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Reviews by Sandi W.

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Our House
by Louise Candlish

a problem where ever he goes... (7/15/2018)

There is a saying that a frustrated woman will often use when it comes to understanding a man ~ 'He will be the death of me" ! Nothing better can explain this book.

We find Fi and Bram unhappily married with two sons, two careers and a wonderful expensive old home in the …more

The Last Ballad
by Wiley Cash

Cash has done it again!! (6/6/2018)

Written in the true-to-life battle of workers rights, Wiley Cash does what he is so good at.

It is 1929 in Appleton County North Carolina and Ella Mae Wiggins struggles to make ends meet. Ella works in the American Mill #2 - designated mill #2 because they employee African …more

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women
by Kate Moore

A story so well researched... (6/6/2018)

Such a good, but sad book. The investigation that went into this book is astounding. The author Kate Moore had to have spent every single waking minute on this book. To accumulate the facts and discover the court records and newspaper articles from the early 1900's in both …more

Clock Dance: A Novel
by Anne Tyler

Classic Anne Tyler ... (6/6/2018)

Anne Tyler happens to be one of my favorite authors. She can take a can of beans and make a whole meal out of it. Very talented author who writes about the everyday, often mundane parts of every mans life. I have always found her character development to strong, her story …more

The Summer Wives
by Beatriz Williams

Island Secrets (5/23/2018)

Although I have heard that Beatriz Williams was a good author, I had never read her before. I do have a number of her books on my TBR list however. Now that I have read one of her books, all the rest of them need to be elevated to the top of my reading list. I found her …more

The Mars Room: A Novel
by Rachel Kushner

Blatant Sex.... (5/23/2018)

I waited impatiently for this book to be published and obtained by my library, then I picked up the CD set. I got through 4 of 9 discs - barely.

I really wanted to like this book. I have never read Rachel Kushner before - and may never again - if this is typical of her work. …more

The Pisces
by Melissa Broder

Reader Beware... (5/23/2018)

I am usually pretty good at picking out books that satisfy me just from their synopsis. However I really missed the mark with this book. Noted, I am not a great fantasy fan, but I do read it from time to time and felt that I was ready for a good contemporary fantasy. The …more

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry: A Novel
by Gabrielle Zevin

Curmudgeon in a bookstore.... (4/26/2018)

Cold self-contained A J Fikry owns an island book store - a book store that is not currently profitable. Add to this, a very expensive book - his planned retirement - has been stolen. He does not especially warm up the public or to his book salesmen, however one pretty lady, …more

Sunburn
by Laura Lippman

Secrets abound... (4/26/2018)

Great book of secrets and suspense. Even though I don't like love stories, this romance was so much more. Two people, Polly and Adam, found each other when they were both very vulnerable. Each had their own secrets, each running from something, each working towards …more

The Only Story
by Julian Barnes

Another Barnes Masterpiece (4/26/2018)

In this wonderful rendition of a young man in love with an older woman Barnes once again does a masterful job. Much like the premise of The Sense of an Ending, we see the older man looking back on his youth. We see how the youth was shaped into a man by the experience of …more

The French Girl
by Lexie Elliott

Who killed Severine.... (1/18/2018)

On the last night of their stay in a French farmhouse Severine was killed. Six college friends were on holiday and Severine was from the neighboring farmhouse. It took 10 years for the cold case to be reopened and to bring everyone back together. Severine's body has been …more

The Graybar Hotel: Stories
by Curtis Dawkins

Prison life (1/3/2018)

A book of 14 short stories, all related to prison life, written by an inmate incarcerated for murder. The stories are all fabrication taken from real life instances, played out among inmates, painting a picture of life behind bars in the desolate facade of our U.S. prisons.

The Dry: Aaron Falk Mystery #1
by Jane Harper

Page turner... (1/3/2018)

A strange note left on his desk takes Federal Agent Aaron Falk back to his home town, one he left 20 years prior on a bad note. He finds that his childhood best friend, Luke Hadler, along with Luke's wife and son were murdered. The town wants to write it off as a murder/ …more

The French Girl
by Lexie Elliott

French holiday.... (12/27/2017)

Thank you to Berkley Books for this Advanced Reading Copy. Expected publication is February 20th 2018. My rating = 4 stars

On the last night of their stay in a French farmhouse Severine was killed. Six college friends were on holiday and Severine was from the neighboring …more

The Chalk Man
by C. J. Tudor

A Tangled Story... (12/27/2017)

4.5 stars Thank you to Crown Publishing for this ARC. To publish Jan 9, 2018.

This story switched between 1986 and 2016. Our protagonist, Eddie, and his group of friends, Micky, Gav, Hoppo and the lone girl, Nicky were inseparable. The 12 year olds biked to the playground, …more

News of the World
by Paulette Jiles

Descriptive writing trumps author error (9/2/2017)

I don't like books that do not use quotation marks to indicate conversation! I took off .5 stars for no quotation marks. In my opinion, that shows laziness in an author.

3.5 stars

Now with that said -
Overall I did enjoy this book. It was just different enough from what I …more

Little Nothing
by Marisa Silver

Fable/Folklore (8/23/2017)

Really hard for me to review this book. It was good - for me - because this is the type book-break I needed. However, at a different time and place I might not have liked this book as much as I did.

A fable, folklore, mystical - all apply, but really don't describe this book. …more

The Heart's Invisible Furies: A Novel
by John Boyne

Another Boyne master piece.... (7/26/2017)

I have read a couple of John Boyne books before, so I was prepared for anything. Boyne takes on hard subjects and presents them relentlessly. I am aware that his themes and character development are beyond reproach. This particular book sucked me into its world. I found it …more

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry
by Fredrik Backman

Not my cup of tea... (6/29/2017)

Let me start by saying I have loved all the other books I have read by Fredrick Backman, because...
I am sure that my review of this book will go against the main stream....however....

Had this been the first book I read by Backman I would have stopped there. I really …more

When She Woke: A Novel
by Hillary Jordan

Man's inhumanity to man (6/29/2017)

I enjoyed this book with its parallel to the Scarlet Letter. It shows what inhumanities our society is capable of. Altho Hannah would not have been my friend I could empathize with her.The writing made me push for a conclusion. 3.5 stars

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Dream Count
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

A searing new novel from the bestselling author of Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists, exploring four women's desires.

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The Jackal's Mistress
by Chris Bohjalian

From the New York Times bestselling author of Hour of the Witch, a Civil War love story of a Confederate wife and a wounded Yankee.

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