BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

Reviews by Renee T. (Seward, PA)

The Witches at the End of the World
by Chelsea Iversen

The Witches at the End of the World (8/15/2023)

Minna and Kaija's story is alternately told by both sisters, witches who approach their talents from opposite sides. Minna embraces her talents and wishes to punish all who have harmed her family, particularly those who burned her mother as a witch. Kaija wants to escape …more

The Secret Book of Flora Lea: A Novel
by Patti Callahan Henry

Good choice for book clubs (8/15/2023)

The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry begins in WWII with the evacuation of London’s children to escape the Blitz. Hazel and Flora are among the evacuees, leaving their mother and traveling to the safety of a small village in the North.

To help ease her …more

Chenneville: A Novel of Murder, Loss, and Vengeance
by Paulette Jiles

My pick for Best Book this year (8/15/2023)

Paulette Jiles’s new book Chenneville is as well-written and absorbing as her previous novels. Jiles takes the reader to post-Civil War Missouri where John Chenneville has returned to his family farm still damaged from an almost lethal head injury. He finds the farm empty …more

The Gifts: A Novel
by Liz Hyder

The Gifts (3/28/2023)

In Victorian England, women are mysteriously growing wings; large, angel-like wings. This "miracle" causes an uproar in London, and the lives of an ambitious surgeon, his artist wife, a budding journalist, and two affected women are changed forever.

I was drawn into this …more

The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise
by Colleen Oakley

Wonderful Read! (10/20/2022)

The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley is absolutely one of my favorite books from 2022! Tanner and Louise, plus all the minor characters involved with them, are so well written I felt like they were real people by the end of the book! Oakley's writing …more

Two Storm Wood: A Novel
by Philip Gray

Two Storm Wood (12/18/2021)

I found this book to be a very compelling read. Having read many novels based on WWI, I had never read any dealing with the subjects raised in this title. I won't mention those that are spoilers, but I honestly had never thought about who was responsible for retrieving the …more

The Personal Librarian
by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray

The Personal Librarian (2/3/2021)

Having visited the Morgan Library and Museum on my last visit to NYC, I was interested to learn more about the amazing woman who worked to build such a wonderful collection and exhibit it to the public. While I was not a fan of the writing style, I did enjoy reading about …more

BookBrowse Book Club

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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The Devil Finds Work
by James Baldwin

A book-length essay on racism in American films, by "the best essayist in this country" (The New York Times Book Review).

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Real Americans
by Rachel Khong

From the author of Goodbye, Vitamin, a novel exploring family, identity, and the shaping of destiny.

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The Mysterious Bakery on Rue de Paris
by Evie Woods

From the million-copy bestselling author of The Lost Bookshop.

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Four strangers join an experimental treatment to heal broken hearts in Amelia Ireland's heartfelt debut novel.

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The Fairbanks Four
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One murder, four guilty convictions, and a community determined to find justice.

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