BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

Ariadne
by Jennifer Saint

Greek mythology made interesting (3/28/2021)

A fascinating mix of story and myth. We've all heard some of the Greek myths but often they were just bloody and we had to glean the lessons to be learned from them. Ms. Saint pulls a good many of them together, or references them in a cohesive way, to make this story of human and god interactions 'believable'.

In this day and age, the book will probably get much attention from the 'lib' crowd and be promoted by that faction. This would be unfortunate. Yes, it has a strong women's lib voice but it could be enjoyed by a wider audience if not boxed into that genre alone.

Didn't think I would - but I enjoyed the book a lot.

Black Widows: A Novel
by Cate Quinn

Full of surprises to the very end (12/21/2020)

A very long book and I anticipated boredom somewhere along the way. Uhuhh...this one kept me guessing and interested the whole time. Obviously well researched and there must have been direct contact with participants in this whole unorthodox way of life to be able to relate in such detail. Outstanding delivery of the different personalities and thoughts of each wife and secondary characters. Amazing what humans will do to survive and what they will believe. Highly recommend this book for a fascinating story of some interesting characters and a good mystery to the end.

Piranesi
by Susanna Clarke

Weird and wonderful (8/16/2020)

This book will not be for everyone. It is fascinating and reads like you have been using a magic mushroom. Lots of detail and imagining. It boiled down to a very simple premise but took a most complicated path to that revelation. Susanna Clarke - I would love to get to know her...but not even sure that would be possible. She seems to inhabit another dimension.

The Sun Down Motel
by Simone St. James

A good ghost story (11/16/2019)

In general, this was a good mystery/ghost story. I found the past-present format a bit annoying, but understand why the author did this. It's just not my favorite way to read a story.
This was not a literary book but the writing and premise was sufficient to keep me going. Most of it was believable and with further editing, it should turn out well.
I have not read "The Broken Girls" but am curious enough to take it on.

The Overstory: A Novel
by Richard Powers

Remorse (11/19/2018)

Reading this book brought a revelation. It also made me very sad that it was not available to read 70 years ago. I grew up in logging country and lived in Humboldt County during the 70s, 80s and 90s when all the timber wars took place. If I had had this book to read then, I would have joined the protestors and 'tree huggers' without reservation. What a mess we humans have made. We just never know when to let well enough alone!

My Lovely Wife
by Samantha Downing

Who is the psychopath? (10/14/2018)

This story is GOOD. Haven't enjoyed a mystery/thriller as much as this in a very long time. Just when the reader thinks they know it all - they don't! It is creepy and disturbing but so well constructed that one cannot put it down. The characters are believable and clever and their deeds fit their personas.

Samantha Downing has a great future ahead of her if she can turn out more stories like this one. I look forward to that future.

The Travelling Cat Chronicles
by Hiro Arikawa, Philip Gabriel

Sweet story, but... (5/18/2018)

This is a sweet story and, if it wasn't so sad, it would make a good children's book. But, if it is intended for adults, it is very poorly executed. I am not sure if this is because of the writing (originally in Japanese) or the translation. The exchanges between characters are extremely stilted and simplistic - there is no flow of conversation or thought. The cat is supposedly the narrator but the writing takes the reader back and forth in conversation and time and narration. The book I have is an advanced copy and maybe there will be some editing done that will make this a cohesive story. I am quite astonished at the flowery accolades for this book. I must be missing something!

The French Girl
by Lexie Elliott

Tight editing may help (9/26/2017)

I'll probably be in the minority with my opinion of this book but, Oh well.
The letter from the publishing group, that came with the book, made it sound like it would be an in-depth study of six friends and a week of debauchery that took place 10 years prior. The six friends played a roll but most on a superficial level. Only three, maybe four, had any real part in this story. The premise of the story was intriguing. The characters could have been interesting. Perhaps after the final editing, this will be a better book.
At present it is just a poorly wrought story of jealousy and angst among spoiled, callow millennials.
There was little to like about the characters and their development left much to be desired. After describing someone as having brown eyes in three different ways on the same page, this reader no longer cared if the eyes were brown or pink. Pink would have been more interesting. Bankers and lawyers - what kind of empathy can be found for that group?
Sorry, just didn't care for this book. I'm sure it will have fans but I am not one of them.

Edgar and Lucy
by Victor Lodato

Better than anything I've read in a long time (12/14/2016)

Brilliant. This is not just a great American novel, it is a great human novel. This is the finest writing I've read in a very long time. Victor Lodato deserves every literary accolade available for this one.

The story is about human-ness. It is about love in all forms. It is about human stupidity and weakness. It is about human fortitude and strength. It is about everything human - written so beautifully that we can move from page to page with understanding and compassion for the tragedies and failings and kindnesses of everyone involved in this epic story.

I will say no more because I do not wish to reveal any of the story ahead of its being read. It is too profound to spoil with trivia.

The Next
by Stephanie Gangi

Generally well put together (7/16/2016)

I had a difficult time relating to Joanne. Perhaps because I've never been besotted by a man - or anyone else. I can't imagine the need to waste so much time dwelling on the life of someone who has proven to be less than admirable.
Joanne was not a stupid women but obviously very needy. However, she gained strength as a dead person. As a ghost, she was fearsome and poor Ned didn't stand a chance. Her revenge was magnificent and cruel. She was much more interesting dead than alive.

The story was amusing in a kind of 'gotcha' way. She finally gained some wisdom and her daughters achieved degrees of maturity that were most needed.
This is not a 'deep' book but it does offer insights into the grief experience for both human and animal. It has funny moments but not laugh-out-loud moments. For the most part, I enjoyed the read. Don't think it's a book I will highly recommend.

