I was intrigued by the setting of this novel--a city on top of a coal mine fire--but from the first few lines of The Hollow Ground, I was captivated by the young narrator's voice. She's a clever girl who is learning about the troubles in her family while trying to discover who she is. Harnett tells a not-unusual coming-of-age story cleverly by allowing the terrain, the gaping holes and fire slowly consuming the town, to parallel the story-line. Harnett tells a layered story with a series of vivid characters. Well worth the time for readers who enjoy character driven fiction.

Peking to Paris is a lively romp across many countries as the author and her husband participate in a car race. Bennett is an engaging narrator, writing like the reader is a close girlfriend.

I felt like I was racing across the continent with the team, which is exactly what they were doing. I wanted more detail about the places they went and people they met, but the author notes that she did too. So, I think the book reads much like the event it covers.

Bennett honestly describes her fears and worries, and her relationship with her husband. The self-reflection makes it easy to identify with her and want to read more. At the end, she writes that they continued on many other adventures and I would be happy to join them, should a sequel be forthcoming.

The best book I read in 2012!

This is one of those rare books that is so real, the characters so alive and personal, that I want to stop reading because it is so painful. It is one of those books so beautifully written, so exquisitely wrought that I can't possibly stop reading.

This is a book I want to press into everyone's hands and say, Read this book!

It took me a while to get drawn into this book. I was skeptical about the slavery reparations lawsuit that serves as a catalyst for Lina Sparrow's search and I feared another slave narrative.

However, about half way through the book, I realized I was in masterful hands. Conklin created vivid worlds and engaging characters in both 1852 and 2004. She created characters who I wanted to know, for whom I rooted and about whom I cared. She never settled for the trite or obvious plot points and brought the narratives to effective and satisfying closure. I loved the focus on female artists and the questions of creativity, love, and relationships.

I think this novel would make a wonderful book club read because of the variety of complex themes involved and the many points through which readers can enter book. The House Girl is a carefully crafted exploration of identity, gender, slavery and familial relationships that I very much enjoyed.

I’ve been eager to read this book since I first heard about it and so was thrilled to receive a pre-publication copy from BookBrowse. Edith Wharton is one of my favorite writers. So, with a little fear about a rewriting and a lot of excitement, I dove into The Innocents.

Could anyone write as wonderfully as Edith? Alas, no, but Segal does an admirable job and, at points, echoes Wharton so strongly it made me smile: “She signed, and the timbre of her sigh could have resonated with anything from exhaustion to despair.” Segal resets Age of Innocence in a modern, Jewish community in London and meshes her changes nearly seamlessly with Age of Innocence’s plot. Even the character names, Adam instead of Newland for example, hit the right note between old and new. I never forgot I was reading a rewriting of Wharton, and was long annoyed at the recasting of Countess Olenska as the younger Ellie, but I was continually surprised at how astutely Segal changed details to make the social commentary of Wharton’s work shed just as much light on modern life. From the older-man sex and money scandal, to the loss of pension funds, each detail worked to create a modern and compelling story.

Generally, I am skeptical of and disappointed in modern rewritings of classics, but The Innocents didn’t disappoint. Segal showed both her power as a writer and the timelessness of Wharton’s observations and assessments. I think Wharton would be pleased; I was.

Howe does a good job of creating the atmosphere of 1915 and exploring issues that remain relevant today--wealth vs poverty, war, tragedy, pain, family. The characters are complex and interesting and the spiritualism aspect is explored and challenged in many ways. However, if you're looking for a Titanic book, this isn't it. The ship's story plays a role but mostly as a point from which to develop the rest of the story. I suggest this novel for readers who want to be swept into another time and think it would be a good selection for book clubs--it's a good read!