BookBrowse | Book Reviews and Recommendations

Reviews by Margaret R. (Claremont, CA)

Bad Animals: A Novel
by Sarah Braunstein

Grabbed Me At The First Page (1/24/2024)

This book was a very good read and, as I reviewed the posts already written in praise of the book, I do not want to be redundant. I do want to add, though, that this would be an excellent book club selection because it has the multiple levels of plot structure, character …more

Surviving Savannah
by Patti Callahan

Surviving Savannah (3/30/2022)

I often lean toward historical fiction when looking for a good next book to read. A balanced novel of well-researched facts and talented fictional writing is pure delight.
Ms. Callahan presents both of these talents but leaves the story lacking. A good editor would have, …more

How to Find Your Way Home
by Katy Regan

Big Topics and pPersonal Stories (12/3/2021)

Katy Regan writes about big topics such as homelessness, family secrets, loyalty, fear, and the balm of nature. Within this extensive web, she carefully builds characters who bring us intimately into these worlds. The powerful vignettes that describe moments in time with …more

Beasts of a Little Land: A Novel
by Juhea Kim

Unrealized Brilliance (9/4/2021)

Beasts of A Little Land grabbed me immediately. The first chapter was elegantly written, with the setting, character, and plot poised to launch a great book. Then the writing continued as if two different authors were writing the book. While it introduced us to compelling …more

The Blind Light: A Novel
by Stuart Evers

The Stuff Nightmares Are Made Of (10/29/2020)

"The dead have insistent voices; they cut and jab. His father's especially." "The same sprung vigilance to her posture, though; like she was ready to dodge an oncoming hazard."

I often read before going to sleep and so it was with The Blind Light. There was little sleep that …more

The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir
by Sara Seager

Raw and Illuminating (7/22/2020)

It is usually not a good idea to start the review of one book by immediately comparing it to another. This, however, seems to be a good time. All the while I was reading The Smallest Lights in the Universe, I was thinking of Lab Girl, by Hope Jahren. Women scientists …more

The Madwoman and the Roomba: My Year of Domestic Mayhem
by SandraTsing Loh

A Disappointment (4/17/2020)

Only once have I simply stopped reading a book and put it down because it was so bad. If it were not for my responsibility as a reviewer to finish Sandra Tsing Loh's new book, this would have been the second time.

What has happened to Sandra Tsing Loh? Her books were a joy, …more

Miss Austen
by Gill Hornby

A Great Read (2/22/2020)

I loved this book and not only because it made me guffaw. Hornby has written this little masterpiece in a slightly edgy 21st century Jane Austen voice to create a new perspective on the Austen family story. Needless to say, all the themes are there: financial vicissitudes, …more

Small Days and Nights: A Novel
by Tishani Doshi

Small Days And Nights (12/26/2019)

Tishani Doshi is a poet and for me, Small Days and Nights was a an Odyssean poem trapped in a novel. The raw physicality and sensual passages throughout this book left me emotionally engaged, frustrated, and anxious. This is not an easy read and its intentional lack of …more

Cartier's Hope: A Novel
by M. J. Rose

Cartier's Hope (10/5/2019)

Good historical fiction teaches at a gut level and Cartier's Hope does not disappoint. As we follow our main character, a woman with two identities, one inherited the other invented, through the streets, townhouses and tenements of New York City in the early 20th century, …more

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Book Jacket — Broken Country (Reese's Book Club)
by Clare Leslie Hall

A love triangle reveals deadly secrets in this thriller for fans of *The Paper Palace* and *Where the Crawdads Sing*.

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