities which leads them …more
Golden Boy
Golden Boy
by Abigail Tarttelin
Golden Boy BY Abigail Trattein (1/21/2013)
Terrific story with mostly well developed characters. I became so emotionally involved with the main character, Max Walker , and all that he went through, I couldn't read through to the end of the book, I had to go to the book's end to see if he came through all he …more
With or Without You
With or Without You: A Memoir
by Domenica Ruta
With or Without You by Domenica Ruta (12/2/2012)
I could not read this book in one sitting. I needed to distance myself from the emotionality and debilitating actions it. The descriptions of her life experiences brought out very emotional responses from me.

The family she grew up in was dysfunctional to to the extreme. Her …more
The Devil in Silver
The Devil in Silver: A Novel
by Victor LaValle
The Devil in Silver by Victor Lavalle (8/7/2012)
It was love at first page for me. The characters are engaging and well fleshed out. It was easy to know them even if they were not "normal;" but what is a realistic definition of "normal"? Everyone has an area where they may seem a little "off"--and that is normal!

The …more
Have Mother, Will Travel
Have Mother, Will Travel: A Mother and Daughter Discover Themselves, Each Other, and the World
by Claire & Mia Fontaine
Have Mother will Travel by Claire and Mia Fontaine (6/20/2012)
This book's philosophical renderings are over abundant; far too much to be really effective. Of course all are meaningful and well thought out but result in overkill. There were too many conversational changes even though the material added to what they had to say was …more
The Age of Miracles
The Age of Miracles: A Novel
by Karen Thompson Walker
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker (5/20/2012)
This is a plausible story with frightening premises. I could not put down the book. All of the horrible possibilities described in the story could come true and in fact we already experience some frightening environmental occurrences now. Global warming and atmospheric …more
The Land of Decoration
The Land of Decoration: A Novel
by Grace McCleen
The Land of Decoration by Grace McCleen (3/14/2012)
The novel is about a 10-yer old girl named Judith McPherson. She is exceptionally faithful in her religious belief. Her two primary relationships are with God and her father. But this exceptional faith isolates her from the majority of kids her age and adults who are not …more
Until the Next Time
Until the Next Time: A Novel
by Kevin Fox
Difficult to relate to the characters (2/29/2012)
Because I have no close and intimate relationship with Irish people, I find it difficult to relate to the characters in the book.Their belief in reincarnation is much more personal than mine I do not believe in the closeness of old souls being transported to new souls. I …more
The Good Father
The Good Father: A Novel
by Noah Hawley
The Good Father by Noah Hawley (12/16/2011)
This is a story about a young man who commits a serious crime and a father who tries to understand his son’s behavior and its origins while placing the blame on others and outside influences. The story made me think about my own parenting skills and how they relate to my …more
Falling Together
Falling Together: A Novel
by Marisa De Los Santos
Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos (9/25/2011)
This was a fast read. However I didn't find the characters as endearing as the ones in her first two books. The use of the third friend "Cat" and making her so important in the story by word not action seemed unnecessary to me even a little bit of a waste. The only time she …more
Low Town
Low Town: A Novel
by Daniel Polansky
LOW TOWN A MYSTICAL MYSTERY by Daniel Polansky (6/8/2011)
The story takes place in a city called Rogus which is a part of the city of Thirteen Lands. This place is populate by many divergent cultures. The period of the story is not relevant. The story covers several genras--mystery, noir and fantasy.

The story moves along quickly …more
The Tender Mercy of Roses
The Tender Mercy of Roses: A Novel
by Anna Michaels
fantastic read (4/19/2011)
The characters in he book are fantastic. It was difficult for me to accept their super human qualities but as I got into the story they became real and it didn't matter how unusual their qualities were. They became believable with all their problems. All the characters in …more
Original Sin
Original Sin: A Sally Sin Adventure
by Beth Mcmullen
original Sin (2/8/2011)
This is a fast-paced spy novel. The one thing I did not like about it was the constant change of times and locations. Just when I became comfortable in one spot, the location and time period would change to another one, so I was unable to get into the play by play action …more
Minding Ben
Minding Ben: A Novel
by Victoria Brown
First Impressions (1/4/2011)
This is a sad but well written book about Grace Caton, a 16 year old Trinidad girl who gets talked into coming to America to further her education and better her life. She is disappointed at every turn from the moment she steps off the plane.
[spoilers removed]
I do not know …more
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    The Husbands
    by Holly Gramazio
    The Husbands delights in asking: how do we navigate life, love, and choice in a world of never-ending options?
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