BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

Girl Falling: A Novel
by Hayley Scrivenor

A book full of feelings (9/13/2024)

I really liked this book. A tragedy brings out many different feelings on so many levels…friends, parents, relatives and the police. Friendship is tested and there is an undertone of friendship vs love. I feel that women would enjoy this book because women are the key characters. I also think women can relate to the roller coaster of emotions. This book is well written and introduces new plots throughout the book. I highly recommend this book.

Becoming Madam Secretary
by Stephanie Dray

Great read on a piece of history (11/1/2023)

I really enjoyed this book. It is a good portrayal of an important woman in our history. I didn't know much about Francis Perkins and I now have great admiration for her and her accomplishments. This book was very well written and the characters were so descriptive. I think readers of all ages and topic preferences will enjoy this book.

Delicate Condition
by Danielle Valentine

An interesting plot and fun ride (7/9/2023)

Delicate Condition was a fun read. It was a well written story of strong women, trusting one's instincts and witchcraft. While reading the book, my thoughts of the ending changed several times. I owe that to the author because she was able to weave intrigue throughout different aspects of the story. I thought the ending was perfect…it summed things up, but left it open to a sequel. I highly recommend this book to readers that like mystery.

The Montevideo Brief: A Thomas Grey Novel
by J. H. Gelernter

A Book for All (4/13/2023)

The Montevideo Brief was a surprisingly good read. It was a mix of history, adventure, friendship and pirates...what a combination! This book provides suspense and laughter. It is set in the early 1800s and travels the world. I don't want to give anything away, but I feel readers will be captivated by this tale. It keeps you wondering what will happen next. I feel all readers will enjoy this book - the action is just right and not gory. I highly recommend this book.

The All-American: A Novel
by Joe Milan Jr.

A Book for All (2/8/2023)

The All-American was a very interesting book. It had humor, tragedy, friendship, family relationships and pride all rolled into one. This story of a teenage boy begins in America and takes you to Korea. It has so many feelings in it that you really feel like you are living the story through Bucky. The book is well written and spanned different cultures. I learned some things about the Korean culture that I didn't know. The emotions in this book are heartfelt (happiness, sadness, fear, pride, hope, love, hate). It was a quick read, because it was hard to put down. I highly recommend this book!

Margot: A Novel
by Wendell Steavenson

A book to inspire (1/3/2023)

This was a delightful book about the growth from a girl to a woman (child through college). The formative years took place in the 60s in an era when appearance was important and intelligent girls weren't as well regarded as pretty ones. The main character is a smart strong girl/woman who grows despite a lack of mother support. She builds her own small network of trusted friends. The struggles she faces are those than many of us can relate to during our personal growth. The story isn't always a happy one, but there are successes. I would recommend this book to book groups. It should provide an active discussion.

Activities of Daily Living: A Novel
by Lisa Hsiao Chen

A Book for All (1/18/2022)

This book was very thought-provoking. The title sums it up perfectly. The story wove us through daily actions in a way that allowed me to be in the events and compare it to similar events in my life. The main character described activities that were split between an artist's work and her father's decline. Her choice of words used to describe common things we all feel and go through immersed you in her story and gave importance to our daily activities, no matter how trivial or important. I highly recommend this book.

The Paris Bookseller
by Kerri Maher

A Book for Book Lovers (11/15/2021)

This was a fun book for book lovers. Many famous authors made appearances in the midst of a great story line. The heroine of the story was a strong woman with lofty goals during a time when women weren't looked upon as successful entrepreneurs. There were surprises throughout the book which kept my interest while reading. It was well written and the descriptions made you feel like you were there. I highly recommend this book for all types of readers.

New York, My Village: A Novel
by Uwem Akpan

Excellent cultural read (8/16/2021)

Wow...what a story! I would highly recommend this book. It spanned cultures, cuisines, friendships and an intro to New York through new eyes. The story only spanned a few months, but was developed through current and previous times. This book was well written and should provide great discussion for book clubs. I don't think it's a book for young readers, but should interest the masses. I really enjoyed it and read it in a couple of days.

The Women with Silver Wings: The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II
by Katherine Sharp Landdeck

Important Women's History (1/18/2020)

This book told the story of the women fliers of WWII. It highlighted the bravery, fortitude and struggles of these female heroes. It is a piece of history that hasn't been discussed in standard history books. These women sought to serve their country with their flying skills, yet had to prove themselves to a larger extent than men. They were very successful, yet had to fight in the aftermath of war to be credited with their contribution to our country. This book is well written, with notes to substantiate the facts. I highly recommend this read!

Remembrance
by Rita Woods

Interesting plot around slavery (10/22/2019)

This was a really interesting novel, It took a horrible piece of our history (slavery) and built a plot around a place that slaves could go to be free. It was well written, following different characters in different time periods. The characters were vividly described and it was easy to follow which character and time period the book was describing. It was nice to think that a place like Remembrance could have existed to allow slaves some freedom once they escaped from their slavers. It provided a bit of hope. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a combination of history, fiction and character development.

