BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

Day: A Novel
by Michael Cunningham

A Day in Some Lives (11/2/2023)

I have been a fan of Michael Cunningham ever since I read Home at the End of the World, one of his earliest books. Day did not disappoint. The day of April 5th is used to tell the story of a family as they change and grow through the years 2019 through 2022.
His ability to write characters the reader cares about from the very beginning is, I believe, one of his gifts. He allows them to tell their stories. I laughed and I cried and I was sorry to get to the end of the book.

The Gifts: A Novel
by Liz Hyder

All Over the Place (3/19/2023)

I was really looking forward to reading this book. It hits all of my happy places in subject matter: "science, nature and religion, enlightenment, the role of women in society, and the dark danger of ambition" (from the back cover) but it jumped around too fast. Short chapters can work great but because we were following so many characters, it took me half the book to figure out what was going on. I think the gratuitous description of the killing of a dog in a very early chapter didn't help. I did like the ending, though. I gave it an extra star for that.

The Lies I Tell: A Novel
by Julie Clark

Will Keep You Guessing (4/2/2022)

Whew! I am a fan of psychological thrillers in general, but this one was over the top. Every time I thought I knew where the plot was going... Bam! Nope! What happens when revenge becomes a life goal? We see how it plays out in the lives of two women, Meg and Kat, who are determined to achieve their goals. Julie Clark has written a brilliant page-turner of a story I could not put down.

Morningside Heights: A Novel
by Joshua Henkin

Believe In These Characters! (4/24/2021)

I was so moved by MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS that I had to let it sit for a couple of days before I could write about it. It is the story of a family that will experience hard things. It took me almost no time at all to become invested in Joshua Henkin's characters. They are alive and their experiences ring true, from the sweetness to the excruciating pain. Through it all, it is love and compassion that keeps them putting one foot in front of the other. This is one of the best books I have read in a long time.

The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir
by Sara Seager

Somewhere Out There (7/20/2020)

If you have ever wondered if there is life outside of our universe and you enjoy poignant memoirs, then you will love this beautifully written book. Sara Seager is an astrophysicist, wife, mother, and friend who has told the extraordinary story of her life so far. Sometimes heartbreaking and always passionate, she deftly blends the scientific with the personal to tell a story I didn't want to end. She doesn't ignore how hard it has been for her at times, being a woman in a male-dominate profession but she doesn't dwell on it, either. Just pushes forward to achieve her goals.

Catherine House: A Novel
by Elisabeth Thomas

Left me hanging (3/25/2020)

Catherine House is a supposedly elite college that only accepts brilliant students who have gone on to change the world in amazing ways. But there is something creepy about this school. Once you're in, there's no leaving the grounds until graduation three years later and you cannot bring anything with you. No pictures of family, no music, not even your own clothes. Everything is provided: fine food and wine (lots of wine). The main character is a student named Ines who we follow through her three years.

The only thing "gothic" about this book to me is the description of setting: old buildings that are falling down, rooms filled with boxes of old stuff stowed away by someone from a different time. Except for the prism lab. There, everything is shiny and new and only the brightest students are allowed to know what it is.

The book's premise interested me and much of the writing was beautiful. It kept me reading. Ultimately, though, it left me with too many questions that were not answered by the end.

Cartier's Hope: A Novel
by M. J. Rose

Secrets abound (9/20/2019)

I love historical fiction, and CARTIER'S HOPE didn't disappoint. It was a little slow going at first, but I'm glad I stuck with it because at one point I found myself not wanting to put it down! I cared about M.J. Rose's characters. If you like stories based in New York City during the early 1900s, I'm pretty sure you'll like this one.

