About Book Marks
Recent Reviews
J. Courtney Sullivan
Positive Booklist Sullivan...once again displays her keen observation skills with this insightful examination of two women at very different places in their lives. With well-developed, very real-feeling characters the story moves seamlessly from one perspective to the other. Friends and Strangers is a deeply personal yet profound exploration of motherhood, friendships, and the role of privilege in determining how we shape our lives.
Brooke Fossey
Rave Booklist Fossey’s debut is a warm and deeply funny look at the lives of two seniors who learn it is never too late to grow old with style. Filled with rich, pitch-perfect dialogue, this is a sweet story of people finding meaning and creating family in the places they least expected.
Carolyn Chute
Positive Booklist Chute once again takes on politics, class, and the complexities of friendship and love, managing her multiple characters and viewpoints with the use of icons. Rather than plot, characters and relationships drive this novel with a fierce political vision that feels uniquely tailored for our times.
Ann Napolitano
Rave Booklist With its expert pacing and picture-perfect final page, Dear Edward is a wondrous read. It is a skillful and satisfying examination of not only what it means to survive, but of what it means to truly live.
Mark Barr
Positive Booklist Electricity comes to rural Tennessee in Barr’s impressive debut novel ... Beautifully written, with deeply sympathetic characters and a richly described Tennessee landscape, Watershed brings a unique chapter in American history to vivid life through the eyes of two people working hard to find their place in the story.
Ola Larsmo, Trans. by Tiina Nunnally
Rave Booklist Larsmo’s...sobering, realistic portrayal of Swedish immigration to America pulls readers into a richly detailed world peopled with unforgettable characters. Extensively researched and beautifully translated, Larsmo’s novel is the epic story of a family and a community struggling to survive and an intimate look at the complexities of immigration.
Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb
Positive Booklist Gaynor and Webb make history come alive with a beautifully crafted and expertly paced story of one of history’s most celebrated stars. Their artful blend of history and imagination is a deeply satisfying tale of love and friendship, and a reminder of the power of second chances to determine our fate.
Grant Ginder
Positive Booklist Ginder once again delivers a family saga populated with smart, funny, confused, and lovable yet profoundly irritating characters who desperately try to pull themselves together while simultaneously tearing each other apart. He examines the complexities of family with insight and humor in this deeply satisfying, laugh-out-loud novel.
Caroline Kepnes
Rave Booklist Written in the second person, You is the story of one man’s life, a life where love becomes obsession, and obsession becomes murder, experienced and perpetrated by a character who is strangely likable despite his bad behavior. Kepnes, a television writer and journalist, has written a deeply dark yet mesmerizing first novel of two people caught in a romantic tangle with an ever-tightening knot.
Andrew Ridker
Rave Booklist Beautifully written, with witty, pitch-perfect dialogue and fascinating characters, Ridker’s impressive, deeply satisfying debut is an extraordinarily insightful look at a family broken apart by loss and struggling to find a way back to each other and themselves.
Snowden Wright
Positive Booklist Wonderfully written, with fascinating, deeply memorable characters, American Pop is a vivid reminder of the power of a family to build an empire and move a nation.
Jonas Jonasson, Trans. by Rachel Willson-Broyles
Positive Booklist \"Jonasson’s sequel to his international bestseller picks up the threads of Allan’s earlier life, adding intricate plots and a set of adventures worthy of his charming and beloved protagonist. Readers will find this a welcome visit from an old friend that’s filled with laugh out-loud hijinx as well as thought-provoking and timely satire on the current state of the world and the perils of power.\
Josephine Wilson
Rave Booklist A beautiful, complex story of people trying to understand where they’ve been and figure out what to do next. Winner of the 2017 Miles Franklin Award, Extinctions is a moving portrait of one family’s secrets, missed opportunities, and hopes for another chance at life. Beautifully written, with strong, memorable characters, Wilson’s latest takes readers on a deeply satisfying journey and reminds us of our power to create change.
Paula Saunders
Rave Booklist Online Saunders’ debut is an exquisite, searing portrait of family and of people coping with whatever life throws at them while trying to keep close to one another. This beautifully written novel takes readers on a roller-coaster ride of emotions, delivering them to a place where painful memories live alongside hopes and dreams. The Distance Home will leave readers eager for more from this extraordinarily talented writer.
Michelle de Kretser
Rave Booklist De Kretser...has again written a perceptive and articulate novel that blends acute observation and well-chosen details to create a sweeping story that is painfully close to home. With fascinating characters and beautifully nuanced writing, The Life to Come is a powerful exploration of the human condition and a compelling examination of how we look at each other and ourselves.