The Life of the World to Come
by Dan Cluchey

Maybe needs a second chance (5/4/2016)

This story spent so much time on the main character's angst, phobias, love-lost, that by the time it got to the second part of story...the part that was worth reading...I had almost given up. Leo is pathetic. He is not interesting enough to care about. He is all that is wrong with his generation. He spends most of his time feeling sorry for himself. Until he meets Michael, his death-row client, he is consumed with his woes. At the point of this meeting, the story finally becomes interesting. The Michael Tiegs character offers his perspective and interjects some unusual concepts into the mess and helps the story become interesting.

Hunters in the Dark
by Lawrence Osborne

Quiet desperation (11/18/2015)

A disturbing book. Leaves one with the feeling that there is little hope for future generations or, indeed, for any generation. At least in the part of the world depicted in Hunters in the Dark. Perhaps Southeast Asia is a magnet for the disenchanted but the lack of morality and rampant corruption make it a very dangerous destination. Especially for those barangs without purpose or awareness.

It is clear that the author is intimately familiar with Cambodia/Viet Nam and the people living and visiting in the countries. His way of writing the story makes it seem like the reader is there. He portrays the psyche and way of life as if he were a native, but with a distance that sees characters from both the Western and Asian perspectives.

It was a difficult book to put down. I wanted to know what devious twist would happen next. The main character was almost like the often mentioned 'ghosts' - floating from one situation to another and, somehow, coming out relatively unscathed.

Florence Gordon
by Brian Morton

Well written (8/30/2015)

I enjoyed the writing style. I abhorred most of the characters. The writing got me through the book in spite of the aversion to the characters. Particularly like the chapter treatment - some long, some very short. To the point and relevant.

The Well
by Catherine Chanter

A psychological drama written by a psychiatrist (3/3/2015)

This book takes place in an ordinary place under extraordinary circumstances. The time and place is a post global-warmed England. A country in extreme drought which spawns old fears, superstitions, cults, witch hunts and Big Brother among the citizens. It is the story of a women with deep psychological problems and how she deals with her family and circumstances. This is not an uplifting story. It is a tale of human frailty and mob mentality, jealousy and mental defeat.

I did not find it an easy read because of the writing style. There was a lot of shifting back and forth from past to present. This seems to be a popular trend at present, but one I do not enjoy. Some of the characters were well developed, others not at all. Would like to have had a bit more information on a few of the supporting characters in the story.

This is not an unbelievable story - just the opposite. It is an example of some of the things that happen to people under extreme stress and how they choose to cope. A lesson for the future.

Backyard
by Norman Draper

The gardening world's 'Best of Show' (10/26/2014)

This was a delight to read. One of my favorite movies of all time is 'Best of Show' which satirizes the dog show world and this book is the 'Best of Show' for the gardening world. If anyone doubts this, they haven't known obsessive gardeners. I have. I know 'Dr. Sproot' very well!

I would recommend this book to anyone with a sense of humor, gardening interests, friends who are gardeners, or who just want a good chuckle. Mr. Draper has definitely known - or written about - gardeners in his time as a reporter. I look forward to future books of his.

Enduring Courage: Ace Pilot Eddie Rickenbacker and the Dawn of the Age of Speed
by John F. Ross

A man for the time (4/8/2014)

Enduring courage is truly what Eddie Rickenbacker exhibited in his lifetime. This story is interesting and gives a fairly rounded picture of his life. It was not my favorite true war story - nothing seems to compare with Laura Hillenbrand's "Unbroken" - but it does keep the reader interested and eager to learn of Mr. Rickenbacker's exploits.

Girl on the Golden Coin: A Novel of Frances Stuart
by Marci Jefferson

Disappointing (12/29/2013)

Occassionally I'll read a book that leaves me feeling that it should not have been published or wasted the paper it was written on. This, unfortunately, is one of those books. I enjoy historical novels but this offered only surface history and does little to qualify as a novel. Maybe a 'romance story' couched in a little history would be a better discription.

There have been many fine historical novels published in the past few years that are enjoyable reads. I would not recommend this book. Perhaps the author's next try will be more satisfying.

Safe with Me
by Amy Hatvany

Not a 'feel good' book (11/13/2013)

This was a story of tragedy and grief in many domestic forms. The book was quite well written but it certainly didn't leave this reader feeling anything akin to happiness. The voices of Olivia and Hannah seemed genuine but Maddy sounded much too mature for a 16yr old. Especially one who had little social interaction until she was 16. The accidental meeting of the two mother's and Maddie was handled in a realistic way. I could see it actually happening in that situation.

All in all, this was a good read and I'd recommend it to older teens as well as adults.

The Affairs of Others
by Amy Grace Loyd

A Stunning Story of Grief (8/16/2013)

This story is about grief in many forms and how each person deals with his or her own grief. Some ways are expected, others are very surprising. It's a beautifully written book that quietly tells the separate human stories which are at times shocking and often very sad, but also illuminating. It is a book I think about. It is a book I recommend to friends.

Bring Up the Bodies: Wolf Hall Trilogy #2
by Hilary Mantel

Who knew history could be so much fun? (5/23/2013)

A very large book - in number of pages and in content - and every page worth reading. Thoroughly enjoyed this one and her first book on the subjects, Wolf Hall. This one was more tightly edited and a bit easier to read because of that, but would recommend both to anyone interested in any part of English history.
So much has been written about this time period and these characters but Ms. Mantel has made Thomas Cromwell a sympathetic and extremely interesting character. So much so that I am now reading a non-fiction book about him. Again, very interesting but not as much fun as Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies.

Reviews by J W. (Davis, CA)

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