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Reviews by Arden A. (Longboat Key, FL)

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The Last Flight of Poxl West
by Daniel Torday

The Last Flight of Poxl West (1/11/2015)

Uncle Poxl is a complicated man. He lived his life in the past, forever regretful for fleeing relationships just when he needed to not. Elijah Goldstein is an adolescent significantly influenced by the time the two of them spent together in his youth, and the stories he …more

The Life I Left Behind
by Colette McBeth

A Page Turner! (11/12/2014)

Eve is dead, but Melody lives, though they both experienced an almost identical attack. We hear Eve from the afterworld, and Mel, trying to recover from the devastation of the attack, and the betrayal of the person who was proved guilty of attacking her. But did he? Eve's …more

The Nightingale
by Kristin Hannah

Unsung Heroines (10/12/2014)

This is an excellent rendering of the dire circumstances innocent people had to tolerate during the German occupation of France in WWII. It is hard to fathom the interminable suffering that took place under the Nazi regime. Two sisters come face to face with the horror of …more

Her
by Harriet Lane

Revenge is Sweet....or is it? (5/11/2014)

Emma is a new mother, an "elderly primagravida," one of the many words and phrases in this book that turned me to my dictionary. She is overwhelmed with motherhood and "the tyranny of domesticity," and she laments that she is "lonely, but never, ever alone." Nina on the …more

The Cairo Affair
by Olen Steinhauer

Some of the best information comes from uninformed people trapped in a stressful situation (12/25/2013)

That is a quote from Zora, and it speaks volumes, since everyone in this book is looking for information to benefit his side, or country, or both or none. In spite of that, though, I found this book difficult to get through. It took too long to get going, and when it …more

Buying In
by Laura Hemphill

Buying In (10/25/2013)

Full disclosure: I have never worked on Wall Street nor in the investment industry. But I am aware that the best and the brightest are hired out of the top schools for large salaries, and then asked to devote themselves night and day to the firm.

Laura Hemphill's first …more

Songs of Willow Frost
by Jamie Ford

A Sad Fairy Tale (7/9/2013)

I always hold high hopes for second books of authors who hit it just right the first time, but so often those second books disappoint. This book disappoints. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is on my all-time best list; this book falls short. Yes, it is well-written, …more

The Lion in the Lei Shop
by Kaye Starbird

War through different eyes (6/5/2013)

This book is a reprint of an out-of-print book written in 1970 by Kaye Starbird. It begins on December 7, 1941, the day Pearl Harbor was bombed, and details the lives of the wives and children of the soldiers stationed at Scofield Barracks. Most history books deal with the …more

All You Could Ask For
by Mike Greenberg

Three Women, One Disease (11/17/2012)

One thing about this book is that I can't wrap my head around the fact that it is written by a man. Mike Greenberg is a man, isn't he? He is the same Mike Greenberg who is co-host of ESPN's Mike and Mike in the morning, isn't he? This book is written in the first person of …more

Salvation of a Saint
by Keigo Higashino

Another Intricate Murder (9/22/2012)

I was fortunate to have reviewed this author's prior book, "The Devotion of Suspect X," when it was offered for review two years ago. I am particularly happy to now have the chance to read and review this novel, as well.

The familiar characters are back with a new mystery. …more

The Starboard Sea: A Novel
by Amber Dermont

The Offspring of the Privileged (2/14/2012)

This first novel, by Vassar graduate Amber Dermont, is a coming of age story for the advantaged, as opposed to the disadvantaged. No bootstraps to be pulled up among these kids. There are butlers to do that. It is a very well-written story, with flowing prose, and the …more

Defending Jacob: A Novel
by William Landay

Can You Love Your Children Too Much (10/12/2011)

Jacob was a quiet 14 year old kid who did not go around with the “in” crowd. He didn't have a lot of friends; he was “bullied.” And his grandfather was a murderer. Is violence genetic? Does it skip generations? Or can it be suppressed, while lying latent, waiting for some …more

The Devotion of Suspect X
by Keigo Higashino

Physicist vs. Mathematician (12/25/2010)

I can understand why this author is so highly regarded in his country. His novel is an intricately woven mental duel between a mathematician, Ishigami, who has contrived a complicated cover up to a crime, and his friend, the physicist Yukawa, who has figured it out, and …more

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
by Amy Chua

The Mother is a Tiger (11/7/2010)

This is the most subjective review I have ever written, but I cannot be objective about this book. I find it very hard to relate to Amy Chua. She is a fiercely driven woman, and as such, she is fiercely driving her two daughters. The elder seems able to go with it, but the …more

Your Republic Is Calling You
by Young-ha Kim

A Day in the Life of a Spy..... (7/24/2010)

This was an excellent read. The premise was timely and coincidental, in view of the recent arrest and deportation of embedded Russian spies who were rounded up and exchanged for prisoners, a la the cold war scenarios. There is an interesting parallel between the two events, …more

Beautiful Assassin: A Novel
by Michael C. White

Disappointing (3/11/2010)

I was first introduced to Michael White's talent when I read “A Brother's Blood.” I have since read several of his subsequent novels, and always enjoyed and admired the detail, as well as the link to history each novel contains, and his ability to create the story vividly …more

The Wives of Henry Oades: A Novel
by Johanna Moran

A wonderfully written debut novel based on a true story (12/3/2009)

The year is 1890, and the Oades family travels from London to New Zealand, where Mr. Oades has accepted a new position. Traveling across oceans in 1890 with three children is a harrowing experience in and of itself, but just the tip of the iceberg of what this family …more

Under This Unbroken Sky
by Shandi Mitchell

A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words (9/15/2009)

A picture is worth a thousand words, or so the saying goes. In this book, "Under This Unbroken Sky," the words are worth a thousand pictures. You can see the stark landscape, the animals, both wild and human, scavenging for survival, which is the operative word here, …more

Gifts of War: A Novel
by Mackenzie Ford

Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.. (4/20/2009)

Sir Walter Scott's quote is an apt beginning to describe this novel of romance and intrigue that takes place during the Great War. The story grabs from the opening scene, which depicts the Christmas truce that took place between the British and German troops in 1914, and …more

Valley of the Lost
by Vicki Delany

Valley of the Lost (12/12/2008)

This book started out pretty good. It takes place in British Columbia, where a young girl is found dead of a drug overdose, with an infant lying by her side. There are some interesting characters, including Molly (given name: Moonlight), a young, probationary constable with …more

BookBrowse Book Club

A Map to Paradise
by Susan Meissner

From the USA Today bestselling author of Only the Beautiful. 1956, Malibu, California: Something is not right on Paradise Circle.

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The Jackal's Mistress
by Chris Bohjalian

From the New York Times bestselling author of Hour of the Witch, a Civil War love story of a Confederate wife and a wounded Yankee.

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Becoming Madam Secretary
by Stephanie Dray

New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Dray returns with a captivating novel about an American heroine France Perkins—now in paperback!

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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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