Archives of "The BookBrowse Review": Reviews, previews, back-stories, news

Dear BookBrowsers,

Who doesn't love a good mystery? In this issue, we bring you Exiles, Jane Harper's suspenseful latest (and last) book featuring Federal Agent Aaron Falk, in which he investigates the disappearance of a woman in a small town — along with an accompanying Beyond the Book article on South Australian wine country, where the story takes place. Our review of Harper's novel is made up of reader comments from our First Impressions program, which offers a selection of books to BookBrowse members each month to read and review (due to publisher restrictions, books are only available to those resident in the U.S.) You can find readers' opinions on these books in our First Impressions section (under the "New" tab in the main menu), but we also run special features in this magazine for titles that participants especially enjoy, such as Exiles, rated an average of 4.7 out of 5 stars.

For a different kind of puzzle, dive into our review of A Mystery of Mysteries, Mark Dawidziak's new biography of Edgar Allan Poe, who not only contributed to the foundations of the modern detective story but also died prematurely in a fashion mysterious enough to stump the cleverest investigator.

Two historical novels we review in this issue consider points of view not often present in mainstream history. Jamila Minnicks' Moonrise Over New Jessup takes place in an all-Black Alabama town in the 1950s that wishes to resist oncoming racial integration, while Jennifer Rosner's Once We Were Home (another book reviewed by our First Impressions readers) is based around the stories of children stolen away from their families, ostensibly for their own protection, during World War II. Our Beyond the Book article relating to Minnick's novel looks at historic Black communities in the United States, and with Rosner's novel we present a reading list of more World War II novels for adults focused on a child's perspective.

We also bring you a review of Bisi Adjapon's Daughter in Exile, the story of Ghanaian immigrant Lola making her way in the US with few resources and connections. While Adjapon's novel tells a classic immigrant story of struggle and perseverance, it also grounds Lola's resilience and hope in the realities of her everyday life, ultimately offering much more than a tale of simple heroism.

Among much else to explore in this issue are the results of our survey to ascertain The Most Popular Book Club Books of 2022, a new Wordplay, and many more reviews and "beyond the book" articles.

Thank you for supporting BookBrowse by being a member.

Davina Morgan-Witts
BookBrowse Publisher

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Dear BookBrowsers,

In this issue, we bring you a First Impressions review of a new atmospheric and intriguing novel from Pulitzer finalist Margaret Verble. Stealing follows Kit, a Cherokee child forced to attend a Christian boarding school in the 1950s, as she pieces together truths about her life through the act of reviewing a journal she has kept.

In addition, we review some fantastic debut novels, several of which, like Verble's book, explore issues of systemic injustice — in the first case, with welcome humor. The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff is a darkly comic glimpse into the life of a woman in contemporary India whose neighbors are under the mistaken impression that she murdered her abusive husband. Kevin Jared Hosein's Hungry Ghosts examines the religious and social inequalities of 1940s Trinidad through odd occurrences on a farm owned by a wealthy family and maintained by workers living in poor conditions. Wade in the Water by Nyani Nkrumah centers on the friendship between a white graduate student and a young Black girl among racial tensions in 1980s Mississippi. The New Life by Tom Crewe tells a fictionalized version of the struggle faced by the two men who published the first English textbook on homosexuality following the highly publicized trial of the famous writer Oscar Wilde in the 1890s.

You can learn more about fascinating public figures discussed in two of these books through their accompanying Beyond the Book articles. To expand on Crewe's novel, we give a brief overview of Wilde's trial and work, and look at how he went from being ostracized by British society in life to being celebrated after his death. In connection with Shroff's book, we highlight the controversial real-world "bandit queen" Phoolan Devi, a one-time fugitive criminal glorified as a Robin Hood-esque hero among the lower castes of India who later served as a Member of Parliament.

We also bring you works of nonfiction that delve into issues of migration and resettlement. Jake Bittle's The Great Displacement ponders how climate change is driving people from their homes in the United States, and Caroline Dodds Pennock's On Savage Shores considers historical Europe from an Indigenous American perspective.

Plus, explore our blog post about the 100th anniversary of the publisher W.W. Norton & Company, a literary quiz on collective nouns for birds and a new Wordplay.

