This issue of BookBrowse Highlights includes reviews of six books our members have been reading and reviewing for "First Impressions"; and our latest blog posts profile notable books publishing in September and Fall movies based on books.
In addition you'll find recommended reading for books with an Islamic theme, recommendations for book clubs, book news, author interviews and more. Lastly, don't miss the opportunity to enter to win a copy of A Hundred Flowers by Gail Tsukiyama.
Best regards,
Davina,
BookBrowse Editor
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Readers Recommend
 How the Light Gets In: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny
Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur Publication Date: 08/27/2013 Mystery, 416 pages Number of reader reviews: 39 Readers' consensus:  BookBrowse Members SayHow the Light Gets In by Louise Penny is an enormous hit with BookBrowse readers. Out of over 400 First Impressions books BookBrowse has offered to date only one other has ever gotten a 4.9 rating! BookBrowse readers aren't the only ones lauding this book - we've just heard that it will debut at #1 on the NY Times bestseller list this weekend! Here is a glimpse of why readers have fallen in love with the latest Inspector Gamache mystery: "Louise Penny's latest Chief Inspector Armand Gamache mystery, set in Quebec and alternating between the the urban and countryside settings so well known to her faithful readers, is a triumph of suspense and decades long secrets." - Carolyn G. (Catskill, NY) "This is my first experience with Louise Penny and her Inspector Gamache series. I had long heard whispers about how good the series was but did not take it seriously. What a fool am I! This book is not simply a wonderful mystery, but a wonderful saga of a group of people, a town and a land whose beauty shines throughout the pages. I know I am one of those who are now going to go back and read the whole series. I dare anyone to not like this book." - Lani S. (Narberth, PA) "I'd like to join Louise Penny's many fans in a standing ovation! Lovers of interesting, character-driven stories shouldn't miss this series." - Lois P. (Logan, UT) "Although this is number nine in the Gamache series and does answer many unanswered questions from past books, it can certainly be read as a stand alone." - Alan K. (Westport, MA) "This novel might just be the best in the series so far. The writing, plot and character development are excellent." - Barbara H. (Alexandria, VA) "Louise Penny is a new author for me, so I am very pleased to find her and her series of mystery novels with Chief Inspector Gamache. There are great moral questions presented here that will make for fascinating conversations at book club meetings." - Donna T. (Tacoma, WA) Above are 6 of the 39 reader reviews for this book Read all the Reviews Buy at Amazon
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Readers Recommend
Each month we give away books to members to read and review (or discuss). Members who choose to take part tend to receive a free book about every three months. Here are their opinions on six recently published books:  Bitter River: A Bell Elkins Novel by Julia Keller
Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur Publication Date: 09/03/2013 Mystery, 400 pages Number of reader reviews: 24 Readers' consensus:  BookBrowse Members Say " Bitter River is an engrossing mystery set in a small town in West Virginia. Beginning with the murder of a young teenage girl, the story unfolds with yet more deaths and disasters." - Rita H. (Centennial, CO) "Belfa Elkins (but don't you EVER call her that, she goes by Bell) is such a well thought-out, realistic character that I would follow her anywhere - so her being the prosecuting attorney in small-town West Virginia, with her own dark past, makes these mysteries a must read...the second is every bit as good as the first, and that's saying a lot." - Sherri A. (Westbrook, CT) "Ms. Keller has provided a great read that continues where A Killing In The Hills left off. Her stories are filled with characters and scenarios that are realistic and wholly believable. I read Bitter River in one sitting and can't want for the next installment in this series." - Vivian T. (Charleston, WV) "I live in a small town in the south where everyone is related and enjoyed the descriptions of the people in Ackers Gap. I plan to go back and read the first book in the series and then read this one again. I would recommend this book!" - Susan R. (Julian, NC) "I loved the fact that the setting was hardscrabble West Virginia, the heroine was a mess and though life remains chaotic, we wouldn't want it any other way." - Kenneth T. (Houston, TX) Above are 5 of the 24 reader reviews for this book Read all the Reviews Buy at Amazon
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Readers Recommend
 The Drowning Guard: A Novel of the Ottoman Empire by Linda Lafferty
