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Reviews by Susan J. (Twain Harte, CA)

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The Children's Crusade
by Ann Packer
Difficult and Honest (11/4/2015)
I picked this book up at the library and checked it out based on the reviews on the back. If authors I like recommend a book, I will usually find it worth reading. The setting is the area of California where I grew up, and that was an additional hook.
The wife and mother ismore
Maybe in Another Life
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Couldn't put it down! (6/9/2015)
I enjoyed the "Choose your own adventure" structure of this novel. We all wonder what the consequences would have been if we had made another choice at some point in our lives. Even a seemingly trivial decision can lead to a different life. I very much enjoyed the mainmore
Letters to the Lost
by Iona Grey
A Wonderful Story (3/15/2015)
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I think it would be an excellent book club choice. I recently reread Kline's Orphan Train which also involved a troubled young woman connecting with the past, drawing in the reader in a similar way. It also reminded me of Brockmole'smore
The Last Good Paradise
by Tatjana Soli
Not My Paradise (11/10/2014)
I haven't read the author's other books, but since they were reviewed positively I was eager to read this book.

I do not fault the writing quality, but I could not find a character to admire or even care about. Much of the plot was unbelievable, beginning with an attorneymore
Small Blessings
by Martha Woodroof
What makes a family? (5/24/2014)
Fatherhood, commitment, and family are themes of this funny and poignant story. Professor Jim commits easily and fully; Bookshop Rose has a fear of putting down roots. Little Henry charms everyone. Characters are well-drawn, and descriptions are so visually alive that I canmore
Mimi Malloy, At Last!
by Julia MacDonnell
Healing the Past (2/24/2014)
This is a family saga about memories triggered by a pendant Mimi finds in her closet. It starts off light-hearted and humorous; I was expecting a pleasurable read similar to Jeanne Ray's books. Mimi isn't particularly worried about her memory issues which greatly concernmore
Soy Sauce for Beginners
by Kirstin Chen
Not Just About Soy Sauce (10/31/2013)
I'm not usually a reader of food-related books, but soy sauce intrigued me since we use it frequently when we are in Hawaii. Now I have to look for artisanal varieties! I do love books which focus on the conflicts between Eastern and Western cultures, such as Jhumpa Lahiri'more
The Mouse-Proof Kitchen
by Saira Shah
I missed the "humor and warmth" (7/3/2013)
I was surprised to read that the author has a daughter like Freya. She describes Anna's and Tobias's behaviors as "outrageous"; I found them to be immature, impulsive, irresponsible. Anna is described as a planner; I would say she's a dreamer. Moving away from her supportmore
Peking to Paris: Life and Love on a Short Drive Around Half the World
by Dina Bennett
Peking to Paris: Not just for travelers (3/31/2013)
Ignore the cover - this is not a Sophie Kinsella novel. It's an engaging tale of an almost 8,000 mile car rally in 2007 across China, Mongolia, Siberia, and on to Paris. Dina Bennett, the author, couldn't be more different from her older French husband: he's a confident,more
Calling Me Home
by Julie Kibler
One of my favorite books of the year (12/14/2012)
I really loved this book and I didn't want to put it down. I fell in love with the characters who were so well-drawn that I felt I knew them. I laughed and cried and felt such sadness and regret for Isabelle. I can't wait to suggest this book to my book group because theremore
My Brilliant Friend
by Elena Ferrante
A Complicated Friendship (6/17/2012)
I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to the rest of the trilogy. I couldn't help but contrast the setting of working class Naples with my own coming of age in the 50s in suburban California; I suspect that these days the images wouldn't be as far apart. Evenmore
Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected - A Memoir
by Kelle Hampton
The Power of a Mother's Love (2/10/2012)
Kelle Hampton holds nothing back, revealing all her conflicting feelings about her Down Syndrome daughter Nelle's birth. Her support system of 28 "sisters" may seem overwhelming to those of us who handle emotions more privately, but there is no doubt that her story ismore
Little Black Dress: A Novel
by Susan McBride
A Great Summer Read (7/10/2011)
Magic usually turns me off, but in this book it is more whimsical than paranormal. Toni's love story line is predictable: Greg seems two-dimensional all along. But the rest of the characters are well-drawn. I liked the structure of Evie's first-person chapters alternatingmore
Ten Thousand Saints: A Novel
by Eleanor Henderson
A Disturbing Story (5/9/2011)
This book is well-written but uncomfortable to read and relate to. The parent generation - my generation - is weak and self-absorbed, opting out of their responsibilities, leaving the kids to raise themselves in a scary world. I don't doubt the reality of this story, but itmore
Outside Wonderland: A Novel
by Lorna Jane Cook
Wonderful Wonderland (2/17/2011)
I really enjoyed this well-written book. The three siblings have distinct, three-dimensional personalities, flawed yet sympathetic. I felt I came to know the characters well and was invested in their decisions. Plot twists keep it from being predictable. This story wouldmore
The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise: A Novel
by Julia Stuart
Too Quirky to be a Favorite (8/15/2010)
This book is entertaining, full of unlikely characters and situations. In spite of the poignant story of Milo, the son, I found much of the book too quirky to draw me in completely. I enjoyed the dose of history, although fact and fiction became so intertwined that I lostmore
Ten Minutes from Home: A Memoir
by Beth Greenfield
A compelling, heartbreaking read (4/28/2010)
I was drawn into this book immediately and could hardly put it down. Beth Greenfield's writing is honest and raw, and I think she did an excellent job of relating her feelings as a young teen. It was hard to read that her parents were too bereft to help her, and that familymore
Secret Daughter: A Novel
by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
I couldn't put down this book! (1/8/2010)
"Secret Daughter" transported me to another world in the way of "Shanghai Girls", "Honolulu", "Cutting for Stone", "The Help", and "On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet", but in addition this book engaged me on a deep emotional level. My only regret is that it could have beenmore
Burnt Shadows: A Novel
by Kamila Shamsie
A Great Book Club Read (5/3/2009)
I will recommend this book to my book club which read The Kite Runner last year. This is a sad, moving, intense, sweeping novel, with themes of connection and loss, trust and treason. The author's vivid descriptions carried me to Nagasaki, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan,more
How Far Is the Ocean from Here: A Novel
by Amy Shearn
Perception vs. Reality (6/13/2008)
I loved this book! This is a tale of ambivalence. What makes one a mother? What is "normal"? Who am I? Susannah, Julian, Frankie, Kim, Dicey, and Tim all deal with how they are perceived with others and how they experience themselves. The setting is remarkably described; Imore
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