Thanks, as always, for being a BookBrowse member.

Davina Morgan-Witts
BookBrowse Publisher

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Dear BookBrowsers,

In this issue, we explore a new novel from Aleksandar Hemon, the dazzling, decades-long epic The World and All That It Holds, which follows the romantic, disheveled life of Rafael Pinto, a man caught up in the historical events of World War I and beyond. Our associated Beyond the Book article focuses on Shanghai's Little Vienna, a haven for Jewish people during World War II.

Additional articles highlight more recent history in the form of two major civil conflicts brought on by outside forces. Our Beyond the Book article for Ghost Season by Fatin Abbas, taking place in an NGO in Sudan in the early 2000s, outlines the First and Second Sudanese Civil Wars, while our article for Skull Water by Heinz Insu Fenkl, split between timelines during and after the Korean War, looks at the effects of America's involvement in Korea during these periods and later on.

We also bring you two works of nonfiction that shine a light on crucial social and political issues of the day. Internationally known activist Greta Thunberg's The Climate Book offers a clearsighted view of the realities of climate change, and Tracy Kidder's Rough Sleepers recounts the work of Jim O'Connell, a Boston doctor who has spent 30 years giving care to his city's homeless community.

Coming-of-age stories continue to resonate with us as we get older, and they make for excellent, relatable material to discuss in a book club setting or among friends. Check out our list of 17 Insightful Coming-of-Age Books for Adults.

We also have a new Wordplay, a giveaway of Anne Tyler's latest novel French Braid and much more.

Thank you for being a BookBrowse member.

Davina Morgan-Witts
BookBrowse Publisher

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Dear BookBrowsers,

In this issue, we review several books that touch on personal, national or global "apocalypses" — whether in the form of climate disaster, life-ending violence or historical atrocity — while attempting to meaningfully reckon with these realities through acts of reconstruction or new ways of understanding.

Paul Auster's nonfiction book Bloodbath Nation is an account of America's gun problem that mixes autobiographical material with sobering statistics and the impactful photography of Spencer Ostrander, whose work is the subject of our accompanying Beyond the Book article.

Eleanor Shearer's debut novel River Sing Me Home, set on a number of Carribbean islands following the legal abolition of slavery in 1834, tells the emotional and riveting story of a mother searching for the children who were sold away from her; Good Morning America have just announced that it is their February Book Club pick. Franny Choi's latest poetry collection, The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On, also combines the individual with the historical, blurring the lines between contemporary experiences and reflections on Korea's wartime past.

The novel The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton imagines the future of the climate crisis from the perspective of a Florida family who faces the effects of worsening weather in their hometown. Human destruction of nature is viewed from a different angle in Esther Woolfson's Between Light and Storm, which analyzes the cultural influences that have determined people's treatment of animals.

Reexamination of personal tragedies occurs in the thrillers Bad Cree by debut author Jessica Johns, a tale of a woman grieving for lost family members who is plagued by powerful nightmares, and Kate Alice Marshall's What Lies in the Woods, which delves into the story of a childhood secret and mysterious events surrounding the violent attack of a young girl.

We also have a blog post on some of the Best Book Podcasts for Serious Readers, a new Wordplay and much more for you to explore.

Thank you for being a BookBrowse member.

Davina Morgan-Witts
BookBrowse Publisher

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Dear BookBrowsers,

Part of the value and satisfaction of reading can be found in exploring new angles on subjects we may have thought we already understood. In this issue, we review some stellar works of nonfiction that bring buried truths to light. The Grimkes by Kerri K. Greenidge examines the complicated legacy of the interracial Grimke family, known mainly for its white abolitionist members. The Nazi Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch produces a fresh — and eminently readable — take on World War II through the lens of a Nazi plot to assassinate three prominent Allied leaders: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. In Con/Artist, ex-art forger Tony Tetro, along with journalist Giampiero Ambrosi, presents an intriguing but unromantic view of his former profession.

In addition, we cover fiction that shows harsh realities hidden in particular places. The YA novel We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds and the adult novel City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita are both debuts set in fictional small towns — located in Georgia and Alaska respectively — where characters are drawn to learn about the local history, including some dark secrets.

