When I received a copy of Lan Samantha Chang's epic The Family Chao to review, a feeling of dread passed through me. How was I going to plow through a detailed history of a family whose names were going to be a bit challenging to remember?

The book introduced the topic of food almost at once. Okay, I was interested. Hints slid in about there being a controversy in the Chao family. There was a murder. I kept reading. I began to follow the sequence of days right before Christmas in a certain year.

Three brothers are dealing with particular problems: Dagou, secretly involved with Brenda Wozicek, wants his restaurant to succeed; Ming is trying to avoid the family's conflicts; James, the most Americanized Chao, tries to moderate. The various women have a strong grip on everything, and they make the story even more readable.

I am amazed to report that the The Family Chao is my favorite work of fiction I have read this year.

Step in, be enthralled at once: enjoy!

This book is mysterious; it is brilliantly written.

I was immediately intrigued by the initial basis--that animals are gradually disappearing. When the focus turned to birds, I was intrigued by the resultant soundless atmosphere that would remain.

Because my personal knowledge about birds is rather slim, I was fascinated by the various facts shared--especially, for instance, about what a great distance might be experienced during a migration.

I enjoyed the various characters--I had no trouble sorting them out because the author personalized them so well.

I will be buying a few copies of this book to give as presents this Christmas. I commend Charlotte McConaghy on her beautiful work. I appreciate that I received the chance to read it because of BookBrowse.

Nguyen Phan Que Mai's novel, The Mountains Sing, is a masterful work: the writing is smooth, educational, and full of emotion.

Although I was in college during the Vietnam War, I have to say that I knew very little about it. Fellow students were in an uproar, and members of the Chicago Seven were our new celebrities.

Mai's book filled in multiple gaps in my background. She provides the political facts and the human information suffered by so many. I was completely enthralled with the story.

Although many painful episodes were described, I could not ever stop reading. Mai's writing was so interesting, so factual, and the story she told was completely gripping.

The intensely brave grandmother was one to whom tribute was owed; what a role model!

At times, I did not necessarily want too many good things to happen (I do not like sweet stories); still I was glad that they occasionally did occur.

I highly recommend this book--most of us do not know enough about the Vietnam saga. This book is first-rate!

Keith O'Brien's Fly Girls is, to me, the best non-fiction book of 2018. This detailed account of five brave women who made aviation history is written in a smooth, lively way that keeps the reader involved.I learned an incredible amount, and my reading stayed on a very high (soaring) level.

I was amazed at how many women met the innumerable challenges of aviation's earlier days. I had been clueless.

Kevin O'Brien is a gifted author: he kept me enthralled throughout the book. I am grateful for what he has taught me. I will be buying copies for gifts.

The Twelve-Mile Straight is a stunning book; brilliantly written, and full of inspired plot lines.

I was hooked from the first words. There was a brief period, though, when I was confused. I needed to re-read several pages, but they did not enlighten me. I finally decided to keep on; eventually, I made my way into the clearing.

I was impressed by all the issues covered by the author (race, male domination, small-town views); I was pleased with the time she took to develop her inimitable characters. The book is a page turner! Except for that time of uncertainty early on, I read eagerly, thoroughly enraptured.

I most highly recommend this wondrous book; I also plan to read the author's earlier work. So far, this is my choice for best book of 2017! Several of my more valued friends will be receiving this from me at Christmas.

Michiel Heyns' The Typewriter's Tale focuses on a typewriter/typist for the eminent author Henry James.

I could comprehend a typist working from a written draft, but this story has the author dictating and the typist following along. Being as Henry James is known for his convoluted, lengthy sentences, this method seems very improbable.

The typist has her own goals, one of which is to get psychic readings from a man she's interested in--via the typewriter (the actual instrument).

I'm personally interested in Henry James (although his books elude me--the movies made from them are generally wonderful) and his home called Lamb House (later the dwelling place of E. F. Benson, my favorite author).

However, the unlikely turns this plot takes make the book quite tedious. I recommend it only to readers who enjoy slogging, and who have run out of other reading material.

Nancy Horan's Under the Wide and Starry Sky reveals the enthralling story of Robert Louis Stevenson's life with Fanny van de Grift Osbourne.

