BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

Reviews by Victoria

The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois
by Honorée Fannone Jeffers

Excellent and creative (9/12/2021)

This was as fantastic as you might have been hearing. It tackles an almost uncountable number of current topics in a sensitive and realistic way by wrapping them in a beautiful multi-generational historical fiction. I fell in love with Ailey and her family. Highly recommended.

Project Hail Mary
by Andy Weir

I give this all the stars! (4/22/2021)

A million thanks to Random House/Ballantine and Netgalley for providing the ARC of Andy Weir’s new novel! For fans of The Martian, Andy Weir seems to be back (after his previous Artemis which I was so disappointed with I didn’t finish). Remember “science the shit out of …more

Two Truths and a Lie: A Murder, a Private Investigator, and Her Search for Justice
by Ellen McGarrahan

Worthwhile, but not great (2/4/2021)

Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for providing this ARC. This is an interesting investigation and memoir that I would categorize as a lesser version of I’ll Be Gone in the Dark. The author goes from naive cub reporter to a haunted and obsessive private detective, …more

The Survivors: A Novel
by Jane Harper

Another winner from Jane Harper (1/21/2021)

I discovered Jane Harper with The Lost Man a few years ago and loved that book. I also read The Dry which didn’t excite me as much, but this new novel The Survivors has drawn me back in. I’m sure I will read more of her books in the future. I especially enjoyed that the …more

Trial by Fire: A Devastating Tragedy, 100 Lives Lost, and a 15-Year Search for Truth
by Scott James

Interesting investigative journalism (10/21/2020)

Thank you St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for providing this ARC. This is an excellent work of investigative reporting on the 2003 Rhode Island Station Fire. I remember when this tragedy happened, but I think I’ve only heard details in the broadest sense. This book …more

The Cold Millions
by Jess Walter

Another winner from versatile Jess Walters (10/21/2020)

Thank you to HarperCollins and Edelweiss for sharing Jess Walter’s new novel. I really enjoyed this historical fiction title. Jess Walters is a great and multifaceted writer. I’ve started comparing him to Chris Bohjalian and Mary Doria Russell, authors who write on a huge …more

The Once and Future Witches
by Alix E. Harrow

Fantastic! (10/11/2020)

Many many thanks to Redhook and Netgalley for providing the advance reader copy! This book was fantastic. It centers on three estranged sisters who are (as you might have guessed) witches. The book combines alternative history and touches on suffrage, labor rights, gender, …more

When She Was Good: Cyrus Haven #2
by Michael Robotham

Recommended, but read number 1 in series first (7/15/2020)

Thanks Scribner and Netgalley for providing this ARC. This was a fantastic follow up to Good Girl, Bad Girl. Highly recommended but read the first one before diving into this. I can’t wait to read more about these characters and I hope there are more to come in the series.

Memorial Drive
by Natasha Trethewey

Beautifully lyrical memoir. (7/15/2020)

Thanks to Harper Collins/Ecco and Edelweiss for sharing the ARC of this memoir. Memoir is not usually my favorite genre, but something about the description of this one spoke to me. It’s a beautifully written, haunting and poignant story of the author’s (Natasha Trethewey, …more

Crossings
by Alex Landragin

Complicated, it worth it. (7/15/2020)

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this upcoming novel. I wasn’t sure if it was for me after reading a reviewer compare it to Cloud Atlas which I struggled with and abandoned. I see the similarities but I found this work more accessible. So it’s a …more

His & Hers
by Alice Feeney

Much better than expected! (7/15/2020)

Thank you Flatiron Books and Netgalley for offering me this ARC to read. This book is off the charts! When I first started, I admit that I was thinking it was another book derivative of Gone Girl, of which there have been so many. While there are similarities with the two …more

The Silence of the White City: The White City Trilogy #1
by Eva Garcia Sáenz

Better than average serial killer mystery (7/15/2020)

I loved this newly translated crime story. While it’s a typical serial killer tale, the setting in Spain and the complicated back stories of the protagonists (and antagonists) lifted it into something above average. I’d recommend this for fans of Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole, …more

The Cold Vanish: Seeking the Missing in North America's Wildlands
by Jon Billman

For fans of Jon Krakauer (6/24/2020)

I enjoyed this book and learned a lot about the number of people who go missing without explanation or resolution. Which was surprising to me and sad. I recommend this for non fiction fans, but especially those who have enjoyed Jon Krakauer and other similar writers.

Survivor Song
by Paul Tremblay

Didn’t enjoy this, but seems perfect for the crazy 2020 (6/24/2020)

Due to its subject matter (a rabies pandemic) and the current state of the world I’m not sure my review could ever be fair to the author. This book made me feel exceptionally uneasy and nervous, and not in the typical good thriller way. Despite not feeling an overwhelming …more

Utopia Avenue
by David Mitchell

For fans of Daisy Jones and the Six (6/24/2020)

This is a must read for David Mitchell fans, but should have a wider appeal as well. I have only read a few of his books (The Bone Clocks and Slade House) both of which I loved. Familiar characters from prior Mitchell books make appearances, but you don’t need to know the …more

The Last Flight
by Julie Clark

Suspenseful, timely (6/16/2020)

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks LANDMARK for providing me this ARC. I highly recommend this upcoming thriller title. It starts a bit slowly, but by the midpoint, I was hooked on the stories of the main characters and their interplay. Great suspense, right up until the …more

Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre
by Max Brooks

New take on the zombie (but not zombie!) genre (6/5/2020)

I read this a few months ago after receiving an ARC. I couldn’t wait to read this because I had loved World War Z so much. I don’t think Devolution quite lived up to that, but it was a fun read nonetheless. I enjoyed the narrative style, which was journal entries …more

Surviving Autocracy
by Masha Gessen

Another winner by Masha Gessen (5/21/2020)

Masha Gessen really nailed it. I’m not much for politics and haven’t read too many Trump-focused books because I found that a frustrating and unappealing topic. I picked this up mainly due to author recognition. But it was great. Ms. Gessen’s explanations of things that …more

The Lost Family: How DNA Testing Is Upending Who We Are
by Libby Copeland

Food for thought (5/13/2020)

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher. This was fascinating. In some sections, it did get a bit bogged down in the technical minutiae of DNA testing and genetics but thankfully those areas were short and then returned to the main human interest part of the …more

Saint X
by Alexis Schaitkin

Thought- provoking debut (3/19/2020)

Thanks to Celadon Books and Edelweiss for the advance copy. The novel appears to be inspired by the Natalee Holloway case with many similarities to the facts there. You could term this a mystery, as the final resolution doesn’t come until the end of the book, but it’s not …more

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A Map to Paradise
by Susan Meissner

From the USA Today bestselling author of Only the Beautiful. 1956, Malibu, California: Something is not right on Paradise Circle.

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Becoming Madam Secretary
by Stephanie Dray

New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Dray returns with a captivating novel about an American heroine France Perkins—now in paperback!

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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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The Husbands
by Holly Gramazio

The Husbands delights in asking: how do we navigate life, love, and choice in a world of never-ending options?

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