BookBrowse Editorial Review
Endling: A Novel
by Maria Reva
(6/18/2025)
Maria Reva's debut novel Endling follows a group of Ukrainian women involved in "romance tours"—a cultural phenomenon akin to the mail-order bride system in which men from around the world come to meet Ukrainian women with the goal of marriage. The part of the book that was most thrilling for me was how the author handled a huge twist. A Ukrainian native raised mostly in Canada, Reva retains close ties to her Ukrainian family and culture. While she was writing Endling, her ho
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Beta Vulgaris: A Novel
by Margie Sarsfield
(2/12/2025)
Ultimately, the disappearances can't be the focus, since Elise's deterioration is the point here. Tom has left her stranded on this beet farm, starving, working all night with harvesting machines, with an overdrawn bank account and a mysterious rash-turned-bruise. I admire the author's attention to detail and how adeptly she varies her prose to show Elise's decline. I didn't close the book with a sense of resolution or satisfaction. Instead, I was sure I felt soil and bugs on me. (Thankfully all
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Avian Hourglass by Lindsey Drager
(11/20/2024)
The setting is an unknown city, seemingly in the present day but in an altered world. There are no more birds and no more stars. The unnamed narrator is studying for a test that will determine whether or not she can be a radio astronomer. I loved the eeriness of this world, which is the same as ours aside from several huge erasures. These losses parallel the sense of longing the narrator feels thinking about her father and the abrupt departure, years prior, of The Only Person She Ever Loved. One
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Creation Lake: A Novel
by Rachel Kushner
(9/18/2024)
I really enjoyed the conversations and characters, but I wasn't fully sure what I was reading at times. The plot is slow and mostly light on the action, and I didn't know how I felt about the narrator. This is one of those books where everything clicks into place an hour after finishing. Only then did I see the staggering layers of character development, the unruly threads of modern living, and what it means to be in constant conversation with the past. Once I gave up on Creation Lake bei
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History
by Karen Valby
(5/15/2024)
Journalist Karen Valby's first book, The Swans of Harlem, introduces readers to the little-known history of the Dance Theater of Harlem, which was founded in 1969 by Arthur Mitchell. Using interviews and research from print archives, Valby deftly crafts information into a compelling narrative centered around the company's ballerinas. The fact that none of the names were familiar to me demonstrated the need for the book's existence. I really enjoy histories like this that focus intimately
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Ilium: A Novel
by Lea Carpenter
(2/21/2024)
Let me confess that I don't watch a lot of spy movies or read spy novels because the plots are too much to keep up with. Please consider that information an extra endorsement for Ilium by Lea Carpenter, a spy novel that's blissfully accessible. Perhaps I clicked with it because it's much more than a spy novel; it's a story about identity and relationships of all kinds. While I took in the suspenseful narrative I also found myself having a lot of Carrie Bradshaw-esque questions about love.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Beautyland: A Novel
by Marie-Helene Bertino
(1/24/2024)
Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino tells the story of a precocious girl named Adina. Living with her low-income single mother in Philadelphia, Adina faces all the trials of childhood and coming of age while feeling deeply disconnected from those around her. The story, though, feels secondary to getting to know Adina. The book intensely impacted the way I think about my relationships with other people. The narrator's voice stays so intimately aligned with the protagonist that her grief cou
BookBrowse Editorial Review
High Bias: The Distorted History of the Cassette Tape
by Marc Masters
(11/1/2023)
Masters' work is thorough: from the creation of the cassette tape to Grateful Dead bootlegging to indie record labels, he covers just about every aspect, complete with quotes from a wide range of musicians. The book is thoroughly researched, and it's obvious that the author enjoyed every minute of it. I was impressed by how much was new to me. And the details that I knew became more magical when collected together. I focus on nostalgia a lot when describing this book, but maybe "hopeful" is a be
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Tom Lake: A Novel
by Ann Patchett
(10/4/2023)
I couldn't believe how easy it was to get into the book and absorbed in Lara's story. As a writer myself, I took a lot of notes about Patchett's style here. Rather than crafting shimmering passages that call attention to her skill, Patchett's gift is to make herself disappear so we can better connect with the characters. The events of Lara's life flow perfectly together, which makes it exciting when we learn how she goes from swimming with a movie star to owning a cherry orchard with a husband a
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Blind Spots: A Novel
by Thomas Mullen
(5/3/2023)
Beyond the technology and crime at the forefront of this story, Mullen reminds readers of our metaphorical blind spots. When we're close to someone, do we overlook certain warning signs? Can we really see those closest to us most clearly? And, in our quest to be seen, are we overlooking things? While a lot of authors write suspenseful thrillers, Blind Spots stands above many for its intricate world-building and smartly crafted characters. The author resolves the main plot points in satisf
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Con/Artist: The Life and Crimes of the World's Greatest Art Forger
by Tony Tetro & Giampiero Ambrosi
(1/18/2023)
The book is an easy read, full of interesting facts about forgeries, all centered around a pretty regular guy. Tetro's story really affected me, particularly when he recounts getting busted. We usually want to see the criminal caught and brought to justice. It's harder when the criminal is a nonviolent man painting at home. Though I expected the downfall, I hadn't considered the collateral damage. I saw how quickly Tetro's friends and associates disappeared and how many clients had betrayed him
