The Murder of the C...
The Murder of the Century, by Paul Collins. Broadway Paperbacks (2011), 325 pages. Nostalgia for the past,...
Gone Girl
Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn. Crown (2012), 419 pages. Flynn is a writer in the mystery and crime genres—two...
Dog Boy
Dog Boy, by Eva Hornung. Viking (2010), 288 pages. I don’t know if there any other novels about abandoned...
Major PettigrewR...
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, by Helen Simonson. Random House (2011), 353 pages. I borrowed this from a...
Throw This Book Awa...
Time to toss your copy of Zeitoun in your curbside recycling bin; it can land on top of Three Cups of...
Citrus County
Citrus County, by John Brandon. McSweeney’s (2011), 216 pages. Reviewed by Donna I happened to read this...
The Snow Child
The Snow Child, by Eowyn Ivey. Little, Brown and Company (2012), 386 pages. Easily the best book I’ve read...
The Vanishing of Ka...
The Vanishing of Katharina Linden, by Helen Grant. Penguin (2009), 304 pages. Back-cover reviews describe...
The Invisible Mount...
The Invisible Mountain, by Carolina De Robertis. Vintage Books (2009), 424 pages. This is a book that will...
The Family Fang
The Family Fang, by Kevin Wilson. Ecco (2011), 309 pages. I normally go out of my way to avoid books...
Broken Glass Park
Broken Glass Park, by Alina Bronsky. Translated from German by Tim Mohr. Europa Editions (2010), 211...
Formerly Favorite A...
What a disheartening year it’s been for those of us who want to believe that an author’s subsequent book...
The Angel’s G...
The Angel’s Game, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Anchor Books (2010), 531 pages. Blech. What a relief to be done...
Freedom
Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (2010), 562 pages. Much like my favorite...
The God of Animals
The God of Animals, by Aryn Kyle. Scribner (2007), 305 pages. This was another one of those serendipitously...
Beauty
(This review first appeared in November 2005) Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty & the...
The Namesake
The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri. Houghton Mifflin Company (2004), 291 pages. This is a very well-written book...
The Hole We’r...
The Hole We’re In, by Gabrielle Zevin. Black Cat (2010), 283 pages. This is one of those novels that...
About a Boy
About a Boy, by Nick Hornby. Riverhead Books (1998), 307 pages. This cover is the worst, most misleading...
The Blue Orchard
The Blue Orchard, by Jackson Taylor. Touchstone (2010), 416 pages. Taylor’s novel about abortion in...
The Shadow of the W...
(This review first appeared in January 2006) The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Penguin Books...
Little Bee
Little Bee, by Chris Cleave. Simon Schuster (2009), 288 pages. Little Bee is a fourteen-year-old girl from...
What Was She Thinki...
(This review first appeared in August 2007) What Was She Thinking?: Notes on a Scandal, by Zoe Heller. Henry...
The Book Thief
(This review first appeared in February 2007) The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. Knopf (2006), 552...
The Miraculous Jour...
(This review first appeared in March 2007) The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane,by Kate...
The Darkest Child
(This review first appeared in November 2006) The Darkest Child, by Delores Phillips. Soho Press (2004), 387...
The Story of Edgar ...
(This review first appeared in July 2008) The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski. Ecco (2008),...
The Glass of Time
The Glass of Time: The Secret Life of Miss Esperanza Gorst, Narrated by Herself, by Michael Cox. W.W. Norton...
Digging to America
Digging to America, by Anne Tyler. Ballantine Books (2007), 288 pages. Two families arrive at the Baltimore...
Bone China
Bone China, by Roma Tearne. Europa Editions (2009), 378 pages. It was strange reading this just two months...
As Hot As It Was Yo...
(This review first appeared in February 2005) As Hot As It Was You Ought to Thank Me, by Nanci Kincaid....
The True Story of H...
