Reviews by Kathryn H. (Rochester, MI)

If you'd like to be able to easily share your reviews with others, please join BookBrowse.
Order Reviews by:
The Botanist's Assistant
The Botanist's Assistant
by Peggy Townsend
Margaret Bird Persists Despite Disparagement (6/30/2025)
Margaret Finch, the botanist's assistant, knows she is "different." She's precise, she's intelligent, and she's tall. Margaret knows that other employees at the university call her "Big Bird" behind her back.

Her boss, Dr. Deaver, treats her respectfully. In return, Margaret …more
Fagin the Thief
Fagin the Thief: A Novel
by Allison Epstein
The Making of Fagin the Thief (12/16/2024)
Allison Epstein has done a wonderful job fleshing out the character of "Oliver Twist('s)" Jacob Fagin. If you enjoy books like Sarah Miller's "Marmee" or modern retellings or additions to the Jane Austen stories, "Fagin the Thief" may fill several happy hours of reading.

…more
The Seven O'Clock Club
The Seven O'Clock Club
by Amelia Ireland
The Weight of Grief (11/4/2024)
If you're looking for a book with car chases, explosions, and double agents, you're not looking for "The Seven O'Clock Club." If you'd feel at home with a book about four strangers who have each endured a tragedy from which they can't seem to heal, Amelia Ireland has …more
We'll Prescribe You a Cat
We'll Prescribe You a Cat
by Syou Ishida
A reminder that the human-animal bond is precious (5/30/2024)
Trouble at work? Difficult child? Nakagyo Kokoro Clinic for the Soul might have just what you need: a cat to take home for two weeks.

"We'll Prescribe You a Cat" is a charming set of vignettes about people who end up at a difficult-to-find clinic and find themselves carrying …more
Rednecks
Rednecks: A Novel
by Taylor Brown
A tragic slice of history (5/12/2024)
Taylor Brown has written a compelling historical novel about the Battle of Blair Mountain, West Virginia. Although the largest battle on US soil since the Civil War, it's probably fair to say that many outside the region are not familiar with it.

The pivotal character in …more
The Funeral Cryer
The Funeral Cryer: A Novel
by Wenyan Lu
She tolerates her circumstances (2/5/2024)
I was first drawn to "The Funeral Cryer" by the title. I've been interested in the use of the "sin-eater" in Appalachian culture and wondered if the Chinese figure might be at all similar.

Wenyan Lu's "The Funeral Cryer" is the moving story of a woman who supports herself …more
Wild and Distant Seas
Wild and Distant Seas: A Novel
by Tara Karr Roberts
The Women of Moby Dick, and their white whales (10/17/2023)
"Wild and Distant Seas" is the story of four generations of women who have some involvement with the men in "Moby Dick." Added to that is the fact that each woman has a specific magical talent. One can see your recent thoughts and another can make you forget something, for …more
The Quiet Tenant
The Quiet Tenant: A Novel
by Clémence Michallon
A Serial Killer Lives in Plain Sight (6/25/2023)
It is the stuff of nightmares. Clemence Michallon begins her debut thriller by describing the life of a woman who has been held captive by a man-- a man who is liked by everyone in his "other" life.

He tells the woman her name will be "Rachel." He mistreats her in about …more
King of the Armadillos
King of the Armadillos
by Wendy Chin-Tanner
King of the Armadillos (5/21/2023)
What a wonderful story about such a devastating event! In "King of the Armadillos," 15-year-old Victor Chin has just been diagnosed with Hansen's disease (formerly known as leprosy). He must go to live at the government facility in Carville, LA, for treatment and stay until …more
Mrs. Plansky's Revenge
Mrs. Plansky's Revenge
by Spencer Quinn
Don't Mess With Mrs. Plansky! (3/31/2023)
I've read several of Spencer Quinn's Chet and Bernie series and have enjoyed them, in large part due to Chet's (the dog) narration of the story. So when I saw that Quinn had written Mrs. Plansky's Revenge, I requested the ARC from Book Browse.

Mrs. Plansky is a business- …more
Some of It Was Real
Some of It Was Real
by Nan Fischer
Sylvie is a medium: yes or no? (2/28/2022)
Whether or not you believe in psychics or mediums, "Some of It Was Real" is an entertaining book. Sylvie, the psychic/medium, gets a visit from Thomas, a journalist who wants to expose her as a fraud.

Sylvie is an orphan who remembers none of her life before her adoptive …more
The Paris Bookseller
The Paris Bookseller
by Kerri Maher
Much information that was new to me (10/26/2021)
The good news is that I did finish the book. The other news is that the first chapter was so full of long, adjective-peppered sentences that I initially despaired of doing so.

Fortunately, the storytelling improved. I was totally unfamiliar with the life of Sylvia Beach and …more
  • Page
  • 1

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
Before Dorothy
by Hazel Gaynor
Before Oz, Aunt Em leaves Chicago for Kansas in a powerful tale of courage, change, and new beginnings by Hazel Gaynor.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Angelica
    by Molly Beer

    A women-centric view of revolution through the life of Angelica Schuyler Church, Alexander Hamilton's influential sister-in-law.

    Read the Reviews
  • Book Jacket

    The Whyte Python World Tour
    by Travis Kennedy

    Rikki Thunder, drummer for '80s metal band Whyte Python, is on the verge of fame, love—and a spy mission he didn’t expect.

    Read the Reviews
  • Book Jacket

    The Original
    by Nell Stevens

    In a grand English country house in 1899, an aspiring art forger must unravel whether the man claiming to be her long-lost cousin is an impostor.

    Read the Reviews
1
2
3
PrevNext
Who Said...

Not doing more than the average is what keeps the average down.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

E H L the B

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.