Sign up for our newsletters to receive our Best of 2024 ezine!

Reviews by CarolK

Order Reviews by:
My Dark Vanessa: A Novel
by Kate Russell
Dark Indeed (1/12/2020)
Due to be published in early February, Kate Elizabeth Russell's My Dark Vanessa seems likely to be a word of mouth winner and book group pick.
My Dark Vanessa is a dark novel indeed. It reads like non-fiction and is not an easy book to review. What I can tell you is that ismore
American Dirt: A Novel
by Jeanine Cummins
Realistic Portrayal of a Border Crossing (1/10/2020)
American Dirt will be published January 21, 2020. It has already made my 2020 Best List as I was fortunate to be an early reader thanks to Amy Einhorn, and Flatiron Books.

Have you ever experienced a horrible trip or had a bad experience visiting another country, one thatmore
Small Great Things
by Jodi Picoult
Feeling conflicted (11/5/2016)
Jodi Picoult is well known for not shying away from the tough topics, in this case, that of race in present day America. A black nurse, working on a Labor & Delivery floor at Yale, is “fired”, forbidden to care for the son of a white supremacist. If the ramifications ofmore
Shelter
by Jung Yun
Shelter (4/17/2016)
Kyung Cho and his wife, Gillian, are in over their heads financially. Things are so bad that they are facing the reality that their home must be sold. As a reader I felt the doom as the realtor, Gertie, delivers the stark news that the sale of their house may not bail themmore
Breaking Wild
by Diane Les Becquets
Breaking Wild - A Gripping Read (3/18/2016)
Breaking Wild is a perfect read for March’s celebration of Women’s History Month. This story of survival in the Colorado winter wilderness features two incredible female protagonists. Amy Raye, a bow hunter becomes lost on her solo quest to fill her elk quota. Rescue Ranger,more
Our Souls at Night
by Kent Haruf
The Power of Touch (11/6/2015)
The premise of Our Souls At Night grabbed my attention. I’ve been married 45 years and can easily count the nights I have not slept in the same bed with my husband. As we age we think more about the inevitable parting that will come. I could easily relate to the idea of amore
Girl Waits with Gun
by Amy Stewart
Give a Girl a Revolver (10/10/2015)
Girl Waits With Gun is a delightful romp. Though the plot is quite sinister, it is done in a lighthearted way. It seems suitable for those of you who do not care for graphic violence. The sisters, Constance, Norma and Fleurette Kopp are vividly drawn, each exhibiting theirmore
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
by Bryan Stevenson
Justice, Just Justice (5/23/2015)
I often think that my grandparents and parents lived in interesting times. They saw so many things come about in their day. Theirs were exciting times. Women won the right to vote, slaves were freed, and medical advancements were plenty. It was the time of The Industrialmore
Girl in the Dark: A Memoir
by Anna Lyndsey
A life of Darkness (4/18/2015)
It is hard to imagine the true implications of living a life in the dark. Anna Lyndsey (pen name) allows us glimpse of her black box life in this beautifully poetic memoir. If it is often emotionally devastating for the reader, envision that we get to go back to our worldmore
The Last Letter from Your Lover: A Novel
by Jojo Moyes
Heartfelt Words with Pen and Paper (10/12/2014)
Add me to the legions of fans of JoJo Moyes. I’m not exactly certain how to classify her books but women’s contemporary fiction suits as well as anything. The two I’ve read were love stories at their core. Some would call them romance, not me. Romantic perhaps.

It is 1960.more
The Quick
by Lauren Owen
Debut Author to Watch (7/7/2014)
Lauren Owen has managed to take something old, the vampire myth and put her own spin on it. This debut horror tale held my interest but could have been tighter than its 500 pages. Not perfect but I'd like to see what else Ms. Owen has up her sleeve.
You Should Have Known
by Jean Hanff Korelitz
A Study of a Marraige (3/6/2014)
Grace Reinhart Sachs has got it all. The trendy New York apartment, a son enrolled in the best private school, an oncologist husband who specializes in pediatrics; the perfect marriage, the perfect life. In her own right, Grace, a couple's therapist, is the author of a bookmore
The Other Typist: A Novel
by Suzanne Rindell
160 Words A Minute! (10/19/2013)
An all out character driven novel with a slow building plot with quite an ending. My kind of book! and should make a great book discussion.

Rindell fleshes out her character(s) quite well, with excellent narration, reliable or not, by Rose, the original typist. Rose Baker,more
Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis
by Timothy Egan
Breathtaking historical non-fiction (10/12/2013)
Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis was such an interesting read for me on many levels. There's the history of Seattle, the culture of its American Indian Tribes, the beauty of the Cascades and Mount Rainier, the luremore
Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World
by Matthew Goodman
The Race Is On! (4/6/2013)
Impressed doesn't cover the half of it. Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History- Making Race Around the World is one romp of an adventure. A fan of vicarious thrills, this book gave me more than my money's worth. Who could not love the intrepid spirit ofmore
13 1/2
by Nevada Barr
13 1/2 is 100 Suspense (11/14/2009)
If you're expecting Anna Pigeon, put the book down! I had to ask myself where did this one come from? Left field doesn't quite explain it, but 13 1/2 is so far removed from what I've read of Nevada Barr., it's almost like an evil, gleeful twin has taken over her writingmore
Songs for the Missing: A Novel
by Stewart O'Nan
A Story of Love and Loss (11/3/2009)
Connecticut is fortunate to have many fine authors, Stewart O'Nan, being one of them. This past summer I read three books about missing children. One of these and the best by far was O'Nan's Songs for the Missing. There are only so many plots and it always amazes me howmore
Beat the Reaper: A Novel
by Josh Bazell
Unique Debut (2/22/2009)
Beat the Reaper is an unique read. Read it for the quirky characters. Read it for its dark humor. Read it because it's one heck of a thriller. Read it for the history, or for the medicine. Read it before it's turned into a bad movie. Read it for the gimmicks; I'm notmore
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
by Stieg Larsson
Top Notch First Novel (1/22/2009)
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was not quite what I expected. An
international thriller by a new voice, a long awaited translation that had been
a sensation in Europe led me to believe I was picking up one of those fast
paced, quickly written stories. I never expected themore
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
by Erik Larson
Title well chosen (5/15/2008)
As a true crime fan, I picked this up initially as H.H. Holmes is billed as the first serial killer in the US. How could I resist this tease? But as I read, the killings became less important (not to belittle the awful lost of life) and the building of the fair took on amore
  • Page
  • 1

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: Becoming Madam Secretary
    Becoming Madam Secretary
    by Stephanie Dray
    Our First Impressions reviewers enjoyed reading about Frances Perkins, Franklin Delano Roosevelt's ...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
The Story Collector
by Evie Woods
From the international bestselling author of The Lost Bookshop!
Book Jacket
The Rose Arbor
by Rhys Bowen
An investigation into a girl's disappearance uncovers a mystery dating back to World War II in a haunting novel of suspense.
Win This Book
Win My Darling Boy

My Darling Boy by John Dufresne

The story of of a man whose son collapses into addiction and vanishes into the chaotic netherworld of southern Florida.

Enter

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

D T the B O W the B

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.