Yale Needs Women: How the First Group of Girls Rewrote the Rules of an Ivy League Giant
by Anne Gardiner Perkins

Powerful Piece of History (7/10/2019)

I had no idea that 1969 was the first year women were accepted into Yale. The women who were the first were very strong and determined to have a successful career at Yale and in New Haven. They paved the way for women to participate in activities. They also brought awareness of a popular restaurant that wouldn't allow women and worked to change that.

This piece of history needed to be told and this book captured it well. This was a well written book with a lot of facts. I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it!

The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls
by Anissa Gray

Tragic Tale of 3 Sisters (10/18/2018)

This book tells the story of 3 sisters when one of the sisters is caught up in fraud. The sisters are all different in their stability and current family situations, yet they all had the same upbringing. The book goes back in time to explain their upbringing and events that molded their current state. It bridges changing emotions as each sister's current story unfolds. This is a thought provoking book and you find yourself changing your mind about how you feel as the book unfolds. I would recommend this book.

Our House
by Louise Candlish

What a great read! (6/18/2018)

This book was full of twists and turns that kept my attention throughout. This book would appeal to anyone who likes suspense (without violence). The story is told in different formats and jumps back and forth in time. It would be great for a book club discussion because I feel some would sympathize with the main villain. Enjoy!

Only Child
by Rhiannon Navin

A Great Read (1/5/2018)

I really enjoyed this book. The book starts with a school shooting and the rest of the story deals with family strife and healing. The concept of writing this book through the eyes of a 6 year old was brilliant. I felt it truly captured a child's view of the events - his fears, guilt and loss. It was a good reminder to us that a child can see clearly right from wrong and the importance of love over hate - they don't get caught up in the outside opinions that can influence adults.

The author wrote this book beautifully. I read it in 3 days and couldn't wait to pick it up the next day to see what happened.

I have already recommended this book to others and will be recommending it to my book group.

Happiness: The Crooked Little Road to Semi-Ever After
by Heather Harpham

A great story of love and hope (6/12/2017)

This was a surprisingly good account of the true story of survival. There was the survival of losing love. There was the survival of moving across the country for family support. There was the survival of a small child born with an illness that took extensive care, hope and positive attitude. Surviving through these events brought back love, new birth and a successful transplant.

This book was so well written. It didn't sugar coat the events with an overly positive attitude. It also wasn't filled with the negativity of the situation.

I really enjoyed this book and thought the author did an outstanding job. I highly recommend it!

Amour Provence
by Constance Leisure

Many Intersecting Stories (3/19/2016)

I wanted to love this book. I liked it, but didn't love it. The concept of different storylines and going back and forward in time always intrigues me with a book. Even though this book held my interest, I didn't yearn to pick it up each day.

The descriptions and settings were good. The character descriptions were good. It was easy to pick the characters that you liked and the ones that you didn't. Constance did a great job in her writing semantics. I wanted the stories to move a little faster.

However, I loved the ending. It was a little unexpected.
I would recommend this book to friends and family.

Tuesday Nights in 1980
by Molly Prentiss

Interesting blend of characters and timeframe (1/7/2016)

I enjoyed this book. It captured different cultures, dysfunction, the art world and some violence - what a combination to have in one book. Molly's writing style was good and it was easy to follow as she jumped between characters. The 80s were filled with confusion in real life as the Wall Street group made a lot of money and the struggling artists struggled. Even though Molly didn't bring the 80s wealth into this novel, she captured the art world very well. The character development was good.

Make Your Home Among Strangers
by Jennine Capó Crucet

A great novel debut (4/15/2015)

I really enjoyed this book. It combined history (Ariel Hernandez arriving from Cuba) with a young woman's story of leaving home and struggling with college due to an inferior high school education. There were family struggles, friendship collisions and a young love gone awry. The characters were so real and varied - they held your interest throughout the book. I couldn't wait to see how the different character's stories would play out. The end was a surprise to me. I would highly recommend this book.

The Silver Witch
by Paula Brackston

Fantasy and Mystery Combined (2/27/2015)

I really liked this book. It was a great way to keep the characters aligned by jumping back and forth between the characters and the time period. The descriptions were so vivid - it was easy to see what Tilda was seeing through her eyes. All of the characters were formed as they were introduced, so it was easy to keep them straight from the beginning. I loved the addition of the dog as a key character.,

I don't often like a fantasy book, but this one was so well done. This was the first Paula Brackstonbook that I have read - I will definitely read more.

Reviews by Terrie J. (Eagan, MN)

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Reviews by Terrie J. (Eagan, MN)

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