Book reviews and more!

Posts tagged with ‘Women’s Fiction’

FIX YOU by Carrie Elks

April 14, 2014

A TRANSATLANTIC ROMANCE SET against the backdrops of music journalism in London, big finance in New York. SOLID B

FIX YOU
self-published
2014

Grade: SOLID B

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ALMOST TRUE CONFESSIONS by Jane O’Connor

December 24, 2013

APPEALING NEW YORK cozy mystery draws on the publishing world and the city’s old-money elite for color. SOLID B

ALMOST TRUE CONFESSIONS : CLOSET SLEUTH SPILLS ALL
William Morrow & Company
2013

Grade: SOLID B

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On FROM BANGKOK WITH DESPAIR, by Tichakorn Khroopan Hill

October 13, 2013

Mixing the charm of chick lit with the suspense of a thriller requires a deft hand; in her debut novel, From Bangkok with Despair: (Mis)adventures in D. C., Tichakorn Khroopan Hill is well up to the task. The book follows Joyjira, a Thai reporter trying to make a new life in the US after a nasty breakup back in Bangkok. Joy’s an engaging character, whose breathless love for Hello Kitty and designer shoes is balanced by her practical approach to the challenges of her new life and new job.

The camaraderie (and occasional savage backbiting) of a city newsroom is vividly depicted here, as are perspectives of the Thai community in the US, from restaurant chefs to international students. If there’s fault to find with From Bangkok with Despair, it’s that the book does so much at once: it’s a coming of age story, a Beltway thriller, and a romance. Joy’s distinctive voice and character are strong enough to tie the book together, though, and delightful enough to leave readers wanting more from Tichakorn Khroopan Hill.

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FROM BANGKOK WITH DESPAIR, by Tichakorn Khroopan Hill

A FRESH THAI TWIST on the chick-lit thriller! Charming novel stars a Bangkok reporter new to Washington, DC.

Grade: SOLID B

FROM BANGKOK WITH DESPAIR: (MIS)ADVENTURES IN D. C.
Tichakorn Khroopan Hill
2013

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AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF US, by Aria Beth Sloss

May 30, 2013

TWO YOUNG WOMEN weather the changes of the 1960s in different ways.  A complex, deft portrait of friendship!

Grade: B PLUS

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF US
Henry Holt and Company
2013

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THE GOOD HOUSE, by Ann Leary

March 10, 2013

VIVID MASSACHUSETTS ATMOSPHERE, “townie”/”incomer” tensions, deftly captured in a tale of gossip and scandal.

Grade: B PLUS

THE GOOD HOUSE
St. Martin's Press
2013

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DOLLS BEHAVING BADLY, by Cinthia Ritchie

February 18, 2013

WHIMSICAL WOMEN’S FICTION features vivid local (Anchorage, Alaska!) color, a memorable single-mom heroine.

Grade: SOLID B

DOLLS BEHAVING BADLY
Grand Central
2013

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THE TYPEWRITER GIRL, by Alison Atlee

February 11, 2013

MEMORABLY RESOURCEFUL HEROINE needs every bit of her fierceness to make her way in Victorian England. Engaging!

Grade: B PLUS

THE TYPEWRITER GIRL
Simon and Schuster/Gallery
2013

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THE DROWNING HOUSE, by Elizabeth Black

January 22, 2013

AN ARTIST RETURNS to Galveston, Texas, and searches the island’s history and her family’s secrets. Overwrought.

Grade: B MINUS

THE DROWNING HOUSE
Knopf Doubleday/Nan A. Talese Books
2013

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THOSE WE LOVE MOST, by Lee Woodruff

January 18, 2013

A CHILD’S SUDDEN DEATH fractures a family, reveals its secrets. Upper-middle-class melodrama, a bit formulaic.

Grade: B MINUS

THOSE WE LOVE MOST
Hyperion
2012

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