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Reviews by Mary Jane D. (Arlington Heights, IL)

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Pony Confidential
Pony Confidential
by Christina Lynch
Fun Easy Read (6/11/2024)
Pony Confidential is a fun light read and is a nice break for those who like mystery stories.

The premise that a pony can clear it's owner of a murder had me intrigued but alas the pony did it! It was a far fetched plot that comes together at the end of the book.

I thought …more
The House on Biscayne Bay
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
Easy Mystery Read (1/3/2024)
I liked The House on Biscaine Bay very much. It was an easy and quick read during a busy holiday season for me and I found myself making time to find out what happens next - or what was revealed next.

The story was easy to follow despite two time periods and had limited …more
Becoming Madam Secretary
Becoming Madam Secretary
by Stephanie Dray
Good Historical Read (11/12/2023)
Becoming Madame Secretary by Stephanie Day is an excellent example of historical fiction.

It engaged me from the beginning and is an easy read that kept my attention. The little known characters such as Frances Perkins and Charles Wyzanski and well known such as FDR and …more
Above the Salt
Above the Salt: A Novel
by Katherine Vaz
Not impressed (9/12/2023)
The summary of Above the Salt states it is an irresistible and sweeping love story that follows two refugees who flee religious persecution and reignite their romance in Civil-War America. It seemed like a good match for the type of story I like.

However I was not impressed …more
The Wager
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
by David Grann
True Swashbuckling Tale (3/4/2023)
The Wager is a very well researched and well written story of a little known historical event. The documented events on the HMS Wager were the inspiration for some famous writers but David Grann tells us the entire story of an 18th century maritime disaster. He makes this …more
Jackie & Me
Jackie & Me
by Louis Bayard
Unlikely Friendship (6/11/2022)
Jackie and Me is the story of an unlikely friendship between JFK and his "fixer" Lem Billings and his relationship with Jackie. It adds some fictional drama to the historical facts that we know about Jack's philandering ways up to and after the wedding to Jackie. In the …more
Dirt Creek
Dirt Creek: A Novel
by Hayley Scrivenor
Kept Me Guessing (3/5/2022)
I don't usually read mysteries but Dirt Creek is an excellent read! I did not want to put it down until I found out what really happened to Esther. I was drawn into the small rural Australian town with descriptive images. The characters were believable even with their …more
The Paris Bookseller
The Paris Bookseller
by Kerri Maher
The Paris Bookseller (10/31/2021)
I was assigned to read James Joyce's ULYSSES for a literary class in college and I was not a fan. After reading THE PARIS BOOKSELLER I now have a better understanding of the controversy surrounding its authorship and publication.

The book is very well researched and true to …more
Sisters of the Great War
Sisters of the Great War: A Novel
by Suzanne Feldman
Easy Historical Read (9/3/2021)
Sisters of the Great War is an easy read about the adventures of two American sisters who volunteer their talents - one medical and one mechanical- to serve in the WW1 war effort in Belgium. The sisters quickly find their experiences are very different from their …more
A Million Things
A Million Things
by Emily Spurr
Emotional Read (5/1/2021)
A Million Things is an account of a ten year old girl being left on her own by a dysfunctional mother. Through her narration we experience what is going on in her head. It is the sad story of survival tactics and independence that is eventually tempered by friendship with a …more
The Personal Librarian
The Personal Librarian
by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray
A Very Timely Read (2/11/2021)
The Personal Librarian is a very well researched book that was collaboratively written by two women authors. The story is fascinating and although I didn't know anything about J.P. Morgan and Belle de Costa Greene I was drawn into their story and wanted to keep finding out …more
The Widow Queen
The Widow Queen: The Bold #1
by Elzbieta Cherezinska
Way Too Long (12/5/2020)
The Widow Queen is not an easy book to get through. I feel it was too long, wordy, and detailed. The story didn't hold my attention and the characters were hard to keep straight as many of the names were similar and strange. It might be easier for someone who is familiar …more
The Woman Before Wallis
The Woman Before Wallis: A Novel of Windsors, Vanderbilts, and Royal Scandal
by Bryn Turnbull
Story of Little Known Woman (7/24/2020)
Woman Before Wallis is a good account of the relationship between David, future King Edward, and Thelma Morgan, twin sister of Gloria Vanderbilt. We get a glimpse of the lives of the rich and famous and see many of their short comings.

The writing style is easy to read and …more
Daughter of the Reich
Daughter of the Reich: A Novel
by Louise Fein
Slow Read (3/26/2020)
Daughter of the Reich is a well researched story based loosely on some details of author Louise Fein's family. While the story was interesting especially because it was written from the perspective of a German youth I found it a slow read. The character development was …more
The Prisoner's Wife
The Prisoner's Wife
by Maggie Brookes
Unbelievable Tale (2/9/2020)
The Prisoner's Wife is quite a story about a Czech farm girl and British POW who fall in love, secretly marry, run away together, are captured and suffer many hardships ... and is based on a true story. The characters are well developed and come alive. The extensive …more
I Want You to Know We're Still Here
I Want You to Know We're Still Here: A Post-Holocaust Memoir
by Esther Safran Foer
Good Personal Family History (12/6/2019)
I Want You to Know We're Still Here is a memoir that makes the terrible aftermath of the Holocaust personal and believable. Esther Foer and her sons question and search for missing details of their family history and find some things not expected. They do much research and …more
The Seine
The Seine: The River that Made Paris
by Elaine Sciolino
"Everything" Seine (9/30/2019)
The Seine : The River That Made Paris is an excellent compilation of facts about "everything" Seine. It covers many well researched topics such as its source, its history, its geographic features, its cities, its influence on the arts,its people who live on it and along its …more
The Volunteer
The Volunteer: One Man, an Underground Army, and the Secret Mission to Destroy Auschwitz
by Jack Fairweather
Suppressed History (5/6/2019)
The Volunteer is a good nonfiction account of a brave Polish man who volunteers to be arrested and sent to Auschwitz. As part of the Polish underground he journals the atrocities at the camp and has them smuggled out hoping to draw the world's attention. Sadly no one takes …more
Courting Mr. Lincoln
Courting Mr. Lincoln
by Louis Bayard
Wife and Friend (2/13/2019)
I had high expectations for this book because I love Abe and have read a lot of fiction and non fiction about him. I was a bit disappointed! I did like the portrayal of him as the country bumpkin that was coached by his friend on how to behave in civilized society but was …more
The Night Tiger
The Night Tiger: A Novel
by Yangsze Choo
Fascinating read (12/19/2018)
The Night Tiger would not normally appeal to my historical fiction interests but I'm glad I gave it a chance and liked it a lot. It is a period piece set in the 1930's Colonial Malaysia. It is a great tale with twins, missing fingers, mythological characters, a loyal …more
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