Everything Lost Returns: A Novel
by Sarah Domet
So close (1/3/2026)
There are many elements of this novel that I loved. The idea of a factory with underpaid, exploited women making a product that would decades later prove to impact women's health was creative and engaging. I couldn't help but think of the lawsuits against the manufacturer of talcum powder. I liked the dual timeline headed by Opal in 1910 and Nona in 1986. The use of Halley's Comet was a great anchor for the story.
The author lost me when she granted mystical powers to Nona. I have not read any of Sarah Domet's other novels, maybe that is a technique she uses. I finished this novel wishing it had been a more streamlined story focusing on the Earthshine soap factory and the Earthshine girls.
Evelyn in Transit: A Novel
by David Guterson
Interesting Journey (12/7/2025)
Evelyn in Transition is a unique novel, it took me longer than usual to feel immersed in this story. Shifting between Evelyn to the sixth lama named Norbu Rinpoche, I wondered how in the world this novel was going to bring those two cultures together. Like Evelyn's mother I knew more about llamas than lamas, so this book was an education. What kept me reading and rewarded me with a memorable conclusion was the unforgettable character of Evelyn. Evelyn is so real she creeps into your heart as she tries to find her purpose in life and place in this world.
The Heart-Shaped Tin: Love, Loss, and Kitchen Objects
by Bee Wilson
Exquisite (11/5/2025)
The Heart-Shaped Tin was such a pleasure to read. Bee Wilson wrote a book that makes the reader slow down and experience the joys of ordinary objects. Her short vignettes about ordinary kitchen objects, often illustrated by stark photographs of these ordinary objects, were masterful. The author is a wonderful teller of stories and collector of stories. She weaves the memories that she has gathered with historical facts and studies that show the value of an object is tied to the memories it holds, not to the monetary value.
I will recommend this to my book club. I can imagine a wonderful discussion with each member bringing and sharing their favorite kitchen object. In a world of shiny, new, replaceable items Bee Wilson has affirmed the need for objects that carry the history of their use and the memories that they invoke.
The Magic of Untamed Hearts: Wild Magic #3
by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Believable Magic (10/4/2025)
The Magic of Untamed Hearts was an unexpected delight. There was so much about the novel that drew me in. I enjoyed the magical aspect, especially Sky's ability to communicate with creatures. I thought the characters were well developed and relatable, particularly the Flores sisters. I like quirky characters and Sky definitely is one to remember. My reading is generally more tame, but if you realize this is more along the lines of Hocus Pocus meets Shades of Gray you will be prepared. This novel is the third in the series about these magical sisters and it makes me want to read the other two, it would be interesting to see how they treat Sky's eight year disappearance,
I think any reader open to a fun, sexy novel would enjoy this book. Thanks to Bookbrowse and Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this book.
Next Time Will Be Our Turn
by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Love is Love (8/30/2025)
I confess I may not have read the description for this novel very carefully before requesting it. As a senior straight grandma I may not have been the intended audience for this LGBQT novel, but a good story is a good story. This novel is told almost entirely as a conversation between a grandmother and her teenage granddaughter. It was a quick read and very interesting as it told the story of a young Indonesian girl coming to the USA for college and growing into herself in the process.
The sacrifices Magnolia makes to hide her true self and the freedom she feels when she can finally shine are wonderful. I hope other readers will have an open mind and try this life affirming novel.
This Here Is Love: A Novel
by Princess Joy L. Perry
Outstanding (8/10/2025)
This Here Is Love is not an easy book to read. The author helps us by giving short chapters and being terse about the violence.
After finishing the novel I had to reflect before writing my review. The book is set in the late 1600's, mainly in Virginia, where I now live. The novel follows an indentured Irish servant, Jack, as well as several slave families and one notable free slave as they survive in the harsh conditions of the day.
The characters and the author's understanding of the human characteristics are what make this novel remarkable. You will not forget David, Bless, Cassie or any of the strong, long suffering characters in this novel.
I would recommend this novel to anyone who is a fan of realistic historical fiction. It is an important reminder of the pain and suffering that built our country. There are many themes for book clubs to discuss.
The Sister's Curse
by Nicola Solvinic
Great Police Work with a dash of Witchcraft (6/27/2025)
I enjoyed this supernatural mystery. I like novels with strong female, problem solvers and police officer, Lt. Anna, certainly fits that criterion. The novel deals with the 25 year anniversary of the disappearance of a young girl and the curse put on the men she was last seen with by the victim's sister. Interspersed in that story is Anna's memory of her mother's miscarriage of her sister due to chemical spills in the water.
