Aug 22, 2013,
Dear Reader
This issue of BookBrowse Highlights includes a review of Night Film by Marisha Pessl and a "Beyond the Book" article titled "Mythic Fantasy: A Mirror World", which is our backstory to Ofir Touch� Gafla's The End of the World. Plus we bring you reviews of four just published books our members have been reading for free through First Impressions.
In addition you'll find recommended reading for books set in the Southwest USA, book previews and a great deal more. And don't miss the opportunity to enter to win a copy of The Forgetting Tree by Tatjana Soli.
Best regards,
Davina,
BookBrowse Editor
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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 four recently published books:  Lookaway, Lookawayby Wilton Barnhardt
Publisher: St. Martin's Press Publication Date: 08/20/2013 Novel, 352 pages Number of reader reviews: 25 Readers' consensus:  BookBrowse Members Say "I do love a book about the south and this is a great one. I have never read a book by Wilton Barnhardt before. I will be sure to read more of his work. This was a sad, funny and hard to put down book. Not all the characters were likable, but they were a pleasure to read about. This will be certain to be a great summer read." - Marybeth T. (Bellingham, WA) "Wilton Barnhardt has written a book that is both hilariously funny and exceptionally intelligent. Jerene Jarvis Johnston is the quintessential Southern bell - charm on the outside and steel to the core. The story of her family - her husband who was supposed to be an important politician, her brother who was once a promising literary writer now churning out potboilers on the Civil War and their four children whom she drags unwillingly through her image of southern aristocracy - is both a scathing send up of modern life and a frantic attempt to hold on to a past that has disappeared and perhaps never existed. A wonderful read - especially for those, like me, who are particularly fond of southern storytellers." - Dorothy M. (Maynard, MA) "I loved this book! Acerbic witty prose, characters you love, and some you love to hate, and an engrossing storyline that kept me reading into the night." - Beth Read all the Reviews Buy at Amazon
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Readers Recommend
 Song of the Spirits:
In the Land of the Long White Cloud sagaby Sarah Lark
Publisher: AmazonCrossing Publication Date: 08/20/2013 Novel, 825 pages Number of reader reviews: 16 Readers' consensus: BookBrowse Members Say "When I received my copy of this book in the mail, I really didn't think I would be able to finish it by the deadline. It is huge. But I loved the flow. I cared about what happened to the characters. I enjoyed reading about a different culture without feeling I was in a history lesson. Thanks BookBrowse for another new author to enjoy." - Mary "Divided into five parts it covers five years in the lives of two young women: Kura an exotic, talented half-Maori heiress and her beautiful spirited tomboy of a cousin Elaine. Life in 1890s New Zealand, the Maori culture and the beauty of the land becomes as important to the plot and character of the book as the experiences of these two protagonists. I learned much about the history of New Zealand and the native culture. It made me want to go to New Zealand and see it for myself." - Sherilyn R (Bountiful, UT) "Somewhat reminiscent of The Thorn Birds, this story captured my attention on the first page & I enjoyed every moment reading it." - Cynthia D. (Germantown, TN) "I thought it would take me a long time to read such a long book but it only took 3 days!" - Karen L. (Wilton, IA) Upon completion of the book, I ordered the prequel so I could learn about the previous generation. And I'm looking forward to future books to see where the story unfolds in the future!" - Christina C. (Powells Point, NC) Read all the Reviews Buy at Amazon
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The Scavenger's Daughters: Tales of the Scavenger's Daughters, Book One
by Kay Bratt
Publisher: Amazon Publishing Publication Date: 08/13/2013 Novel, 302 pages Number of reader reviews: 23 Readers' consensus:  BookBrowse Members Say "During the Cultural Revolution, small and infant girls were often abandoned because of sickness, physical challenges, or just because they are girls. Benfu, who makes his living scavenging landfills, finds these girls and brings them home to be loved and raised. The girls are given flower names and are thought of as a flower garden by Benfu and his wife. This book is based on a true story." - Nancy L. (Denver, NC) "This was one of the most wonderful stories I read in a long time. I recommend it for book clubs and for its uplifting experience for all readers. I hated to finish it until I learned at the end that the author was writing a sequel - how wonderful for me because then the story would not end." - Gail G. (Northbrook, IL) "Rarely have I read a book that was as compelling and full of love as this one, and it still be a 'page-turner.' Whether you enjoy books about China or not, this is an enjoyable book that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend." - Lola T. (Broken Arrow, OK) "I have to admit, when I saw the cover - I judged. It looks like it is going to be one of those flowery, sappy books with absolutely no depth. I was wrong! This is an intelligent, albeit quick read. I loved everything about this story, from the poverty stricken, but gloriously giving couple, to each of their rescued daughters." - Melinda H. (Midlothian, VA) "I have told several of my friends that they need to read this book and I will probably have it as one if my picks for my book club next year. A read you shouldn't miss." - Joy T. (Garden City, MI) Read all the Reviews Buy at Amazon
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Readers Recommend
The Daughters of Mars
by Thomas Keneally
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: 08/20/2013
Historical Fiction, 544 pages
Number of reader reviews: 40
Readers' consensus:
BookBrowse Members Say
"This novel, by the author of Schindler's List has something for everyone. It is World War l from a different perspective, that of two Australian nurses, sisters (Sally and Naomi), who are haunted by memories of a past deed ... Will be thinking about it for some time to come!" - Bobbie D. (Boca Raton, FL)
"Through the eyes of two dedicated nurses, Keneally's Daughters of Mars provides a first-hand journey through the horrors of Word War I. Overall, the novel offers a riveting account of romance, heartbreak, friendship, devastation, hope and humanity near the frontlines of some of the most horrendous battles of the 20th century. Along with packing in endless characters, events, and emotions, Keneally's smooth and easy writing style presents the reader with a very believable narrative." - David M. (Glendale, CA).
