BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

Happy Land
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Excellent book! (11/16/2024)

This is another great story told by the author of Take My Hand. Another historical fiction tale that had me completely engaged. The author's skilled writing made me feel that I was right there with her characters. Bravo!

The Cleaner: A Novel
by Brandi Wells

Inventive, but... (2/12/2024)

As I started to read this book, I was intrigued by the inventive writing style. The author chooses to let the "cleaner" gives us her thoughts on her evening work and on the people who work in the office during the day. By the end of the book, my feelings are that the "cleaner" is a bit delusional in her thought process. While I found the writing to be interesting, the ending was rather banal. Not the best read for me.

The Waters: A Novel
by Bonnie Jo Campbell

Slow grind (11/29/2023)

Write what you know about. That advice seemed to be followed by the author of this book. Unfortunately, it did not appeal to me. The tale was too long and the characters not appealing to me. I am afraid of snakes and the fact that snakes play such an important role in the book was difficult for me to read. The divide among the townspeople is not dissimilar to the divide in our country today. Perhaps the author was trying to address that issue in this book. Unclear to me.

Above the Salt: A Novel
by Katherine Vaz

Too long and too scattered (10/18/2023)

I have to agree with the other reviewers who wrote that this book is too long and too scattered. While I was interested in the religious differences of people on Madeira, which is the basis of the book, I found that the writing was average and the subject matter too scattered. I would not recommend this book to readers.

Digging Stars: A Novel
by Novuyo Rosa Tshuma

Not to my liking (8/9/2023)

I found this book difficult to read and more importantly, difficult to relate to the characters. I understand that many other individuals enjoyed this read, but I did not. I found the writing to be disjointed and the subject matter not very interesting. I do understand that the author was telling a tale of a father/daughter relationship, but it did not resonate with me.

Banyan Moon: A Novel
by Thao Thai

Good story about three generations of women (5/7/2023)

A family with many secrets that come to life during the course of the story. I could identify with the stresses that exist between a mother and her daughter! The unfolding story, told from three different perspectives during several time periods, was worth the read. There are a few holes in the story which are never cleared up, but all in all, I enjoyed the book.

The Critic's Daughter: A Memoir
by Priscilla Gilman

Not to my liking (2/1/2023)

If you have read any of the other reviews on this website, you know that Priscilla Gilman is writing a memoir about her father and the relationship that she had with him. While I respect her writing skills, I found that I had little to no interest in either Priscilla or her father. The angst was overwhelming and bothered me. I expect that many people can relate to the story and even empathize with Priscilla. I would have preferred that she kept this information to herself.

Sisters of the Lost Nation
by Nick Medina

Worth the read (11/9/2022)

The author writes a good story about several difficult subject matters. The problems faced by the indigenous people of the United States is well defined in this book. I particularly appreciated reading about the subject matter and the various characters described in this book. While not easy reading, it was worth my time.

River Sing Me Home
by Eleanor Shearer

Wonderful story (8/31/2022)

This is one of the best books that I have read this year. The writing is exquisite. I was totally committed to the characters. They felt like family to me. This was a story about British slavery which was unknown to me. Please do yourself a favor and read this book.

How to Find Your Way Home
by Katy Regan

Homelessness is a difficult topic (11/21/2021)

This book is centered on the life of the homeless and the affect of that situation on the family of the homeless person. The author does a noble job of leading the reader to the conclusion of the book regarding the reasons for the homelessness. No two circumstances are the same with regard to this problem. I have a brother who became homeless as an older adult. I still do not understand how it happened for him.

Take My Hand
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Another dark moment in our hsitory (9/16/2021)

Well written historical fiction about another dark moment in American history. This is an open look at medical malpractice brought upon the poor and under-educated among our populace. I was unaware of the procedures that were done at this time in our history. Good for all of us to know.

The fictional part of the story felt very real. I could not stop reading this book.

At the Chinese Table: A Memoir with Recipes
by Carolyn Phillips

Abook for serious foodies (7/6/2021)

While the book is touted as one for readers interested in Chinese cuisine, I found the most interesting part was Carolyn Phillips gutsy move to Taiwan after college and her even gutsier move to integrate herself into a Chinese family. Not an easy feat, but she seemed to be able to relate to her boyfriend/husband's mother through her efforts to entice her mother-in-law with native foods. Bravo for her!

Morningside Heights: A Novel
by Joshua Henkin

Not the besst read (4/16/2021)

I wanted to like this book, but it fell flat for me. The premise of early onset dementia in one of the lead characters, Spence and the effect of the disease on the rest of the family had potential, but did not meet the test for me. I was not invested in any of the characters. The son's story did not ring true for me. I was also bothered by Pru's role in the story.

The Personal Librarian
by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray

Well done! (2/14/2021)

Wonderfully written book about a fascinating woman in American history. It is also a condemnation of the racial discrimination that has plagued our history. Bravo for Marie Benedict having the understanding that she could not write this book by herself. Adding Victoria Christopher Murray as the co-author gives authenticity to the feelings of the protagonist. This is my introduction to Marie Benedict as an author. Now I want to read more of the books that she has written about unsung women heroes.

The Prophets
by Robert Jones Jr.

Astounding writing and superb storytelling (10/22/2020)

The author claims that he is picking up where Toni Morrison and James Baldwin left off. His writing proves him to be correct. The writing is superb even if the vernacular was sometimes difficult for me to understand.
The subject matter is so relevant in today’s world. Nonetheless, it is difficult reading. Enlightening about issues of enslavement in the United States that I had not considered before reading this book. The concerns among the enslaved people were so real. The entanglements between the slaves and the slave owners were well described.

Miss Austen
by Gill Hornby

Good read for champions of Jane Austen (2/3/2020)

I read this book without having any background on the lives of Jane and Cassandra Austen. While the book did a good job of painting a picture of the times in which they lived, I did not find it to be that interesting. It is a well written book and a fast read. I guess that I am just not that interested in the subject matter.

I Want You to Know We're Still Here: A Post-Holocaust Memoir
by Esther Safran Foer

Not Great (11/19/2019)

I read many, many books about the Holocaust, both non-fiction and historical fiction. The accounts are always disturbing. Some authors present the information in beautiful and compelling prose. In my opinion, this author did not do a great job. I understand her need to search for the truth about her family, but I do not feel that her writing did a great job in capturing her feelings. Some of the things that she wrote felt out of context. I also felt that she leaned to heavily on the writings of her son, Jonathan Safran Foer. I would not recommend this book.

The Night Tiger: A Novel
by Yangsze Choo

Well written (12/7/2018)

I thought that this book was well written because of the alternating points of view from chapter to chapter. The spiritual aspect of the tale was intriguing. The book kept my interest from the beginning. However, I was disappointed by the way in which the author chose to tie everything together at the end of the book.

Reviews by Ilene M. (Longmont, CO)

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Reviews by Ilene M. (Longmont, CO)

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