Publisher: Amazon Publishing Publication Date: 09/03/2013 Historical Fiction, 301 pages Number of reader reviews: 15 Readers' consensus: BookBrowse Members Say " The Drowning Guard offers an interesting perspective of the struggles of power in Istanbul in 1826." - Alison F. (Clearwater, FL) "I have always appreciated historical novels, but this is a real gem! It is beautifully written with language that truly evokes the emotions of the characters as well as the feeling of the settings. I felt as if I was living in the palaces of the sultan and the sultaness. I could smell the cinnamon and jasmine of the hallways and rooms. I was able to picture the beautiful silks worn by the characters. Linda Lafferty breathed life into people who lived nearly two hundred years ago and I thank her for the opportunity to have been able to spend even this brief time in the world of her characters. I loved, loved, loved this book! I would definitely recommend it to my book club." - Shelley C. (Eastport, NY) I was delighted by the author's weaving together of pride, history, love, religion, pain and respect that emerged into a story that will be with me for a long time." - Tracy B. (New Castle, DE) "This is a fascinating book. Lovers of history and/or romance will enjoy the story. Lovers of strong characters and intricate plots will enjoy the story. I look forward to reading more by Linda Lafferty." - Martha L. (Warner, NH) Above are 4 of the 15 reader reviews for this book Read all the Reviews Buy at Amazon
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Three Things You Need to Know About Rockets: A Memoir
by Jessica A. Fox
Publisher: Atria Books Publication Date: 08/27/2013 Memoir, 384 pages Number of reader reviews: 21 Readers' consensus: BookBrowse Members Say"The writing is very expressive and picturesque, it brings the small town in Scotland to life like a Mitford or the Cornwall of the Doc Marten series." - Peggy H. (North East, PA) "I guess the first thing about the book is that it is not about rockets. Jessica A. Fox worked at NASA and then Hollywood and was lost & fed up with her life. She Googles used bookshops in Scotland and finds the Bookshop in Wigtown. Life in Scotland is oh so different as she entrenches herself in the town. Her descriptions of Scotland make me want to go there! Lots of plot, not just another romance book, but really a personal journey of taking a chance on your dream for yourself." - Dawn C. (Meridian, ID) "I was smitten with this book from the moment I read the prologue until I finished it many hours later." - Karen M. (Great Falls, VA) "I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing was very reflective of the way real people think and act, as far as the personal and romantic part went. I loved reading the descriptions of Scotland, and living in a bookshop would be a dream!" - Lisa R. (Salem, OR) "I read the book in two big gulps! How can a bibliophile resist a book about a bookstore. However, the bookstore was only the setting for much of the story, but the actual memoir was really on a different topic. I have to be careful not to reveal too much, but I highly recommend it. Jessica was quite the risk taker. And so was Euan. I need to know what happened next." - Barbara C. (Riverside, CA) Above are 5 of the 21 reader reviews for this book Read all the Reviews Buy at Amazon
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Readers Recommend
 The Affairs of Othersby Amy Grace Loyd
Publisher: Picador
Publication Date: 08/27/2013 Novel, 304 pages Number of reader reviews: 19 Readers' consensus: BookBrowse Members Say "This book is so beautifully written; I found myself, within the first two or three pages, going back and re-reading sentences just for the delight of them. I so wish I could write something like this: 'But the day ran too high. It was radiant and boasting, making a parade of its assets and so required cheering bodies and attitudes.' Celia, the young widow of the story, has made a bargain of sorts with her dead husband, to join him in the world of death, to keep him with her - not literally - but she is, in her way, dead to the life and love around her. She owns a small apartment building in Brooklyn and rents to tenants carefully chosen to maintain her and their 'separateness.' Then she sublets to a dazzling woman, herself leaving a marriage. Celia is gradually drawn into this woman's life, and into those of her other tenants. And she is seduced by life. This sensuous, heartbreakingly sad and ultimately joyous book will seduce you too." - Mary M. (Beverly Hills, FL) "It's a beautifully written book that quietly tells the separate human stories which are at times shocking and often very sad, but also illuminating. It is a book I think about. It is a book I recommend to friends." - J W. (Davis, CA) "This is the first novel of Amy Grace Loyd. I found her voice unique." - Eve A. (Henderson, NV) "This book does not feel like a first novel and is highly recommended for anyone seeking a compact, satisfying read that will linger once completed." - Patricia L. (Seward, AK) Above are 5 of the 19 reader reviews for this book Read all the Reviews Buy at Amazon
