BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

Reviews by Molly O. (Centennial, CO)

Making Friends Can Be Murder
by Kathleen West

The multiple Sarahs (2/17/2025)

Memorable characters made this mystery a fun read. Many were harboring secrets that were revealed as the story developed. I was glad author Kathleen West numbered her characters by age so I could keep them all straight. Also, the multi-generational sleuthing by the Sarahs - …more

Serial Killer Games
by Kate Posey

Will they?/Won't they? (1/5/2025)

Review of Serial Killer Games by Kate Posey
Kate Posey's novel is a romance novel cleverly disguised as a thriller. The mysterious office worker, Delores- Dolly-Dodi, and the handsome office temp, , exchange sly innuendo and repartee, suggesting that she knows he is a serial …more

Harlem Rhapsody
by Victoria Christopher Murray

Rhapsody hits flat note (9/24/2024)

I was excited to read this new offering by Victoria Christopher Murphy about the Harlem , Renaissance in the 1910s. While I learned much about the rising literary stars of the period, I was sorely disappointed by the storytelling. Jessie Fauset , accompanied by her …more

Bad Animals: A Novel
by Sarah Braunstein

Bad Animals (1/14/2024)

What began as an introspective and mundane bit of belly button gazing by an insecure librarian became a complex and fascinating look at the true inner workings of a repressed an deluded middle-aged woman. Maeve's identity as a wife and mother is fragile, so her sense of …more

Leaving: A Novel
by Roxana Robinson

Why They Leave (12/9/2023)

This beautifully written novel explores the power of intimacy: what every human needs and what happens when it escapes them. When Sarah and Warren renew their relationship after decades apart, they find the intimacy they lacked in their youth that was the cause of their …more

Above the Salt: A Novel
by Katherine Vaz

A Must Read (9/29/2023)

What an astonishing novel this is. To describe its parts almost seems to diminish the whole that is so much more than the sum of its qualities. Beginning in the mid-19th century and continuing to the end, it is a chronicle of the vast changes taking place America and the …more

The Witches at the End of the World
by Chelsea Iversen

The Witches at the End of the World (8/10/2023)

I can't decide in which genre this novel belongs. If it is a YA (Young Adult) novel, I would rate it higher than if it is in adult fiction. The mostly flat characters, the predictable plot and the happy ending are all elements that appeal to young readers. Those …more

Mrs. Plansky's Revenge
by Spencer Quinn

I love Mrs. Plansky (4/19/2023)

What a refreshing romp I had with Loretta Plansky as she takes matters into her own hands to recover funds that cyber criminals stole in a telephone scam. Armed with a new hip and an indefatigable spirit, she travels alone to Romania to track down her money and to recover …more

The Critic's Daughter: A Memoir
by Priscilla Gilman

Co-dependency at its Worst (1/30/2023)

I was intrigued by the author's mercurial father, the renowned drama critic, Richard Gilman. But as the book progressed, I became increasingly frustrated by the severe co-dependency suffered by the two. Unfortunately, that issue was never resolved, so I failed to understand …more

Moonrise Over New Jessup
by Jamila Minnicks

Unique view of Utopia (12/30/2022)

Historically there has been a longing for an idyllic life. In Jamila Minnicks' new offering, Moonrise Over New Jessup, a black community sees its hope for Utopia resides in segregation. Although all utopian dreams fail, the sincere desire and moral standing of the people of …more

The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise
by Colleen Oakley

On the Road Again (10/13/2022)

The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise is a delightful romp across state lines as the title characters try to evade the law. While the road trip and odd couple characters are common tropes, octogenarian Louise is fresh and clever. She is the heart of the story. Author …more

River Sing Me Home
by Eleanor Shearer

River Sing Me Home (9/8/2022)

I was immediately attracted to this book by its lyrical title, and the writing throughout did not disappoint. What did disappoint me was the pace of the narrative. While certainly I felt the long, arduous journey Rachel and her family made through the islands, it was a slog …more

The Empire of Dirt: A Novel
by Francesca Manfredi

Coming of age story (6/22/2022)

Frankly, I'm not sure what to think of this book. I even reread the Book of Exodus to see how the plagues in the Bible were relevant to those in the novel. As the plagues freed the Israelite slaves so did the plagues free Valentina from the superstitions of her ultra- …more

On a Night of a Thousand Stars
by Andrea Yaryura Clark

A Book of a thousand details (2/17/2022)

On a Night of a Thousand Stars belongs to a subgenre of historical fiction that toggles between two parallel narratives – set in the past and the present – which play off each other to reveal the horrors that occurred in Argentina's recent past. While I particularly enjoy …more

Housebreaking
by Colleen Hubbard

Housebreaking a disappointment (11/21/2021)

While the tediousness of dismantling a house is clearly felt by the ad nauseum description of it, I was bored by the nearly unrelenting destruction of an empty life. Adela, now known as Del, finds that changing her name does not change her past. Faced with forfeiting her …more

How to Find Your Way Home
by Katy Regan

How to Find Your Way Home (10/22/2021)

While the premise of a devoted sister finding her long-lost brother is an intriguing one, it in fact falls flat. Author Katy Regan can't seem to decide if the story is a social commentary on the homeless, or a mystery or an ode to nature. The trope of amnesia is well worn …more

A Million Things
by Emily Spurr

A Million Things (5/11/2021)

Following a gruesome event, youngster Rae must find a way to cope while maintaining an appearance of normalcy. Her elderly neighbor, Lettie, provides a begrudged friendship and the lonely twosome bond. While I liked both spunky Rae and irascible Lettie, I found other …more

The Narrowboat Summer
by Anne Youngson

The Narrowboat Summer (12/14/2020)

Author Ann Youngson has a gift for taking the ordinary and using it as a background to explore complexities of friendship. Two complete strangers agree to ferry a narrowboat through canals in England as a favor to a third stranger. During their languid trip through locks, …more

The Blind Light: A Novel
by Stuart Evers

The Blind Light by Stuart Evers (10/27/2020)

Living with the fear of nuclear holocaust, two families' lives are intertwined after the partriarchs – Carter and Drum – meet as young military men who witness the aftermath of the Bomb in a military simulation. This saga spans nearly 60 years in which we become intimately …more

You Were There Too
by Colleen Oakley

Unable to suspend disbelief (9/4/2019)

When reading literature, we are often asked to suspend our disbelief, to immerse ourselves in the story, to let tale surround and uplift us to join the author in her world. I was never able to do so in Colleen Oakley's You Were There Too. I couldn't buy the constant …more

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket — Lessons in Chemistry
by Bonnie Garmus

Praised by *Parade* and *The New York Times Book Review*, this debut features a 1960s scientist turned TV cooking star.

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