Those who are aware of Stevenson's masterpiece works, such as Treasure Island, have probably imagined the author--if they thought about him at all--as being a strong, rugged individual capable of participating in his own action tales. But the opposite was true. Stevenson was an invalid prone to attacks that threatened to shorten his life. Living in the tropics seemed to ease his pain, and so he and Fanny spent years in the South Seas.

Horan describes the slow process by which the two became involved. Fanny had left her unfaithful husband in order to study art in Belgium, bringing along her three children and their nanny. She met Stevenson, and after some time, their affair began.

This historical novel is full of detail--at times, it's too much. I would be getting into the story, but then there would be endless pages of seeming repetition. But then my interest would return, until I again grew frustrated with the vast amount of endless descriptions that didn't move the story along. Some sections of the book could have been improved by sharper editing.

And yet, when I consider the book as a whole, I basically enjoyed it. But had about 50 pages been cut, the book would have been a stronger piece of writing.

Sarah Lark's Song of the Spirits is a sumptuous epic. I was completely enthralled throughout its nearly 700 pages. A continuation of Lark's earlier work, In the Land of the Long White Cloud, the plot concerns key families who settled in New Zealand in the late 1800s.

This book has everything: characters who represent various levels of society, background material on the developing country, and plot lines that keep one reading. Following the trials of Elaine, who marries the wrong man, and her cousin, half-Maori Kura, an aspiring opera singer, makes for some fascinating reading.

I most highly recommend this saga. I took my time reading it, since I was enjoying the author's way of presenting her story so much. I am grateful that there is a prequel; I will most certainly read that as well.

Song of the Spirits would make a perfect gift for a reader who loves historical fiction, tales of adventure, and down-to-earth love stories.

Nancy Pearl, of Book Lust fame, has undertaken a wondrous project: helping worthy out-of-print books become available once again.

Kaye Starbird's The Lion in the Lei Shop is one of these treasures. A young girl, Marty, is evacuated to the mainland after the attack on Pearl Harbor. She and her mother face multiple challenges as they wait for the war to end and for Marty's serviceman father to return. In addition, Marty is haunted by what a bully had told her about a man-eating lion in the lei shop near her former home.

The book covers ground not often dealt with: it's vibrant and fascinating. It's the best book of fiction I've read yet this year.

I am so appreciative of Nancy Pearl's quest! I've ordered all the other books available in this important series.

Therese Anne Fowler's Z/A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald seems to have been written to cash in on the success of Paula McLain's The Paris Wife.

While I thoroughly enjoyed McLain's book (how much do most of us know, after all, about Hadley?), I found Fowler's book quite tedious. It may be that I've already read enough about Zelda. Nothing new is revealed in this latest effort: it's almost common knowledge.

But my primary criticism is that the writing just never rang true for me. I never felt that it was actually Zelda doing the narrating. Everything was all too crisp and matter-of-fact. It parroted the style of McLain's much more successful book.

I do not recommend Z at all. There are thousands of biographies more worth one's time.

Christina Schwarz's exquisite The Edge of the Earth relates the story of Trudy Swann, who travels to a remote California lighthouse in the very late 1800's. As Trudy assists her not-particularly-likable husband Oskar with the operation of the lighthouse, she also begins teaching the local (rather incorrigible) children.

The plot includes a grim mystery: the tangled tale has some elements of fantasy. The author's skillful storytelling keeps the reader enthralled. I read slowly, savoring.

A particular bonus of this book is its wondrous descriptions of sea animals and plants that Trudy finds as she explores the terrain of her new surroundings. (This puts me in mind of Tracy Chevalier's Remarkable Creatures, a book I also treasure.)

The Edge of the Earth is unique and gripping; I highly recommend it.

From the very first, Sara Foster's Beneath the Shadows had me in its thrall. Wild, snowy moors, secrets in the basement. . .suspenseful elements abound. Unique characters are marvelously depicted. The author weaves a wondrous tale, drawing readers into the sad plight of Grace, whose husband has suddenly disappeared.

This debut novel is a page-turner, leading us along eerie trails that involve a well-settled village and the newcomer: a young mother seeking answers.

Christopher Moore's Sacre Bleu is one of the most dreadful books I've ever struggled through. I can appreciate the author's premise--barely, but the way the plot unfolded was tedious. None of the characters were appealing. I suppose the author was shooting for humor, but he certainly struck me with his decided lack of depth.

