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Reviews by Labmom55

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The Lion Women of Tehran
by Marjan Kamali
Give it time (12/19/2024)
The Lion Women of Tehran was an engaging historical fiction, set in Iran. The story starts in the 1950s, when Ellie’s father dies and she and her mother are forced to relocate from the wealthy suburbs to a much lower class neighborhood. There, she meets Homa and they becomemore
Beautiful Ugly: A Novel
by Alice Feeney
Kept me off balance (12/9/2024)
I have a hit or miss relationship with Alice Feeney. I’ve loved some, I’ve hated some. This one was getting so much buzz, I decided to give it a try.
Feeney is a master of creating tension and suspense.

Grady Green’s wife went missing a year ago. Ever since, he’s beenmore
King of the Armadillos
by Wendy Chin-Tanner
Slow burn (12/9/2024)
I was really excited to read King of the Armadillos. I loved the premise of Victor, a Chinese teen sent to a leprosarium in Louisiana in the 1950s. The book was well researched and I felt I got a real feel for Carville National Leprosarium. But, it was a very low, slow burnmore
Harlem Rhapsody
by Victoria Christopher Murray
Too much romance (12/9/2024)
I have read both books that Victoria Christopher Murray wrote with Marie Benedict, but this is the first solo effort of hers that I’ve read. Unfortunately, I wasn’t totally impressed.

I love historical fiction that introduces me to people I wasn’t aware of. Jessie Fausetmore
Libby Lost and Found: A Novel
by Stephanie Booth
Heartwarming, but somewhat lacking (11/16/2024)
I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Libby Lost and Found. Twice, I debated giving up on it before finally getting invested in the characters.
Libby Weeks has written a spectacularly popular children’s fantasy book series. Think Harry Potter level of popularity. She’s tryingmore
We Solve Murders: A Novel
by Richard Osman
Great fun (11/7/2024)
Richard Osman’s new series introduces us to a whole new group of characters. And I enjoyed them just as much as the Thursday Night Murder crew. While the blurb would have you believe there are only two detectives, I beg to differ. Yes, there’s Steve, happy to maintain a lowmore
We'll Prescribe You a Cat
by Syou Ishida
Heartwarming (11/6/2024)
I’m firmly on “team dog” but I love any story that proclaims the importance of animals in our life and the positive changes they can bring. The book involves a clinic for mental health that can only be found by people struggling and in need of help. Folks hear of it throughmore
The History of Sound: Stories
by Ben Shattuck
Demands your full attention (10/29/2024)
Interconnected stories live in that middle ground between novels and short stories. I'm not a fan of short stories so I was curious where I’d come down on The History of Sound. Luckily for my taste, there is enough connection between the stories to keep me intrigued. Andmore
The Life Impossible: A Novel
by Matt Haig
Too much woo-woo for me (10/29/2024)
I’m not a big fan of magical realism, but I had enjoyed The Midnight Library. So, I was willing to give The Life Impossible a chance. But the issues I had with The Midnight Library, philosophical ideas that were too simplistic and obvious, are magnified here. Haig tries tomore
We Are Not Like Them: A Novel
by Christine Pride, Jo Piazza
Didn’t live up to its potential (10/29/2024)
3.5 stars, rounded down

I was so excited to read We Are Not Like Them and had hoped my book club would pick it to discuss. I loved the premise - two best friends, one black and one white, are on opposite sides of two cops shooting an unarmed black youth. Jen, the white woman,more
Lincoln in the Bardo
by George Saunders
Not for me (10/13/2024)
I should have known. I really don't do well with the avant garde. I want a plot, I want a story. I want character development. This offers none of the above. I felt lost. Vague memories of Ionesco and Beckett kept cropping up as I tried to plough through this. The bookmore
Loot: A Novel
by Tania James
Packs a punch (10/6/2024)
I will admit to initially being drawn to Loot because of its beautiful cover. But overall, its interesting premise was what made me decide to actually read the book. In the 1790s, a young Indian woodcarver came to the attention of Tipu Sultan. He, along with a Frenchmore
The God of the Woods: A Novel
by Liz Moore
One of my favorites of the year (10/6/2024)
One of my favorites of 2024

Liz Moore has once again crafted a dark, character rich mystery. A teenage girl goes missing from her summer camp in 1975. Fourteen years ago, her brother disappeared in these same woods. Barbara Van Laar is the daughter of the rich family thatmore
The Last One at the Wedding: A Novel
by Jason Rekulak
Didn’t quite work for me (10/6/2024)
The Last One at the Wedding is a weirdly unsatisfying mystery.

Frank has been estranged from his daughter for three years when she calls to announce her engagement and invite him to the wedding. But she’s not just marrying any old average guy. Her fiancé, Aidan, is the sonmore
The Sequel: The Book Series #2
by Jean Hanff Korelitz
It’s not a stand-alone (9/29/2024)
What a fitting title for a book that is exactly what it claims, a sequel. Jacob Finch Bonner is dead, the result of suicide. His wife, Anna Williams-Bonner is overseeing his estate, especially his last book, Crib, which was a success. Then, she writes her own book, Themore
The Message
by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Essays to make you think (9/29/2024)
With The Message, Ta-Nehisi Coates returns to essays. Initially meant to explore the art of writing, the book broadens out into an exploration of stories - those we learn and those we tell ourselves.

In The first essay, he goes to Africa for the first time and finds himselfmore
Chenneville: A Novel of Murder, Loss, and Vengeance
by Paulette Jiles
Just grabbed me (9/20/2024)
Once again, Paulette Jiles has crafted a story that grabbed me. Her stories aren’t fast paced but they are so character rich and situated in the time and place, you can’t help but get involved.

John Chenneville fought for the Union and suffered a serious head wound in 1863.more
Tell Me Everything: A Novel
by Elizabeth Strout
An acquired taste (9/18/2024)
Elizabeth Strout is an acquired taste. She’s the queen of the interconnected, character rich stories. Many of her characters have shown up in multiple books and we, her readers, have gotten to watch them grow and age. Tell Me Everything has a whole slew of characters I’vemore
Real Americans: A Novel
by Rachel Khong
Gets better as it goes along (9/18/2024)
I was not a fan of Goodbye, Vitamin, but I appreciated this book much more. It’s a multi-part story that covers three generations of a Chinese American family - mother, son and grandmother. It starts off weak but gets more interesting with each section.
At the start of themore
There Are Rivers in the Sky: A Novel
by Elif Shafak
Perfect mix of historical and literary fiction (9/18/2024)
There Are Rivers in the Sky is a big book in terms of ideas, writing style and plotlines. It combines science, religion, history and literature. It’s the very definition of epic. It’s like a huge tapestry, weaving people and objects across the time periods. And through eachmore
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