BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

Reviews by Patti P. (Phoenix, AZ)

If you'd like to be able to easily share your reviews with others, please join BookBrowse.

Smalltime: A Story of My Family and the Mob
by Russell Shorto

Review of Smalltime (2/18/2021)

When I started reading this book, I was a bit distracted. After I read about 50 pages, I decided that I was missing integral, pertinent information and started again. I cannot say enough how very glad I did just that - started again. I really loved this book!! Rich in …more

Beirut Hellfire Society
by Rawi Hage

I did not get this... (6/3/2019)

I found this to be a struggle to read. Perhaps I am simply thick-headed, as found nearly nothing of note to positively rave about. This was a painful journey of reading, and I only finished it because I appreciate being given the chance to read it and enjoy it. I am, …more

The Last Year of the War
by Susan Meissner

Mixed emotions (12/13/2018)

This one was a tough one for me to review. Not quite 4 stars, but definitely better than 3. I absolutely loved the budding friendship between the two girls (both residents of USA internment camps during WW II, one a German-American and one a Japanese-American), but I found …more

Me, Myself and Them
by Dan Mooney

Fractured Reality vs the Power of Healing (7/2/2018)

Enjoyable from its beginning to ending sentence, Dan Mooney creates characters that are both lovable and infuriating. Mooney does a great job in taking on a crippling illness like depression, developing a storyline that has the reader laughing, cheering and brooding--often …more

A Place for Us
by Fatima Farheen Mirza

Emotionally impacting (3/18/2018)

I am so thankful I was selected to read/review this ARC. The emotions it created will stay with me for quite some time. The rich detail and the author's chosen words, so greatly impacted me, that I am rendered speechless. A story of Love, Identity, and Belonging and the …more

The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After
by Elizabeth Weil, Clemantine Wamariya

How can one properly "rate" another's pain? (2/25/2018)

4.5...Wow!! What a magnificently, powerful and emotionally raw memoir. This greatly impacted my entire being--down to the most basic fiber. Additionally, I was surprised at how effectively it humbled me--making me aware of my ignorance and my sheltered experiences. I now …more

Anatomy of a Miracle
by Jonathan Miles

Interesting concept (2/2/2018)

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The author kept my interest, albeit a bit too wordy at times. This book reintroduces interesting concepts of Medical Healing vs a God-Given Miracle, and leaves the reader able to argue for and against both. The only thing that kept me from …more

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket — Lessons in Chemistry
by Bonnie Garmus

Praised by *Parade* and *The New York Times Book Review*, this debut features a 1960s scientist turned TV cooking star.

About Discuss

Members Recommend

Ginseng Roots
by Craig Thompson

A new graphic memoir from the author of Blankets and Habibi about class, childhood labor, and Wisconsin’s ginseng industry.

Read the Reviews
Serial Killer Games
by Kate Posey

A morbidly funny and emotionally resonant novel about the ways life—and love—can sneak up on us (no matter how much pepper spray we carry).

Read the Reviews
The Seven O'Clock Club
by Amelia Ireland

Four strangers join an experimental treatment to heal broken hearts in Amelia Ireland's heartfelt debut novel.

Read the Reviews
The Fairbanks Four
by Brian Patrick O’Donoghue

One murder, four guilty convictions, and a community determined to find justice.

Read the Reviews
One Death at a Time
by Abbi Waxman

A cranky ex-actress and her Gen Z sobriety sponsor team up to solve a murder that could send her back to prison in this dazzling mystery.

Read the Reviews