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Reviews by Anne C. (Herndon, VA)

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Happy Land
Happy Land
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Great for a Book Club to Read (10/27/2024)
Review of “Happy Land” by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

The author of this new book mentions in her acknowledgments that she is a fan of historical fiction. That is probably true of a lot of readers, including myself. There is something magical in
learning about a true event, a place, …more
The Funeral Cryer
The Funeral Cryer: A Novel
by Wenyan Lu
Not the book for me (2/4/2024)
I liked finding out about the profession of "funeral cryer", a new idea to me, and the description of life in a rural village in present day China was surprisingly primitive. (Three stars just for the new information).

However, the book as a whole was difficult to enjoy. The …more
A Council of Dolls
A Council of Dolls: A Novel
by Mona Susan Power
An Important Book! (6/22/2023)
I liked this book so much that I couldn’t decide whether to read it slowly and make it last longer, or to read it quickly and think about it more deeply after I read it!

The first three sections of the novel are told in the voices of three young, related Lakota girls, with …more
Homestead
Homestead: A Novel
by Melinda Moustakis
Wonderful story of homesteading in 1950's Alaska (1/13/2023)
In poetic prose as lean and and haunting as the Alaskan wilderness, the author tells the story of a marriage begun in haste but enduring through seasons of hardship, sacrifice, tragedy, and joy. Both Lawrence and Marie are in search of a refuge from troubled pasts, and the …more
The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise
The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise
by Colleen Oakley
Great Book for a Book Club to Read (9/28/2022)
This is a very well-plotted story with intriguing characters and an exciting plot!

I was immediately drawn to Louise, an 84-year-old widow whose grown children are concerned for her health, and 21-year-old Tanner, who is reluctantly persuaded to be a live-in companion and …more
Fly Girl
Fly Girl: A Memoir
by Ann Hood
Interesting Topic (3/28/2022)
Those readers who love nostalgia, when travelling by plane was glamorous and luxurious, will enjoy this memoir, and anyone planning a career as a flight attendant can learn a great deal from this book. The best parts of the book are the descriptions of her duties and …more
Motherhood So White
Motherhood So White: A Memoir of Race, Gender, and Parenting in America
by Nefertiti Austin
Made me feel sad! (8/16/2019)
I was excited to receive this book to review. Since I live in a very diverse suburban area, with many neighbors, friends, and former co-workers of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, I wanted to read about how black mothers would differ from white or other mothers.

…more
Travelers
Travelers: A Novel
by Helon Habila
Wonderful Writing (5/4/2019)
Every day in the media, we see images of huge numbers of immigrants traveling to what they hope will be a better life or fleeing from famine or danger at home. There are so many of them that any remedy seems almost impossible. In this book, Helon Habila has given a voice to …more
American Princess
American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt
by Stephanie Marie Thornton
Incredible Story (11/3/2018)
This is an incredible book about an incredible woman. I remember when I first moved to the Washington D.C. area, as a young bride in 1969, reading about Alice Roosevelt Longworth in the society pages of the newspaper; she seemed to be included in every gathering of famous …more
The Travelling Cat Chronicles
The Travelling Cat Chronicles
by Hiro Arikawa, Philip Gabriel
Travels with a Cat (4/24/2018)
The first word that came to mind as I began reading this novel was "pleasant." It seemed like a rather simple story, with the only confusion on my part being the very emotional reactions the main characters had to cats. I am a cat lover and have had pet cats most of my life, …more
The People We Hate at the Wedding
The People We Hate at the Wedding
by Grant Ginder
Not a funny book! (4/2/2017)
First of all, this book is NOT funny; it is not the satirical, laughable quick read about complications surrounding a wedding that you might expect from the cover, plot description, and marketing for the novel. I expected a humorous novel along the lines of Helen Fielding, …more
Victoria
Victoria
by Daisy Goodwin
Fascinating Story! (10/8/2016)
I have always been interested in Queen Victoria and have read many books, both non-fiction and fiction, about her. This novel about the first two years of her reign is one of the very best! Beginning with her realization in 1835, at age 16, that she would become Queen of …more
The Imperial Wife
The Imperial Wife
by Irina Reyn
A Contrast between Two Wives (6/10/2016)
The author describes the courses of two marriages, one in old Imperial Russia, and one in modern day New York City. I found the story of modern day Tanya, the art expert who must balance the demands of her wealthy clients with the sorrow of seeing her marriage fall apart, …more
The Sound of Gravel
The Sound of Gravel: A Memoir
by Ruth Wariner
Amazing Story of Survival! (11/1/2015)
This beautifully written memoir by a woman born into a polygamist Mormon cult is touching, tragic, and ultimately triumphant. Ruth describes her life, beginning at age 5, when she lives in abject poverty in Mexico as a member of a small rural town founded as a …more
Broken Promise
Broken Promise: A Thriller
by Linwood Barclay
Fascinating mystery! (7/9/2015)
Lots of things are broken in Promise Falls, New York; the local economy, the newspaper which has to shut down suddenly, the hospital coping with low ratings, the abandoned amusement park, and the lives of many people dealing with sorrows and secrets in their lives. The hero, …more
The Well
The Well
by Catherine Chanter
I was immediately drawn into this story! (2/10/2015)
This is an amazing book to read as the first book from a new writer, and I can understand why the author has already won at least one prestigious award even before its publication. The language, the characters, the plot, and the settings convey an absolute assurance and …more
The Martian
The Martian
by Andy Weir
Survival of the Creative (1/9/2015)
I first read this book on my Kindle and immediately recommended it to my husband and son, who are an engineer and a scientist respectively. I have always loved science fiction, especially what is now called "hard science fiction," as opposed to fantasy-type fiction. I think …more
One Plus One
One Plus One
by Jojo Moyes
A story and a family you will love! (12/12/2014)
This was the first book by this author that I had ever read, and I loved it so much that I'm working my way through her other books now. The story of how quirky mom Jess manages to help her two children Tanzie and Nick realize their dreams in spite of their difficult life …more
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    Dream Count
    by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
    A searing new novel from the bestselling author of Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists, exploring four women's desires.
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