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BookBrowse Highlights
| May 8, 2014
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Dear Reader,
Our reviewer describes Anthony Doerr's All The Light You Cannot See as "that rare jewel of a book that leaves you breathless", Francine Prose's Lovers at the Chameleon Club will transport you to 1930s Paris, and The Possibilities by Kaui Hart Hemmings is one of dozens of notable books publishing in May that you'll find previewed on BookBrowse.
These are just three of the books featured in this issue of BookBrowse Highlights. I hope you enjoy discovering them as much as our reviewers and editors have enjoyed reading and reviewing them!
Yours,
Davina, BookBrowse
Editor
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BookBrowse features the kinds of books you can't wait to tell your friends about, providing insightful reviews, stories behind the books, previews of notable titles publishing soon, book discussions, and free books to read and review. You can view some of BookBrowse for free but full access is for members only - for just $10 for 3 months or $35 for a year.
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 Editor's Choice 
All the Light We Cannot See
by Anthony Doerr
Hardcover (May 06, 2014), 448 pages.
Publisher: Scribner.
ISBN 9781476746586
BookBrowse Rating: 5/5 Critics' Consensus: 5.0/5 Every once in a while you find that rare jewel of a book that leaves you breathless, at once wanting to begin again as soon as the last word is devoured, and unable to do so because of the great and important weight of the story. Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See is such a book. Sensually rich, gorgeously wrought, with characters that come alive on the page, and driven by a story that takes hold and does not let go, this tale shines a light on the small and often overlooked corners of war. Although set in World War II, the book's scope and breadth are far greater. It is a ... continued Read the full review, backstory and an excerpt
Reviewed by Naomi Benaron More Editor's Choice featuresAlthough visitors can view a lot of BookBrowse for free, full access to our reviews, previews, backstories and more is for members only. But you will always find four free Editor's Choice reviews and backstories on our homepage.
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 Publishing Soon Each month BookBrowse previews 80-100 notable books. Here is a particularly interesting title from these upcoming books.  The Possibilitiesi> by Kaui Hart Hemmings Publisher: Simon & Schuster Publication Date: May 2014 Novels, 288 pages Critic's Opinion: 5/5
In this highly anticipated novel from the bestselling author of The Descendants, a grieving mother struggles to overcome her son's death, when a strange girl enters her life with a secret that changes them both forever.
More about this book | Read Reviews Buy at Amazon | B&N | Indie
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Book Clubs & Discussions |
 The BookBrowse Book Club
Please Join Us to Discuss:
 The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
Published Apr 2014, 272 pages
As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love.
More about this book | Join the discussion
 Sailor Twain by Mark Siegel
Published in paperback Mar 2014, 400 pages
A mysterious and beguiling love story with elements of Poe, Twain, Hemingway, and Greek mythology, drawn in moody black-and-white charcoal.
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 Discussions Opening Soon
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 Also Recommended for Book Clubs
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Beyond The Book
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 Photographer Brassai
 Every time we review a book we also go beyond the book to explore a topic related to the book. Here is a recent "beyond the book" backstory for Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932 by Francine Prose.
 In Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932, Francine Prose bases the character Gabor Tsenyi on real life photographer Gyula Halász. Known by the pseudonym Brassai, Halasz was born in 1899 in the Transylvanian (later Hungary, now Romania) city of Brasso. His father was a university professor of French literature and their family spent some time living in France, where Brassai eventually ... continued Read this backstory in full, plus an excerpt & review
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Meet Our Reviewers
 This issue's featured reviewer is Naomi Benaron, author of Running The Rift (2012), winner of the 2010 Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction, and Love Letters from a Fat Man, winner of the 2006 G. S. Sharat Chandra Prize for Short Fiction. She earned an MFA from Antioch University and an MS in earth sciences from Scripps Institute of Oceanography. She teaches at UCLA Writers Extension and online through the Afghan Women's Writing Project. An advocate for African refugees in her community, she has worked extensively with genocide survivor groups in Rwanda. She is also an Ironman triathlete. Naomi reviewed this issues featured Editor's Choice: All The Light We Cannot SeeMore reviews by Naomi | Profiles of other BookBrowse reviewers
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 Blog: Was a memorial for a playwright the seed of the French Revolution over 100 years later?
