In the Field by Rachel Pastan

 

meh

The Churchill Sisters by Rachel Trethewey

 

I enjoyed this. It's a unique take.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Hawthorne School by Sylvie Perry

 

So great concept, great characters. But the writing was a bit cliched, and the plot a bit over the top. 

Review copy provided by publisher.

American Baby by Gabrielle Glaser

 

Heart-wrenching, fascinating, horrifying, and amazing.

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

 

This was excellent, and I loved the local Austin references.

Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao

 

This was engaging.

Never by Ken Follett

 

I feel almost guilty for how much I enjoyed this. It was just fantastic, if not great literature.

The Story of the Country House by Clive Aslet

 

Interesting, but also a bit frustrating because it tried to cover so much ground so quickly. But a nice overview.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Three Sisters by Heather Morris

 

As a novel, this doesn't really break any new ground if you have already read Holocaust accounts. However, knowing how closely it is based on real-life experiences, it is amazing.

Review copy provided by publisher.

A Face for Picasso by Ariel Henley

 

So an interesting story, and a great job incorporating a critical critique of beauty culture, but -- and maybe it was just the narrator -- this just didn't hold together as well as it should have.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Further Adventures of Ebenezer Scrooge by Charlie Lovett

 

This was lame.

The Corpse Flower by Anne Mette Hancock

 

This was OK -- a few glimpses of clever writing, a decent plot -- but not outstanding.

Review copy provided by publisher.

No One Goes Alone by Erik Larson

 

Still can't decide if I liked this.

The Circle by David Eggers

This was just OK. 

Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons

 

I still can't decide if I liked this. I'm leaning towards no because the end was too neat.

An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed by Helene Turnsten

 

It's hard to say anything about this without major spoilers, but . . . this was so intriguing and unusual. I think it would be a great choice for book groups. 

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Wife Upstairs by Freida McFadden

 

I didn't like this. The plot was too byzantine and the writing was not great.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen

 

meh

Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart

 

I did not like this.

The Poison Squad by Deborah Blum

 

Very interesting history -- it made me think about parallels to big tech today.