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Readers Recommend
 The Disenchanted Widow by Christina McKenna
Publisher: Amazon Publishing Publication Date: 08/27/2013 Novel, 400 pages Number of reader reviews: 15 Readers' consensus: BookBrowse Members Say"Fleeing from an IRA enforcer, Bessie and her young son find themselves in a small town in Ireland - Tailorstown. The inhabitants of Tailorstown are revealed as the story progresses. But this is no sleepy village! McKenna takes readers on so many twists and turns, that you can't put the book down. The ending is suspenseful and thrilling. This is one book that I'll recommend to my book club." - Jill S. (Eagle, ID) "In the summer of 1981 a young widow is forced to flee Belfast with her son to start a new life. I enjoyed this book very much. The characters were unique. Her journey's twists and turns made for suspenseful reading." - Mary B. (St Paul, MN) "This book has more twists and turns than a crooked country road. It is a page turner and I will recommend it to my book club." - Anna R. (Oak Ridge, TN) "I was a bit put off when I got the book and it said 'stunning sequel to The Misremembered Man'! Fortunately, they weren't that connected because I didn't feel as if I was missing any essential information. The book often made me laugh out loud and I really cared about the characters. I think I'll go back and read the first book in the series." - Rebecca J. (Knoxville, TN) "From the moment I first met Bessie I was cheering for her! In fact, I couldn't put the book down until I found out if she could and would make a new life for herself and her son, little Herkie after she left Belfast. I highly recommend this book with its optimistic tone suggesting that the future will be better than the past when you have faith in your dreams and the courage to overcome many harsh obstacles along the way." - Helen S. (Sun City West, AZ) Above are 5 of the 15 reader reviews for this book Read all the Reviews Buy at Amazon
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Beyond the Book
 At BookBrowse, we go 'beyond the book' to explore interesting aspects relating to each book we feature.
Here is a recent "Beyond the Book" feature for The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime by Judith Flanders Screaming Bloody Murder
To paraphrase an old poem, "Twas a balmy summer afternoon," July 5, 2011 to be exact. I was enjoying a peaceful lunch with a dear friend at an outdoor cafe in Portland, Oregon, when my cell phone rang and my usually placid, always refined eighty-nine year old mother screeched: "It's not guilty on all counts, and Nancy Grace is having a cow!"
She was speaking of the Casey Anthony verdict, which had just come down after a trial that had captivated Mom and a goodly portion of the rest of the country (including yours truly!) for the better part of three years. To this day that memory has an eerie aura for me very reminiscent of an old television show hosted by Walter Cronkite called You Are There! I even remember how every broadcast began: "What kind of a day was it? A day like any other day - and you are there!"
I mention this because on that July day of my mother's epic phone call, I began to wonder why it is that otherwise respectable, law-abiding individuals on any ordinary day in any ordinary week seem so obsessed with murder, mayhem, and the more gruesome elements of life.
Most of us have heard about Jodi Arias, Andrea Yates, Son of Sam, Ted Bundy, and the O.J. verdict, and many tune in faithfully to television shows like Forensic Files, Investigation Discovery, Southern Fried Homicide, and 48 Hours. The faithful no longer wonder at the speed with which made-for-TV movies based on these sensational crimes are launched, and it goes without saying that we view every minute of them, commercials included.
 Nor is it only modern-day murder that fascinates us. There are still books being written about Jack the Ripper (I should know since I have them all!), and I, for one, continue to ask myself, "Did she or didn't she?" whenever the name Lizzie Borden comes up in polite conversation. Her house in Fall River, Massachusetts is a bed-and-breakfast now, and guests can even stay in the very bedroom where she supposedly gave her stepmother those legendary 40 whacks!
So, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I pose my query again; "What is it that makes us scream bloody murder?" Continue reading Reviewed by Judi Sauerbrey Above is part of BookBrowse's backstory to The Invention of Murder. Read the review and backstory in full here, and an excerpt from the book
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Best Books Publishing in September:
Fiction, Non-Fiction & YA
Here's a selection of particularly good books publishing in September 2013, selected from over 100 new and notable books that are previewed on BookBrowse.