(This review first appeared in March 2004) The True Story of Hansel and Gretel, by Louise Murphy. Penguin...
The Help
The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. Amy Einhorn Books (2009), 451 pages. Set in 1960′s Jackson,...
Lavinia
Lavinia, by Ursula K. Le Guin. Mariner Books (2009), 284 pages. Rome has not yet been founded; it doesn’t...
Zel
(This review first appeared in May 2003) Zel, by Donna Jo Napoli. Puffin Books (1996), 234 pages. This young...
People of the Book
People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks. Penguin Books (2008), 386 pages. Geraldine Brooks is an exceptional...
To Siberia
To Siberia, by Per Petterson. Picador (2009), 246 pages. (Originally published in Norway in 1996.) The...
The Curious Inciden...
(This review first appeared in August 2003) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark...
Coraline
Coraline, by Neil Gaiman. Harper Trophy (2003), 162 pages. Gaiman, in his young adult novel Coraline, has...
Pharmakon
Pharmakon…or the Story of a Happy Family, by Dirk Wittenborn. Penguin Books (2008), 404 pages. The father...
The Cry of the Slot...
The Cry of the Sloth, by Sam Savage. Coffee House Press (2009), 224 pages. Andrew Whittaker is an...
A Reliable Wife
A Reliable Wife, by Robert Goolrick. Algonquin (2009), 291 pages. Goolrick’s novel is set in rural...
The Book of Lost Th...
(This review first appeared in April 2008) The Book of Lost Things, by John Connelly. Washington Square...
Korgi: Book 2
Korgi: Book 2, by Christian Slade. Top Shelf Productions (2008), 94 pages. There’s another Korgi book!...
Middlesex
(This review first appeared in November 2005) Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides. Farrar, Straus and Giroux...
Korgi
Korgi, by Christian Slade. Top Shelf Productions (2007), 88 pages. I read this seven months ago and have...
The Rapture of Cana...
(This review first appeared in December 2002) The Rapture of Canaan, by Sheri Reynolds. Berkley Books...
Strawberry Fields
Strawberry Fields, by Marina Lewycka. Penguin Books (2008), 294 pages I loved this book. But before I...
The People’s ...
(This review first appeared in February of 2007) The People’s Act of Love, by James Meek. Canongate...
Loving Frank
Loving Frank, by Nancy Horan. Random House (2007), 377 pages With minimal interest in Frank Lloyd...
About Us
The Book Shark began as an independent book review website created by Cindy Pinto and Donna Long in 2002.
From the beginning our goal was not only to write great reviews, but also to recognize the most well-written books we read each year with an award...
Gustine Awards
The Gustine Awards were named in honor of the main character in one of our favorite books—The Dress Lodger, by Sheri Holman. Awards have been given out yearly since 2002 in three categories: fiction, nonfiction, and memoir...
Cover Art
A book’s cover is as important as the writing within it. Yes, I really just said that. I am aware that this is a highly offensive statement to many authors who have toiled for years on their books and believe their words are the only thing that matters...
Reader Reviews
What’s the best or worst book you’ve ever read? What’s the most recent book that you’ve had a strong reaction to? Send us your thoughts, and we’ll post them in this spot.
Fiction
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The Murder of the Century
27 Feb 2013
The Murder of the Century, by Paul Collins. Broadway Paperbacks (2011), 325 pages. Nostalgia for the past, ....
Nonfiction
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This Is How
25 May 2012
This Is How: Proven Aid in Overcoming Shyness, Molestation, Fatness, Spinsterhood, Grief, Disease, Lushery, Decrepitude & More ....
Memoir
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Mukiwa: A White Boy in Africa
11 May 2012
Mukiwa: A White Boy in Africa, by Peter Godwin. Grove Press (1996), 418 pages. “I think I ....
Opinions
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Throw This Book Away
12 Jun 2012
Time to toss your copy of Zeitoun in your curbside recycling bin; it can land on top of Three Cups ....