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Reviews by Susie J. (Fort Wayne, IN)

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Exiles
Exiles: Aaron Falk Mystery #3
by Jane Harper
Exiles with Aaron Falk (8/16/2022)
Jane Harper is well known for her clever mystery novels which include outstanding character development and detailed development of her setting - and this book certainly does not disappoint readers with regard to either. This time she takes us to South Australia's wine …more
Metropolis
Metropolis: A Novel
by B. A. Shapiro
Not A Great Metropolis! (3/23/2022)
Metropolis, the clever title of B.A. Shapiro's newest novel, contains two elements which I have enjoyed in her earlier works: many and diverse characters, and the element of mystery and suspense. In this novel, the Metropolis is not a city, as the title might suggest, but …more
All the Water I've Seen Is Running
All the Water I've Seen Is Running: A Novel
by Elias Rodriques
All the Water - Still Running (6/17/2021)
I asked to review this book after being drawn to it by its title, yet having now completed it, I am sorry to say it has left me wanting. The premise of the book is clear - its plot definitely worthy - and the author frequently demonstrates some skill with language. However, …more
Miss Austen
Miss Austen
by Gill Hornby
Honorable Mention for Gil Hornby and Miss Austen (2/23/2020)
I came to this novel knowing that I would like it - for it is about an era and a famous English author - both of which I I am dearly fond. As Miss Cassandra Austen arrived at and settled into the vicarage in Kintbury in 1840, I, too, very happily settled into a novel about …more
Red at the Bone
Red at the Bone
by Jacqueline Woodson
A Book for These Ages - Red at the Bone (10/19/2019)
I have only known Jacqueline Woodson as a children's or young adult writer, the winner of the Newberry Prize in 2014 for Brown Girl Dreaming. When her new novel, Red to the Bone, became available at my library, I grabbed it, and I am ever so glad that I did. Now I will …more
Creatures
Creatures
by Crissy Van Meter
Dark Creatures (10/2/2019)
Creatures, though not a lengthy novel, was a difficult read for me. While the final few chapters manage to raise the overall tone and mood somewhat, there is not much happiness to be found here. Early on we learn that Evie is to be married, but even that bit of joy is …more
Beirut Hellfire Society
Beirut Hellfire Society
by Rawi Hage
Hellfire! This Book Did Not Work for Me! (5/22/2019)
Admittedly, I was unfamiliar with Rawi Hage before seeing this ARC listed on BookBrowse. What appealed to me was the title. I anticipated learning more about Beirut's Civil War. And even after reading the summary provided, I still assumed the book would provide me with more …more
A Ladder to the Sky
A Ladder to the Sky: A Novel
by John Boyne
One Swift Read! (9/11/2018)
Mr. Boyne is such a great storyteller that I was compelled to read this in one sitting! It is the story of a wannabe writer named Maurice Swift - who not only shares his last name with another famous Brit/Irish writer, Jonathan Swift, but Mr. Boyne has used one of that …more
The Great Alone
The Great Alone
by Kristin Hannah
The Great Disappointment! (2/20/2018)
I so looked forward to this new book by Kristin Hannah because her previous title was so rewarding and satisfying. Unfortunately, this one is far from that - at least for me. The repetition in this book is unbelievable - how could an editor have allowed this to pass? In …more
Home Sweet Home
Home Sweet Home
by April Smith
Good but Not Great! (12/20/2016)
This is an interesting book in so many ways - the plot line shifts from the past (1950) to present day and back again from chapter to chapter, characters are many and varied, topics such as war, politics, history, geography (South Dakota), nature, and farming are all woven …more
My Name Is Lucy Barton
My Name Is Lucy Barton: Amgash Series #1
by Elizabeth Strout
My Name is Lucy Barton (1/19/2016)
While not truly relevant to this discussion, I will say here at the beginning that the rating of Very Good for this novel does not begin to express my feelings about it. Also, I have just finished reading the discussion critics offer about the length of the book - and I …more
The Opposite of Everyone
The Opposite of Everyone
by Joshilyn Jackson
The Opposite of Everyone (12/8/2015)
I love the writing of Joshilyn Jackson, and her characters and plots, usually what I describe as quirky and active, seem even more so here. For this reason, I was not sure how I would take to this book - the first few pages were stranger than usual. But I am so glad that I …more
The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes
The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes
by Anna McPartlin
The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes (7/15/2015)
From the title of this novel, the reader know from the outset its ending. As a breast cancer survivor, I was not sure I could see it through. Several times I put it down, not wanting to face what had to be coming - but I am ever so glad that I went back to finish. This is a …more
The Secret Wisdom of the Earth
The Secret Wisdom of the Earth
by Christopher Scotton
The Secret Wisdom of the Earth - my nominee for Best Book of the Year (4/26/2015)
This is the first book I have read in a long while that completely captivated me from the first sentence. The mood and voice of this book is so intimate, the reader is engaged immediately. And what are drawn into? - a tragic family tale, a young protagonist , his coming of …more
First Frost
First Frost
by Sarah Addison Allen
First Frost (10/27/2014)
In First Frost, Sarah Addison Allen takes us back to the setting of her first novel, Garden Spells, to Bascom, North Carolina, where once again we are under the charm of her protagonists in that novel, Claire and her younger sister, Sydney - the Waverly sisters. The novel's …more
Some Luck
Some Luck
by Jane Smiley
Some Luck (10/22/2014)
It was with some luck that I was sent this amazing book by Jane Smiley to read for this web page. It arrived at a very busy time in my year and I feared I would be unable to meet my commitment. But once I began reading, I could not stop. In fact, I have read the book twice …more
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