For the most part, I found A Partial History of Lost Causes to be quite interesting. I felt motivated about the primary characters.

However, there still remained a gap; I felt somewhat too isolated from these people and their lives. Something kept me from throwing myself, heart and soul, so to speak, into this book.

I kept thinking: ICY. Of course, being as much of the story occurred during Russian winters, this was a natural reaction. But often the characters seemed encased in walls of ice themselves.

I do look forward to the author's next effort: Jennifer DuBois definitely has a gift for writing. But I just hope to get bit closer to the hearts of her characters.

Peter Robinson's Before the Poison is an old-fashioned mystery that had me entranced from the first page. A recently widowed composer purchases Kilnsgate House, an isolated mansion in the English countryside, where a murder had been committed years before. The man, convinced that the wrong person had been accused, becomes obsessed with the story.

The book is skillfully written, going between the early journals of Grace Fox, the alleged murderer, and the challenges she faced as a nurse in World War II, and the contemporary account of the man who now owns her home. As he travels to Paris and England to unravel the mystery, the reader is completely drawn into the story. I read at a leisurely pace, savoring the Gothic elements and attention to detail.

I plan to purchase several copies of this book for friends who appreciate fine writing and a well-told mystery. I give Before the Poison my highest recommendation!

Alice LaPlante's Turn of Mind is a brilliant novel. The story unveils the complex story of Dr. Jennifer White, a victim of Alzheimer's, who may have committed a murder.

The narrator is usually Dr. White, who relates situations as she views them--sometimes she is in the past (which seems like the present), and sometimes she is even practicing medicine, having slipped away from the institution where she has been committed. Other persons sometimes relay their thoughts.

LaPlante's skillful writing keeps the reader transfixed. This is a most remarkable book, and I have been recommending it to everyone.

Carol Birch's Jamrach's Menagerie is not really my type of book at all. Following the adventures of a street urchin who gets involved with exotic animals and goes to sea does not pique my curiosity.

Nevertheless, I soldiered on and slowly, gradually, the author won me over. The agonies endured at sea placed me squarely out there with the struggling boys and men. I suffered through the ghastly decisions they had to make; I thirsted for the small amounts of water they were allowed to drink.

So, instead of putting the book in a donation box, it's in my bookcase, right where it belongs: with other wonderfully-told books of challenges at sea.

A.D. Miller's Snowdrops is a refreshing book full of intrigue. Set in modern-day Moscow, the story concerns a British lawyer who becomes involved with two enticing young women.

The reader smoothly enters another world: feels the gripping cold, gapes at the horror of certain scenes, and becomes emotionally involved with an older woman's plight.

Occasionally, the narrator makes remarks to a listener (presumably, a lover). I found these comments to be very endearing. I only wish the author had done this a bit more frequently.

The writing in this debut novels flows so well; it was such a pleasure to experience. I eagerly await A.D. Miller's next effort!

Sena Jeter Naslund's latest effort is a dreadful book: the plot is pretentious; most of the characters are unbearable. The author, in her elaborate scheme, promises wonders, but what she delivers is meager.

The character of Adam was especially maddening. It was sheer torture reading the sections about him and "Eve." I also got weary of references to the "memory stick," which somehow always survived. Coincidences abounded. I'm usually able to suspend my disbelief, but not to this extent.

The ending was not satisfying, although I was relieved to close the book at last.

Brunonia Barry's "The Map of True Places" is a wondrous, magical story combining folk legends, psychotherapy, and American literature. Setting her tale in the same locale as her "The Lace Maker" (and occasionally alluding to characters from that same book), Barry makes the reader long to experience life in that historic Atlantic area.

The primary characters are Zee (short for Hepzibah, as in "The House of the Seven Gables"), her ailing father and his friend (affectionately known as Melville), and a young woman who commits suicide. Zee's late mother Maureen had always dreamed of experiencing "The Great Love," but this never happened. Zee wonders if she is destined to fulfill her mother's dream.

I love Brunonia Barry's writing: I read slowly, savoring her words. Except for a few sections where the story seemed to drag, I believe "The Map of True Places" can give the reader an amazing experience.