Reviews by Paula K. (Cave Creek, AZ)

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Hotel Cuba
Hotel Cuba: A Novel
by Aaron Hamburger
Three Cheers for Pearl: Hotel Cuba (4/6/2023)
The character of Pearl in Hotel Cuba may be the best female character I have come across in a very long time. She carries the book. From the opening pages, author Aaron Hamburger tells us everything we need to know about Pearl. First her name: to use a cliche, she is a real …more
River Sing Me Home
River Sing Me Home
by Eleanor Shearer
An Amazing First Novel (9/4/2022)
Oh how I loved this book: lyrical, heart-wrenching and so well-crafted. At its heart, "River Sing Me Home" examines slavery just after the "emancipation" of slaves in the Caribbean islands, primarily in the sugar trade. But more importantly, it is an allegory of Rachel who …more
The Big Finish
The Big Finish
by Brooke Fossey
Old Folks and Damaged Young Folk (10/2/2019)
It seems we have a new sub-genre of books featuring the social commingling of young people (often troubled young women) with octogenarians for an outcome that solves problems for both ends of the age spectrum, e.g. "The Story of Arthur Truluv" and "A Man Called Ove". This …more
Never Have I Ever
Never Have I Ever
by Joshilyn Jackson
Joshilyn Jackson Meets Gillian Flynn (4/7/2019)
I am a Joshilyn Jackson fan. I love her small town characters, her sense of humor and her humanity. So I am predisposed to like just about anything she writes. This was the case with "Never Have I Ever" which was somewhat of a departure from earlier books in that it is MUCH …more
A Ladder to the Sky
A Ladder to the Sky: A Novel
by John Boyne
Look out Margo Channing! (9/3/2018)
Margo Channing, meet Maurice Swift, your successor to the crown of bald-faced ambition.

Aside from my extreme prejudice to love anything John Boyne writes, I found myself feeling a bit anxious about 1/3 of the way into "A Ladder to the Sky." At this point, I had no great …more
The Family Tabor
The Family Tabor
by Cherise Wolas
Rich People Problems (4/20/2018)
Rich People Problems. I had this refrain in the back of my head while I read "The Family Tabor." The book revolves around patriarch Harry Tabor who, by all outward appearances, has it all: a beautiful family, prosperity and a dynamic self, a self which shows no sign of …more
The Scribe of Siena
The Scribe of Siena
by Melodie Winawer
A Great Debut! (5/10/2017)
Disclaimer: I am a pushover for time-travel fiction. It all started with my fascination with the television show Bewitched and Elizabeth Montgomery's fantastic nose. For a theme that requires an absolute suspension of disbelief, it's interesting how some of the best time …more
How the Light Gets In
How the Light Gets In: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel, #9
by Louise Penny
Yay: Back to Three Pines! (7/6/2013)
I first met Armand Gamache in book 6, "Bury Your Dead", and was so smitten with all things Gamache that I went back to book #1 and started working my way through the Louise Penny series. Thankfully we return to the wonderful location of Three Pines after the departure to …more
Walk Me Home
Walk Me Home
by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Sister Power (4/10/2013)
Walk Me Home is why I love Bookbrowse First Impressions. Otherwise, I would never have read this wonderful book or met its author whose earlier works I can't wait to read. I pretty much devoured Walk Me Home in one setting – aboard a 4-hour plane ride that felt like four …more
The Forgetting Tree
The Forgetting Tree: A Novel
by Tatjana Soli
Despair Made Beautiful (8/5/2012)
There’s not much joy in this book, despite its opening celebration, a quinceañera, which I had to look up to learn that it is a sweet 15 party. The quinceañera is for the daughter of Octavio Mejia, the loyal manager of a ranch owned by Forster and Claire Baumsarg. We also …more
A Simple Murder
A Simple Murder
by Eleanor Kuhns
Amazing First Novel (4/8/2012)
A Simple Murder is the first published book by Eleanor Kuhns and I had the good fortune of receiving a First Impressions copy. The book is terrific – an amazing first effort and even better, promises a series. I became so enthralled with the characters, the locale and the …more
King Peggy
King Peggy: An American Secretary, Her Royal Destiny, and the Inspiring Story of How She Changed an African Village
by Peggielene Bartels, Eleanor Herman
King Peggy - An Inspiration (12/26/2011)
King Peggy is not a book I normally would have chosen since I tend more toward fiction. But I am so glad I chose it from the books available for review, drawn toward the comparison of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. For sure King Peggy shares the African locale, …more
Three Seconds
Three Seconds
by Anders Roslund & Borge Hellstrom
Three Seconds - A Wild, Satisfying Ride (12/9/2010)
The book took hold from the first page and didn’t let go until the last line. At the heart of the book are the well-drawn and very gripping characters including Piet Hoffman, an ex-con and former military man caught up in an intrigue that would have made a lesser man a pawn. …more
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    The River Knows Your Name
    by Kelly Mustian
    A haunting Southern novel about memory and love, from the author of The Girls in the Stilt House.
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  • Book Jacket

    Happy Land
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