Events in the story are fast and furious, the glue that helps keep the story relatable are the other characters, especially Anna's supervisor, Monica, and her kind and patient boyfriend Nick. Anna's dog, Gibby is also a plus. I did not read the prequel to this novel, it may have added to my enjoyment of it, but I was able to follow the story line and fill in the blanks in Anna's life with the flashbacks the author provided.
I enjoyed this supernatural mystery and would recommend it to readers who like unique novels with interesting characters. Thanks to BookBrowse for providing me with this ARC.
The Whyte Python World Tour: A Novel
by Travis Kennedy
Quirky and Fun (4/5/2025)
The Whyte Python World Tour was a fun trip. It is so difficult in this world of many, many books to come across an uplifting and original novel like this. The writing was descriptive, the characters jumped off the pages. Reading this book was just like watching a movie in my head. I really felt like I knew the characters. Rikki Thunder is an amazing narrator!
I think any reader would have get a kick out of this book, outlandish and yet believable at the same time. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a fun read, anyone who is interested in music, especially 80s rock, and anyone who likes memorable characters with heart. I hope my book club will choose to join me on the Whyte Python World Tour, I think they will love it!
Too Old for This
by Samantha Downing
Murder is Hard Work (3/31/2025)
I didn't expect to have so much in common with a serial killer. We both are mature women who like to problem solve. We both enjoy church activities. We both are experiencing the invisibility that comes with aging. We are both handy with tools. I found this novel to be delightfully original. I am not obsessed with true crime podcasts or books, but I do enjoy the occasional well written mystery and this fits the bill. Lottie is so matter of fact as she goes about her killings, always justified of course, that it does not become gruesome.
This novel held my interest from beginning to end. I will be recommending Too Old For This it to all my reading friends. I look forward to reading more novels by this author.
Songs of Summer
by Jane L. Rosen
Sweet (1/9/2025)
Songs of summer was a very enjoyable read. I would call it a light read with a lot of heart and some interesting themes. The setting, characters, and events seemed believable in a Disney kind of way. I enjoyed that the desire to belong to a family, even a messy semi-dysfunctional family was at the center of the story.
I think anyone who enjoys a sweet book with clever dialogue and a taste for good music would find this novel very entertaining. It was interesting that the book referenced Mama Mia as that is what it reminded me of.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read good rom-com books with satisfying endings.
Jane and Dan at the End of the World
by Colleen Oakley
Twisty and Fun (12/7/2024)
Jane and Dan at the End of the World delivers a very entertaining read. I enjoy all of Colleen Oakley's novels. She has an uncanny way with plot and dialogue that makes her novels unspool in living color as you read them. I think it is the way she puts very ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances and then sets things in motion. Jane and Dan at the End of the World is my favorite of her novels to date. Centering her novel on Jane, a one book author, and her husband, Dan a plodding podiatrist with a new passion, the novel takes place over the course of one evening.
Ms. Oakley's plot twists are clever and surprising. Her dialogue is realistic and laugh out loud funny.
I will be recommending this book to all my reading friends and to the book club I lead. We read Colleen Oakley's previous novel, The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise, to the delight of all of our readers.
Beast of the North Woods: Monster Hunter Mysteries #3
by Annelise Ryan
Clever and Fun (11/18/2024)
What a fun and unique read. This is the first novel of Annalise Ryan that I have read, but it won't be my last. This clever novel follows Morgan Carter, a cryptozoologist, as she searches for a Hogad in the North Woods. This premise sounds like it could have easily veered into a campy novel, yet it remained believable and entertaining throughout. The characters were interesting, the story came together with lots of action and minimal explanations. This was a quick and enjoyable read and I will be recommending this book and this author to all my reading friends.
We'll Prescribe You a Cat
by Syou Ishida
Cats can Cure! (5/30/2024)
We'll Prescribe You A Cat is one of the most unique books I have ever read. I do love cats as do many readers. I think this charming book will resonate with many as it dives into the way that cats can relate to people and improve their world. The specialness of the clinic that prescribes the cats is slowly revealed as the book progresses through several different breeds of cats being matched with different owners. I liked the magical aspect of the book and enjoyed the characters. The translation from Japanese was smooth and gave an interesting look into the Japanese culture. I will be recommending this book to my book club and all my reading friends.Thanks BookBrowse and netgalley for letting me preview this fun book!
