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Reviews by Donna M. (Kennesaw, GA)

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The Jackal's Mistress: A Novel
by Chris Bohjalian

Based on fact unusual Civil War Story (3/4/2025)

Chris Bohjalian’s books are always good reads with unusual but valid situations and clear understanding of human nature. Plus, the man writes well and knows how to tell a story. The Jackal’s Mistress (title explained in book) recounts the story of a seriously wounded …more

Making Friends Can Be Murder
by Kathleen West

Truly entertaining read. (2/22/2025)

I received the novel knowing nothing but the title—Making Friends Can Be Murder, and I didn't expect much. How surprising to find an absorbing and complicated mystery! It was a very fun read and an instant stress reliever.

Beast of the North Woods: Monster Hunter Mysteries #3
by Annelise Ryan

Good mystery (11/11/2024)

This mystery begins when cryptozoologist (one who studies legendary creatures) Morgan Carter is asked to help prove the innocence of a friend's nephew who is in jail for murder. The nephew claims that the victim was killed by a mythical creature, the Hodag. Obviously the …more

Happy Land
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Happy Land impressions (10/29/2024)

Happy Land introduced me to a part of American History of which I was never even aware—when former slaves relocated from South Carolina to North Carolina and created their own kingdom. We are shown how important continuity of generations can be.

The author alternated …more

Follow the Stars Home
by Diane C. McPhail

Follow the Stars Home (5/27/2024)

A welcome trend in historical fiction is to present little-known figures who play significant roles in history. Development of the steam engine included women such as as Lydia Roosevelt, daughter of an architect and married to Nicholas Roosevelt, a man very much her senior. …more

Prophet Song
by Paul Lynch

Extraordinary. (1/19/2024)

After reading four pages, I realized Prophet Song is a book that possesses the reader, so I read it fairly non-stop in two days. First, this is the most disturbing book I’ve read in years. Second, it’s also an intimate portrayal of a country plunging into chaos, …more

Sisters of the Lost Nation
by Nick Medina

Native American coming of age and a mystery (11/15/2022)

Sisters of the Lost Nation is a good read. Anna is a high school senior who is bullied by her classmates, and even her sister, because she doesn’t fit in. She’s fascinated by Tribal stories and traditions and appalled at the cost that modernity in the guise of a casino is …more

Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey
by Florence Williams

Heartbreak (1/4/2022)

The author’s journey to understand her own pain after her marriage ended led her to examine the substance of heartbreak itself. She studied the scientific research into heartbreak’s affect on emotional and physical health as well as the process of healing, and she …more

Honor
by Thrity Umrigar

Honor by Thrity Umrigar (9/24/2021)

Once again Ms. Umrigar uses the relationship of two women to draw attention to India's cultural attitudes and treatment of women. The book goes much further than India, and the reader will recognize similarities in other countries of the human condition in its many facets.

…more

Migrations: A Novel
by Charlotte McConaghy

An extraordinary read (8/5/2021)

Franny is one with the sea and with birds. She lives in a world apart, deeply intense but also deeply damaged. This is a wonderful book, beautifully written. Its understanding and reverence of wildlife will resonate with any bird lover, and the obsessions that drive her …more

Vox
by Christina Dalcher

Vox by Christina Dalcher (7/3/2018)

Fascinating dystopian read, kept me up all night. What set this one apart for me is the questions raised by the characters, causing me to wonder about my own responses as well as my present activities. Book clubs will want this one for strong opinions alone.

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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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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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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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