"This is an old fashioned saga (in the best sense of the word). The scope is huge - Australia, Egypt, England, and France. It deals with historically significant issues that are still very relevant today." - Deanna W. (Port Jefferson, NY)
"This is an awesome book and I believe Thomas Keneally has a huge bestseller on his hands." - Colleen L. (Casco, ME)
"This book is absolutely the best! I loved it all. I lived with these women and all the horrific events of the war." - Suzanne G. (Tucson, AZ)
Read all the Reviews
Buy at Amazon
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Featured Review
Below is part of BookBrowse's review of Night Film. Read the review, backstory & excerpt here  Night Film
by Marisha Pessl
Hardcover (Aug 2013), 624 pages.
Publisher: Random House ISBN 9781400067886 BookBrowse Rating:  Critics' Consensus: Review:One of the central tenets of Hinduism states that the world as we know it is just an illusion - this concept is referred to as "Maya." The theory is the basis for quite a few stories including the much-acclaimed science fiction film, The Matrix. It is also the driver for Night Film, a book that will have you questioning the illusory nature of truth as you go on a wild rollercoaster ride in Marisha Pessl's able hands.
Stanislas Cordova, a famed director of horror films, is a cult legend despite stepping out of the limelight 30 years ago; so when his 24 year-old daughter, Ashley, turns up dead in a Manhattan warehouse from what is an apparent suicide, reporter Scott McGrath's curiosity is piqued. Five years ago, while investigating her father, McGrath's career spun out of control, a fact he can't help but blame on the enigmatic and elusive Stan Cordova. Finding out the truth behind Ashley's death, McGrath is convinced, will give him a chance at redemption - one that he readily jumps at. Thus begins a long chase to uncover the truth - one that will test every reserve that McGrath possesses and wring him dry. Night Film is not without its flaws. For one thing, it could use some editing. Then, there is this plot point that strains credulity: early on, McGrath is joined by two questionable helpers - a young woman and a man. Their motivation to set off on this immensely risky journey with McGrath seems so far-fetched and sketchy that it is a major negative in what is otherwise a well-crafted novel. One would have expected an author of Pessl's caliber to think this plot point (on which a large section of the novel rests) through more thoroughly. In fact it jars so much, that it took me a while to get back into the book and move along. As you keep reading however, Pessl's beautiful, haunting imagery and vivid writing completely pull you in and you emerge breathless. She makes you lose sight of the trees for the forest - the eerily creepy forest. Already famous for her literary pyrotechnics with her debut, Special Topics in Calamity Physics, Pessl showcases her immense talent again. Her metaphors alone are a thing of joy. "Long after my wife had divorced me, swimming on to bluer seas, a dense school of her girlfriends swirled around me as if I were an interesting shipwreck, looking for a piece of rubble to salvage and take home." Pessl's painting of creepy abandoned estates, of early morning walks, of brushing against bare branches, is immensely cinematic and enough to make you just a bit creeped out. Witchcraft, devil worship, black magic - practically every dark element is explored here. And just as she did in Calamity Physics, Pessl uses visual aids including photos and newspaper clips to supplement her story-telling in arresting ways. The result is an exhilarating journey, a worthy follow-up to her engaging debut. "The man had a penchant for working with reality - manipulating his actors, pushing them to the brink. Now he's done it with me," McGrath says of Stan Cordova in the end. And Pessl, with her remarkable talent, does the same thing to us, her readers. As you chase clue after clue, each successive "answer" has you question the previous one and reevaluate your assumptions about what is right. You are drawn deeper and deeper into the abyss from which there is no escape. In the end, you realize you have been "taken" and it is to Pessl's immense credit that you don't even care. Readers expecting neat resolutions or a classic whodunit might be disappointed. Pessl's agenda here is not to craft a true-to-form thriller with neat compartmentalized answers served straight up on the rocks. Instead she has us explore the nature of fear; delve into our own inner terrors. Eventually she has you believe in the version of the "truth" that you hold closest to your comprehended reality. The concept of "Maya" looms large here. With Night Film, Pessl proves she is no one-hit wonder. "The family's favorite tale was Rumplestiltskin. That's what they did, what they were, fantastical creatures spinning the ordinary, dreary straw around them into gold," says a professor of the Cordovas. That characteristic might well apply to Marisha Pessl as well. After all, she creates brilliant stories with ordinary words; she too spins "dreary straw" into pure gold. Reviewed by Poornima Apte Above is BookBrowse's review of Night Film. Read an excerpt and our backstory here
