BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

The Fairbanks Four: Murder, Injustice, and the Birth of a Movement
by Brian Patrick O’Donoghue

Missed the mark (4/18/2025)

This was such an important story, 4 wrongly accused teens of a murder they did not commit in Alaska… a journalist uncovers the lies and coverups in their case to help free them. I felt like the story was hard to follow and had a lot of superfluous details that distracted me from the real story . I had a tough time finishing this one as it seemed to drag on for me as well.

L.A. Women
by Ella Berman

Love -Hate relationship (4/1/2025)

This was a love hate relationship for me as well as the characters in this book! I loved how I felt the main characters, Lane and Gala, each had 2 very different sides to their personalities. Each of them made me feel so many emotions while reading this book... empathy, anger, sadness, happiness.... all the feels! I thought it was a great telling of how women treat each other. Even though it took place 50 years ago, I think the feelings can still be the same.

We should be building each other up, but sometimes jealousy and judgement sneak in , and we end up tearing each other down instead. This book kept me engaged from the very beginning, and I hope to read more from this author in the future!

The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant
by Liza Tully

Merritt and Blunt figure it out! (3/24/2025)

Really liked this modern who dun it and the dynamic duo of Aubrey Merritt and Emily Blunt! The mystery was intriguing but not too violent and the quirkiness of the main characters really kept me engaged in the story line and trying to stay ahead of the mystery. I hope this is the first in a series of mysteries starring these strong women heros!

Jane and Dan at the End of the World
by Colleen Oakley

One of my faves of the year ! (12/16/2024)

I loved this light hearted caper! It was so humorous , but also a poignant story about relationships and coming to terms with what we want in life . I just really enjoyed this fun story !

Happy Land
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

A little known piece of history ! (12/4/2024)

Historical fiction is my favorite genre and I really enjoyed this book! I love learning something new in a great book. I loved going back and forth in time to learn about Happy Land , in the 1800s and the struggle to keep the land in the present day. The relationship struggles in both time periods were realistic and kept me turning each page … I highly recommend this book for lovers of historical fiction or just a good , interesting read.

The Bog Wife
by Kay Chronister

Strange times in the Bog (8/29/2024)

This is definitely not my normal genre, but I found this book very intriguing and creepy and strange. The story of the Haddesley family and their relationship with the bog they live on is filled with oddities and traditions that kept things very entertaining and thought provoking. This would be a great book club book because there are so many things to discuss! Each member of the family is outlined and developed very thoroughly, the book is well written and engaging. It was hard for me to imagine that this could be a real family, but there are some pretty strange things happening out there, and who knows? I definitely would like to read more by this author.

Pony Confidential
by Christina Lynch

A mystical murder (6/16/2024)

I loved this book! Critics will say it was unrealistic, which it 100 percent was, but was such a fun story and I loved each character ( except the villains and I really disliked them!) This book was written for animal lovers and those with an open mind about our relationship with our pets. I just thought it was a fun story, but also brought up some good points about how animals are treated and also the holes in our justice system. Read this if you just want a whimsical story told by a pony and his owner, with a little bit of mystery mixed in.

Follow the Stars Home
by Diane C. McPhail

Original Historical Fiction (5/15/2024)

Follow the Stars Home was a book based on a true story that I had never heard about before. Its a story of Nicholas Roosevelt's first steam boat, the New Orleans, and its maiden voyage in which he brought his young wife Lydia, who was 8 months pregnant, and their toddler along for the journey. Along the way, they meet much adversity which also included one of the biggest earthquakes in history. It is an interesting read and I enjoyed learning something new, however, there was a lot of repetition and I felt Lydia's prose was a little dull. I enjoyed the book for the most part however, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

The Funeral Cryer: A Novel
by Wenyan Lu

Yawn (2/7/2024)

I was eager to read this book and find out more about the profession of being a funeral cryer in the Asian culture, but this book was disappointing. I found the writing style to be very dry and the characters one dimensional and nothing that I found I could relate to. The “plot twist” at the end came out of nowhere and didn’t make any sense to me and then the story just ended. This one just wasn’t for me!

This Is Salvaged: Stories
by Vauhini Vara

This is Human (8/17/2023)

Wow, I had not read Vauhini Vara before, but after reading this collection of short stories, I am definitely going to go back and read her first book , The Immortal King Rao. In This is Salvaged, we read 10 stories, all completely different, but with the common thread of human ness. Each main character has something deep inside of them that makes them feel different and vulnerable. Each story left me wanting to know more, but also with many emotions to think about . Some of the stories were short, and some were longer, but they all left me feeling empathy towards the main character.
I highly recommend this great read !