The Shadow King: A Novel
by Maaza Mengiste

An interesting read (6/24/2019)

Before reading The Shadow King, by Maaza Mengiste, I had no idea that Italy invaded Ethiopia as a lead-up to World War II. And that women were an important part of defending Ethiopia made reading the book all the more interesting to me. Mengiste's prose is beautiful. I must admit that I had a hard time following the characters throughout the first third of the book, but they fell into place once the war began. It took a while to get used to the way she weaved timelines and stories. If I were to summarize it with one line, it would be, "Who remembers what it means to be more than what this world believes of us?" A powerful statement from a powerful book.

The Guest Book
by Sarah Blake

Family Secrets (4/8/2019)

The Guest Book is the story of a family, an island, and the secrets that are held within the walls of a treasured house. Sarah Blake has written a beautiful and thoughtful book about the way money and power can color the way we see – and want to be seen in – the world. Ogden and Kitty Milton purchased an island off of the coast of Maine in the 1930s. The grandchildren are now left to decide what to do with it. As they struggle with reality and their childhood memories, they must grapple with the truths they come to know. I love a good family saga, but this one went well beyond my expectations.

The Chalk Man
by C. J. Tudor

Serious Page-Turner (11/26/2017)

C.J. Tudor had my attention from page 1 of her debut novel about a group of friends in a small English town. When the book opens, we know that a murder has been committed, but the clues and handed out a little at a time until the very final question has been answered on the very last page. It is set in 1986 and 2006 through alternating chapters. The creepy factor kept the pages turning, but the book was also a sort of coming-of-age story with beautiful passages that were so very heart-filled. I predict Tudor will find great success. I'm looking forward to reading her next book!

Happiness: The Crooked Little Road to Semi-Ever After
by Heather Harpham

A Story That Needed to Be Told (6/17/2017)

If you have ever wondered what the families of children with life-threatening illnesses go through, you should read this book. Or even if you have never wondered such things, you should read this book. Heather Harpham's memoir is about her daughter, Gracie, and it is so much more than that. Born with a blood disease that involves transfusions every few weeks, Gracie may be saved with a bone marrow transplant which is also a life-threatening procedure. Harpham's ability to tell her story with such beauty and heart is an achievement. The story is about love and relationships and fear and courage. As a librarian, I will be recommending it to my patrons as soon as it is released.

The Devil in Jerusalem
by Naomi Ragen

Too frightening for words (7/7/2015)

I was inspired to request this book because of its Jewish themes. As the story unfolded, it became clear to me that this is one that, unfortunately, needs to be told. It's not just a Jewish story. It is a universal story of cults and the way they prey on people who are searching for something outside of themselves. This is not a book for the faint of heart.

At first, I found the back and forth more confusing than it needed to be, but as I got deeper into it, it made more sense. I'm not sure I would have stuck with it if I hadn't have agreed to review it. That would have been a shame. The acknowledgments at the end were an important piece to this horrifying story.

Ragen writes believable characters and I cared about them - most of them, anyway. I would have liked to have learned more about how she got to the point where she would allow such atrocities to happen to the children she loved so much.

The Book of Speculation
by Erika Swyler

A little too farfetched (3/31/2015)

I wanted to like this book more than I did. The passage of time, a circus, and even a librarian! Erika Swyler has a real gift of prose that showed itself over and over again but her use of dialog felt forced to me. Reading it made me want to dig out the tarot cards I used to play with years ago. I appreciated the way she was able to take these parallel storylines and was able to sustain them until coming together in the end. All in all, an interesting book about family and memory and trust. A good first novel.

Vanessa and Her Sister
by Priya Parmar

I loved this! (9/30/2014)

It seems to take a lot, these days, for me to focus on a book long enough to get all the way through it, so when I say that I could hardly put this book down, that's saying a lot! Parmar's decision to write the story of the a tumultuous time in the lives of the Stephen sisters (Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf) through diary entries and letters, worked so very well for me. We all know of Virginia Woolf but we don't all know about her sister, Vanessa. Or their family and friends. This book has heart. It made me want to read more about the people who were a part of the Bloomsbury Group. They were all humanized for me. Parmar captured just a few short years of their lives in this work. I would definitely read a sequel.

