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Let's Call Her Barbie
by Renée Rosen
Divine Doll (1/20/2025)
I grew up playing with and collecting Barbie Dolls. I SO wish I had saved them. Vintage Barbie dolls now are worth a ba-zillion dollars, plus they hold so many memories.

Bestselling author, Renee Rosen has written the definite, well-researched book about how the eleven and amore
The Memory Library
by Kate Storey
Forgiveness and grace (1/9/2025)
The Memory Library(Avon) is a brand new, must-read novel of family and friendship which will leave you feeling hopeful and inspired. It's one of those books I wish I could read again for the first time.

I love reading books about complicated mother-daughter relationships andmore
In the Garden of Monsters: A Novel
by Crystal King
MYTH and FANTASY (8/25/2024)
I was not familiar with the myth of Hades and Persephone or the real life story of Monster in the garden, but I found myself absorbed reading IN THE GARDEN OF MONSTERS (MIRA). I've read Crystal King's prior books and I've always learned something. King has a passion for art,more
The Rose Arbor: A Novel
by Rhys Bowen
A page turner! (8/9/2024)
I've read and enjoyed Rhys Bowen's previous novels and was thrilled to receive an advance copy of her new one, THE ROSE ARBOR (LakeUnion). First of all, I was excited to read a novel with two strong female protagonists.

Liz Houghton is a failing journalist searching for amore
Help Wanted: A Novel
by Adelle Waldman
It's just a job! (2/5/2024)
HELP WANTED (W.W.Norton) captures what it's like to work in a big box store, like a Target or Walmart. It probably won't be everyone's cup of tea, but give it a chance. HELP WANTED reminded me of Seinfeld in the way that it's about ordinary people doing ordinary things andmore
We Must Not Think of Ourselves
by Lauren Grodstein
human evil (1/2/2024)
WE MUST NOT THINK OF OURSELVES (AlgonquinBooks) by Lauren Grodstein is a thought-provoking eyewitness account of WWII. It's based on diaries that can be found in the Oneg Shabbat Archives in Warsaw. I was not aware of this particular story and it left me speechless.

Adammore
Mercury Pictures Presents: A Novel
by Anthony Marra
Historical Brilliance (10/22/2023)
MERCURY PICTURES PRESENTS (Hogarth) by Anthony Marra is brilliant on so many levels. It's hilarious one moment, then turns serious, all the while presenting multi-dimensional, complex characters within a complicated novel. .

It's 1940s pre-war Europe: Immigrants are fleeingmore
This Is Salvaged: Stories
by Vauhini Vara
Intense memorable short stories (9/6/2023)
THIS IS SALVAGED (WWNorton) is pulitzer prize winning author, Vauhini Vara's collection of short stories. Each is an intense look at grief and trying to find hope in the darkest hours. Several times, Vara's stories felt like a punch to the stomach. These are her's honestmore
The September House
by Carissa Orlando
Unwelcome Guests (6/15/2023)
Victorian, with a wrap around porch, a sprawling lawn and a real turret. Margaret and her husband, Hall believe they have found their dream home. Its somewhere they can put down the roots they didn't grow up with.

They aren't concerned when the realtor tells them about themore
The All-American: A Novel
by Joe Milan Jr.
Quite unexpected (3/7/2023)
I'm so glad that I got to read an advanced copy of THE ALL-AMERICAN(Norton). The heart-rending, rollercoaster story made me sad, while the dark comedy had me chuckling. It's smart, complex and its surprising to learn THE ALL-AMERICAN is author, Joe Milan's debut novel.

Buckymore
The Critic's Daughter: A Memoir
by Priscilla Gilman
Daddy's Little Girl (1/27/2023)
THE CRITIC'S DAUGHTER: A Memoir (WWNorton) is a unique portrait of a father-daughter relationship. Priscilla Gilman grew up the daughter of Richard Gilman, a famous mercurial writer and theatre critic. The Gilman's lived on the upper west side and they were constantlymore
The Last Russian Doll
by Kristen Loesch
Russian Review (10/30/2022)
A dual narrative epic saga spanning 100-years of Russian history, THE LAST RUSSIAN DOLL by Kristen Loesch hooked me from the start. At first the idea of reading about Russian history wasn't my cup of tea, but the prose, the plot, story and complex characters took me intomore
River Sing Me Home
by Eleanor Shearer
Mother's Quest (10/5/2022)
River Sing Me Home (Berkley) by Eleanor Shearer is inspired by the true stories of the brave woman who went looking for their stolen children after the abolition of slavery in 1834. It's hard to believe it's a debut novel, because Shearer's prose and narrative are somore
Shadows of Berlin: A Novel
by David R. Gillham
Survivor's guilt (4/25/2022)
Rachel survives WWII in Berlin hiding with her painter, mother as an U-boat girl, but once she arrives in New York City, surviving doesn't mean she's left the horrors of war behind. Her mother doesn't survive, but in Berlin Rachel finds herself under the control of a Jewess,more
Crying in H Mart
by Michelle Zauner
Mother - daughter relationship (2/28/2022)
"Ever since my mom died, I cry in H Mart. H Mart is a supermarket chain that specializes in Asian Food."

Michelle Zauner honors the life and memory of her late cancer stricken mother and their mercurial relationship, in her memoir, CRYING IN H MART (Knopf). She works throughmore
The Family Chao: A Novel
by Lan Samantha Chang
Family Drama (2/3/2022)
Leo "Big" Chao and his wife, Winnie opened their Americanized Chinese food restaurant thirty-five years ago in the small town of Haven, Wisconsin. Leo and Winnie have three sons Dagou, Ming and James in Lan Samantha Chang's new novel, THE FAMILY CHAO (WWNorton). Over themore
The Forest of Vanishing Stars: A Novel
by Kristin Harmel
Story of survival (8/4/2021)
Bestselling author, Kristin Harmel shares another message of hope within the darkness of WWII in her new novel, The Forest of Vanishing Stars (GalleryBooks).

"The forest knew no difference between race, religion or gender."

In 1922, two year-old Inge Juttner, daughter of amore
The Sunset Route: Freight Trains, Forgiveness, and Freedom on the Rails in the American West
by Carrot Quinn
Poetic desperation (7/29/2021)
Carrot Quinn's memoir, THE SUNSET ROUTE is one of the most brilliant books I've read. For Carrot to write so poetically while revealing such desperation, it's not an easy book to absorb. Carrot grows up in Alaska with a schizophrenic mentally-ill mother who speaks to themore
Mrs. March: A Novel
by Virginia Feito
Mrs. March (6/4/2021)
While reading Virginia Feito's novel, MRS. MARCH (Liveright/WWNorton) I felt as if I was being sucked into the mind of a 42 year-old woman suffering from early dementia. And while it was uncomfortable and sad, I couldn't stop reading. Feito's novel is a study betweenmore
The War Nurse: A Novel
by Tracey Enerson Wood
Bravery during WWI (5/25/2021)
I've read a plethora of novels set during WWII. Tracey Enerson Wood's new novel, THE WAR NURSE (SourceBooks) offers a story about WWI based on nurse, Miss Julia Stimson, whose true story was lost until now.

Superintendent nurse, Stimson has one month to recruit, train andmore
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