Novels
 This month brings new works from many familiar writers. J. M. Coetzee returns with The Childhood of Jesus, an eerie allegorical tale told primarily through dialogue which explores childhood and destiny. From Southern fiction master Daniel Woodrell comes The Maid's Version, an explosive emotional story about family, justice and the power of truth. Edwidge Danticat, author of the best-selling Brother, I'm Dying, delivers Claire of the Sea Light, a stunning novel about a fisherman's daughter gone missing and what it means to be a parent, child, friend, neighbor and lover.
 Jane Urquhart's Sanctuary Line is a powerful, poetic read offering a reflection on the fragility of human life and our tenuous connection to one another, all mirrored in the study of the migratory habits of monarch butterflies. A stew of Middle East politics, computer sci-fi and Jewish philosophy, Dara Horn's A Guide for the Perplexed is an ambitious and highly entertaining novel. Fans of Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal author Jeannette Winterson will want to check out her novel The Daylight Gate, a magical modern-day tale of the Pendle Witches.
Historical Fiction & Sci-Fi
 "Socially conscious melodrama at its best", Diane Chamberlain's Necessary Lies, set in rural North Carolina during a time of state-mandated sterilizations and racial tension, explores the lives of two women, seemingly very different, but truly connected. Set in Depression-era Seattle comes another story of two connected people - Songs of Willow Frost is a powerful tale of a boy with dreams for his future and a woman escaping her haunted past, both in search of love, hope, and forgiveness. Robert Morgan's The Road from Gap Creek is the long-awaited sequel to Gap Creek - a moving and monumental portrait of people in the Great Depression and World War II.
Award winning poet Jason Mott explores faith and morality, love and responsibility in his debut novel The Returned in which loved ones all over the world come back from the beyond; while Margaret Atwood fans will be thrilled that the final entry in her MaddAddam series is here!
Mysteries & Thrillers
 Inspector Gamache returns in a new Louise Penny novel, How the Light Gets In. This is the ninth in the series and receiving reviews that indicate it could be her best yet; BookBrowse members who reviewed it for First Impressions rated it an average of 4.9 out of 5.0! John Lawton's Then We Take Berlin is a gripping historical thriller of espionage, war and the people caught up in it. World War I nurse and amateur sleuth Bess Crawford is back in Charles Todd's A Question of Honor; as is Jack Reacher in Lee Child's Never Go Back, an intricate puzzle that forces Reacher to question who he is, what he's done and what his life will
become.
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Books to Movies Fall 2013
If you're wondering what films based on books will release between August and December, BookBrowse has the answer in our recent blog that lists movies based on books pening in the USA, UK and elsewhere, including trailers.
The films covered include:
- The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, based on the series by Cassandra Clare
- As I Lay Dying, based on the book by William Faulkner
- Ender's Game, based on the book by Orson Scott Card
- The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, based on the second in Suzanne Collins' trilogy
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, part two of the three part adaptation of Tolkein's book
- The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, based on the 1939 short story by James Thurber
- The Monuments Men, based on Saving Italy: The Race to Rescue a Nation's Treasures from the Nazis by Robert M. Edsel
(scroll down to see previous posts)
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Win  A Hundred Flowers
by Gail Tsukiyama
Published Aug 2013 Buy at Amazon Enter the Giveaway
From the Jacket A powerful novel about an ordinary family facing extraordinary times at the start of the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
China, 1957. Chairman Mao has declared a new openness in society: "Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend." Many intellectuals fear it is only a trick, and Kai Ying's husband, Sheng, a teacher, has promised not to jeopardize their safety or that of their young son, Tao. But one July morning, just before his sixth birthday, Tao watches helplessly as Sheng is dragged away for writing a letter criticizing the Communist Party and sent to a labor camp for "reeducation."
A year later, still missing his father desperately, Tao climbs to the top of the hundred-year-old kapok tree in front of their home, wanting to see the mountain peaks in the distance. But Tao slips and tumbles thirty feet to the courtyard below, badly breaking his leg.
