Marguerite Reads

Weekly book reviews in most genres, including classics and not-to-be-missed. Books selected and reviews written by a librarian specializing in readers’ advisory.

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The North Line, by Matt Riordan

June 15, 2024 by Marguerite Rauch in Book Reviews

Suspenseful adventure novel from debut author Matt Riordan. My idea of a page turning beach read.

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June 15, 2024 /Marguerite Rauch
2024 Reviews, Action & Adventure
Book Reviews
Comment

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, by Jonathan Haidt

June 12, 2024 by Marguerite Rauch in Book Reviews

Jonathan Haidt is a social psychologist on a mission to save us and our children from the insidious harmful addictions of smartphones and social media. Read, then let me know what you think.

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June 12, 2024 /Marguerite Rauch
2024 Reviews, Nonfiction, Psychology
Book Reviews
Comment

James, by Percival Everett

June 04, 2024 by Marguerite Rauch in Book Reviews

Everett successfully takes Twain’s character of the runaway slave Jim, making him a surreptitious reader and writer, on a dangerous journey of freedom for himself and his family.

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June 04, 2024 /Marguerite Rauch
2024 Reviews, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Book Reviews
Comment

Sociopath: A Memoir, by Patric Gagne

May 31, 2024 by Marguerite Rauch in Book Reviews

Patric Gagne lifts the veil and helps us understand the inner world of the sociopath, in this very personal, candid memoir.

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May 31, 2024 /Marguerite Rauch
2024 Reviews, Memoir, Nonfiction, Psychology
Book Reviews
Comment

The Three-Body Problem, by Cixin Liu

May 26, 2024 by Marguerite Rauch in Book Reviews

Hugo Award-winning science fiction novel about Earth’s contact with an advanced alien race. Read before watching the Netflix series!

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May 26, 2024 /Marguerite Rauch
2024 Reviews, Science Fiction
Book Reviews
Comment

The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War, by Erik Larson

May 18, 2024 by Marguerite Rauch in Book Reviews

Read about Larson’s latest story of the leadup to the U.S. Civil War. Also check out my review of his last nonfiction book on World War II, https://www.margueritereads.com/home/the-splendid-and-the-vile-a-saga-of-churchill-family-and-defiance-during-the-blitz-by-erik-larson?rq=erik%20larson.

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May 18, 2024 /Marguerite Rauch
2024 Reviews, Nonfiction, History
Book Reviews
Comment

Erasure, by Percival Everett

May 11, 2024 by Marguerite Rauch in Book Reviews

Effective satire of our views of race, the publishing world and society as a whole. Read this after you view American Fiction, the film adaptation.

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May 11, 2024 /Marguerite Rauch
2024 Reviews, Satire, Realistic Fiction
Book Reviews
2 Comments

My Name Is Barbra, by Barbra Streisand

May 08, 2024 by Marguerite Rauch in Book Reviews

Check out the audio version of Streisand’s memoir, but get ready for 48 hours (!) of amazing memories.

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May 08, 2024 /Marguerite Rauch
2024 Reviews, Memoir, Nonfiction
Book Reviews
Comment

The Great Divide, by Cristina Henriquez

May 01, 2024 by Marguerite Rauch in Book Reviews

Learn about the building of the Panama Canal from the viewpoint of indigenous peoples in this historical fiction novel.

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May 01, 2024 /Marguerite Rauch
2024 Reviews, Historical Fiction
Book Reviews
Comment

Come & Get It, by Kiley Reid

April 24, 2024 by Marguerite Rauch in Book Reviews

I read this as a satirical take on Gen Z, their values, and perhaps a critique on how much parental coddling has made this a fragile generation.

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April 24, 2024 /Marguerite Rauch
2024 Reviews, Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age
Book Reviews
Comment

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution, by R.F. Kuang

April 14, 2024 by Marguerite Rauch in Book Reviews

Ambitious fantasy novel, through clever metaphor, demonstrating the power of language, and how it can be exploited for power and material gain.

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April 14, 2024 /Marguerite Rauch
2024 Reviews, Fantasy, Alternative History, Literary Fiction
Book Reviews
Comment

Table for Two, by Amor Towles

April 13, 2024 by Marguerite Rauch in Book Reviews

Enjoy Towles’ collection of well-crafted short story gems, each filled with great humor and clever plot twists.

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April 13, 2024 /Marguerite Rauch
2024 Reviews, Literary Fiction, Realistic Fiction
Book Reviews
2 Comments

Murder Road, by Simone St. James

April 05, 2024 by Marguerite Rauch in Book Reviews

If you like ghosts with your serial murder, you will enjoy St James’s latest— set on a lonely stretch of road in backwoods Michigan.

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April 05, 2024 /Marguerite Rauch
2024 Reviews, Mystery, Horror, Suspense
Book Reviews
Comment

Mariette in Ecstasy, by Ron Hansen

April 02, 2024 by Marguerite Rauch in Book Reviews

In this Easter season, I share my views on my favorite novel, by the fine author, Ron Hansen.

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April 02, 2024 /Marguerite Rauch
2024 Reviews, Religion, Mystery, Realistic Fiction, Literary Fiction
Book Reviews
Comment

The Hunter, by Tana French

March 29, 2024 by Marguerite Rauch in Book Reviews

The second book in a mystery series by French; enjoy the suspenseful story of an American making his home in rural Ireland, and the trouble that finds him here, despite his desire for a peaceful life.

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March 29, 2024 /Marguerite Rauch
2024 Reviews, Mystery, Suspense
Book Reviews
Comment

Murder By Degrees, by Ritu Mukerji

March 19, 2024 by Marguerite Rauch in Book Reviews

A female medical doctor in 1875 Philadelphia is drawn into a murder investigation, her patient the victim. An ambitious first novel, with some weaknesses, but a worthwhile read.

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March 19, 2024 /Marguerite Rauch
2024 Reviews, Mystery, Historical Fiction
Book Reviews
Comment

End of Story, by A. J. Finn

March 10, 2024 by Marguerite Rauch in Book Reviews

Destined to be A.J. Finn’s second bestseller, after The Woman in the Window, comes this piece of psychological thriller fluff. Read it for the fun of it.

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March 10, 2024 /Marguerite Rauch
2024 Reviews, Psychological Thriller, Mystery
Book Reviews
Comment

Kristin Lavransdatter, by Sigrid Undset

March 02, 2024 by Marguerite Rauch in Book Reviews

Enjoy this classic trilogy, published just over one hundred years ago, but whose characters feel as genuine and real as anyone you know.

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March 02, 2024 /Marguerite Rauch
Classics, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Book Reviews
4 Comments

The Women, by Kristin Hannah

February 18, 2024 by Marguerite Rauch in Book Reviews

This is a must-read novel, the story of a woman serving in Vietnam. It is also Hannah’s best book yet.

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February 18, 2024 /Marguerite Rauch
2024 Reviews, Historical Fiction
Book Reviews
2 Comments

Diva, by Daisy Goodwin

February 12, 2024 by Marguerite Rauch in Book Reviews

Brava! Delight in this dramatic story of opera soprano legend Maria Callas, told as a novel.

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February 12, 2024 /Marguerite Rauch
2024 Reviews, Historical Fiction
Book Reviews
Comment
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