Book Reviews
This page contains book reviews online as
well as Reading Recommendations from staff and volunteers at
the Brewster Ladies' Library.
Online Book Reviews
New York Times - http://www.nytimes.com/books has an extensive archive of reviews, bestsellers, discussions, first chapters and more.
The New York Review of Books - http://www.nybooks.com/nyrev/index.html offers selections from its literary review.
Washington Post - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/style/books/ includes reviews, first chapters, bestseller lists, and other resources.
Booklist - http://www.ala.org/booklist/index.html is the digital counterpart to Booklist magazine. Includes brief reviews on a wide range of new books.
Reviews from library staff and volunteers
December 2011
This issue of the BLL Book Reviews represents a departure from our usual format. Rev. James N. McCutcheon has been writing great book reviews for BLL for a number of years. In discussions with Jim recently I learned the fascinating experiences that Jim had in the US Navy during the Korean War in the early 1950s. I'm pleased to say the Jim has generously agreed to write a memoir of his naval experience for inclusion in this special issue of the BLL Book Reviews
Please click here to read Jim's Korean memoir.
October 2011
Click here to read reviews on the following titles:
The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman (Suzanne McInerney)
Don't Know Much About The Civil War by Kenneth C. Davis (James N. McCutcheon)
Kraken: The Curious, Exciting, and Slightly Disturbing Science of Squid by Wendy Williams (Jim Mills)
The Language of Bees by Laurie R King (Don Boink)
Going Home To Glory by David Eisenhower with Julie Nixon Eisenhower (James N. McCutcheon)
To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914 - 1918 by Adam Hochschild (Jim Mills)
Iberia by James Michener (Don Boink)
Wild Bill Donovan by Douglas Waller (James N. McCutcheon)
For All the Tea in China by Sarah Rose (Jim Mills)
Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks (Suzanne McInerney)
What Would The Founders Say? by Larry Schweikart (James N. McCutcheon)
August 2011
Click here to read reviews on the following titles:
Perfect Soldiers by Terry McDermott (Jim Mills)
The Greater Journey by David McCullough (James N. McCutcheon)
Magic and Mayhem by Derek Leebaert (Don Boink)
Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff (Jim Mills)
Extraordinary Ordinary People by Condoleezza Rice (James N. McCutcheon)
The Storm of War by Andrew Roberts (Jim Mills)
Ruffians by Tim Green (Don Boink)
The Elephant to Hollywood by Michael Caine (Jim Mills)
Don't Know Much About The Civil War by Kenneth C. Davis (James N. McCutcheon)
Deadly Spin: An insurance company insider speaks out on how corporate PR is killing healthcare and deceiving America. by Wendell Potter (Don Boink)
Growing Up by Russell Baker (Don Boink)
June 2011
Click here to read reviews on the following titles:
Lake Views by Steven Weinberg (Don Boink)
Clockwork Universe by Edward Dolnick (Jim Mills)
Admiral "Bull" Halsey by John Wukovits (James N. McCutcheon)
Emily, Alone by Stewart O'Nan (Suzanne McInerney)
Naturally Selected - Why some people lead, while others follow, and why it matters the evolutionary science of leadership. by Mark van Vugt, PhD and Anjana Ahuja, PhD (Don Boink)
Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich (Jim Mills)
Heaven Is For Real by Todd Burpo (James N. McCutcheon)
Blur by Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel (Don Boink)
Silk Parachute by John McPhee (Jim Mills)
The Roots of Obama's Rage by Dinesh D'Souza (James N. McCutcheon)
- Start with the book title and author, and your name.
- Then consider a brief overview of the book to set the scene, so that a prospective reader will know whether this is a book that fits their interests.
- Some more details about the content of the book, maybe a few quotes, are helpful.
- Feel free to include your personal likes and dislikes about the book, and why.
- Maybe this book reminds you of something else you have read: how do they compare?
- Try to keep reviews to around 300-350 words, and forgive us if we make a few edits to create a "reader friendly" web version.
- Submit your review as a Word document attachment via email to Suzanne McInerney at smcinerney21@comcast.net, or drop off your review at the reference desk at the library.
Copies of the these and earlier reviews are available from the reference desk.
We'd like to hear from you!
Thanks to those loyal book reviewers who share their reading with us month after month.
We are looking for additional readers who would like to join our crew. See below for some review guidelines.
You may submit your review as a Word document attachment via email to Suzanne McInerney at smcinerney21@comcast.net,
or drop off your review at the reference desk at the library.
The deadline for our Spring edition is April 24th.
Thanks, and welcome aboard!