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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 World of the End by Ofir Touch� Gafla Read an excerpt and the review here Mythic Fantasy: A Mirror World
 Mythic expression is humanity's first language. These myths, or to use a more contemporary synonym, metanarratives, are the stories that give purpose and meaning to a people, a way of understanding the seemingly random occurrences in the lives of individuals and communities. Whether these are expressed in clay statues, paintings on cave walls, or mutually intelligible symbols such as words, each is a vision of the world and of the place of humanity within it. Some have dismissed these stories as "early science," which has been superseded by rational understandings of the working of nature, of life, and of the psyche. However, myth actually remains foundational to all our knowledge, even to the most objective scientific explorations, because all knowledge is framed by some accepted system of beliefs and presuppositions, by a shared worldview, which alone allows us to communicate our truth to each other.  Science does not replace mythic invention, but the very imaginative fancy that underlies myth is the ground from which new scientific hypotheses and theories arise. Ptolemy and Copernicus created visual models of the solar system as Aristotle and Newton imagined falling objects; in each case, one model or story supplanted another because it resonated more closely with our experiences. Einstein devised his theories of special and general relativity using thought games, imagining scenarios in which the traditional theories of space and time did not work. The Big Bang, a theory about the beginning of our universe almost universally accepted by modern science, is a metaphor, a symbolic story that describes science's discoveries put in the language of mythic imagination. Mythic fantasy, an important form, is different from mere imaginative invention in that it reflects back symbolically the world out of which it arose. It is generally believed that most of the Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid were not based on any accurate history but were a reflection on the lives of the Greeks and Romans who saw in them frameworks within which these cultures could formulate their origins, their values, and their destinies. The Greeks and Romans were sophisticated scientists; Aristarchus of Samos, for example, suggested a heliocentric vision of the universe in the 3rd century b.c.e. So the classical civilizations did not use mythic invention as a substitute for science but saw both as sources of knowledge and wisdom. In our own day, Carl Jung and those who followed his lead, like the late Joseph Campbell, understood mythic fantasy as the gateway to the unconscious and to the understanding of the human psyche.
Ethical judgment becomes part of the critical apparatus with which we must approach mythic fantasy. We must ask incisive questions: Does J.R.R. Tolkien reflect the world we experience or does he create a dualism which separates humanity into good and the evil? Is J.K. Rowling's world of Harry Potter one that empowers the positive energies of young people or is it fraught with delusions about forces that threaten us? Does C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia reflect humanity's ability to bring true compassionate action to the Earth or does it disempower humanity in favor of some outside Higher Power which must save us? Today, authors like George R.R. Martin, Dan Brown, Barbara Kingsolver, Ursula Le Guin, David Mitchell, and Annie Proulx reflect us back to ourselves in the mirrors they create, forcing us to ask questions about what really grounds our lives. They give a meaning and a depth to all dimensions of our experience. Authors like Ofir Touch� Gafla question our assumptions, reveal our condition, and help us revel and agonize once again in all the joy and sorrow of the Human Comedy. Reviewed by Bob Sauerbrey Above is our backstory to The World of the End. Read the review and excerpt
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Book Club Q&A
An Interview with Cindy Alt of the Agape Book Club in Grand Rapids, MI.
Cindy Alt, founder of Agape Plastics, began a book club in her workplace 3 years ago in an effort to balance the physical extra curricular activities that already take place there. The result has been a dynamic group of women - plus one brave man! - who find much meaning in discussing books and learning about each other outside of their usual "work" personas.
Please tell us a bit about your book group.
Our book club is at Agape Plastics, which is a business that I own. We have over 200 employees - men, women, college students, senior citizens, factory workers and office workers - and we offer 3 shifts. I began the book club about three years ago. We meet once a month, and lunch is provided during an extended lunch period. I buy the books, but anyone in the club can suggest a book.
A business-based book club is such a great idea! Are there specific challenges to having this kind of club?
