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Reviews by Bill B. (Choctaw, OK)

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Beast of the North Woods: A Monster Hunter Mystery
by Annelise Ryan

Fantasy Novel (11/9/2024)

Ordinarily, I do not make it through fantasy stories, but "The Beast if the North Woods" held me to the end. I enjoyed the interworking of supernatural with reality. Now, I am going to read more of Ryan's works.

In the Garden of Monsters: A Novel
by Crystal King

A Gothic Fairytale (8/7/2024)

I enjoyed the novel immensely. I read fantasy to interact with my high school students and even assigned this book as a classroom discussion project. The good students were enamored with Julia, Dali, and the garden. The kids liked the mythic queen of the underworld concept. Bravo, Ms. King.

The Pecan Children
by Quinn Connor

A Knowledge of Pecan Picking (6/6/2024)

I enjoyed the novel. I grew up in a small town that had several pecan trees, so each fall, after the first freeze at the first days of November, we kids would pick up pecans on the halves: We got half the pecans we gathered. But we would eat several while picking them up.

The story brought back many memories of my youth. Thank you, Miss Connor, with four hands.

Half a Cup of Sand and Sky
by Nadine Bjursten

Tough Love (3/3/2024)

I enjoyed reading this novel. The author delineated the life of an Iranian woman who was in an unhappy marriage until the right guy showed. Amineh's life with Patrik is not spelled out though. The writer skips ten years in the relationship. I suppose she was tiring of the plot.

Help Wanted: A Novel
by Adelle Waldman

Too Close To Me (12/18/2023)

I was not "blown away" with "Help Wanted". Ms. Waldman has produced multiple minor characters with semi-interlocked tragic flaws. One even meets up with Michael Vick. Why couldn't she have created a fictional football star? Before college. I worked in a similar firm, and I witnessed too many workers with no hope. The novel is too close to my memory bank.

The Stone Home: A Novel
by Crystal Hana Kim

Prison Walls (11/14/2023)

Ms. Kim has composed a heartfelt, thought-provoking novel. It kept my interest through my three reading time periods. She brought back "The Gulag Archipelago" for me, with similar tortures suffered by the prisoners. Then, there is the conclusion--with the prevailing knife symbol. I felt their pain and their undeniable need to survive.

The Cat I Never Named: A True Story of Love, War, and Survival
by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess

The Cat I Never Named (10/24/2020)

I am surprised a reader has not submitted a review of this book. It is very well written and poignantly presented. I don't even have a cat, but I can identify with the author's love of Maci.

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