Digging Stars: A Novel
by Novuyo Rosa Tshuma

Digging it! (7/31/2023)

I enjoyed this book about a daughter following in her fathers footsteps in the field of astronomy! It was definitely different from anything I had read before and wove in the elements of the stars with the elements of relationships, mainly the father /daughter connection. Rosa, like many girls, idolized her father , and with his unexpected death thrown into the plot, the mystery of him makes her long even more for him .
I thought the book had good character development and the subject matter was so interesting !

The Critic's Daughter: A Memoir
by Priscilla Gilman

Daddy's girl (2/3/2023)

A beautiful memoir of a father who was imperfect and human. I loved the realness of this author's recollection of growing up and her relationship with her dad before, during, and after her parents divorce. Being a daddy's girl myself, I could totally relate with her feelings of loving him so fiercely and also trying to protect him and keep him happy. Even though it can be a hard lesson, to learn that our parents are humans and also have flaws, it was easy to see that her father loved her and her sister more than anything and was always doing the best job that he could to protect her and cheer her on in life. I really enjoyed this book and the relationship that was portrayed.

Sisters of the Lost Nation
by Nick Medina

A great mystery read ! (11/30/2022)

A fictional story about a real problem that has surfaced in the Native American culture . The mystery revolves around some young women who go missing at the reservation. Anna's search for her younger sister, Grace, leads to all kinds of important discoveries of a sinister game happening at the tribes Casino. The story that unfolds is realistic and important to bring awareness to another problem that is being swept under the carpet among our Native people.

The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise
by Colleen Oakley

A light hearted escapade (10/23/2022)

This was a cute book about an unlikely pair that become friends and play out an adventure together. I thought it was fun and lighthearted, but also had some heavier topics interlaced into the story line. The characters were interesting and although the story seemed a big unlikely, when read in the way that it was intended, it made for a pleasurable read with plenty of twists and turns!

River Sing Me Home
by Eleanor Shearer

A mothers love (9/22/2022)

I really loved River Sing Me Home! My heart just felt for Rachel as she looked to find each one of her children that was torn away from her. The history of slavery in the Caribbean Islands was new to me, and I enjoyed learning more about that. Such a sad time in our worlds history, this book made me feel all the feels. Very few books can make me cry, but the last page of this one was a real tear jerker for me. Great character building in this one! I connected with almost everyone, but none more than Rachel.

The Family Izquierdo: A Novel
by Rubén Degollado

family (8/22/2022)

What an interesting book told in separate stories but intertwining the Izquierdo family tree. A family living on the American border of Mexico, they suffer through their family "curse" with love and affection for each other. Even though they have many conflicts with the outside world and each other. I loved the Spanish used throughout the stories as it made them more authentic, and made me look things up as I read, so actually learned something new!
I loved the generational tales and how the family members related to each other and especially to their Abuelito and Papa Tavo. Really an enjoyable read!

Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey
by Florence Williams

So interesting! (12/8/2021)

This book was so interesting to me..and so relevant! All of us have experienced grief and /or heartbreak at one time or another in our lives, this author took hers and really delved into it and the physical attributes that it has on our bodies. I have always wondered what causes the actual pain in our heart, when we are sad or heartbroken, this book explores that and the other physical things that happens in our bodies with love and loss. I loved this book and the uniqueness of it all!

Everybody: A Book about Freedom
by Olivia Laing

Wow... just wow (5/25/2021)

This is a book to be read slowly and savored.. at times I felt like it was a bit over my head, but the concepts and information stretched my mind in a way that hasn't been done in a while. It is perfect for the times .. very pertinent and timely ideas that help us learn how the body and soul, have struggled throughout history to be free .. I just loved the ideas expressed in this book.. would be great for book club discussion!

The Personal Librarian
by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray

Trailblazer for women! (2/4/2021)

What a great book about someone that I knew nothing about! One of the reasons I love historical fiction, learning so much about the past and some magnificent and brave people. Belle de la Costa Greene, is certainly someone that I admire after reading her story. I can't even imagine the fear she lived with every day thinking that her secret might be uncovered. But she looked right into the eyes of that fear and made such a successful life for herself ... in a time when women had very little power. What a trailblazer for women!

And They Called It Camelot: A Novel of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis
by Stephanie Marie Thornton

Couldn't put it down!! (1/6/2020)

I loved this book from the beginning .. the tale of Camelot and so much more, through the eyes of the legend Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis.. what an incredible life she lived.. fairytale and tragedy. Stephanie Marie Thornton has done a fantastic job of telling the story.. one that will stick with me forever. Love her writing style , I stayed up many nights reading.. not wanting to put this book down!

Reviews by Becky S. (Springfield, MO)

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Reviews by Becky S. (Springfield, MO)

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