Fiction Book Reviews
- Guest Reviewer Bios (5)
- Horror (8)
- Mystery / Suspense (41)
- Short Story Collections (5)
- Wmn's Lit/Chck Lit/Romance (28)
'Dead Ever After' by Charlaine Harris - Book Review
Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris is the last book in the popular series starring Sookie Stackhouse.
'Ender's Game' by Orson Scott Card - Book Review
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is a classic science fiction novel about a child genius who is sent to a military training school to prepare him for a future battle.
'11/22/63' by Stephen King - Book Review
11/22/63 by Stephen King is a novel that will appeal to many kinds of readers.
Anna Karenina - Review of a Classic Novel & Oprah Pick
Classic literature guide, Esther Lombardi, review this classic Russian novel that hit the bestsellers lists as an Oprah Book Club selection.
'A Good American' by Alex George - Book Review
A Good American by Alex George is an immigrant story and debut novel.
'Gold' by Chris Cleave - Book Review
Gold by Chris Cleave follows Olympic cyclists and a family with a sick child.
A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon - Book Review
A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon is the author's second novel, following The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. In A Spot of Bother, George Hall is convinced that the eczema on his thigh is cancer and is unable to deal with his daughter's wedding, his wife's affair, and his son's homosexuality.
The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers - Book Review
The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers is a novel about the Iraq war.
'The Fault in Our Stars' by John Green - Book Review
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is about a teen with cancer.
'Beatrice and Virgil' by Yann Martel - Book Review
Beatrice and Virgil, Martel’s third novel, sadly falls short of Life of Pi’s magic. It packs a punch at the end, but the storytelling this time is much more plodding and burdensome, distracting from the powerful metaphors at work.
'The Age of Miracles' by Karen Thompson Walker - Book Review
'The Burgess Boys' by Elizabeth Strout - Book Review
The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout is a story about a New England family in the same vein as Olive Kitteridge.
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling - Book Review
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling's is about politics in a small British town.
'A Discovery of Witches' by Deborah Harkness - Book Review
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness is the first in the All Souls Trilogy. It is a debut fantasy novel about witches, vampires, daemons and love.
'Arcadia' by Lauren Groff - Book Review
Arcadia is Lauren Groff's second novel.
'Fall of Giants' by Ken Follett - Book Review
Fall of Giants by Ken Follett is the first book in Follett's Century Trilogy. Find out if this 1000 page novel is worth reading.
'The Language of Flowers' by Vanessa Diffenbaugh - Book Review
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh is a book that uses flowers to tell the story of someone who grew up in foster care.
'State of Wonder' by Ann Patchett - Book Review
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett has received a lot of attention. Find out whether this literary novel is really worth reading.
'Lucy' by Laurence Gonzales - Book Review
Lucy by Laurence Gonzales is a fiction novel about a girl who is half human, half bonobo ape. It is a science fiction thriller that explores what it means to be human.
'Canada' by Richard Ford - Book Review
Canada by Richard Ford is a coming of age story about an American teen who has fled to Canada.
'Major Pettigrew's Last Stand' by Helen Simonson - Book Review
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson is a delightful novel that takes place in modern day Britain, but has old world charm.
'The Imperfectionists' by Tom Rachman - Book Review
The Imperfectionists is Tom Rachman’s first published novel, written from his experiences working for an Italian newspaper.
'I Curse the River of Time' by Per Petterson - Book Review
I Curse the River of Time is Per Petterson's next novel, following the success of Out Stealing Horses.
'Sing You Home' by Jodi Picoult - Book Review
Jodi Picoult is known for combining controversial issues, courtroom scenes and family drama. In Sing You Home, she tackles gay marriage and rights.
'You Lost Me There' by Rosecrans Baldwin - Book Review
You Lost Me There features a reputable neuroscientist, Dr. Victor Aaron, who finds letters from his recently deceased wife, Sara, only to discover her view of their life is not quite how he saw it. As he learns more through note cards his wife left behind for him to find, this lab rat races through the labyrinth of his own mind trying to find...
'The Great Night' by Chris Adrian - Book Review
The Great Night by Chris Adrian is a novel that plays off Shakespeare's A Mid-Summer Night's Dream.
'The Family Fang' by Kevin Wilson - Book Review
The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson is about a family who does performance art and the kids who must endure it.
'When You Reach Me' by Rebecca Stead - Book Review
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead is a young adult novel that is part mystery, part science fiction, part coming of age story. Read this book review of When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead to see if it is the book for you.
'Rescue' by Anita Shreve - Book Review
Webster is raising his teenage daughter as a single parent; his wife and the daughter's mother left years ago when she couldn't conquer her alcoholism. Anita Shreve's new novel, Rescue, explores the story of how Webster and his wife met, when he was an EMT and she the victim of a drunk driver -- herself.
'Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk' by David Sedaris - Book Review
David Sedaris is the best-selling humor author of brilliant personal essays and memoirs like Me Talk Pretty One Day. His newest book, though, is a collection of short fables about the animal world. Or rather, about an animal world that is much like our human world--cocktail parties, social relationships and inter-species awkwardness abound.
'The Hunger Games' and 'Catching Fire' by Suzanne Collins - Book Review
he Hunger Games and its sequel, Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins are both worth reading in a stop-whatever-else-you’re-doing-and-consume-these-in-48-hours-or-less type fashion. Read a complete review of the first two books in The Hunger Games trilogy.
No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith - Book Review
The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith is a slim book that reads more like a pleasant literary story than a typical page turning mystery.
'One Day' by David Nicholls - Book Review
One Day by David Nicholls takes on the nature of male-female friendship, love, and career in the post-college years. Set across England in the 1980s and 90s, One Day is a tale of two unlikely friends that is told one day at a time, on the same day each year.
'The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake' by Aimee Bender - Book Review
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender has a unique premise -- the main character can taste the feelings of the person who prepared the food. Read this book review of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender to find out if Bender's novel will appeal to your taste.
'Sweet Tooth' by Ian McEwan
Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan is a novel about a woman in the British secret service in the 1970s.
'The Interestings' by Meg Wolitzer - Book Review
The Interestings is about the adult lives of artists who met as teens during summer camp.
'Wool' by Hugh Howey - Book Review
Wool is a science fiction novel that takes place on a post-apocalyptic earth.
'Live by Night' by Dennis Lehane - Book Review
Live by Night is the second book in Dennis Lehane's trilogy about the early 20th century
'The Twelve' by Justin Cronin
The Twelve by Justin Cronin is the second book in a dark trilogy with a new take on vampires.
'Wonder' by R.J. Palacio - Book Review
Wonder by R.J. Palacio is juvenile fiction that is excellent enough for adults to enjoy as well.
'In the Shadow of the Banyan' by Vaddey Ratner - Book Review
In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner is a work of fiction based on her experiences as a girl in Cambodia from 1975 to 1979.
'Swamplandia!' by Karen Russell - Book Review
Swamplandia by Karen Russell is a debut novel that takes place in Florida and involves a mystery among an alligator wrestling family.
'The Tiger's Wife' by Tea Obreht - Book Review
The Tiger's Wife is Tea Obreht's debut novel, and is one of the hot books of 2011. If you're wondering whether to pick up The Tiger's Wife, this book review can help you decide.
'If Jack’s in Love' by Stephen Wetta - Book Review
If Jack's in Love by Stephen Wetta is a coming of age tale and Wetta's debut.
The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay - Book Review
The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay is a novel about Paris. Find out if you will like it in this review.
'The Marriage Plot' by Jeffrey Eugenides - Book Review
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides is his first novel in almost a decade and very different than Middlesex.
'The Night Circus' by Erin Morgenstern - Book Review
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is a dark and mysterious novel that draws readers into another world.
'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children' by Ransom Riggs - Book Review
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs is a young adult novel that includes real, old, strange photos.
'Silver Sparrow' by Tayari Jones - Book Review & Book Club Discussion Questions
Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones is about the two daughters of a bigamist in Atlanta in the 1980s. Check out this review and book club questions on Silver Sparrow.
'The Mill River Recluse' by Darcie Chan - Book Review
The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan is an electronic book about a woman in Vermont who never leaves her mansion on a hill.
'The Orphan Master's Son' by Adam Johnson - Book Review
The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson is about a man in North Korea.
'The Unruly Passions of Eugenie R.' by Carole DeSanti - Book Review
The Unruly Passions of Eugenie R. is a debut novel by Carole DeSanti. Find out how it measures in this review.
'The Newlyweds' by Nell Freudenberger - Book Review
This is a review of The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger.
'The Red House' by Mark Haddon - Book Review
The Red House by Mark Haddon is a literary vacation read.
'Where'd You Go Bernadette' by Maria Semple - Book Review
Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple is about a teenager whose mother suddenly disappears on the eve of a planned family vacation to Antarctica.
'Seating Arrangements' by Maggie Shipstead - Book Review
Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead is a summer debut that heads into deeper waters.
'Telegraph Avenue' by Michael Chabon
Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon is a sweeping novel about a small record store in Oakland and the complicated relationships surrounding it.
'A Hologram for the King' by Dave Eggers
A Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers takes place in Saudi Arabia and is rich in writing, if not action.
'Winter of the World' by Ken Follett
Winter of the World by Ken Follett covers World War II from the perspective of characters in five countries. It is the second book in a trilogy.