Sandra Gulland on 17th-century French theater, and a moving people's protest against authority. Five years ago I went to Paris to research the life of Mademoiselle Claude des Oeillets. It was going to be a challenge, I knew. Claude--or Claudette, as I think of her--was a two-bit-player-turned-lady's maid, and she had lived over 250 years ago. As it is, there is often little in the historical records about the serving classes. continued... Read this blog post All blog posts
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 Author Interview
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 News May 05 2014 If there were any doubts that the inaugural California Bookstore Day would succeed, they were dissolved by noon on Saturday, May 3 by the loud and clear praise from participating indies that echoed from San Diego to Fort Bragg and all points in between... May 02 2014 News Corp. is buying Harlequin Enterprises from Torstar Corporation for $415 million in cash and will make it a division of HarperCollins. Harlequin's headquarters will remain in Toronto, as will the offices of HarperCollins Canada. May 01 2014 The 2014 Edgar Award winners have been announced:. Click the link at the bottom more more information on six of the winners, including full length reviews and backstories of three of the books ... (more) Apr 28 2014 Earlier this year, the local school board in Meridian, Idaho, removed Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian from the 10th grade curriculum following complaints by some parents. Hundreds of students signed a petition to have the book returned. When Washington State ... (more)
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Themed Reading
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 Mid-Life Onwards
Whatever your interests you can find the books that are just right for you by browsing and cross-referencing our recommended reading lists by genre, time period, setting and wide variety of themes - including Exceptional books featuring lead characters who are aged 50+ (approximately!):
 Mimi Malloy, At Last! by Julia MacDonnell
Mimi Malloy, At Last! is an unforgettable novel, alive with humor, unexpected romance, and the magic of hard-earned insight: a poignant reminder that it's never too late to fall in love and that one can always come of age a second time. |
 I See You Made an Effort by Annabelle Gurwitch
Scorchingly honest, surreally and riotously funny, I See You Made an Effort is the ultimate coming-of-middle-age story and a must-read for women of all ages. Reading glasses not included. |
 Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening by Carolyn Wall
A true story of a unique friendship between two people who had nothing - and ultimately everything - in common |
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 Readalikes
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Free & Fun
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 Wordplay Solve this clue "O T S O Giants" and be entered to win the book of your choice: Enter
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 Why Do We Say? "Fly in the face of danger" Find out the origins of this well-known expression, and many others!
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 Win This Book  Wonderland by Stacey D'Erasmo Publication Date: May 2014 Enter the Giveaway From the Jacket Anna Brundage is a rock star. She is tall and sexy, with a powerhouse voice and an unforgettable mane of red hair. She came out of nowhere, an immediate indie sensation. And then, life happened. Anna went down as fast as she went up, and then walked off the scene for seven years. Without a record deal or clamoring fans, she sells a piece of her famous father's art to finance just one more album and a European comeback tour. Anna is forty-four. This may be her last chance to cement her place in the life she chose, the life she struggled for, the life she's not sure she can sustain. She falls back easily into the ways of the road - sex with strangers, the search for the perfect moment onstage. To see Anna perform is something - watch her find the note, the electric connection with the audience, the transcendence when it all comes together and the music seems to fill the world. A riveting look at the life of a musician, Wonderland is a moving inquiry into the life of a woman on an unconventional path, wondering what happens next and what her passions might have cost her, seeking a version of herself she might recognize. It takes us deep into a world many of us have spent hours imagining and wishing ourselves into - now we have a bit of that wish come true. 5 people will each win a hardcover copy of Wonderland. This giveaway is open to residents of the USA & Canada only, unless you are a BookBrowse member, in which case you are eligible to win wherever you might live. Enter the giveaway Past Winners
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