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Reviews by lani

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The Wife Between Us
by Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen
Assume Nothing (12/17/2017)
When a book makes you literally gasp midway, you can bet that you have your hands on a winner. The twists and turns in this novel were totally unpredictable and enthralling. Vanessa Thompson's ex is about to be married to another woman. She has been left with nothing aftermore
The Chalk Man
by C. J. Tudor
The terrors of childhood (11/26/2017)
A slow burner mystery that was way different from my usual read. The author has a very sound grasp of the thoughts and behaviors of 12 year old boys and has put her expertise to good use in this novel. The construction of different chapters that alternated between 1986 and 2more
The Immortalists: A Novel
by Chloe Benjamin
A life of quandary (11/24/2017)
A fascinating read that provoked a lot of discussion with my friends regarding the main premise. If you were offered the knowledge of the date of your death, would that information be welcome or despised? Four young children from the lower East Side in NYC visit a gypsymore
Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century
by Jessica Bruder
Disturbing account of the invisibles (10/27/2017)
Lately, I have been engrossed at looking at books that try to help me make sense of the desperate world we are currently living in. Nomadland is a descriptive non fiction account of what has happened to seniors in their 60’s or 70’s who have held decent jobs, but due tomore
Y is for Yesterday: A Kinsey Millhone Novel
by Sue Grafton
Sex, drugs and videotape (10/24/2017)
What is going to happen after Grafton finishes the letter Z? Well, I can't answer that but I can tell you that there are no new surprises in her Y novel; this is pure Kinsey Millhone ferreting out the truth in her job as a private detective.The novel takes place over 2 timemore
Future Home of the Living God
by Louise Erdrich
speculative world (10/17/2017)
Not having read any of the reviews, I had no idea what I was getting into. Having been a big fan of Erdrich's other novels, I assumed that this would again be a comparable success.However,it is a novel quite unlike anything she has written before. This speculative fictionmore
Wonder Valley
by Ivy Pochoda
The wonder in all of us (10/9/2017)
Written with raw energy and palpable emotion, this gritty novel covers the disappearance of a teenage boy twin who runs away from his father's "spiritual" commune like structure, leading to exposing the stories of several other characters who are enterwined with one another.more
Next Year in Havana
by Chanel Cleeton
A sweeping romantic saga (10/3/2017)
How long has it been since you have read a book that conveys both romanticism about people and their country and also the strife involved in a revolutionary world? Chanel Cleeton delivers on both. In her heartbreaking novel about the Perez sugar baron family, they aremore
Hide and Seek: A Helen Grace Thriller
by M.j. Arlidge
mayhem in the prison (9/27/2017)
M.J.Arlidge does it again! Whenever a new book comes out in this series, I get apoplectic as I KNOW it is going to be a winner. So far, he has never failed on this mission. Despite the continued storyline, I feel comfortable recommending this as a stand alone. However,more
Lightning Men: A Novel (The Darktown Series)
by Thomas Mullen
A timely reminder (9/24/2017)
Thomas Mullen's previous book Darktown had me in its grips. Even when it was under the radar, I kept pushing my copy on people telling them they HAD to read it or would be missing out on a gem. With my expectations so high, I couldn't wait to get my hands on # 2 of themore
Good Me Bad Me
by Ali Land
A Taut Suspenseful Read (8/21/2017)
Could. Not. Put. This. Down...I started in the morning, read through lunch, read through supper and did not go to bed before it was complete. The writing was taut, suspenseful, and unrelenting. My stomach was in knots throughout and it took a while for the kinks to unwind.more
Little Fires Everywhere
by Celeste Ng
A book club's dream (8/6/2017)
Wouldn't I love to be a fly on the wall listening to the animated discussion in book clubs following the reading of this superb novel. This is a novel that demands a book club and is destined to be one of the hottest picks for 2017.The Richardson family live an ordinarymore
Stay with Me
by Ayobami Adebayo
Heartbreaking (7/28/2017)
Let me say outright that I love a lot of Nigerian fiction and learning the mores of a culture is infinitely fascinating to me. Adebayo knocked this out of the park for me. I read it in one sitting as I did not want to let go of the characters and the intense pain I feltmore
A Killer Harvest: A Thriller
by Paul Cleave
a rollicking good time (7/12/2017)
This is going to seem like a schizophrenic review. On one hand, I really really enjoyed this and was spellbound from beginning to end. On the other hand, I thought the basic premise so absurd that I had to keep myself from smirking. With full disclosure, I am medical so itmore
The Atlas of Forgotten Places
by Jenny D. Williams
A stunner (6/14/2017)
Every once in a while, along comes a novel that won't leave you, that keeps you up at night contemplating important questions.Williams has constructed a novel that fits beautifully into this category. Based on real and imagined events set in the DNC and Uganda, this novelmore
Live from Cairo
by Ian Bassingthwaighte
a pull on your heart strings (6/7/2017)
A terrific book that is incredibly timely. Set in Egypt after the overthrow of Mubarak, the book focuses on a young woman who has escaped from Iraq but finds herself rootless in Egypt. Her husband's immigration to the US was approved due to emotional hardship but hers wasmore
The Almost Sisters
by Joshilyn Jackson
Your mouth will be stretched wide with smiles.. (5/4/2017)
I had not read her previous book ,The Gods of Alabama, but that is a case that will soon be rectified. What a beautiful voice Jackson gives to her characters, each with their clearly distinct personalities,which made me smile the whole way through. Quirky humor lends itselfmore
Desperation Road
by Michael Farris Smith
Characters with a soul (2/23/2017)
Starting this novel I was bemused as to why this had gotten such good reviews. Written with a slow Southern intonation, I didn't think this was "going to float my boat:.As I continued on and the action escalated, I was entranced by the way this deliberate rhythm stoked mymore
Mississippi Blood: A Natchez Burning Novel #3
by Greg Iles
a masterpiece (2/22/2017)
The final chapter in Greg Iles's trilogy includes Natchez Burning, The Bone Tree and finally Mississippi Blood. I was biting my nails waiting for this superb conclusion to one of the best series I have ever read. It took over 8 years to finish and I am sure readers who havemore
The Stars Are Fire
by Anita Shreve
Transporting novel (2/17/2017)
Anita Shreve has done it again, giving us an absorbing story that I would have finished in one night but decided that sleep needed to become a priority.The setting is Maine, during the late 40's when Grace Holland, a young mother in a loveless marriage, tries to rescue hermore

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