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Reviews by Joan B. (Ellicott City, MD)

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Outlander
by Diana Gabaldon

OUTLANDER (3/29/2011)

I have a strong affection for well researched books. I was looking forward to all 850 pages after reading about herbs, medical treatment and castles. However, it took a great deal of effort to wade through the surrounding romance novel. The book seemed to be a plot outline …more

Adam & Eve: A Novel
by Sena Jeter Naslund

Adam and Eve (10/5/2010)

I have been struggling valiantly to read this book. Unfortunately, it seems that the review will not be in a timely manner. So here is what I am thinking. I love the word choices and sentence structure Naslund uses. Her descriptive passages show the reader the setting of …more

An Eagle Named Freedom: My True Story of a Remarkable Friendship
by Jeff Guidry

AN EAGLE NAMED FREEDOM (5/15/2010)

In this day, many families are far too close to battles with cancer. Jeff had more than his fair share of contact with this debilitating disease. For me, the pain of dealing with illness over rode the pleasure of helping rehabilitate wild animals.

That being said, the …more

The Man From Saigon: A Novel
by Marti Leimbach

The Man from Saigon (2/10/2010)

I read this book during the blizzard of 2010. The descriptions took me straight to the jungle heat, sounds, insects and terror. You really do not care who is on which side or what war is being waged. It is obvious how one can lose objectivity when the struggle for survival …more

Gifts of War: A Novel
by Mackenzie Ford

Gifts of War by Mackenzie Ford (4/4/2009)

For me this was a page turner from the Christmas Truce, in 1914, to March 1926. The story was so well written I could relate to every scene. The author incorporated personal knowledge of military intelligence and the history of WWI. Although I did not always like Hal and …more

Stuffed: An Insider's Look at Who's (Really) Making America Fat
by Hank Cardello & Doug Garr

Stuffed - With The Same Old Stuff (11/30/2008)

My review was slow in coming, not because the book was not read, but because I could not agree with myself about the worth of the book. Hank Carddello presents a very readable picture of merchandising in the food industry. He has the experience to evaluate the methods used. …more

How Far Is the Ocean from Here: A Novel
by Amy Shearn

A fun read (6/16/2008)

This was a fun read. The book included the humor of the movie Little Miss Sunshine. I could really picture the desert and the people on the big screen. Then there was the pathos of a collection of dysfunctional but likable characters. I could commiserate with Susannah's …more

Evening Is the Whole Day
by Preeta Samarasan

Evening Is The Whole Day (4/16/2008)

I was so looking forward to this first novel from an award winning new author. Her picturesque descriptions are a pleasure to read. My book is full of underlinings of wonderful phrases. My senior English teacher (high school) loved "sparkling words and flowering phrases". …more

Killer Heat
by Linda Fairstein

Killer Heat (3/9/2008)

The thing that keeps me reading Fairstein is her careful description of locations in and around New York. I would never have known about all of the small islands close to Manhatten. They were carefully described and an intricate part of the plot. I like Alex Cooper and her …more

BookBrowse Book Club

Daughters of Shandong
by Eve J. Chung

Based on the author’s family story, comes an extraordinary novel about a mother and her daughters’ escape from Taiwan.

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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.

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The Lilac People
by Milo Todd

For fans of All the Light We Cannot See, a poignant tale of a trans man’s survival in Nazi Germany and postwar Berlin.

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