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Reviews by Ann B. (Kernville, CA)

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Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History
by Keith O'Brien

A well grounded account of women pioneers of the air (6/24/2018)

Veteran NPR journalist Keith O'Brien succeeds in bringing these female (and feminist) aviation pioneers to life. I very much enjoyed following the arc of narrative that O'Brien constructed using primary and secondary source materials, such as journals, news clips, letters, …more

The Travelling Cat Chronicles
by Hiro Arikawa, Philip Gabriel

How to deserve the love of a cat (5/15/2018)

A metaphorical journey wrapped in a lusciously evocative journey through Japan, this short, endearing novel is told from interwoven perspectives. Witty street cat Nana speaks to us in a chatty and intimate first-person voice, while a third-person POV fills us in on the …more

The Typewriter's Tale
by Michiel Heyns

Henry James fans just might (1/7/2017)

Frieda Wroth is a compelling character -- a typist, a recreational cyclist, a would-be author, and an independent young woman for the period (1907-08) and the setting (Rye, England). Yet this novel did not appeal to me, as I imagine it will to more avid Henry James-ophiles. …more

Manderley Forever
by Tatiana de Rosnay

A must-read for DuMaurier fans and those who enjoy biographies that read like novels (12/21/2016)

With Manderley Forever, novelist Tatiana de Rosnay has hit two birds with one stone in terms of my reading affinities. First, as a writer of creative nonfiction, I am a huge fan of using fictional technique in nonfiction. I very much enjoyed de Rosnay's novelistic tone and …more

Underground Airlines
by Ben H. Winters

Bold, controversial premise atop scaffolding of by-the-book noir (9/23/2016)

I was introduced to the first few chapters of this book via the audio version read by William DeMeritt. His voice nailed the tone of this classic noir thriller, which posits that the Civil War never happened and that four southern states continue to practice slavery. It's a …more

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things: A Novel
by Bryn Greenwood

The wonderful amid the ugly (6/4/2016)

The child of a meth dealer and a strung-out mother, Wavy is an ethereal creature. Parenting is completely absent, until it isn't; then it nurtures nothing but damage. The only tender, nurturing aspect of her gritty, gritty existence comes from Kellen, a tattoo-smattered …more

Lamp Black, Wolf Grey
by Paula Brackston

In Team Laura vs Team Megan, I'd lean Team Megan (7/7/2015)

The author drew me in with deft and lyrical prose. She does a wonderful job of setting the scene in language that supports her characters. She describes the dramatic Welsh landscape as would a painter.

That said, the modern-day storyline felt more contrived than that of …more

He Wanted the Moon: The Madness and Medical Genius of Dr. Perry Baird, and His Daughter's Quest to Know Him
by Mimi Baird with Eve Claxton

Enlightening but monotone study of a father's bi-polarity (3/4/2015)

While this book offers a unique and enlightening look into what is now known as bi-polar disorder, I wanted it to be more compelling in terms of its narrative. The father's journal was fascinating and both parts of the book -- his and Ms Baird's -- featured solid writing. …more

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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.

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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.

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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.

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