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Reviews by Patricia K. (Oak Park, California)

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Circling the Sun
Circling the Sun: A Novel
by Paula McLain
Circling the Sun (6/10/2015)
Being a fan of the Paris Wife, I was eager to read this book, and it did not disappoint. The story of Beryl Markam's life in Kenya during the 1920s was fascinating. The ties with Karen Blixen and Denys Finch Hatton, made it seem like an extension of Out of Africa. I loved …more
All the Old Knives
All the Old Knives
by Olen Steinhauer
All the Old Knives (12/10/2014)
All The Old Knives was a good read. It was a quick book, I read it in two days. The setting is unusual for a spy story, mostly over dinner, with the events that brought the old lovers to dinner slowly unfolding throughout the evening.

What really hit me was how perfect the …more
The House We Grew Up In
The House We Grew Up In
by Lisa Jewell
The House We Grew up in (4/6/2014)
A story about a highly dysfunctional family. Their issues are so extreme and every member of the family payers for the mother's mental illness with their own problems. At times the families' issues are so far reaching it becomes like a soap opera. Even so, the book is an …more
A Hundred Flowers
A Hundred Flowers: A Novel
by Gail Tsukiyama
A Hundred Flowers (8/3/2012)
A Hundred Flowers is a gentle story of a Chinese family in the early years of China under Chairman Mao. When Kai Yang's husband Sheng is shipped off to a labor camp, the family could fall apart, but instead, they quietly learn to support each other with quiet dignity.

I …more
The Orphan Master's Son
The Orphan Master's Son: A Novel
by Adam Johnson
Orphan Master's Son (11/15/2011)
I took my time with this book. Reading this book, I was exposed to a society I've never read about before, and became very curious about places and events. At times I stopped during the reading of the book to look up places and events such as the famine of the 90s, Kim …more
Ten Thousand Saints
Ten Thousand Saints: A Novel
by Eleanor Henderson
Ten Thousand Saints (5/24/2011)
I forced myself to finish this book. The characters all seemed flat--they seem to pass through life on destructive paths and never really moved beyond their dreary existence. Everyone seemed to exist on drugs and violence with no redemption anywhere in the book.
City of Tranquil Light
City of Tranquil Light: A Novel
by Bo Caldwell
City of Tranquil LIght (8/4/2010)
"City of Tranquil Lights" is a beautifully written novel. I read this book in two days, any time I put it down, I felt the book tug at me to pick it up and keep on reading. So much about this book kept my attention, from the description of life in China in the early 1900s …more
Learning to Lose
Learning to Lose: A Novel
by David Trueba
Learning to Lose (5/28/2010)
I started the book several times, and almost put it down, not getting beyond the first chapter. The third time, I fell in love with this book. The story is told of four connected characters, from different generations, all searching for a lasting human connection.

Trueba …more
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    The River Knows Your Name
    by Kelly Mustian
    A haunting Southern novel about memory and love, from the author of The Girls in the Stilt House.
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    Happy Land
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