An Infinite Love Story
by Chanel Cleeton
A Lovely, Love Story (4/7/2026)
This was a multi layered story from the early 60's to '68 or so.
Vivien is a woman before her time, self assured, career oriented & not looking for love or a commitment. Her friend meets a guy & asks Viv to come along & meet his friend, story takes off from there.
There's some science stuff, but it did not take away from the actual story.
This was a love story, a struggle to be a strong woman in that era & the difficulties in being a wife or girlfriend of an astronaut.
I did enjoy it & I did have a little crush on Jim Mitchell!!
The House of Hidden Letters
by Izzy Broom
Dual Time Lines (3/4/2026)
An alternating time frame- 1940's & current. 2 story lines that come together.
Takes place on a small island in Greece, homes that were abandoned after WWII & have been sitting ever since the war ended. The town had a lottery, and the story follows the winners of the lottery who are settling on the island. Mostly the story is focused on Skye & her story & how she came to be on the island & why. The historical part is about a young woman-Katerina, who lives on the island & their lives being lived there during the war. It was an interesting piece of history that I did not know much about.
Of course in both the past & the current time frame there is romance, but in a good way.
This Book Made Me Think of You
by Libby Page
Very Lovely Surprise (10/22/2025)
A very beautifully written book & lovely story.
I won't give too much info about the actual story itself but I loved this book.
You know in the very early pages that Tilly is dealing with sadness & why she is.
The unique way the story unfolds & the gentle & lovely way of telling it just hit the spot for me, took me away from real life issues in our world.
There's books, a bookstore, challenges, inspiration, laughs & some tears.
Loved it!
Next Time Will Be Our Turn
by Jesse Q. Sutanto
First Time Author For Me (9/4/2025)
I was unsure what to expect with this book, but I enjoyed the story quite well. It starts with a shocking moment while the entire family is gathered for Chinese New Year & the matriarch, Nainai ( Magnolia) shocks her entire family with a guest. Her granddaughter Izzy is going through teen life questioning moments & after this surprising event with the family, Izzy, 16, reaches out to her grandmother with questions. This takes us on a history back when Magnolia was 16 & sent to the US for an education & to live with her 2 year older sister, Iris. The main reason for young Indo-Chinese females to achieve higher education in America for honor & prestige to the family back home & ultimately to meet & marry a successful man. Listening to Magnolia share her story with Izzy was moving at times, satisfying at other times & sad in some too.
The Jackal's Mistress: A Novel
by Chris Bohjalian
Favorite Author, Great Story (2/2/2025)
A favorite author, historical fiction & civil war- hit some spots!
This book takes place in the latter stages of the Civil War in Virginia. Libby, her niece & her 2 freed slaves run a grist mill & supply flour to the Confederacy. Her husband is away fighting & she knows he has been captured but no updates for a very long time. There are parts of this that I will not share in the review as people should find out as they read it.
I loved the research that the author has done for this book & he shares background information at the end of the book.
I found it to move along quickly, love a strong female main character & a tie in with Vermont!
Three Days in June: A Novel
by Anne Tyler
A Slow & Thoughtful Story (12/5/2024)
As soon as I started reading this book, I felt like I had reconnected with an old friend who I was comfortable with. In this case, Anne Tyler is the old friend. There's such a feeling in her books & it was very much here in Three Days In June. Each person in this short novel have their quirks, their history, their short comings. I felt that even though several of these people could be viewed as difficult or odd, there was no judgement & over the course of the story we find out more of their back stories. I loved that there seemed to be empathy, even though at times it was slow to show itself. This was a true Anne Tyler story & I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Happy Land
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Always Learn Something From Historical Fiction (11/13/2024)
I love a great historical fiction book, especially when I learn a piece of history that I knew nothing about, especially with US history.
This story is told in alternating sections, one is current time with Nikki, as she heads to see her Grandmother, Mother Rita, who she has not seen in many years. Mother Rita has reached out to Nikki as she needs help with something but once Nikki gets there, Mother is not immediately forthcoming with what she needs help with. Nikki pieces things together during her visit & it has to do with multi generational history.
The other section of the story is told from the POV of Luella, a young woman during the Reconstruction era. Her family is now free & a group of them move on to land near the SC/NC border & they form their own "kingdom" called Happy Land.
The old history & new part of the story merge together over time.
There's current family turmoil- 4 generations of women, Mother Rita, her daughter who is Nikki's mom, Nikki & Nikki's daughter. Nikki's mom has never believed the story that has been passed down over generations about this kingdom with a King & Queen, called Happy Land. This causes a rift over many years & Nikki works to find the truth.
A great piece of history that I am sure many of us never heard of before.
Thank you Dolen Perkins-Valdez for researching this & writing this wonderful novel.
All You Have to Do Is Call
by Kerri Maher
Relevant NOW! (6/21/2023)
This is probably one of the most relevant books for many women to read at this time.
We are fighting the same fight that was fought in the 60s & early 70s- pre Roe V Wade.
I learned so much from this book. It covers fictional women who volunteered in the very real group- Jane. They helped women in ways that no one else could & learned how to perform a certain medical procedure safely, hygienically and compassionately.
Each woman in this book comes from a very different place in life and they all come together to help all women who need their help.
I would say if you are against women making choices for their own body- this may not be the book for you. If you are concerned, angry & frustrated with what is happening against women to make their own choices, between themselves, their doctor and whoever they wish to share with - this might be the book for you. We have taken a very scary step back in time.
Thank you BookBrowse.
Banyan Moon: A Novel
by Thao Thai
3 Strong Women, & a Strong Debut (5/24/2023)
A story of a family but mostly of the 3 women in the family- Ann, the daughter of Huong, & Minh, Huong's mother & Ann's grandmother.
Told in alternating chapters in the POV by one of these 3 women.
These are women with very strong personalities & some secrets.
Takes place mostly on the Gulf Coast of FL, but some throw backs to time in Vietnam.
Very well written, started a little slow for me, but did not deter me from continuing. But overall, well written & a strong debut novel.
Wade in the Water: A Novel
by Nyani Nkrumah
Southern 1980's Coming of Age (11/7/2022)
This book was a page turner. I loved the main character, Ella, a very smart, precocious child.
Most of the story line was about difficult subjects- racism, adultery, abuse, to name a few.
Story takes place in a black community in the 80's, but takes you back in time in various segments touching on the civil rights movement & the murder of election workers.
There are many characters, interesting people with nice character development, be it a good person, a bad person or someone in between.
A true coming of age story told mostly through Ella's eyes.
Very good novel.
River Sing Me Home
by Eleanor Shearer
A Mother's Search (10/11/2022)
Rachel is a runaway slave in Barbados in the 19th century. The slaves have been told that they are free as the King ends slavery but now their plantation owner informs them that they must stay on to work as his apprentices...Rachel decided to flee. The main purpose is not for "freedom" per se but to find her children who were taken from her over the years.
At times a difficult story to read but Rachel is fierce and nothing will stop her from finding her five children. The people she meets, the travels she takes and what she finds along the way are all with that same mission of finding all of them.
A slow paced story with many twists & turns. And a piece of history I knew nothing about.
