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Reviews by Cam G. (Murrells Inlet, SC)

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Soy Sauce for Beginners
by Kirstin Chen

Not so great... (9/29/2013)

I must be getting old because I found this book to be too "chick lit" for me. Gretchen, at least for the better half of the book, was unlikeable and self-centered. The best part of Soy Sauce for Beginners was learning how soy sauce was made!

Songs of Willow Frost
by Jamie Ford

Jamie Ford's second book (7/1/2013)

Jamie Ford has written another excellent book. That being said, however, it was one of the saddest books I've read...the poverty in the time of the Great Depression, the prejudices that existed against the Asian American communities, the cruelty of the step father of Willow, …more

The Lion in the Lei Shop
by Kaye Starbird

The Lion in the Lei Shop (5/17/2013)

The Lion in the Lei Shop by Kaye Starbird is one in a series of novels called "Book Lust Discoveries"...these are novels that had been published between 1960 and 2000, were out of print, but chosen for reprint by NPR commentator, Nancy Pearl because they were such good …more

The Laws of Gravity
by Liz Rosenberg

The Laws of Gravity (4/12/2013)

This is a riveting novel about 2 cousins, Ari and Nicole-best friends from childhood. They grow up, marry and have children. Nicole discovers she has life threatening cancer, and her only chance is cord blood that Ari has banked. What will happen is what no close knit …more

Walk Me Home
by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Walk Me Home (4/4/2013)

Two young girls, in fear of being sent to foster care, walk away from their home after their mother has died in order to search for the mother's ex boyfriend. This is the story of their journey on foot with little more than the clothes on their backs through New Mexico and …more

Palisades Park
by Alan Brennert

Palisades Park (2/16/2013)

Palisades Park is Alan Brennert's third novel, all of which I have read, and, while Molokai was very much my favorite, I found this to be a wonderful history of the Park as well as an entertaining story of the Stopka family whose lives were interwoven throughout the book. …more

With or Without You: A Memoir
by Domenica Ruta

WITH OR WITHOUT YOU (11/18/2012)

You will love it, you will hate it, you will even despair, but no matter how you feel, you will be in thrall of this young woman's life and how she turns it around. She was born to a drug-addicted mother who, incredibly, turned her daughter into one as well when she was a …more

My Brilliant Friend
by Elena Ferrante

MY BRILLIANT FRIEND (6/2/2012)

Elena Ferrante's novel, is a wonderful journey of life in the 1950's in and around the city of Naples, Italy. At that time, for many of the citizenry, it is a life or poverty and need, yet it is also about strong family bonds and friendships.
The narrator is Elena Greco, aka …more

The First Warm Evening of the Year: A Novel
by Jamie M. Saul

The First Warm Evening of the Year (4/13/2012)

Like a mystery story, The First Warm Evening of the Year, held me in its trance. It is a love story, but unlike most romances, it is poignant, heart-rending and suspenseful. Saul's wonderfully crafted characterizations, and his ability to write with compassion and elegance …more

Losing Clementine: A Novel
by Ashley Ream

LOSING CLEMENTINE (2/1/2012)

Clementine, a depressed, flip, extremely talented artist is planning her demise within one month's time. She sets out to tie up loose ends, and in do doing, learns more about herself than she realized. What would have ordinarily been a dark story, considering the theme, …more

Arcadia: A Novel
by Lauren Groff

Arcadia (12/6/2011)

I was a young married woman with a family in the 60's when communes, "free love" and drugs became the "thing" to do. I think, perhaps, that is one reason why I did not much enjoy Arcadia. I must admit that Gross's prose is quite excellent but it wasn't enough for me.

Proof of Heaven: A Novel
by Mary Curran Hackett

Proof of Heaven (8/27/2011)

Proof of Heaven is a story about a single mother whose strong Catholic faith pushes her to search for a solution or miracle to save her terminally ill son. Colm, "pronounced Col-um", is the wonderful little boy who knows he may die soon and desperately wants to meet his …more

Heat Wave: A Novel
by Nancy Thayer

Heat Wave (4/30/2011)

Since I spent much of my youth on Nantucket many years ago, I was truly interested in reading Nancy Thayer's new book. I was disappointed, initially, that this was going to be a bit of a "fluff" book: 30 something women who lived well on Nantucket socializing and stealing …more

Outside Wonderland: A Novel
by Lorna Jane Cook

Outside Wonderland (2/6/2011)

Outside Wonderland is an imaginative novel about a family who has suffered the loss of each of their parents at different times in their youth, and the difficulties they encountered in their adult lives. Unbeknownst to them, the parents are residing in the "Here" ( or …more

Solomon's Oak: A Novel
by Jo-Ann Mapson

Solomon's Oak (9/27/2010)

Solomon's Oak, a one hundred year old tree, is the central focus around which three lonely strangers come together. They each have endured loss and tragedy in their lives.

This is a splendid story about a grieving young widow fighting to hang on to her farm, an angry but …more

The Doctor and the Diva: A Novel
by Adrienne McDonnell

THE DOCTOR AND THE DIVA (5/30/2010)

The Doctor and the Diva, Adrienne McDonnell's first novel, is a wonderful read from start to finish. It is inspired by the life of the author's son's paternal great great grandmother who deserted her husband and son to further her career as an operatic singer. This book is …more

Ten Minutes from Home: A Memoir
by Beth Greenfield

TEN MINUTES FROM HOME (4/21/2010)

TEN MINUTES FROM HOME, by Beth Greenfield, is a touching memoir about her teenage years after a horrifying accident that killed both her little brother and best friend. Life from then on was of immense grief compounded by her inability to share her feelings with her parents, …more

The Secret of Everything
by Barbara O'Neal

The Secret of Everything (11/11/2009)

Tess Harper, an adventure tour guide, sets out to Las Ladronas in New Mexico, ostensibly to research prospective guided tours in that area, but in actuality ends up searching for her own true identity.

This book is an easy read and enjoyable due to the likable characters …more

Gifts of War: A Novel
by Mackenzie Ford

Gifts of War (4/1/2009)

MacKenzie Ford is the nom de plume of a well-known British historian, and Gifts of War is his first novel.
It is a page turner about World War I, its tragedies and intrigues, of love and its secrets and deceptions. Ford's historical knowledge shines through, and with this …more

Something Like Beautiful: One Single Mother's Story
by Asha Bandele

Something Like Beautiful (12/4/2008)

This is a memoir about a young woman dealing with depression as well as raising a young child as a single mother. I, initially, had quite a bit of trouble getting into her account of her life which I thought was somewhat overdone. However, the more I continued to read, …more

BookBrowse Book Club

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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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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