Reviews

Emerald O’Brien is a thirty-six-year-old divorced mother of two and owner of the Chintz ‘n China Tea Room, a quaint little business in the town of Chiqetaw, Washington.  Emerald’s daughter, Miranda, suggested the name be changed to Chintz ‘n China Tea Room and Tarot Emporium since her mother reads cards for many of her customers.  The name, however, did not change.  The

With the untimely death of her beloved husband, Edward, Cristiana Helyngton is now a widow.  She and her daughters, eight-year-old Jane and twelve-year-old Mary, are grateful for the help and guidance of Cristiana’s brother, Gerverys.  But Gerverys is no match for Edward’s cousin Laurence Helyngton, who is determined to have all the Helyngton land and properties as well as Jane and

Having read the first five books in Jean Auel’s Earth’s Children series, I was eagerly awaiting the next installment. I was not disappointed. While there is not much drama until nearer the end of the book, we do get to see what path Ayla’s life has taken.

State of Wonder is a remarkable novel that takes place in the Amazon jungle. Dr. Marina Singh, a pharmaceutical research scientist, is sent on a mission to discover the reasons behind her office mate’s death in the Amazon and to track down her former mentor, Dr. Swenson. Dr.

Set in modern day Hanoi, Vietnam, this dreamy tale reflects on the Communist takeover and a little on the wars with America and France. Old Man Hung is the "enlightened" proprietor of a beloved and illegal pho shop. He survived the political upheaval and has found a way to feed his customers and neighbors through dire poverty.

How would you learn to use stairs if you lived every day of your first five years in an 11' x11' room? What it would it be like to see a bird flying, or know what a blade of grass looks like? That's life for Jack. His Ma has been held captive in the room for seven years. She bore and raised Jack there, living off the frugal "generosity" of their captor.

Many of us would not be alive today if not for the work of Charles Norris and Alexander Gettler. This fascinating Jazz Age tale of the birth of forensic medicine in the U.S. highlights the careers of these two heroes, who worked against incredible odds to develop techniques that would reveal the poisons that killed countless citizens.

 The Compound is a short novel that tells the intriguing story of  fifteen year old Eli and his family living underground to escape nuclear fallout.

 As Cathi Hanauer, the editor of The Bitch in the House, explains, “This book was born out of anger…which stemmed from a combination of guilt, resentment, exhaustion, naivete, and the chaos of my life at the time.”  Sharing her thoughts and feelings about her situation in late night e-mails to friends brought her to the realizations that a) many women were facing the same struggles and that b) she was gaining comfort and insight from these

The Art of Racing in the Rain is the story of a dog named Enzo, who has a very old soul. Enzo believes that if he tries hard enough to think like a man, he will eventually be reincarnated as a man.