The Funeral Cryer: A Novel
by Wenyan Lu
A Different World (2/12/2024)
The Funeral Cryer was a novel that introduced me to many cultural differences between a mature woman living in a Chinese village and the life I enjoy. I had never heard of a funeral cryer. The fact that the main character had stumbled upon this career as a way to support her household seemed to affect every part of her being. While the job seemed to pay well and allowed her husband not to work, it brought with it an isolation as the funeral cryer was often unwelcome in homes or at happy gatherings.
I was interested in the descriptions, from the minimalist housing and lack of material goods, to the complicated system that allowed the government to own all the land. The views on aging, children, and usefulness were also explored. The writing style is unique, with characters only referred to by their role or relation, husband, barber, etc. The novel would lead to great discussions.
Bad Animals: A Novel
by Sarah Braunstein
Decidedly Different (1/6/2024)
Bad Animals is a unique novel. As an educator for many years, the accusation of impropriety by a librarian who led children's programs felt shocking. The developments that seemed to implicate the librarian in many ways made it difficult to see her as a sympathetic character. There were a few minor characters that I felt had redeeming characteristics but most characters were flawed, The character flaws seemed to be what drove the novel. The author's style made you question what was really happening, her foreshadowing about events that were to happen after the novel ended often sounded more interesting than what actually took place during the novel.
I admired the author's use of language to paint very vivid scenes, but this was not a novel I will be recommending to my reading friends or book clubs.
We Must Not Think of Ourselves
by Lauren Grodstein
Raw and Realistic (1/2/2024)
I have read hundreds, if not thousands of novels set during World War II. The novel We Must Not Think of Ourselves is one in its own class. This novel takes place in a Polish ghetto over the course of almost 2 years. During that time the residents become increasingly impoverished, hungry, and desperate. What sets this novel apart is that the characters are realistic people, not heroes. This novel seems so raw and heartbreaking as it shows the Jewish inhabitants trying to normalize their existence in this purgatory while wondering how the world has forgotten about them. The slow realization that they are headed toward annihilation seems so cruel and unbearable, yet we know this was true. Ms. Grodstein has given a voice to those ordinary Polish citizens who lived and died in the Warsaw ghetto. This novel will remain in my heart and I will encourage my reading friends as well as my book club to read it.
Above the Salt: A Novel
by Katherine Vaz
Epic Novel (9/17/2023)
Above the Salt is unlike any novel I have ever read. The author creates a tale that follows the main characters across oceans and continents, through wars and disasters. The writing style was a bit difficult at first, but soon became almost like a lullaby with its vivid descriptions and lyrical rhythms. The world inside this novel is so encompassing that even after over 400 pages, I was sad to turn the last page. This is a magical tale that will stay with me. I believe that Above the Salt will appeal to anyone who likes fiction full of engaging characters, wound through with accurate historical details, and an unpredictable but believable plot.
Do Tell: A Novel
by Lindsay Lynch
Gossip of the Golden Age (6/30/2023)
This novel relies on a single narrator who over the course of decades uses her insider information to make or break Hollywood careers. We never get to really understand the characters that Edie reports about. I wanted to learn more about the many interesting characters that populate this novel. If you are a reader who enjoys reading about scandals, intrigue, and general bad behavior this well researched novel is for you. It certainly seems that not many things in Hollywood have changed!
The Montevideo Brief: A Thomas Grey Novel
by J. H. Gelernter
Adventure with an Unstoppable Hero (4/14/2023)
The Montevideo Brief is not my usual type of novel and I didn't really know what to expect. I was very pleasantly surprised. The novel is very engaging and moves rapidly from adventure to adventure. I learned a lot about the rise of Napoleon and the efforts of other countries to thwart his plans. I wondered if joining this series at book #3 would make it difficult to follow characters, but just enough background was provided to make it understandable without bogging down the narrative. Thomas Grey is a very ingenious and compelling hero. I think that anyone who enjoys historical fiction would like this series.
The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise
by Colleen Oakley
A Book With Heart (10/12/2022)
I will take Tanner and Louise over Thelma and Louise any day! I so enjoyed this novel. The characters were engaging and realistic and the plot was fast paced and linear with just enough explanation to fill in gaps in the story. The original way the author noted her timeline on chapter headings was unique and helpful. I love a book where characters evolve, I love a book with unusual friendships, I love a book with surprises: The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise had it all! As I mature, it is refreshing to find senior characters that still have sass and vigor. I will be recommending this book to my book club, I think it would lead to a great discussion.
