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Reviews by Roberta

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Raising Hare: A Memoir
by Chloe Dalton
To the Rescue (12/30/2024)
A lovely memoir written by Chloe Dalton about an abandoned leveret (baby hare) that she finds on her countryside property. Knowing the risks of trying to raise a wild animal, she consults vets and reads as much as she can about hares. To her delight the leveret thrives andmore
Corrections in Ink: A Memoir
by Keri Blakinger
A page turner (12/26/2024)
A few years back I listened to a PBS interview with the author of this book and have had it on my to-be-read list for sometime. It did not disappoint.

Keri Blakinger had a promising career as a figure skater, but when her partner quit the team, her life spiraled out ofmore
James: A Novel
by Percival Everett
Outstanding book (12/26/2024)
I belong to two book clubs and they both picked James as the next read. Because I hadn't read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for decades, I decided to give it a quick read first. I really didn't enjoy Huck Finn that much, but felt that it did help to read it prior tomore
Girl Falling: A Novel
by Hayley Scrivenor
Good Thriller (9/13/2024)
I enjoyed this book although it was not as good as Scrivenor's first book Dirt Creek. This book is well-written and there is a good twist at the end.

The narrator, Finn is a young woman who has begun dating Magdu. The other main character is Daphne, who at times has beenmore
The God of the Woods: A Novel
by Liz Moore
Good writing but poorly structured (7/19/2024)
There are so many good critical reviews of this book that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. And for the first one-third of the book I kept thinking “this is going to be really good,” but after that it turned into a bit of a slog. The main problem I had is that theremore
The House Is on Fire
by Rachel Beanland
Excellent Historical Fiction (3/1/2024)
On December 26, 1811, the Richmond Theatre in Virginia burned to the ground. The fire killed 72 people, including Virginia's governor George William Smith, former U.S. senator Abraham B. Venable, and other government officials in what was the worst urban disaster in U.S.more
Fifty Words for Rain
by Asha Lemmie
Needed better editing (2/4/2024)
I liked this book for about the first 50 pages and after that it went straight downhill. One bad thing after another happens to the main character so much so that by the end of the book it's so over the top that the reader can't even care anymore. If I wanted to read a goodmore
Let Us Descend: A Novel
by Jesmyn Ward
Dark Subject Matter (1/18/2024)
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Jesmyn Ward's writing is beautiful and for the first third of the book, I was captivated by the story. It is painful to read because of the descriptions of slaves and their brutal treatment. I was drawn into the pain and for that I am grateful tomore
When God Was a Rabbit: A Novel
by Sarah Winman
A Delightful Book (9/25/2023)
I enjoyed this book. It is a coming of age story with quirky and lovable characters.
Alfie and Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe
by Carl Safina
Life Lessons from an Owl (9/5/2023)
Alfie and Me is the story of the rescue and rehabilitation of an eastern screech owl by Carl Safina and his wife. But this book is more than that. The Covid pandemic forced Carl and his wife to be at home the entire time that Alfie was in their care. This allowed Safina tomore
The Moth and the Mountain: A True Story of Love, War, and Everest
by Ed Caesar
Really Cold Moumtain (8/24/2023)
I have read many books about mountain climbers on Everest and this is the first time I ever heard of Maurice Wilson who decided to try to fly a plane to Everest, land it somewhere on the mountain and then climb to the top. The Moth and the Mountain is an account of Wilson’smore
Lessons in Chemistry: A Novel
by Bonnie Garmus
A Delightful Read (8/21/2023)
The book takes place in the 1960s. The main character, Elizabeth Zott, is not your average woman. She is strong, independent and a chemist and finds herself subjected to all manner of sexism and abuse by her male colleagues. One of her colleagues though is a brilliant andmore
Panther Gap: A Novel
by James A. McLaughlin
Enjoyed the Western setting (8/18/2023)
Because I live in the Southwest and have spent lots of time in the areas described in this book, I enjoyed it immensely. McLaughlin’s descriptions of place are wonderful. I also loved the main characters in the book, especially Bowman who has a close connection with animalsmore
The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession
by Michael Finkel
Love of Art Gone Bad (8/18/2023)
This book details the incredible story of the art thief, Stephane Breitwieser, who along with his girlfriend, stole more than 200 art works across Europe. His thefts took place in broad daylight and his only tool was his Swiss Army knife. (Ironically he finally getsmore
A Dangerous Business: A Novel
by Jane Smiley
Good concept, bad execution (8/18/2023)
I enjoy reading Jane Smiley’s work, but this book was a miss for me. The first half was interesting, but then when it got to the “mystery” part, it just fell off a cliff.

The story is set in Monterey California in the 1850s. The main character, Eliza, finds work as amore
The Golden House: A Novel
by Salman Rushdie
A Beautiful and Complex Novel (8/14/2023)
This book was gifted to me and I am ashamed to admit that it is the first book by Salman Rushdie that I have read and now I want to read everything he has ever written. I was stunned by Rushdie’s intellect. The writing is beautiful and the story was complex. It hasmore
The Lost Ticket
by Freya Sampson
Witty and Charming (7/4/2023)
This book is perfect if you need something lighter and quick to read. The characters are wonderful and gave me some much needed laughs (especially when the narrator was Peggy). Sweet and charming. I loved it.
The Postcard
by Anne Berest
A powerful Holocaust story (6/12/2023)
I have a profound respect for this author who took on researching her family’s Holocaust story. There are so many books written about the Holocaust, but when the story is about a family or just one or two people, it becomes so much more powerful and moving.

An anonymousmore
Hello Beautiful: A Novel
by Ann Napolitano
Soap Opera (6/12/2023)
This book was selected by my book club which is the only reason I felt I had to finish it. Otherwise I would have quit halfway through. I would give it one star, but I think the author is a pretty good writer. The characters were unappealing and the whole time I was readingmore
Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Novel
by Shelby Van Pelt
A Lovely Book (4/10/2023)
I absolutely loved this book and I'll never eat octopus sushi again! A few years ago I read Sy Montgomery's book The Soul of an Octopus and learned what intelligent creatures octopuses are. Van Pelt builds a story around Marcellus, a Pacific Giant Octopus; Tova, who is themore
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