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The Quiet Librarian
by Allen Eskens
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The novel is about Hana, present day librarian in Minnesota and past teenager during the Bonsai war in 1995. Her friend Amina’s mysterious death in the beginning of the book, keeps you eagerly reading to figure out the reason. The book educate me about the Bosnia war and the Srebrenica massacre. It made me understand more about the horrors of that war and the impact it has on individuals and communities that were involved.

After Happily Ever
by Jennifer Safrey
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Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty in this book are called Neve, Della and Bry. They are in midlife and married to the Charming brothers, who are not always so charming. The premise is cute and overall I enjoyed the book, but something stopped me from really loving it.

Caught Up
by Navessa Allen
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I enjoyed the first one more because of the comedic aspect of it, but the second one was just as steamy. It was an old friends-ish to lovers trope.

How to Lose Your Mother
by Molly Jong-Fast
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Molly Jong-Fast created a “can’t look away from this vessel careening rapidly toward a cliff kind of memoir.” I would never have guessed that life with Erica Jong, the author of The Fear of Flying, and lovely celebrity of the 70’s could have been such a mess . What’s even more unbelievable is that the author and celebrity is still alive in 2025. There is so much name dropping in this Memoir of a Daughter, one might suspect that the work is actually fiction. I remember reading novels by Molly’s grandfather, Howard Fast, in the 70’s. Molly wails that she could never get enough time with her mother who is still raging alcoholic. Molly also identifies as an alcoholic and talks about her drug use in the past but says she has been sober for some 20 years. She works as a journalist and political pundit, has a wonderful husband and three terrific kids and actually acknowledges that her life is a form of normal. There is love on every page of this book or I might have simply put it down with all the sadness that also occupies almost every page.

1984
by George Orwell
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I read this book in high school and remember enjoying it. I wanted to re-read it to see how it compares with the actuality of life now, in terms of the technological "advances" that were used in the book. It turned out that I remembered scenes from the book that I guess I fabricated; only one thing that I recalled actually took place in the novel. The book did not hold my attention, and I wouldn't recommend it. I imagine it meant more when the Cold War was still in effect.

Shatter Me
by Tahereh Mafi
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This is a young adult, dystopian novel. It is the first in a series of six novels. It is set in a period where the world is basically dying, and a new form of government is in power, and they are exploiting the people and hording resources. Juliette has a lethal touch where she cannot touch anyone, or they will die. This book follows the story of Juliette as she is seen in different ways due to her power. I really liked this book. It is a bit of an introductory book into the series as it sets up the characters, setting, and plot so it might be a little slow at times. The romance is good. I enjoyed the writing style a lot. It was really unique in that it showed Juliette's growth as a person and really represented her internal turmoil. I really like the dystopian genre, like the Hunger Games, so I really enjoyed the book. I recommend this book to readers who like the dystopian genre and are willing to stick through the series because it gets so much better!

The Love Elixir Of Augusta Stern
by Lynda Cohen Loigman
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Once again Lynda Loigman enthralled me with her story of Augusta, a woman before her time. Although I had a preview of the story when attending her visit at East Meadow, I could not put this book down. It is filled with history and was a tribute to aging. Augusta reminded me of some Great Aunts, Aunts, and my own Mother who dealt with life events in the world around them. Kudos to Lynda for writing another touching book. Thank you!

The Silence Of The Girls
by Pat Barker
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This retelling of the Iliad from the point of view of a female Trojan captive has an interesting concept but I felt it went on way too long.

A Very Bad Thing
by J T Ellison
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I only picked this book because it met the challenge and the description sounded promising. I was wrong. The (biggest) twist was predictable from about the 5th chapter. When I first figured it out I was not sure if the author thought their readers were morons and would not see it, or if it was meant to be the biggest red herring ever (it wasn’t). Even for a mystery/thriller there was excessive and pointless death. If I could provide better advice, it would be to skip the epilogue. It was totally unnecessary and added plot lines at the bitter end that contribute nothing to the overall story, and actively takes away from it simultaneously. That is after seeing that the book was already 100 pages too long.

Rust & Stardust
by Atreus Rosewood
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Very cute gay cowboy romance. There is a third act break up, but it doesn't last long. I wanna go to Texas now!
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