The Last Enchantments
by Charles Finch

Remembering My Twenties (11/15/2013)

One of the ways I know I like a book is by the way I feel when I finish it. I left Will Baker and his Oxford friends an hour ago and, still, I am thinking of my own feelings about my relationships at the age of 27 or 28. Do we all go through it - the questions, the longing, the imagining life veering in a different direction?

At first I didn't connect with Finch's writing style. It felt a bit pompous but as I kept with it, I began to see that it was part of Will's character. As more of his personality was revealed, I became more attached and the end came too soon.

Anyone who struggles with the big life decisions of what to be and who will be with them on the journey will enjoy this book.

Shine Shine Shine: A Novel
by Lydia Netzer

It's Complicated... (6/24/2012)

I was half of the way through with this book before I got to the point where I was able to appreciate its beauty. Until that point, I really didn't get it. Unfortunately, if I was just reading it for pleasure and hadn't agreed to review it, I probably wouldn't have finished it and that would have been too bad because the ending was worth the effort. Netzer's characters are interesting and I enjoyed being able to get into the mind and hearts of Maxon and Sunny. Their strangenesses were celebrated and this gave the book a lot of depth.

Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake: A Memoir
by Anna Quindlen

A Happy Reunion (4/14/2012)

Reading Anna Quindlen's memoir was like being reunited with an old friend after many years of being apart. If you were a loyal fan of her columns in THE NEW YORK TIMES or NEWSWEEK as I was, you will appreciate that the book reads like those columns: full of heart and deep understanding of the human experience. If you only know her from her novels, you are in for a treat. She writes of her life in relation to issues like women in the workforce or raising children or mortality with the respect of one who loves her life and isn’t afraid to say so. Her desire to age gracefully will resonate with anyone who is thinking about it and wondering what will come next. I am so glad the last chapter of this book is titled, “To Be Continued.” I will be waiting.

The Things We Cherished: A Novel
by Pam Jenoff

Not enough of what I expected (6/14/2011)

Pam Jenoff has used a handmade anniversary clock to move this story through time. It was an interesting way to bring the characters together, though it was a little confusing, at first. I want to have liked this book more than I did. I found the romance distracting from the story I really wanted to read. Charlotte was an interesting character, when she wasn’t rehashing her previous relationship with Jack’s brother.

There is so much historical fiction from this time period that it’s hard to shed new light on it. Jenoff comes very close to doing so by focusing on the possible war crimes of the defendant in the case, but she lost some of the momentum with me by spending too much time trying to write a romance novel at the same time.

Arcadia Falls
by Carol Goodman

I Expected More (1/13/2010)

One of the first things I noticed about Arcadia Falls was the prose. It is one of Goodman’s strong points. It wasn’t enough, however, to keep me interested for more than a chapter or two at a time. The story, set in the Catskills, is of Meg Rothstein and her daughter, Sally, who journey from their upscale Great Neck, NY home to a musty cottage owned by the private boarding school where Meg will teach English after husband and father, Jude, dies and leaves them with nothing more than memories and a great deal of debt.

The twists and turns this work takes seem convoluted to me. It could have ended with the first big revelation, but it didn’t and I soon became bored enough to think, “okay, now what?” It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten to the end of a book and, aloud, said, “Oh, please.” I won’t be recommending this one. Loved the prose, didn’t love the story.

The Elephant Keeper
by Christopher Nicholson

Of Elephants and People (6/17/2009)

Elephants are such wonderful creatures. I applaud Nicholson for his understanding of their intelligence and grace. His writing style didn't always hold my attention, though, and some of the dialogue distracted me from the story; it felt misplaced. Tom's conversations with Jenny will seem familiar to anyone who feels a close connection to animals. Some scenes will be hard for animal lovers to stomach.

Reviews by Patty S. (Towson, MD)

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