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Reviews by Betty Taylor

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The Little Shop of Found Things
by Paula Brackston
Magical! (10/5/2018)
"Every soul that once trod this brutal earth leaves their imprint upon the things that mattered to them. The things that they held, the things that once echoed to the beat of their hearts."

I love that quote from Paula Brackston’s new novel THE LITTLE SHOP OF FOUND THINGS.more
Sold on a Monday
by Kristina McMorris
Never underestimate the power of a photo… (8/30/2018)
A sign in a yard – 2 children for sale – caught the attention of struggling reporter Ellis Reed. It’s the Great Depression and people take desperate measures to survive. Ellis snapped an innocent enough photo of the sign and the children, never intending that the photo bemore
Baby Teeth
by Zoje Stage
Another Bad Seed (7/21/2018)
If you are a fan of the old movie BAD SEED starring Patty McCormick, you will LOVE this book. This book would fit well in the horror genre, right up there with Stephen King and John Saul. I wasn’t crazy about the story itself, but I could not stop reading it. I had to seemore
America for Beginners
by Leah Franqui
A Life Changing Journey (7/18/2018)
If you enjoyed Fatima Farheen Mirza’s A PLACE FOR US, I highly recommend AMERICA FOR BEGINNERS.

Three misfits set out on a journey across America, a journey of evolution, and are changed forever.

Pival Sengupta, a newly widowed Indian woman, has booked a trip to America. Hermore
The Summer Wives
by Beatriz Williams
Fabulous! (7/16/2018)
Another fabulous book by Beatriz Williams. A great beach read.

This book is about the clash of two cultures here – the rich, privileged summer families and the immigrant working class local families who live on the island year round. The interaction of these cultures setsmore
Me, Myself and Them
by Dan Mooney
A Sensitive Look at Surviving Loss (6/21/2018)
It seems almost perverse to say that this book is delightful. Denis was once a normal 23-year-old fun-loving man who enjoyed evenings with his friends, a loving family, and his beautiful girlfriend Rebecca. But one night seven years ago he suffered a tragic loss, a lossmore
Bring Me Back
by B. A. Paris
Suspenseful but the twist didn't work for me (6/19/2018)
I loved B.A. Paris’ first book “Behind Closed Doors”. I thought “The Breakdown” was really good. So I was really eager to jump into this book. Twelve years ago Finn and Layla were in love. But returning from their vacation one night, Finn stops at what Americans know as amore
How to Walk Away
by Katherine Center
Very Relatable Relationships (5/17/2018)
I will admit that this was a book that I did not want to like. Yes, that is right – I did not want to like it. It seemed to be pure romance – no mysteries, no murders, no other story line than pure romance. But it hooked me! That, to me, a sign of good writing. Themore
A Place for Us
by Fatima Farheen Mirza
You will long remember this family (5/9/2018)
I am amazed that this is Ms. Mirza's first book. It is beautifully written, describing the family dynamics of a Muslim Indian-American family and their desire to remain devout to their religion and continue their cultural traditions here in the US. Just like any family,more
After Anna
by Lisa Scottoline
“After Anna” may well be her best book yet (4/22/2018)
Have you ever made a mistake in your life and desperately wished for a do-over? For 17 years Maggie Alderman has lived with regret over losing custody of her infant daughter Anna. But Anna’s father has died in a plane crash leaving her in a boarding school, and Anna nowmore
The Kurdish Bike: A Novel
by Alesa Lightbourne
The Land "Older than the flood" (4/6/2018)
I loved this book. Books having to do with the Middle East always interest me. This is a region that the author says is “older than the flood.” It is a land that has been ruled at one time or another by the Assyrians, the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks,more
The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After
by Elizabeth Weil, Clemantine Wamariya
Searches for her own value (3/12/2018)
I cannot even begin to imagine what life was like in Rwanda during the time of the massacre there. I remember watching the movie "Hotel Rwanda" and thinking what a horror story this was, yet it wasn't a story – it was real life. I remember hearing hotel manager Paulmore
The Family Next Door
by Sally Hepworth
Know Your Neighbors (3/5/2018)
There sure is a lot of drama in the suburb of Pleasant Court. Fran, Ange, and Essie, all married with children, are all surface level friends. Everyone thinks the family next door is so perfect. Then Isabelle moves in – single, no children.
But behind closed doors, all havemore
An American Marriage
by Tayari Jones
Reflects real life decisions & emotions (2/24/2018)
Tayari Jones does not sugar coat her stories. They are raw, they are real. In her latest book “An American Marriage” her characters deal with the realities of their place in this world.

The characters are well developed – all with flaws, all with positive qualities. Theremore
The Girls in the Picture
by Melanie Benjamin
A Test of Friendship (1/16/2018)
I thoroughly enjoyed “The Girls in the Picture” by Melanie Benjamin and learned a lot from it. That is why I have come to love the genre of historical fiction – I always learn something new. I knew very little about the early days of the movie industry and nothing reallymore
Anatomy of a Scandal
by Sarah Vaughan
Timely Story of Politics and Sexual Scandals (12/29/2017)
This book is definitely being released at the right time – when it seems that every day brings new headlines of the latest sexual harassment accusations against politicians. Years of sweeping it all under the rug are coming to an end.

James Whitehead, a member of the Britishmore
The Second Mrs. Hockaday
by Susan Rivers
Survival on the Cival War Homefront (12/13/2017)
Using the epistolary technique, this story is told through letters and diary entries. It worked well although I did have to frequently jump to the end of the letter to see who the letter was from. The time line also was a bit confusing at times – letters written between 1863more
It's All Relative: Adventures Up and Down the World's Family Tree
by A. J. Jacobs
Funny but Repetitive (11/10/2017)
I read his book “The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible.” I wasn’t crazy about it, nor am I for this book.

However, it does have its good points. His sense of humor is always welcome. I figure his wife Julie mustmore
Good Me Bad Me
by Ali Land
Our Inner Demons (9/4/2017)
Be prepared – the last half of this book will keep you reading all night.

I think there are times that we all struggle with our inner demons. This is only natural. There’s the part of us that wants to please everyone, and there’s the part that wants to rebel against parentsmore
The Rules of Magic
by Alice Hoffman
Love and Teen Witches (8/13/2017)
I have read several of Alice Hoffman’s books but this one was certainly different for me. I have not read “Practical Magic” so did not really know what to expect. While this book is a prequel to “Practical Magic”, it also stands alone. Ms. Hoffman is certainly versatile –more

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