Get our Best Book Club Books of 2025 eBook!

Reviews by Jean O. (DePere, WI)

If you'd like to be able to easily share your reviews with others, please join BookBrowse.
Order Reviews by:
A Good American: A Novel
by Alex George
A Good American (1/5/2012)
This is a wonderful book. The prose is beautiful and flowing, the characters are real and interesting. I tabbed several passages because they are memorable. Usually I do not read a book twice, but I am in the process of doing that now. It seemed too abrupt to leave the story. I need more time to savor.
The Homecoming of Samuel Lake: A Novel
by Jenny Wingfield
The Homecoming of Samuel Lake (7/2/2011)
I read this book in record time - could not put it down! The characters left the pages and took residence in my head. The story is compelling. There is humor and fun, tragedy and sadness and all the things in between the make life interesting- - and all the interesting bits of life that make excellent novels. I hope that Jenny Wingfield keeps writing and we can look forward to more novels written by her.
Friendship Bread: A Novel
by Darien Gee
Friendship Bread (3/8/2011)
This book is an easy read. It is filled with believable characters, good plot and a lovely concept. Friendship Bread is a book about sharing and the array of options that one is given in life to practice living and sharing. As I read about the small town created for the story I found that I wanted to go visit, get to know some of the people there and enjoy a cup of tea. I enjoyed reading this book very much!
The Discovery of Jeanne Baret: A Story of Science, the High Seas, and the First Woman to Circumnavigate the Globe
by Glynis Ridley
The Discovery of Jeanne Baret (1/13/2011)
The Discovery of Jeanne Baret is a story of an obscure woman the 1700's. The book is based on history that is patchy and contradictory. The author's research appears to be extensive and thorough. The contradictions and missing pieces in the journals, ship's logs and other records that were researched lead the author to suppositions and logical outcomes. It is a scholarly piece of work. In my opinion this is not a book for everyone.
I did enjoy reading it.
The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul: A Novel
by Deborah Rodriguez
A Cup of Friendship (11/16/2010)
It was hard to keep reading for the first two-thirds of the book. The characters seemed flat and I felt no connection with any of them. The story seemed removed and I felt distant from any actions/descriptions. It was almost as if the author assumed that readers would get the gist of things with few words and little description. The last part of the book had more life to it.
City of Tranquil Light: A Novel
by Bo Caldwell
City of Tranquil Light (8/27/2010)
The beginning of the book went slowly for me. My interest increased as I read. The use of two voices was a nice way to get the perspectives of the main characters. The story is lovely and an excellent voice for examples of dedication and devotion.
The Girl Who Fell from the Sky
by Heidi W. Durrow
The Girl Who Fell from the Sky (3/9/2010)
This book is a treasure; well written and a joy to read. Reading it made me think of loom weaving; different threads combined to make a beautiful piece of fabric. The gradual introduction of each character and of each portion of the plot is done so well. The story pulled me in and kept me feeling involved. The award the author received for a book concerning social justice is well deserved.
The Book of Unholy Mischief: A Novel
by Elle Newmark
The Book of Unholy Mischief (10/14/2008)
I enjoyed this book very much. It was a little slow starting, but became an "I don't want to put it down" book. The history in the story was very interesting. The 1500's was a time of intrigue and danger. Things that we take for granted (reading, buying books, etc) were rare in the time frame of the story. It made me more appreciative of being able to read and having books to read.

What could be better that a book about a book?
  • Page
  • 1

BookBrowse Book Club

  • Book Jacket
    Daughters of Shandong
    by Eve J. Chung
    Based on the author’s family story, comes an extraordinary novel about a mother and her daughters’ escape from Taiwan.
  • 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.
  • Book Jacket
    The Lilac People
    by Milo Todd
    For fans of All the Light We Cannot See, a poignant tale of a trans man’s survival in Nazi Germany and postwar Berlin.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Awake in the Floating City
    by Susanna Kwan

    A debut novel about an artist and a 130-year-old woman bound by love and memory in a future, flooded San Francisco.

  • Book Jacket

    Ginseng Roots
    by Craig Thompson

    A new graphic memoir from the author of Blankets and Habibi about class, childhood labor, and Wisconsin’s ginseng industry.

  • Book Jacket

    Serial Killer Games
    by Kate Posey

    A morbidly funny and emotionally resonant novel about the ways life—and love—can sneak up on us (no matter how much pepper spray we carry).

  • Book Jacket

    The Original Daughter
    by Jemimah Wei

    A dazzling debut by Jemimah Wei about ambition, sisterhood, and family bonds in turn-of-the-millennium Singapore.

Who Said...

Use what talents you possess: The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

B W M in H M

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.