As Kai Ying struggles to hold her small family together in the face of this shattering reminder of her husband's absence, other members of the household must face their own guilty secrets and strive to find peace in a world where the old sense of order is falling. Once again, Tsukiyama brings us a powerfully moving story of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances with grace and courage.
Published in paperback August 2013.
First published in hardcover Aug 2012.
Reviews: "A gripping tale of a father torn from his family for speaking out against Chairman Mao's Communist Party." - O, the Oprah Magazine
"I was following this family almost as though it were my own and stayed all the way to the end of their story." - All Things Considered, NPR
"Bestselling author Gail Tsukiyama takes us back to those times not by painting a panorama but in her thoughtful and forthright way by showing the consequences for one family." - Library Journal
5 people will each win a paperback copy of A Hundred Flowers.
This giveaway is open to residents of the USA only, unless you are a BookBrowse member, in which case you are eligible to win wherever you might live. Enter the giveaway here Past Winners |
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Featured Reading List: Islam
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Author Interviews
Kimberly Rae Miller answers questions about her life growing up with parents who are hoarders, experiences she records in her memoir Coming Clean.
 Elizabeth Becker discusses her recent book Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism and the research she did for five years about the alarming explosion of tourism around the world.
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Wordplay
Solve this clue "P A L P Crust,
T A M T B B" and be entered to win the book of your choice Entry & DetailsAll winners are contacted by email. View list |
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Answer to
Last Wordplay
W T's Life T's H
Where there's life there's hope
Meaning: So long as there are signs of life, don't give up Background:
Modo liceat vivere, est spes (While there's life, there's hope) - - Heauton Timorumenos ( The Self-Tormentor) by Publius Terentius Afer
Comic playwright Publius Terentius Afer, known as Terence, died in 159 B.C. at about 30 years of age having written six plays, all of which have survived. Terence was brought to Rome from Africa as a slave by the Roman senator Terentius Lucanus, who educated him and, later, impressed by his abilities, freed him...
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News
Sep 03 2013:
Amazon will start shipping a new version of the Kindle Paperwhite at the end of September with improved contrast and better lighting. The new device, which will be priced at $119, also allows Goodreads members to rate books and share passages directly from the...(more)
Sep 03 2013:
Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam will play Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey, the Universal Pictures and Focus Features adaptation of the bestselling book series. Newcomer Dakota Johnson, daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, will play the role of Anastasia...(more)
Sep 03 2013:
Amazon have announced that from October those who have purchased certain print books from Amazon will be able to buy the Kindle ebook version at a discounted price. Currently the program offers about 10,000 titles, including titles from Amazon's own publishing program and some titles from Harper...(more)
Sep 03 2013:
Science fiction Grand Master Frederik Pohl died over the weekend aged 93. A contemporary of Isaac Asimov, Jack Vance and James Blish, Pohl was one of the last survivors of Science Fiction's "Golden Age". Lecturer, editor and prolific writer, he won numerous awards during his 70-plus year career....(more)
Aug 30 2013:
Seamus Heaney, considered by many as the best Irish poet since Yeats, has died aged 74. During his distinguished literary career he received many honors including the TS Eliot Prize, the Forward Prize, and the Nobel prize for literature. He was also an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of...(more)
Aug 30 2013:
Matthew Shear, publisher of St. Martin's Press, died Wednesday aged 57. In his "Final Salute to Matthew Shear from His Friends in the Flatiron" Macmillan CEO John Sargent writes...(more)
Aug 28 2013:
In April, total net book sales in the USA fell 3.1% compared to April 2012. The adult ebook market rose and the adult paperback book fell so that the two markets are now worth about the same amount (albeit based on a small snapshot of one month of data). Adult hardcovers made a small...(more)
Aug 27 2013:
The longlist for the Guardian First Book award has been released. The award is worth GBP10,000 (about US$15,600). The winner will be announced in November. The longlisted books are...(more)
Aug 27 2013:
In court filings posted Monday morning, Apple attorney Orin Snyder responded to the Department of Justice's revised proposed punishment for the tech company in the ebooks case. Snyder criticized the government for filing "a 12-page broadside masquerading as a brief," and accused them of "seeking a...(more)
Read these news stories, and many others, in full.
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