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Reviews by Joan V. (Miller Place, NY)

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Loose Diamonds
Loose Diamonds: ...and other things I've lost (and found) along the way
by Amy Ephron
Lumps of coal (7/31/2011)
This book was very disappointing. I expected the writing to be charming and witty. “Loose Diamonds” has absolutely no substance and very little style.

The constant name dropping was extremely annoying. When Ms. Ephron was not dropping names of famous people it was high end …more
The Daughter of Siena
The Daughter of Siena: A Novel
by Marina Fiorato
Daughter of Siena (5/4/2011)
I wish I had enjoyed this book more. The beginning was very predictable with stock characters, i.e., the good people were SO “good” and the bad -the other extreme. Many parts of the book were overly melodramatic. It was not until almost half-way through the book that the …more
Original Sin
Original Sin: A Sally Sin Adventure
by Beth Mcmullen
The Spy Who Comes in from the cold (1/30/2011)
I wasn’t expecting to like this book very much. The shocking pink cover screamed “chick lit.” At first I thought Ms. McMullen was trying too hard to be funny/cute. The premise of the book – a former undercover agent who has been a stay at home wife/mother for nine years is …more
Minding Ben
Minding Ben: A Novel
by Victoria Brown
Don't call her (12/18/2010)
A very satisfying read. The story revolves around 16 yr old Grace who comes to America by herself and is thrown into a situation she has not planned on. The plan was for Grace to mind her cousin’s children in exchange for room & board, but her cousin never shows up at …more
The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul
The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul: A Novel
by Deborah Rodriguez
A Cup of Friendship (11/1/2010)
This book immediately gets your attention. It's a fast read and enjoyable.

Set in current day Kabul it centers around the lives of five women: Sunny an American and owner of a coffee house; Connie, also an American, who is looking for love; Isabel, a British journalist and …more
The Stuff That Never Happened
The Stuff That Never Happened
by Maddie Dawson
The Stuff That Never Happened (8/21/2010)
At first I feared this book would be a trite story about a woman having a mid-life crisis. This book is so well written it rises above that. Annabelle is going through the 'empty nest syndrome' with a husband who shuts her out physically, emotionally, and hardly speaks a …more
The Blind Contessa's New Machine
The Blind Contessa's New Machine: A Novel
by Carey Wallace
The Blind Contessa's New Machine (5/31/2010)
This book was an interesting read, but the ending was rushed and left a lot of questions unanswered. Some of the characters, Pietro, the husband were a bit too conventional. To me the most interesting and original character was Turri. He was the most three dimensional …more
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BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    The Husbands
    by Holly Gramazio
    The Husbands delights in asking: how do we navigate life, love, and choice in a world of never-ending options?
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  • Book Jacket

    Happy Land
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