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LaurelLit.com

Writer, Reader, English Teacher

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My Book Reviews

I love novels! My favorite genres are high-end women's fiction, suspense, and psychological thrillers, but occasionally I'll also pick up some chick lit or YA. I mostly read books on my kindle, and I also listen to audio books every morning when I go for my run.

I do NOT love star ratings for novels. For each book I review, I will give a bit of background, my thoughts, and end by saying if I would recommend it or not. Full disclosure: if I'm not into a book, I don't finish it. Since I'll only be reviewing books I finish, most of the reviews posted will be positive.

Anna Karenina Ambivalence: Six Reasons To Read It & Three Reasons Not To

Laurel Osterkamp · November 17, 2022

I’m experiencing some Anna Karenina ambivalence. Should I read the behemoth novel? I remember many years ago, I was a brand new college graduate, excited at the prospect off freedom to pick what I would read in my downtime. Ambitiously, I decided on War and Peace as my first post-college pick, and I went out and bought a copy. I think I maybe got through thirty pages, tops. Since then, I’ve gone through phases where I’ve sworn I’ll read all the books on those “Greatest Novels Ever Written” …

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Seven Contemporary Novels (and one short story) Inspired by the Brontë Sisters

Laurel Osterkamp · November 1, 2022

A contemporary novel inspired by the Brontë sisters?

The Brontë sisters, Charlotte (Jane Eyre), Emily (Wuthering Heights), and Anne (The Tennant of Wildfell Hall), all used elements of gothic romance in their novels. A gothic romance usually features a dark and foreboding atmosphere, a remote setting (like a creepy castle), a distressed heroine, and a brooding yet compelling hero (or anti-hero). Often there are …

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How I came to read The Palace Papers (and what I thought)

Laurel Osterkamp · October 3, 2022

How I came to read The Palace Papers

I never paid much attention to the Royal Family until I started watching The Crown on Netflix. Then, I became a little bit obsessed with what was real and what was embellished for drama's sake, and I found myself doing Google searches on Princess Margaret, Prince Charles, Diana, Prince Phillip, Margaret Thatcher, and of course, Queen Elizabeth. In the process, I brushed up on my 20th Century British history. Still, when Oprah …

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Twelve Dark Academia Novels to Read Now That It’s Fall

Laurel Osterkamp · September 27, 2022

At this “back to school” time of year, it feels like all I should only be reading stories where the characters are dressed in tweed blazers, plaid shirts, and Oxford shoes. They should be conducting a late-night study session in the upper stacks of the library, where they discover dusty volumes of research filled with secrets. Or, they might go to a museum and then a coffee shop, to discuss their revelations about a conspiracy with deep roots in art, …

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A Slightly Bitchy Book Review of A Stranger in Our Bed by Samantha Lee Howe

Laurel Osterkamp · September 15, 2022

   

The Stranger in Our Bed, a psychological thriller, was a huge success

The Stranger in Our Bed, by Samantha Lee Howe, became a USA Today bestseller and it’s been made into a movie. It has over a thousand four or five star reviews on Goodreads, so Samantha Lee Howe is doing pretty well. If she wasn’t, I wouldn’t write a critical review like I’m about to write, where I dissect what I didn’t like. But I figure if she sees this post (which is very unlikely), …

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My Favorite Authors

Reading novels is more than a pastime to me; it’s a way of life. I love escaping into a captivating story, and when that story is well written, I find myself learning about all sorts of things, like how to be a better writer, how to understand others, and how to understand myself. I mostly read books on my Kindle or listen to them on audio, but sometimes I’ll read from a hard copy. When I like a book, I’ll review it. Since you’re required to give star reviews on places like Goodreads, I will give every book I like enough to review five stars, even if I get nitpicky in my written review. (I HATE giving books star ratings since I don’t think good writing can really be quantified. But as an author myself, I know how devastating anything less than a five star rating can be, so I’m never going to do that to a fellow author.)

Below is a list of some of my favorite authors and links to their sites. You’ll find a mix of Women’s Fiction, YA, Psychological Suspense, and Literary Fiction. This list is always growing, so please check back as I continue to add to it.

Links to my favorite authors:

Curtis Sittenfeld

Hank Phillippi Ryan

Ruth Ware

Kate Moretti

Renée Rosen

Anna Pitoniak

Tracy Chevalier

Catherine McKenzie

Kara Thomas

J. Courtney Sullivan

Kelly Simmons

Jessica Strawser
Jessica Goodman

Jacquelyn Mitchard
Katherine St. John

Ann Garvin
Chandler Baker
Lori Rader-Day
Carol Goodman
Megan Miranda

Amy Impellizzeri

Ali Hazelwood

Karen McManus

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