My CPA said I could not write this off as an expense. It made no sense to me, because I can sponsor ball teams and golf outings and fishing trips and write them off, but not a book club. He explained that the other teams and events are advertising platforms because the players wear shirts with our company name on it.
What did you do about that?
We took care of it! We had shirts made up with
Agape Plastics Book Club written on them so that I can write off the book club. All of the book club members were given one and promised to wear them proudly so we could write off our activities too. So far I have not written anything off, but the members think I do, then they don't feel guilty about me buying the books or lunch. They don't need to know that I don't write it off.
Do you have book club members from all of the departments at Agape?
I have to say I was disappointed because no factory worker has joined. They all said they don't like to read or they don't have time. No man has joined either. But they all want to know what we do in there...
That's funny! I can imagine them on the outside the door wondering what kind of secret meeting is taking place...
The meetings are in the conference room. Our theme, which is printed on the back of our shirts, is:
What happens in book club, stays in book club.
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Win 
The Forgetting Tree by Tatjana Soli
Publication Date: Aug 2013
From the Jacket From The New York Times bestselling author of The Lotus Eaters, a novel of a California ranching family, its complicated matriarch and an enigmatic caretaker who may destroy them.
When Claire Nagy marries Forster Baumsarg, the only son of prominent California citrus ranchers, she knows she's consenting to a life of hard work, long days, and worry-fraught nights. But her love for Forster is so strong, she turns away from her literary education and embraces the life of the ranch, succumbing to its intoxicating rhythms and bounty until her love of the land becomes a part of her. Not even the tragic, senseless death of her son Joshua at kidnappers' hands, her alienation from her two daughters, or the dissolution of her once-devoted marriage can pull her from the ranch she's devoted her life to preserving.
But despite having survived the most terrible of tragedies, Claire is about to face her greatest struggle: An illness that threatens not only to rip her from her land but take her very life. And she's chosen a caregiver, the enigmatic Caribbean-born Minna, who may just be the darkest force of all.
Haunting, tough, triumphant, and profound, The Forgetting Tree explores the intimate ties we have to one another, the deepest fears we keep to ourselves, and the calling of the land that ties every one of us together.
Browse an excerpt on the author's website. Reviews: "With her knack for beautiful prose and striking detail, this is a solid follow-up to her debut." - Publishers Weekly
"A lush, haunting novel for readers who appreciate ambiguity, this work should establish Soli as a novelist with depth and broad scope." - Library Journal
"Soli writes with such passion, it is inescapable, lyrical, and profoundly moving. The Forgetting Tree goes on my top-ten list." - Jonis Agee, author of The River Wife
"Tatjana Soli's elegant and sensuous prose will keep you spellbound." - Maria Semple, author of This One Is Mine
"An incredible book, richly imagined and beautifully written." - Nancy Zafris, series editor, The Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction
5 people will each win a paperback copy of The Forgetting Tree.
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 here
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Now Discussing
Please join us to discuss Coming Clean by
Kimberly Rae MillerA powerful story of recovery and redemption. About the bookDiscuss
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Queen's Gambit
opens Sept 2
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Featured Reading List:
Southwest
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Author Interviews
Virginia Morell discusses how an interview with Jane Goodall morphed into the book, Animal Wise, if there is an ethical component to animals' feelings, and which authors have influenced her science writing the most.
 Erica Brown talks about finding humor in writing Happier Endings, a book about death.
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Wordplay
Solve this clue "W T's Life T's H" 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
P G Before A F
Pride goes before a fall
Meaning: If you allow yourself to become full of pride, eventually you will find yourself humbled. Background:
Like many other much used expressions this one has its roots in the Old Testament Book of Proverbs. In this case Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before distruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Other nearby verses in Proverbs offer additional reminders that wisdom and modesty are to be preferred over pride and wealth: How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver. (v16)
The highway of the upright avoids evil; he who guards his way guards his life. (v17)
Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud. (v19)
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News
Aug 20 2013:
The prolific crime writer Elmore Leonard, whose books include Get Shorty and Out of Sight, has died in a hospital in Detroit, following a stroke. He was 87 years old...(more)
Aug 17 2013:
The $166 million USA publishers have agreed to pay to settle e-book price fixing charges could soon begin flowing to consumers - with more than 23 million accounts eligible to receive...(more)
Aug 09 2013:
Barbara Mertz, who wrote more than 35 mysteries under the pseudonym Elizabeth Peters and 29 suspense novels as Barbara Michaels, died yesterday aged...(more)
Aug 06 2013:
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has signed a contract with the Washington Post Company to purchase its newspaper publishing business and other publishing assets for $250 million. The purchaser is not Amazon.com, but an entity that belongs to Bezos personally. ...(more)
Read these news stories, and many others, in full.
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