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Reviews by Rebecca J. (Knoxville, TN)

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A Certain Age: A Novel
by Beatriz Williams
A certain age (3/10/2016)
This historical novel was based on an opera with which I was unfamiliar, that said, A Certain Age was a compelling read about a murder trial and an unexplained disappearance of a family 20 years earlier. The strands of the story slowly came together in an intriguing way.more
Every Anxious Wave
by Mo Daviau
Every Anxious Wave (10/17/2015)
I tried. I picked this book because it was so different from what I usually read - a fantasy time traveling story where participants go back in time to see their favorite bands. The story had some good humor and was easy to get into but as the book went on, there was somore
Lamp Black, Wolf Grey
by Paula Brackston
Lamp black, wolf grey (7/13/2015)
When I received this book and saw references to Merlin and myths and fables, I did not want to read it. I had never read anything like this, but surprisingly, I liked it! It had a nice love story in the past and the present along with being well-written and well-paced. Oncemore
Between the Tides
by Susannah Marren
Between the tides (4/18/2015)
Between the tides is a contemporary novel about a married couple and their girlfriend, who is also sleeping with the husband. I really disliked this book. The characters were very one-dimensional. I was in a state of disbelief the whole book that this married couple evermore
He Wanted the Moon: The Madness and Medical Genius of Dr. Perry Baird, and His Daughter's Quest to Know Him
by Mimi Baird with Eve Claxton
He wanted the moon by Mimi Baird (2/14/2015)
Upon starting this small book, the journal of a brilliant bipolar doctor of the 50's, I wondered about the number of people who might be interested. It turned out to be a page turner for me - the doctor's journal and his daughter's narrative of what she knew and when shemore
A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power
by Paul Fischer
A Kim Jong-Il production by Paul Fischer (12/22/2014)
This was a fascinating book especially in light of the Sony-North Korea dispute going on. Kim Jung-Il, before he was the leader, was in charge of entertainment (yes, that's what I said!) for N. Korea. He kidnaps the most famous South Korean actress and director and keepsmore
Vanessa and Her Sister
by Priya Parmar
Vanessa and her sister (10/13/2014)
This novel is written in the form of artist Vanessa Bell's diaries plus some letters. I didn't know who Vanessa Bell was (fairly successful late 19th, early 20th century painter), but I had heard of her sister, writer Virginia Woolf. They were part of the Bloomsbury groupmore
Her
by Harriet Lane
Her by Harriet Lane (5/14/2014)
I read many thrillers, but Her by Harriet Lane, was one I could not put down. Two women, with little in common to the reader, keep getting pulled together. Only one of them knows that there is a plan in place by that woman to infiltrate the other's life because of somemore
Precious Thing
by Colette McBeth
Precious Thing (12/21/2013)
This thriller has an interesting premise- a girl, Rachel, whose best friend is missing also finds her boyfriend disappearing. Could they be together? I had a hard time getting into this book (it was written as a letter and easy to forget who is talking to who), but once Imore
Doing Harm
by Kelly Parsons
Doing Harm (10/24/2013)
Doing Harm is a very suspenseful medical mystery which I read in a couple of days. I probably would have given it 5 stars except for the unlikeable protagonist and the fact that the author seemed to want to constantly impress the reader with his medical knowledge. He, inmore
The Disenchanted Widow
by Christina McKenna
The Disenchanted Widow (8/23/2013)
I was a bit put off when I got the book and it said "stunning sequel to The Misremembered Man"! Fortunately, they weren't that connected because I didn't feel as if I was missing any essential information. The story involved a woman, Bessie, and her son, Herkie (short formore
One Minus One: Nancy Pearl's Book Lust Rediscoveries
by Ruth Doan MacDougall
One minus one (4/18/2013)
One minus one was a beautiful character study of a girl in the 60's who is surprisingly divorced by her husband, the only partner she has ever known. I only gave the book 4 stars because it definitely is not for everyone because of the lack of plot. However, having oncemore
Fever
by Mary Beth Keane
Fever by Mary Beth Keane (3/17/2013)
A wonderful book for both fiction and historical fiction fans, the story is about Typhoid Mary (who I didn't even know actually existed). You alternately like, hate and feel sorry for Mary who, although a smart woman, cannot accept the fact that she is a healthy carrier ofmore
The Spy Lover
by Kiana Davenport
The spy lover by Kiana Davenport (12/19/2012)
I had several books to read and was busy with the holidays when I received this book about Chinese immigrants in the Civil War! I was not excited - until I started the book. This is an absolutely beautiful story told by three characters - a Chinese immigrant who is fightingmore
Salvation of a Saint
by Keigo Higashino
Salvation of a saint (9/6/2012)
I loved this book. As a long time mystery fan, I loved the John Dickson Carrian "locked room" nature of this book. There was much suspense and I was not sure of the culprit until the end. I really like the opposing ways of looking at the crime that the main protagonistsmore
The Red Book: A Novel
by Deborah Copaken Kogan
The red book (3/4/2012)
Every section starts out with some Harvard alumni's bios of what they had been doing the past five years since the last "Red Book" had come out. Then there is a reunion with some of the aforementioned students. Good concept but I wish the author had not included bios ofmore
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