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Reviews by Labmom55

The River Is Waiting: A Novel
by Wally Lamb

Heartbreakingly beautiful (5/1/2025)

The River is Waiting is a heartbreakingly beautiful book. It didn’t take long before my heart was in my throat. And for way too many scenes, it stayed in my throat. It’s not an easy book to read; it’s raw, bleak and dark and doesn’t provide any easy answers.

Corby Ledbetter …more

The Original Daughter: A Novel
by Jemimah Wei

Would work well for a book club (5/1/2025)

The Original Daughter is a debut novel concerning the creation and dissolution of a family in Singapore. Up until she was eight, Genevieve was an only child. But then, seven year old Arin arrives, a half-cousin to Gen, given up by her family in Malaysia. Slowly, Genevieve …more

One Death at a Time
by Abbi Waxman

Snarky more than sappy (5/1/2025)

Lately, it seems it’s the rare book that grabs me from the get go. But One Death at a Time managed to do just that. It was a great combo of unique characters, spot on phrasing and a wild plot. Mason was my kind of main character - lacking impulse control and tact even now …more

Serial Killer Games
by Kate Posey

Great fun (5/1/2025)

I am not a fan of romance novels and with a title like Serial Killer Games, I hadn’t paid attention to the main genre for this book. Luckily, I am a big fan of snarky humor and Serial Killer Games has it in spades. It’s dark and twisted. But it is also heartwarming. I …more

Fagin the Thief: A Novel
by Allison Epstein

Excellent backstory of the characters from Oliver Twist (3/1/2025)

It’s become the hot thing to do, re-imagining classic novels. Allison Epstein has created a backstory for Jacob Fagin, the man who runs the pack of boys in Oliver Twist. Epstein has done a great job of world building. I felt I was in the seedy side of early 19th Century …more

Babylonia: A Novel
by Costanza Casati

Excellent world building (1/23/2025)

With Babylonia, Costanza Casati has once again conjured to life an ancient queen and the empire she ruled, Assyria. She’s taken the bare bones of history and myth and fleshed them out. Semiramis was an orphan living in an outpost of the kingdom, raised by a shepherd. She …more

The Lion Women of Tehran
by Marjan Kamali

Give it time (12/19/2024)

The Lion Women of Tehran was an engaging historical fiction, set in Iran. The story starts in the 1950s, when Ellie’s father dies and she and her mother are forced to relocate from the wealthy suburbs to a much lower class neighborhood. There, she meets Homa and they become …more

Beautiful Ugly: A Novel
by Alice Feeney

Kept me off balance (12/9/2024)

I have a hit or miss relationship with Alice Feeney. I’ve loved some, I’ve hated some. This one was getting so much buzz, I decided to give it a try.
Feeney is a master of creating tension and suspense.

Grady Green’s wife went missing a year ago. Ever since, he’s been …more

King of the Armadillos
by Wendy Chin-Tanner

Slow burn (12/9/2024)

I was really excited to read King of the Armadillos. I loved the premise of Victor, a Chinese teen sent to a leprosarium in Louisiana in the 1950s. The book was well researched and I felt I got a real feel for Carville National Leprosarium. But, it was a very low, slow burn …more

Harlem Rhapsody
by Victoria Christopher Murray

Too much romance (12/9/2024)

I have read both books that Victoria Christopher Murray wrote with Marie Benedict, but this is the first solo effort of hers that I’ve read. Unfortunately, I wasn’t totally impressed.

I love historical fiction that introduces me to people I wasn’t aware of. Jessie Fauset …more

Libby Lost and Found: A Novel
by Stephanie Booth

Heartwarming, but somewhat lacking (11/16/2024)

I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Libby Lost and Found. Twice, I debated giving up on it before finally getting invested in the characters.
Libby Weeks has written a spectacularly popular children’s fantasy book series. Think Harry Potter level of popularity. She’s trying …more

We Solve Murders: A Novel
by Richard Osman

Great fun (11/7/2024)

Richard Osman’s new series introduces us to a whole new group of characters. And I enjoyed them just as much as the Thursday Night Murder crew. While the blurb would have you believe there are only two detectives, I beg to differ. Yes, there’s Steve, happy to maintain a low …more

We'll Prescribe You a Cat
by Syou Ishida

Heartwarming (11/6/2024)

I’m firmly on “team dog” but I love any story that proclaims the importance of animals in our life and the positive changes they can bring. The book involves a clinic for mental health that can only be found by people struggling and in need of help. Folks hear of it through …more

The History of Sound: Stories
by Ben Shattuck

Demands your full attention (10/29/2024)

Interconnected stories live in that middle ground between novels and short stories. I'm not a fan of short stories so I was curious where I’d come down on The History of Sound. Luckily for my taste, there is enough connection between the stories to keep me intrigued. And …more

The Life Impossible: A Novel
by Matt Haig

Too much woo-woo for me (10/29/2024)

I’m not a big fan of magical realism, but I had enjoyed The Midnight Library. So, I was willing to give The Life Impossible a chance. But the issues I had with The Midnight Library, philosophical ideas that were too simplistic and obvious, are magnified here. Haig tries to …more

We Are Not Like Them: A Novel
by Christine Pride, Jo Piazza

Didn’t live up to its potential (10/29/2024)

3.5 stars, rounded down

I was so excited to read We Are Not Like Them and had hoped my book club would pick it to discuss. I loved the premise - two best friends, one black and one white, are on opposite sides of two cops shooting an unarmed black youth. Jen, the white woman, …more

Lincoln in the Bardo
by George Saunders

Not for me (10/13/2024)

I should have known. I really don't do well with the avant garde. I want a plot, I want a story. I want character development. This offers none of the above. I felt lost. Vague memories of Ionesco and Beckett kept cropping up as I tried to plough through this. The book …more

Loot: A Novel
by Tania James

Packs a punch (10/6/2024)

I will admit to initially being drawn to Loot because of its beautiful cover. But overall, its interesting premise was what made me decide to actually read the book. In the 1790s, a young Indian woodcarver came to the attention of Tipu Sultan. He, along with a French …more

The God of the Woods: A Novel
by Liz Moore

One of my favorites of the year (10/6/2024)

One of my favorites of 2024

Liz Moore has once again crafted a dark, character rich mystery. A teenage girl goes missing from her summer camp in 1975. Fourteen years ago, her brother disappeared in these same woods. Barbara Van Laar is the daughter of the rich family that …more

The Last One at the Wedding: A Novel
by Jason Rekulak

Didn’t quite work for me (10/6/2024)

The Last One at the Wedding is a weirdly unsatisfying mystery.

Frank has been estranged from his daughter for three years when she calls to announce her engagement and invite him to the wedding. But she’s not just marrying any old average guy. Her fiancé, Aidan, is the son …more

BookBrowse Book Club

The Girls of Good Fortune
by Kristina McMorris

Brave the Shanghai tunnels in this tale of love, identity, and resilience passed through generations.

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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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Lies and Weddings
by Kevin Kwan

A forbidden affair erupts at a lavish Hawaiian wedding in this wild comedy from the author of Crazy Rich Asians.

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