In another adult work of fiction with a strong sense of place, Michelle Gallen's Factory Girls, teenage Maeve is confronted with the everyday issue of sectarian violence during the Troubles in 1990s Northern Ireland. Our accompanying Beyond the Book article summarizes the history of segregation and integration in the region's educational system.

We also have a fun quiz for you on the jobs authors had before they were famous, previews of upcoming releases, a new Wordplay and much more.

Thank you for supporting BookBrowse as a member.

Davina Morgan-Witts
BookBrowse Publisher

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Dear BookBrowsers,

In our first issue of 2023, we're excited to bring you two new books by established writers that combine an entertaining, dramatic edge with a sharp literary sensibility. Pulitzer-winning author Jane Smiley's latest novel, A Dangerous Business, is a rich historical mystery following a young woman attempting to unravel the truth behind a string of murders in Gold Rush-era California, while Deepti Kapoor's Age of Vice is an alluring modern thriller centered on the affairs of a wealthy and corrupt family in contemporary Northern India.

We review several books by promising debut authors, including the striking novels Someday, Maybe by Onyi Nwabineli and We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman, which both grapple with the nuances and unexpected complexities of grief.

Two science journalists making their nonfiction debuts each give a fascinating view into aspects of the world of animals — and of humans. In Pests, Bethany Brookshire encourages us to consider the implications of labeling some creatures "pests" and how we can better share space with our non-human counterparts. In How Far the Light Reaches, Sabrina Imbler puts forth personal coming-of-age anecdotes, as well as deeper reflections on society and humanity, alongside studies of ten unique sea creatures.

In-depth societal analysis is also on display in Feral City by Jeremiah Moss, which recounts the effect COVID-19 had on the social fabric of New York City early in the pandemic. Our accompanying Beyond the Book article explores other nonfiction titles focusing on COVID-related experiences.

To look back over some great books BookBrowse members read and reviewed last year, be sure to check out our 2022 First Impressions Reader Reviews.

And in our annual Big Holiday Wordplay, we have the answers ready to share with you — along with some interesting background information about each book.

Thank you for being a BookBrowse member, and we hope your new year is full of enjoyable reading!

Davina Morgan-Witts
BookBrowse Publisher

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Dear BookBrowsers,

In this issue, our last of 2022, we highlight the Top 20 Best Books of the Year as chosen by our subscribers, and among them our Award Winners. Two of the Top 20 are books that we have not previously featured but are pleased to bring you reviews of now, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt and Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Both are insightful debut novels that portray women navigating uncertain situations and skillfully balance humor with gravity.

Remarkably Bright Creatures, a heartwarming story following widow Tova Sullivan and an octopus of unusual abilities named Marcellus, not only made the list by popular demand but emerged as the winner of our Best Debut award.

The Best Fiction award goes to Horse by Pulitzer winner Geraldine Brooks, a complex novel combining dual timelines that explores aspects of racism, human relationships and the world of thoroughbred horse racing.

Amy Bloom's impactful memoir In Love is the Best Nonfiction winner. Recently featured in our Best Nonfiction for Book Clubs in 2023, it follows the difficult journey undertaken by the author and her husband after his Alzheimer's diagnosis.

The full Top 20 list includes books from well-established writers, such as Barbara Kingsolver, Thrity Umrigar, Celeste Ng, Kate Atkinson and Maggie O'Farrell. It also includes notable debuts, such as Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson, a family drama revolving around two siblings uncovering their mother's long-held secrets, and Dipo Faloyin's essay collection Africa Is Not a Country, an incisive and irreverent portrayal of the African continent in modern times.

In addition to reviews of our Top 20 and accompanying Beyond the Book articles, this issue features some of the best author interviews from 2022, including several with authors of our Best Books of the Year. Plus, you can read reviews selected from our recommended titles for book clubs in 2023, and browse our previews of upcoming releases for the rest of December and the beginning of January.

Also, try your hand at some bookish fun with our annual Big Holiday Wordplay, a BookBrowse tradition for 21 years!

Thanks for being a BookBrowse member, and thank you to everyone who voted for the Top 20 this year!

Davina Morgan-Witts
BookBrowse Publisher

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