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Reviews by Beth M. (New York, NY)

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Libby Lost and Found: A Novel
by Stephanie Booth
A delicious, quirky read! (8/3/2024)
Libby is a strange and wonderful children's book author. She's beloved for her fantasy series called The Falling Children. She lives alone with her dog and writes under a pseudonym, F.T. Goldhero, to keep her quiet life private. Unfortunately Libby has just been diagnosedmore
Bright and Tender Dark
by Joanna Pearson
A dark but not tender mystery (3/12/2024)
I was excited to read this book after it was promoted as similar to Notes on an Execution. That was a book I loved. Unfortunately for me, it didn't live up to the hype. The premise is compelling. Karlie,, a University of North Carolina student, is found murdered in hermore
Day: A Novel
by Michael Cunningham
Overwrought dysfunctional family story! (9/30/2023)
Michael Cunningham is a beautiful, thoughtful writer. I've read all his books and loved most of them. I was so excited to read this new book after his long absence. Unfortunately I didn't love it. It's a story of a dysfunctional family; Isabel and Dan, their two children,more
All You Have to Do Is Call
by Kerri Maher
A fabulous story of women fighting for our right to choose. (6/6/2023)
I love this book. This is the story of the Jane network It is- fictionalized account of women in Chicago in the 1970's who sacrificed much to provide secret health care and abortions to women. Sadly it is a very timely story when women's right to choose is now beingmore
Pieces of Blue
by Holly Goldberg Sloan
A disappointing read! (1/28/2023)
I was expecting a “brilliant and bighearted page turner” as Maria Semple promised. Instead I found the book tedious and simplistic. It is a story about mother and her three children who move to Hawaii where they bought a run down motel hoping to heal from the death of themore
The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise
by Colleen Oakley
A fun, unexpected, charming read! (10/2/2022)
This story started out slow but once their "adventure" began I became really engaged. Tanner and Louise are brought together almost by default. Louise needs help with driving and errands after she broke her hip. Tanner needs a job and a place to live after she broke her legmore
The Lies I Tell: A Novel
by Julie Clark
A first rate thriller you can't put down! (3/31/2022)
Wow. Julia Clark has done it again. I was so excited I got to read an early reader copy. I will be recommending this book to my book club and all my friends. What made this book so great were the two main characters. Meg and Kat were both smart, cunning and complex women.more
Housebreaking
by Colleen Hubbard
A surprisingly heartfelt story (9/27/2021)
This book was a quick read. While I found the premise a bit unbelievable, I kept reading to follow Del's journey. Her strength, determination and persistence surprised me. I loved the connections she made with the people she encounters. They helped her open her heart andmore
A Theater for Dreamers
by Polly Samson
Hydra is for dreamers (3/5/2021)
I love, love, loved this book. What a fabulous read and the perfect escape for these times. Polly Samson's new novel is a wonderful snapshot of a glorious time (in the early 1960's) on the Island of Hydra. The descriptions are so poignant and accurate ( I was there 3 yearsmore
The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman: A Novel
by Julietta Henderson
A big hearted, wonderful story, (1/28/2021)
This is a fabulous, feel good novel about 12 year old Norman, his mom Sadie, and their 80 year old friend Leonard. Norman’s best friend, Jax, has suddenly died and Norman decides to honor his friend by performing at the Edinburgh Fringe which was their dream. These threemore
The Fortunate Ones
by Ed Tarkington
A heartfelt story of privilege and loyalty (10/22/2020)
Charlie Boykin is the son of a single mom just trying to survive. She manages to use her connections to get him a full scholarship into an elite boarding school. There he becomes enamored with the wealthy Arch Creigh and gets increasing entangled in his shaky morality andmore
American Dirt: A Novel
by Jeanine Cummins
An extraordinary immigrant story (11/10/2019)
I loved this book. It was compelling, frightening, tender and expansive. It really seated you in the experience of a Mexican mother and son on the run from a dangerous drug cartel lord. Their journey from Mexico to America is harrowing and unimaginable. Read this book andmore
You Were There Too
by Colleen Oakley
Surprising love story. (8/14/2019)
What a great summer read. The writing was terrific, the characters were relatable and well developed and the plot twists were unpredictable. I kept reading late into the night to find out how and why Mia and Oliver are connected. And what does she decide to do with thatmore
Listen to the Marriage
by John Jay Osborn
Grueling Marriage Counseling Sessions (5/21/2018)
I really wanted to like this book. The concept was appealing to me since I've been in this couple's situation and I am a therapist. While much of the couple's interaction sounded true, I felt the therapist wasn't very well written or professional. In my mind she didn't havemore
A Place for Us
by Fatima Farheen Mirza
A beautiful and heart wrenching story a Muslim American Family (3/18/2018)
An incredibly perceptive story of the wonderous moments, deeply felt frustrations and heartbreaking pains of being part of a family. When a son returns home after a long absence he says: "That it feels unexpectedly comforting is, in and of itself, difficult." Wow. It'smore
Our Short History
by Lauren Grodstein
Keep tissues handy! (2/10/2017)
I loved this book. I read it in two days. Lauren Grodstein has done an amazing job of taking you on the awful journey of battling cancer, while trying to work and be a mom. This story is told through journal entries to Karen's six-year-old son. I was right there with her.more
The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko
by Scott Stambach
A wonderful, unique love story with so much heart (7/4/2016)
This story reads like a memoir. Many times I felt like Ivan was a real person. He's so smart, and honest and has so much passion and determination. Given his very limited life and the constraints of his deformities, he's truly a wonder. He ponders people and situationsmore
Shelter
by Jung Yun
Riveting but not totally satisfying (12/22/2015)
Shelter is a fast paced, engrossing debut novel that starts off with an elderly mother being found naked and bleeding in her son's backyard. A horrific tragedy has occurred and I couldn't put the book down. The author does a great job of exploring important questions aboutmore
The Book of Speculation
by Erika Swyler
Good but ultimately not satisfying (3/29/2015)
I have very mixed feelings about the Book of Speculation. On the one hand it's a multi generational story of love, magic, and ultimately redemption. The book is beautifully written and very atmospheric. It was a quick, entertaining read. The driving plot absorbs you andmore
Everybody Rise
by Stephanie Clifford
Evelyn's climb to the top (3/4/2015)
This is a quick read about social climbing by a New York Times award winning writer who clearly know the territory. Evelyn Bergen, the protagonist, has learned from her mother the ambition to fit "in with the upper class. Reminiscent of Edith Wharton and more recently Amormore
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