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Reviews by Gail B. (Albuquerque, NM)

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Making Friends Can Be Murder
Making Friends Can Be Murder
by Kathleen West
Teenager Meets Murder She Wrote (2/11/2025)
Sarah Jones 17, a high school senior needed a challenge to keep her interested and out of trouble. Sister Mary Theresa, with Sarah's mother, hatched the idea of "an internet extravaganza" designed to bring an intergenerational group, with only their names (Sarah Jones) as a …more
Happy Land
Happy Land
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
A Great Find (11/6/2024)
Happy Land is based on post-Civil War Reconstruction era freed slaves in South Carolina. These people created their own kingdom in the mountains near Hendersonville, North Carolina. The Montgomery brothers envisioned moving persecuted ex-slaves to their own safe community. …more
Libby Lost and Found
Libby Lost and Found: A Novel
by Stephanie Booth
Adult Fantasy or YA? (8/21/2024)
Three stories in one: Libby Weeks, suffering from anxiety and Alzheimer; the Falling Children series by F.T. Goldhero, the mysterious author; the Bixton family with brilliant daughter Peanut--all dysfunctional. Once I accepted the premise that Libby has dementia and writer' …more
The Adversary
The Adversary: A Novel
by Michael Crummey
Confusion Reigns (1/8/2024)
The town of Mockbegger is inhabited by a cast of characters that come and go. Abe Stapp and resentful Widow Caines are rivals for control. Their father, Cornelius Stapp, died a year ago, leaving behind a fortune to his son. Widow Caines's husband Elias also left her wealthy …more
The Stone Home
The Stone Home: A Novel
by Crystal Hana Kim
A Piece of Work (11/18/2023)
Even though their subjects have been difficult, I've enjoyed several books set in post-war Korea, but I must say The Stone Home was the most tedious to read.

On the positive, I learned about the underside of life in 1980s Korea--not that long ago. Of course, Korea is not all …more
Day
Day: A Novel
by Michael Cunningham
A Novel about COVID (10/7/2023)
While DAY was something of a struggle for me to get into, ultimately there was value to be found. My initial problem was with the numerous characters introduced in Day One -- a few major family members and a dozen or more minor old boyfriends, students, dogs -- all have …more
Delicate Condition
Delicate Condition
by Danielle Valentine
Not Recommended for PG Women (7/15/2023)
Husband Dex is a jerk from page 1, wife Anna insecure and a mental wreck from page 2. Once the reader steps into the fantasy, Delicate Condition is somewhat persuasive, although not my cup of tea -- too many spooky flashbacks to witchy women. But... eventually, the story …more
Banyan Moon
Banyan Moon: A Novel
by Thao Thai
Mothers (5/19/2023)
Just as a banyan tree is supported by a web of roots, Ann Tran's family has many convictions seated in its past. Ann straddles her Vietnamese heritage and her life as a beautiful, exotic American girl. This is the story of strong women -- Minh, the matriarch who claws her …more
The Wager
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder
by David Grann
Heaven Help the Sailors... (2/27/2023)
For readers who enjoy swashbuckling tales, David Grann has composed a fascinating account of HMS WAGER, a British man-of-war which began its voyage in 1740. WAGER was part of a squadron whose mission was to capture a treasure-filled galleon in the War of Jenkins' Ear …more
The Lost English Girl
The Lost English Girl
by Julia Kelly
More than a War Story (1/31/2023)
Some years ago I met a woman -- a woman cold, self-protective, unreachable. How much of her personality was the result of her experience as an early childhood evacuee from London to the West Country?

The is the story of a girl, Viv Byrne, who wants to escape her home; a boy, …more
Sisters of the Lost Nation
Sisters of the Lost Nation
by Nick Medina
A Look at Modern Native American Life (11/9/2022)
Anna Horn, Lakoda Native, is a high school senior misfit who quickly wins the reader's sympathy through her work ethic and interest in tribal history. In a dysfunctional family she steps up to guide her younger sister Grace, who, like many early teens, rebels against her …more
The Family Izquierdo
The Family Izquierdo: A Novel
by Rubén Degollado
La Familia (8/5/2022)
Sometimes we come across a book that transforms our understanding. Having lived in the Southwest for many years, the scenes were familiar -- large, noisy family gatherings, low riders roaring down the street on Saturday night, sometimes too much booze, shopping across the …more
The Immortal King Rao
The Immortal King Rao: A Novel
by Vauhini Vara
Editor Wanted (4/19/2022)
This was a book I struggled with. The story flips back and forth from 1950's India, to 1980's invention of the internet, to post-Steve Jobs 21st century. Much of the early years was confusing and too long. I guess the author's point is that some basic things don't change -- …more
Fencing with the King
Fencing with the King: A Novel
by Diana Abu-Jaber
Perfect (12/16/2021)
Set in 1995, "Fencing with the King" is a marvelously well written novel. It is the story of the Hamdan family-- deceased parents: Natalia, who fled Palestinian Gaza and married Musif, a "true Jordanian;" their sons: Musa, Hafez, Gabe and Farouz-- as told by Gabe's American- …more
Housebreaking
Housebreaking
by Colleen Hubbard
A Lesson from DIY TV (10/16/2021)
Twenty-something Del's in a spot -- no job, no place to live, not much money saved, She grew up as an "outsider" and cultivates being suspicious, miserable and tough. Her mother died when she was young; she lived with her gay father and various of his friends until he died, …more
Beasts of a Little Land
Beasts of a Little Land: A Novel
by Juhea Kim
Korean History (8/15/2021)
Beasts of a Little Land traces fifty years of Korean history, from the Russo-Japanese war, through World War II and after. Action takes place from the poverty-stricken border with Manchuria to the bustling city of Seoul, from resistance movements against Japanese to growth …more
A Million Things
A Million Things
by Emily Spurr
"I hate you. I need you. Please don't be gone." (4/30/2021)
Covering for her mother's disappearance, ten year old Rae does her best to keep up appearances, cleaning her home, walking her dog, going to school, feeding herself. People do like her, but she shuns contact with everyone until gradually she warms up to her neighbor Lettie. …more
A Theater for Dreamers
A Theater for Dreamers
by Polly Samson
Lust Was in the Air (3/13/2021)
In 1960, teenager Erica was out of her depths. An innocent who lost her mother and sought to escape the controlling thumb of her cold-hearted father, she used her inheritance to take brother and friends to the Greek isle of Hydra. There they met novelists Charmian Clift and …more
Big Girl, Small Town
Big Girl, Small Town
by Michelle Gallen
A Salt & Battered (10/22/2020)
How I felt after reading this book If you like: small town gossip, dialect without translation (not sure what a cropil or a gleek or a gurning is), downbeat no-hopers, sex out by the dumpster, you'll love this book.What redeems it are the rare glimpses into happy family …more
The Smallest Lights in the Universe
The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir
by Sara Seager
Memoir of a Remarkable Woman (7/13/2020)
Sara Seager has accomplished world-changing scientific discoveries in the field of astrophysics while suffering the death of her husband and thoughtfully managing to raise two young sons alone. Lacking knowledge in the science of the stars, I floundered in much of that …more
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    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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