BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

The Bog Wife
by Kay Chronister

Strange times in the Bog (8/29/2024)

This is definitely not my normal genre, but I found this book very intriguing and creepy and strange. The story of the Haddesley family and their relationship with the bog they live on is filled with oddities and traditions that kept things very entertaining and thought provoking. This would be a great book club book because there are so many things to discuss! Each member of the family is outlined and developed very thoroughly, the book is well written and engaging. It was hard for me to imagine that this could be a real family, but there are some pretty strange things happening out there, and who knows? I definitely would like to read more by this author.

Pony Confidential
by Christina Lynch

A mystical murder (6/16/2024)

I loved this book! Critics will say it was unrealistic, which it 100 percent was, but was such a fun story and I loved each character ( except the villains and I really disliked them!) This book was written for animal lovers and those with an open mind about our relationship with our pets. I just thought it was a fun story, but also brought up some good points about how animals are treated and also the holes in our justice system. Read this if you just want a whimsical story told by a pony and his owner, with a little bit of mystery mixed in.

Follow the Stars Home
by Diane C. McPhail

Original Historical Fiction (5/15/2024)

Follow the Stars Home was a book based on a true story that I had never heard about before. Its a story of Nicholas Roosevelt's first steam boat, the New Orleans, and its maiden voyage in which he brought his young wife Lydia, who was 8 months pregnant, and their toddler along for the journey. Along the way, they meet much adversity which also included one of the biggest earthquakes in history. It is an interesting read and I enjoyed learning something new, however, there was a lot of repetition and I felt Lydia's prose was a little dull. I enjoyed the book for the most part however, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

The Funeral Cryer: A Novel
by Wenyan Lu

Yawn (2/7/2024)

I was eager to read this book and find out more about the profession of being a funeral cryer in the Asian culture, but this book was disappointing. I found the writing style to be very dry and the characters one dimensional and nothing that I found I could relate to. The “plot twist” at the end came out of nowhere and didn’t make any sense to me and then the story just ended. This one just wasn’t for me!

This Is Salvaged: Stories
by Vauhini Vara

This is Human (8/17/2023)

Wow, I had not read Vauhini Vara before, but after reading this collection of short stories, I am definitely going to go back and read her first book , The Immortal King Rao. In This is Salvaged, we read 10 stories, all completely different, but with the common thread of human ness. Each main character has something deep inside of them that makes them feel different and vulnerable. Each story left me wanting to know more, but also with many emotions to think about . Some of the stories were short, and some were longer, but they all left me feeling empathy towards the main character.
I highly recommend this great read !

Digging Stars: A Novel
by Novuyo Rosa Tshuma

Digging it! (7/31/2023)

I enjoyed this book about a daughter following in her fathers footsteps in the field of astronomy! It was definitely different from anything I had read before and wove in the elements of the stars with the elements of relationships, mainly the father /daughter connection. Rosa, like many girls, idolized her father , and with his unexpected death thrown into the plot, the mystery of him makes her long even more for him .
I thought the book had good character development and the subject matter was so interesting !

The Critic's Daughter: A Memoir
by Priscilla Gilman

Daddy's girl (2/3/2023)

A beautiful memoir of a father who was imperfect and human. I loved the realness of this author's recollection of growing up and her relationship with her dad before, during, and after her parents divorce. Being a daddy's girl myself, I could totally relate with her feelings of loving him so fiercely and also trying to protect him and keep him happy. Even though it can be a hard lesson, to learn that our parents are humans and also have flaws, it was easy to see that her father loved her and her sister more than anything and was always doing the best job that he could to protect her and cheer her on in life. I really enjoyed this book and the relationship that was portrayed.

Sisters of the Lost Nation
by Nick Medina

A great mystery read ! (11/30/2022)

A fictional story about a real problem that has surfaced in the Native American culture . The mystery revolves around some young women who go missing at the reservation. Anna's search for her younger sister, Grace, leads to all kinds of important discoveries of a sinister game happening at the tribes Casino. The story that unfolds is realistic and important to bring awareness to another problem that is being swept under the carpet among our Native people.

The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise
by Colleen Oakley

A light hearted escapade (10/23/2022)

This was a cute book about an unlikely pair that become friends and play out an adventure together. I thought it was fun and lighthearted, but also had some heavier topics interlaced into the story line. The characters were interesting and although the story seemed a big unlikely, when read in the way that it was intended, it made for a pleasurable read with plenty of twists and turns!

River Sing Me Home
by Eleanor Shearer

A mothers love (9/22/2022)

I really loved River Sing Me Home! My heart just felt for Rachel as she looked to find each one of her children that was torn away from her. The history of slavery in the Caribbean Islands was new to me, and I enjoyed learning more about that. Such a sad time in our worlds history, this book made me feel all the feels. Very few books can make me cry, but the last page of this one was a real tear jerker for me. Great character building in this one! I connected with almost everyone, but none more than Rachel.

The Family Izquierdo: A Novel
by Rubén Degollado

family (8/22/2022)

What an interesting book told in separate stories but intertwining the Izquierdo family tree. A family living on the American border of Mexico, they suffer through their family "curse" with love and affection for each other. Even though they have many conflicts with the outside world and each other. I loved the Spanish used throughout the stories as it made them more authentic, and made me look things up as I read, so actually learned something new!
I loved the generational tales and how the family members related to each other and especially to their Abuelito and Papa Tavo. Really an enjoyable read!

Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey
by Florence Williams

So interesting! (12/8/2021)

This book was so interesting to me..and so relevant! All of us have experienced grief and /or heartbreak at one time or another in our lives, this author took hers and really delved into it and the physical attributes that it has on our bodies. I have always wondered what causes the actual pain in our heart, when we are sad or heartbroken, this book explores that and the other physical things that happens in our bodies with love and loss. I loved this book and the uniqueness of it all!

Everybody: A Book about Freedom
by Olivia Laing

Wow... just wow (5/25/2021)

This is a book to be read slowly and savored.. at times I felt like it was a bit over my head, but the concepts and information stretched my mind in a way that hasn't been done in a while. It is perfect for the times .. very pertinent and timely ideas that help us learn how the body and soul, have struggled throughout history to be free .. I just loved the ideas expressed in this book.. would be great for book club discussion!

The Personal Librarian
by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray

Trailblazer for women! (2/4/2021)

What a great book about someone that I knew nothing about! One of the reasons I love historical fiction, learning so much about the past and some magnificent and brave people. Belle de la Costa Greene, is certainly someone that I admire after reading her story. I can't even imagine the fear she lived with every day thinking that her secret might be uncovered. But she looked right into the eyes of that fear and made such a successful life for herself ... in a time when women had very little power. What a trailblazer for women!

And They Called It Camelot: A Novel of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis
by Stephanie Marie Thornton

Couldn't put it down!! (1/6/2020)

I loved this book from the beginning .. the tale of Camelot and so much more, through the eyes of the legend Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis.. what an incredible life she lived.. fairytale and tragedy. Stephanie Marie Thornton has done a fantastic job of telling the story.. one that will stick with me forever. Love her writing style , I stayed up many nights reading.. not wanting to put this book down!

I Want You to Know We're Still Here: A Post-Holocaust Memoir
by Esther Safran Foer

Not just another book about the Holocaust (12/6/2019)

I have read so many world war 2 books and novels about the holocaust... one of my favorite genres, but this book was different from the rest in that it focused more on the post war effects of the Jews and how they were treated once they were liberated from the camps. Esther Safran tells her story, her families story, in a beautiful memoir which is full of sad truths and secrets, but also love and joy . I enjoyed this short read very much and it made me think of things I hadn't thought of before .. the post war effects of the Jews and how it effected them mentally.. not everyone lived happily ever after . Also, it made my think of my own families stories and how we hear things and pass stories down. Are our memories facts? Or do we start to believe things happened because we have heard them so much? I think this book is going to be a success when it hits the market . I also am compelled to read Everything is Illuminated by Esthers son, Jonathan Foer.. a fiction novel based on their family history. Another book to add to my queue. Thanks for the opportunity to read this memoir !

Remembrance
by Rita Woods

Twist on a familiar story (11/12/2019)

This book was so different from any I have ever read! I am not one to read science fiction or the fantasy genre, yet I have read many historical fiction books.. this was what I would call a mystical, historical fiction. The special powers of the women in the story, is what made it all so special. I found that I couldn't put the book down and was tense with wondering what was going to happen next! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the imaginative way it was written.. very talented author ! I recommend this book for anyone who thinks they have read all there is about slavery, for this gives it a different twist altogether. It sure gave me a lot to think about ... are there people with special, mystical gifts walking amongst us? Read this book and I suspect you might become a believer!

A People's History of Heaven
by Mathangi Subramanian

A solid 4.5 (3/9/2019)

I enjoyed this book very much! Thought the author did a great job in developing each character, these women. If Heaven, a slum in India. The story depicted what it is like to live in poverty, but mostly what to like to have friends who will always raise you up when the going gets bad. These women were each other's strength and stability. I loved how the author chose first person plural to tell the story. I did feel like the chronology was a big hard to follow at times and would have liked to have a little more detail about the different languages and some of the customs. I know of the caste system , but could have used some brushing up on a few of the details. I think this author is going to be a big name in literature.. she did an outstanding job in her debut novel!

Me, Myself and Them
by Dan Mooney

I'm in the minority (7/16/2018)

I tried to like this book... I just found that i couldn't relate at all. I'm sure having multiple personalities is confusing for the person suffering from this mental disorder, because I certainly found it very confusing trying to figure out if the physical things happening in the story were just in Denis Brad or if they were really happening? I just kept picturing the clown from "it" as one of the "roommates". Others got much more out of the story than I did.. I felt like Rebecca's character was not realistic.. she just seemed to shrug off Denis OCD behavior as kind of silly , and I didn't feel like she reacted to the seriousness of it all.. as I said, I realize I am in the minority on this book. And I will take the blame for not understanding it and enjoying it as others obviously did .

The Devoted
by Blair Hurley

Finding oneself (6/7/2018)

This book was about the journey of a teenage, Nicole, towards enlightenment . She, like so many of us in our teenage years, finds herself searching for something other than the familiar that she has grown up with. Her family and the Catholicism that she grew up with are both lacking in what she feels she needs for fulfillment. Enter a rebellious boyfriend, Jules, with some wild ideas of his own, and their mutual friend , Eddie, a quest to find the Karmapa and Nicole is on a runaway.. looking for that something to bring her understanding. Years later, she is still in search of that inner peace when she meets up with the Master, her Buddhist teacher.. the whole while she is searching for something more, her family is searching for ways to make her see where she really fits in, with them. I liked the way the author unfolded this story, flashbacks and forwards, real character development, and a believable but not predictable plot.

Reviews by Becky S. (Springfield, MO)

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