Reviews by Patricia S. (Yankton, SD)

Order Reviews by:
The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko
The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko
by Scott Stambach
The invisible made visible (7/25/2016)
The best summary of this book is the last paragraph of the epilogue which I won't quote here. To be brief, The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko is a poignant story of life and love in the presence of death. Written much in the style of the Russian authors Ivan admires, and …more
The Things We Keep
The Things We Keep
by Sally Hepworth
Do the things we keep outweigh the thing we lose? (10/6/2015)
Three women, one only a child, each suffer devastating losses. Anna suffers devastating early Alzheimer's, Eve the shocking suicide of her husband and all she possessed, and her young daughter, Clementine, the sudden loss of the father she adored.

How each of these moves …more
Still Life Las Vegas
Still Life Las Vegas
by James Sie
Las Vegas Journey (6/8/2015)
James Sies's STILL LIFE LAS VEGAS is a stunning debut novel with characters, especially Walt, so skillfully developed that they will dwell in my memory for a long time. Sies moves deftly between characters and shifts in time to advance Walt's haunting journey to a truly …more
Juliet's Nurse
Juliet's Nurse
by Lois Leveen
what Shakespeare didn't tell us (7/23/2014)
We all read Romeo and Juliet in high school and may have enjoyed one or more of the movie versions of the tale. But little is known about the nurse, the third most important person in the play. Lois Leveen corrects this omission in her novel Juliet's Nurse. Combining the …more
The Devil in the Marshalsea
The Devil in the Marshalsea
by Antonia Hodgson
a touch of Dickens (4/21/2014)
In her first historic mystery, The Devil in the Marshalsea, Antonia Hodgson has crafted a fascinating story in a finely drawn setting, filled with Dickensian style characters. I read far too late into the night, unable to put this book down. It fulfills its opening promise …more
House of Bathory
House of Bathory
by Linda Lafferty
Dracula Lives (1/9/2014)
Moving deftly between three locations, two time periods,and several viewpoint characters, Linda Lafferty spins a tale of present characters haunted by the horrors of the distant past. Combining history,Jungian psychology, and modern technology, she creates thoroughly …more
A Man of His Own
A Man of His Own
by Susan Wilson
Be prepared to cry (8/22/2013)
Every dog should have a man of his own. Pax is one lucky dog. He has two. Very different, but each tugging equally at his heart, Pax must serve both the master who rescued him as a cold starving pup and the master he rescued from a lonely, loveless life. The bonds forged by …more
Amy Falls Down
Amy Falls Down
by Jincy Willett
Amy Rises Again (7/13/2013)
I first met Amy Gallup and her creator Jincy Willet a few years ago when I read Winner of the National Book Award. What a delight to encounter her again in Amy Falls Down. And what a delight this book is. It is hard to classify. It is literate, quirky, laugh out loud funny, …more
Walk Me Home
Walk Me Home
by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Poignant and Suspenseful (4/3/2013)
In her novel Walk Me Home Catherine Ryan Hyde has given us a poignant portrayal of two young girls, all alone in the world, walking from New Mexico to California in search of a home. The characters are skillfully drawn, the plot is suspenseful with flashbacks utilized to …more
Where You Can Find Me
Where You Can Find Me: A Novel
by Sheri Joseph
Wish I liked this better (3/13/2013)
I was somewhat disappointed in this novel. The characters were well developed if not completely believable. The action was fast paced but really fizzled out in the end. The author did a good job of establishing suspense, but the climax was disappointing in its blandness. I …more
And When She Was Good
And When She Was Good: A Novel
by Laura Lippman
indeed she is good! (7/4/2012)
Helen/Heloise is the perfect anti-heroine. Clinging to her own sense of integrity in her fight to shield her son from knowledge of her past and present, she remains painfully aware of the danger threatening both of them. The twist at the end is sudden and unpredictable, and …more
No Mark Upon Her
No Mark Upon Her: A Novel
by Deborah Crombie
Rowing and Murder (1/5/2012)
Deborah Crombie has written another winner in No Mark Upon Her. She has created a wonderful cast of characters. Not only the major characters and the ones who are not regular in the series, but also the canine characters in this novel are finely drawn. And once again she …more
The Night Circus
The Night Circus: A Novel
by Erin Morgenstern
Do I have to come back? (7/15/2011)
Wow! Just finished The Night Circus and want to return immediately. This is a first novel which reveals an extremely talented and imaginative author, along with a mystical, magical world of love, conflict, and courage. I will carry this story and these characters with me …more
Outlander
Outlander
by Diana Gabaldon
Outlander addiction (3/8/2011)
When I saw the size of Outlander, I worried that I wouldn’t get it finished in time. I read this 800 page novel in two nights. Now I am reading the second novel in the series. I don’t know how I missed this when it first came out twenty years ago, but I am hooked now. …more
Original Sin
Original Sin: A Sally Sin Adventure
by Beth Mcmullen
Housewife/mother/spy - Oh My! (2/11/2011)
Espionage with a side of Thomas the train and a big dollop of humor, Original Sin is a homerun first novel by Beth McMullen. Sally Sin is a delight and the most entertaining housewife/mother/spy I have ever encountered in the pages of a novel. And there are just enough …more
Minding Ben
Minding Ben: A Novel
by Victoria Brown
spell binding (1/20/2011)
I fell in love with Grace in the first chapter of Victoria Brown’s debut novel Minding Ben. I was so hooked by this story that I read the entire book in one sitting – until 4:30 am.

Grace is both a strong heroine and a naïve teenager, taking loving care of the adorable Ben …more
The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul
The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul: A Novel
by Deborah Rodriguez
A special cup of "tea" (11/27/2010)
The sights, sounds, smells, and tensions of Kabul make the city become another character In A Cup of Friendship by Deborah Rodriguez. Not history but modern day Kabul with all the beauty that remains under the devastation of war. Behind tall walls, built to protect from the …more
Bad Boy
Bad Boy: An Inspector Banks Novel
by Peter Robinson
A new treasure discovered (7/3/2010)
After achieving a moment of epiphany one calm and contemplative evening in the Arizona desert, Yorkshire DCI Alan Banks returns to England where his new found balance is immediately tested. His home is marked a crime scene. A close colleague and former lover lies near death …more
The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors
The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors: A Novel
by Michele Young-Stone
stuck by lightning (5/24/2010)
From the last lightning strike to the electrifying climax, Michele Young-Stone’s debut novel The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors captures the reader and refuses to release its hold. Young-Stone deftly weaves two parallel stories, interspersing them with anecdotes …more
The Things That Keep Us Here
The Things That Keep Us Here: A Novel
by Carla Buckley
Riveting and chilling (11/12/2009)
The Things That Keep Us Here is a riveting story of a splintered family coping with surviving a pandemic of the avian flu while dealing with memories of the events that split them apart. In Ann, the author has created a sympathetic yet flawed character who we feel for while …more
  • Page
  • 1
  • 2

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    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.
1
2
3
4
PrevNext

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Girl Falling
    by Hayley Scrivenor

    The USA Today bestselling author of Dirt Creek returns with a story of grief and truth.

    Read the Reviews
  • Book Jacket

    Jane and Dan at the End of the World
    by Colleen Oakley

    Date Night meets Bel Canto in this hilarious tale.

    Read the Reviews
  • Book Jacket

    The Antidote
    by Karen Russell

    A gripping dust bowl epic about five characters whose fates become entangled after a storm ravages their small Nebraskan town.

    Read the Reviews
1
2
3
PrevNext
Who Said...

A library is thought in cold storage

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

T B S of T F

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.