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Now Is Not the Time to Panic: A Novel
by Kevin Wilson
(11/16/2022)
Wilson makes the story so compelling that I risked injury as I couldn't put it down while walking around my apartment. The bond that Frankie and Zeke have, formed in creativity and secrecy and the feeling of finally being understood, is completely authentic. The most compelling present-day scenes are when Frankie tries to articulate the events of that summer to her family. Of course, she doesn't know how to explain why she still puts up posters and constantly repeats that line to herself or why
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy
by Moiya McTier
(10/5/2022)
Along with giving information, the author often falls into passages of pure poetry. "As long as particles can move around and interact, nothing in space can truly die," she writes. Elsewhere, the galaxy muses "I am space; I am made of space; and I am surrounded by space," lending romance to a description of the galaxy's vastness. McTier is a folklorist and science educator as well as an astrophysicist, and this book gives her the chance to blend the three. Some of my favorite parts were the refe
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Serious Face: Essays
by Jon Mooallem
(7/13/2022)
As an arts journalist myself, I loved "The Story About Charlie Kaufman Has Changed." I remember the early days of the pandemic when we all felt vulnerable and isolated, and we couldn't go out. I called musicians for interviews that ran quadruple their usual length. Mooallem's story about Kaufman, a screenwriter and director, is similar. The two can't meet because of COVID-19, so they have long weekly phone calls instead. The story, then, becomes about the power of connection during a time of soc
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Unlikely Animals: A Novel
by Annie Hartnett
(5/18/2022)
Though Everton, New Hampshire, the town in Annie Hartnett's Unlikely Animals, is fictional, it becomes real through historical research, current events and masterfully drawn characters. This combination makes for a quirky small town like those of TV shows Northern Exposure and Gilmore Girls. The multiple plotlines — Hartnett says in the afterword that she combined several works in progress to write the book — converge thanks to the strength of the characters. And
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Impossible City: A Hong Kong Memoir
by Karen Cheung
(3/16/2022)
Despite the heavy subject matter, Cheung has a candor and warmth that come through in these pages. The chapters, which read more like separate essays than a cohesive memoir, never feel like lectures. Rather, she gives vivid accounts of her experiences, then connects them to larger social issues. I also love that she explored what it means to be an activist. Cheung has done quite a lot by writing this book. Through her, we're able to humanize a movement and think of those affected by it. We conne
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Harrow: A novel
by Joy Williams
(10/20/2021)
Harrow is a difficult book in many ways. There's nothing easy about reading it, which I happen to like. The book replicates the post-apocalyptic haze it depicts: events are vague and fleeting, people come and go with little to introduce or see them off, and even the main character isn't always central. And yet, I'm utterly haunted by it, likely because there's so much left unknown. Furthermore, as someone who copes with difficulty by using dark humor, I appreciate how nothing is sacred in
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Truthtelling: Stories, Fables, Glimpses
by Lynne Sharon Schwartz
(11/18/2020)
Through their discomfort, Schwartz's characters become uncannily relatable, even if they're not always likable. The writer deftly distills this complexity into stories told in a matter-of-fact style that's never showy or self-indulgent. This book will appeal to readers across numerous demographics. Schwartz offers compelling stories of unflinching candor, ultimately helping readers feel less alone with their shortcomings.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Hocus Girl: A Simon Westow mystery
by Chris Nickson
(2/5/2020)
I'm satisfied with how the loose ends were tied up, but I wanted to read more about how the events of the plot changed the characters. After getting to know them through these ordeals, I would've liked to see them move on afterwards, and there's only a glimmer of that. But perhaps my desire to watch these characters grow is a testament to the impression they've made on me and my curiosity about whether they'll transcend this gritty city that gives them life while always threatening to take it aw
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Grand Union: Stories
by Zadie Smith
(11/13/2019)
Zadie Smith is a much-lauded writer known mostly for her novels; On Beauty was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize and Swing Time was long-listed. Short fiction allows for a more experimental approach, which Smith takes advantage of in spades. Grand Union is a challenging, but rewarding reading experience.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Elsewhere Home by Leila Aboulela
(5/15/2019)
Aboulela excels at giving equal weight not only to the high-stakes drama of cultural differences, but also more focused concepts, like a schoolgirl's nearsightedness in "Farida's Eyes," or a restaurant worker's inability to cook rice, symbols of their cultural displacement. These stories are quiet in ways that highlight tensions of daily life rather than large-scale cataclysm. In the details, we see that these themes aren't about being Sudanese or British specifically, but the simultaneous sense
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Mama's Last Hug: Animal and Human Emotions
by Frans de Waal
(5/1/2019)
Franz de Waal draws evidence from scientific texts and his own innumerable hours observing chimpanzees, proving his credentials as someone who has both researched and directly engaged. By focusing on the traits we share and telling captivating stories, [he] gets us closer to knowing one another, and our fellow primate species, a little bit better.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Babel: Around the World in Twenty Languages
by Gaston Dorren
(1/23/2019)
Babel is a fun read for anyone, but will especially delight travelers and language-lovers. The information is accessible to longtime language scholars and casual readers alike; a delightful collection of 20 small windows to much larger worlds.