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One Shot
by Lee Child

A good thriller (6/26/2021)

If you aren't familiar with Lee Child's books, as I wasn't, you should know that his stories involve Jack Reacher, a former army officer who went to West Point, a big man who now, apparently, doesn't own a home, a car, a cell phone, anything. Heck, he even buys clothes, …more

Dear Edward
by Ann Napolitano

The story of kindness (6/1/2021)

DEAR EDWARD refers to a boy who used to go by “Eddie.” He was Eddie before he was the lone survivor out of 191 passengers on a jet that crashed in Colorado. While he is in the hospital and after he comes to live with his aunt and uncle, he decides to go by ”Edward," instead. …more

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
by Daniel James Brown

Unlikely But True (5/28/2021)

Although its subtitle implies that THE BOYS IN THE BOAT is about the American eight-oar rowing crew in the 1936 Olympics, the book is more than that. It's mostly about what led to the formation of the crew. Also, the story is made personal by its concentration on one of the …more

Across Many Mountains: A Tibetan Family's Epic Journey from Oppression to Freedom
by Yangzom Brauen

More Than One Story Here (5/28/2021)

ACROSS MANY MOUNTAINS: A TIBETAN FAMILY'S EPIC JOURNEY FROM OPPRESSION TO FREEDOM by Yangzom Brauen is made up of descriptions of one Tibetan family’s progression through different cultures, beginning in Tibet before the Chinese invasion and ending in Switzerland until they …more

Turn of Mind
by Alice LaPlante

This book is not happy, but it’s gold (5/27/2021)

After reading three undesirable books in a row, I hit gold with Alice LaPlante's TURN OF MIND. It's not a happy book. It may even break your heart. But it's well written, and its subject matter, at least some of it, hit home and should concern anyone who has a mother.

TURN …more

We Need to Talk About Kevin: A Novel
by Lionel Shriver

Life with an evil child (5/8/2021)

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN is not what I was expecting. I expected a book about a teenager who committed a mass school shooting. But WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN is also about life with an evil child.

This is the mother’s tale told from the beginning—the very beginning—of …more

Everyone Brave is Forgiven
by Chris Cleave

Bravery (5/7/2021)

EVERYONE BRAVE IS FORGIVEN is about bravery. Most of the book takes place in England at the start of World War II and before the United States joins them.

Mary wants to join the war effort right away so is assigned teaching duties. Later she joins her friend Hilda as an …more

Unbecoming: A Novel
by Rebecca Scherm

Scherm leads you to conclusions you will not expect (5/7/2021)

UNBECOMING is a novel I forgot I had among my many to-read piles until I came across it at a used book sale. Then I remembered going to see Rebecca Scherm at an author event in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2016. So, better late than never, I read this novel and am so pleased.

…more

The Law of Similars
by Chris Bohjalian

Unputdownable (5/7/2021)

Five stars again for Chris Bohjalian. I have read nearly all his books, and most are five-star, some four. This one, THE LAW OF SIMILARS, is a book he wrote nearly 20 years ago.

Leland is a deputy state prosecutor. He is also a widower with a four-year-old daughter. For what …more

The Exiles
by Christina Baker Kline

This is sure to make great television (5/7/2021)

While many people will feel THE EXILES is a five-star book and while I would have felt the same several years ago, my taste has evolved. I didn’t love it. I liked it, but I don’t have the heart to give it just three stars. It was such a nice, if somewhat predictable, story.

…more

Daisy Jones & The Six: A Novel
by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I liked this in spite of its fornat (5/7/2021)

DAISY JONES & THE SIX may take some getting used to at first. It is not in a novel's usual format. Taylor Jenkins Reid's intention was to write a novel that comes across as a documentary. But understand: this is a novel, fiction. It took me about a quarter of the book …more

So Brave, Young and Handsome
by Leif Enger

Not the Leif Enger Style I Expected (5/7/2021)

If a book doesn’t grab you by page 50, you shouldn’t feel bad for abandoning it. But SO BRAVE, YOUNG, AND HANDSOME should grab you right away with Leif Enger's typical writing style. However, I found that this book doesn’t live up to its promise.

Monte Becket is an author. …more

The Falling Woman
by Richard Farrell

Survivor of Jet Crash and Investigator Looking for Her (5/7/2021)

Read THE FALLING WOMAN. I enjoyed it, and so should you.

A jet with 123 people on board has experienced turbulence and crashed. Only one person survives, the unknown and unaccounted for ”Falling Woman," who somehow survived the fall of several miles to earth and walked away.

…more

Watching You: A Novel
by Lisa Jewell

Crazy lady and lonely boy watch neighbors (5/6/2021)

Lisa Jewell is one of my go-to authors. In other words, I can trust I will like her books before I even know a thing about them. In the case of WATCHING YOU, though, I was initially afraid I made a mistake, that it was just going to be another MY DARK VANESSA by Kate …more

The Nightingale
by Kristin Hannah

You don’t want to miss this book (5/6/2021)

Although I was pretty sure I would disagree with the majority of other readers who said that THE NIGHTINGALE by Kristin Hannah is an excellent book, I can now honestly tell you to believe it. I had read two other books by Hannah and was not impressed, so I doubted that she …more

The Half Wives
by Stacia Pelletier

Good but also not (5/6/2021)

THE HALF WIVES is the excellent story of a former Lutheran minister, Henry, his wife Marilyn, his lover Lucy, and his eight-year-old daughter by Lucy, Blue. The entire book is a day in their lives, the anniversary of the birth and death of Henry’s and Marilyn’s child. The …more

The Dearly Beloved
by Cara Wall

Careful analyses and well-written dialogue will keep you engaged (5/6/2021)

While you will find THE DEARLY BELOVED shelved among many other novels, this one should stand out. It is character-driven, which can be a good sign, but plenty of authors get it wrong. Cara Wall doesn’t.

THE DEARLY BELOVED is about four people, James and Nan, Charles and …more

The Witch Elm
by Tana French

Takes you places you don't expect (5/6/2021)

Don’t believe any fewer-than-four-star reviews of THE WITCH ELM by Tana French. It really deserves five stars for its many layers and thoughtfulness. Maybe they just don’t get it.

Toby has always been a lucky guy. Then two burglars break into his apartment, steal a few …more

Dear Daughter
by Elizabeth Little

It left me hanging (5/6/2021)

You won’t understand the title of DEAR DAUGHTER until nearly the end, and in the end you’ll be left hanging. I haven’t decided how negative to feel about that. Maybe three stars isn’t enough. After all, I did enjoy it until the end.

Jane has been in jail for the past 10 …more

The Red Lotus
by Chris Bohjalian

Almost no one is who they seem (5/6/2021)

I can’t speak highly enough of THE RED LOTUS.

?If your preferred genre is thriller but so many books billed as "psychological thriller" don’t do much for you, if you want a literary thriller and one that is intelligent, THE RED LOTUS is for you. This book is a 5-star can’t- …more

BookBrowse Book Club

The Jackal's Mistress
by Chris Bohjalian

From the New York Times bestselling author of Hour of the Witch, a Civil War love story of a Confederate wife and a wounded Yankee.

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Dream Count
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

A searing new novel from the bestselling author of Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists, exploring four women's desires.

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