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BookBrowse Highlights
| June 5, 2014
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Hello,
In this packed issue we review Lisa See's China Dolls, shortlist the best books publishing in June, bring you reviews of two books our members have been reading for First Impressions - and so much more!
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. Find out more!
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 Editor's Choice 
China Dolls by Lisa See
Hardcover (June 03, 2014), 400 pages.
Publisher: Random House.
ISBN 9780812992892
BookBrowse Rating: 4/5 Critics' Consensus: 4.3/5 "Only three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth." This quotation, attributed to the Buddha, is the epigraph to Lisa See's China Dolls and gives a hint of the novel's tripartite structure: its three chronological sections are built through the alternating first-person narration of three Asian-American women. It also introduces a key thematic element of the novel: searching for the truth amid lies and betrayal. In October 1938, nineteen-year-old Grace Lee gets off a bus in San Francisco, having travelled halfway across the country from Plain City, Ohio. ... continued Read the full review, backstory and an excerpt
Reviewed by Rebecca Foster More Editor's Choice featuresVisitors can view a lot of BookBrowse for free but 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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 First Impressions: Members Recommend Each month we give away books to our members to read and review (or discuss). Members* who choose to take part receive a free book (including free shipping) about every three months. Here are their opinions on two recently published books: *Due to rights issues the publishers who provide these books can only ship to US addresses.
  That Summer by Lauren Willig Publisher: St. Martin's Press Publication Date: Jun 2014 Novel, 352 pages Number of reader reviews: 20 Readers' consensus: 4.1/5.0
Members Say"Julia inherits a home in London, and, when she goes to examine the property in order to sell, she finds herself enmeshed in a family mystery. Along with finding the circumstances surrounding her late mother's death, she is plunged into the ancient history of her forebears. And then there are the love stories, both current and old. I thought that the mix of mystery, romance and a peek into the life of a Victorian woman made this a great read , especially for the summer. The author's writing is very well paced and descriptive. I will be recommending this to friends for a good, well paced read." - Harriette K. (Northbrook, IL) "This is by far, my favorite of Willig's books. It is a lovely, heartbreaking tale. This will be a great summer read and book group book." - Carole P. (Framingham, MA) "I loved the characters and I was sad when the book ended. That's always the sign of a great read. Enjoy!" - Ilene R. (Northfield, IL) "This would make a great book group selection. When I finished reading, I desperately wanted to talk it over with someone, to discuss and analyze what really happened back in January of 1850." - Erin J. (Milwaukie, OR) More about this book | Read all the reviews Buy at Amazon | B&N | Indie
 The Romanov Sisters by Helen Rappaport Publisher: St. Martin's Press Publication Date: Jun 2014 Biography, 448 pages Number of reader reviews: 12 Readers' consensus: 4.6/5.0
Members Say"Once upon a time there were 4 princesses: Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia But there any resemblance to a traditional fairy tale ends. For these were the daughters of the last Tsar and Tsaritsa of Russia, and the circumstances of their young and tragic end is generally well known. The Romanov Sisters by Helen Rapporport brings them vividly to life and tells the largely unknown story of these young women who were the Princess Dianas and Kate Middletons of their day, played out against the backdrop of Nicolas' and Alexandra's obsession with a male heir; their mother's religious mania; their baby brother's hemophilia; Rasputin; and oh, yes, the Russian Revolution. This is history that reads like an engrossing novel, and once you have made the acquaintance of the four Romanov sisters, you will never, ever forget them." - Judi S. (Lawrenceburg, IN) "I thoroughly enjoyed this intriguing read about the brief but fascinating lives of OTMA (Olga, Tatiana, Marie and Anastasia)... Their heartbreaking story is an engrossing read." - Ruth H. (Brecksville, OH) "I would highly recommend this title." - Beverly D. (Palm Harbor, FL) "Russian history at this time is so fascinating and the princesses certainly had the exposure as special people of their time. It only makes me want to know more and see more, which is something I love in a book." - Pamela F. (Grants Pass, OR)
More about this book | Read all the reviews Buy at Amazon | B&N | Indie |
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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 Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Streetby Susan Jane Gilman Publisher: Grand Central Publishing Publication Date: Jun 2014 Novels, 512 pages Critic's Opinion: 5/5
"There seems to be two kinds of ice cream connoisseurs: One scarfs it down, reveling quickly in the cold, intense bursts of their favorite flavor. The second savors it, lick by lick, stretching out each second as long as they can, or as long as summer weather will allow. The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street accommodates both kinds, me being the latter, not wanting to let go of this sweeping, delicious, feisty, cantankerous ice-cream-centered journey through the 20th century." - Rory Aronsky, for BookBrowse
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 Blog: Best Books Publishing in June BookBrowse trawls through tens of thousands of books and book reviews each year in order to shortlist the most notable 80-100 publishing each month. Then we gather together all available reviews for each book so our members know about the best and most interesting books well ahead of the crowd. Below you will find highlights from our list of best books publishing in June 2014. continued...Read this post
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Book Clubs & Discussions |
 The BookBrowse Book Club
Discussions Opening Soon Please mark your calendar to join us to discuss these books!  |  | 
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Discussion opens 22 Jul
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Discussion opens 01 Jul
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Opens 15 Jul
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 More Recommended Reads for Book Clubs
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Beyond The Book
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 Eddie Rickenbacker in lights! Eddie Rickenbacker in print!  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 Enduring Courage by John F. Ross.Ace pilot and race car driver, automotive designer and aviation pioneer, Eddie Rickenbacker was America's most successful aerial fighter in World War I. In addition to the official recognition and many awards he received for those achievements, he also wrote a comic strip, and enjoyed accolades from popular culture:
Ace Drummond was an aviation comic strip, written by Eddie Rickenbacker and ... continued Read this backstory in full, plus an excerpt & BookBrowse's review
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Blog: Give Your Old Books a New Lease on Life
This is not so much a blog entry as it is a plea on behalf of people in desperate need of escape. As a book critic for several publications I receive, on average, eight-to-twelve books every month. It goes without exaggeration that books have a tendency to pile up. Stacks in every nook and corner of our small home quickly escalate from evidence of a moderate reader to hoarder status. A couple of decades ago when I first started reviewing books I simply gave them to friends or - forgive me - tossed the not-so-great ones into the recycling bin. Occasionally an editor would send me the first edition of a book that I had reviewed pre-publication, and I started donating these to my local library. I still do this, but for some reason I get sent fewer follow up first editions these days... continued.
Read this post
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 Author Interview
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 News Jun 04 2014 Amy Einhorn, who recently left her eponymous imprint at Penguin Random House, is joining Macmillan's Flatiron Books imprint as senior v-p and publisher. She will start at Flatiron on July 21. No date has been set for the release of Einhorn's first titles, but expectations are that she'll publish ... (more)
Jun 03 2014 Writing in the Wall Street Journal, former WSJ publisher L. Gordon Crovitz, calls the current dispute between Amazon and Hachette "the legacy of the Justice Department's doing Amazon's bidding and strange closeness with the Seattle e-tailer." Crovitz goes on to criticize Judge Denise Cote saying,... (more)Jun 02 2014 BookExpo America ended with a bang: the first BookCon show drew 10,000 excited book fans who swarmed over the parts of the Javits Center on Saturday. "They're scary and inspiring at the same time," said one BEA attendee, echoing the mixed feelings of many industry people. Still, quite a few BEA ... (more)Jun 01 2014 Kirkus Reviews has founded the Kirkus Prize to honor "outstanding writing by authors whose books have earned the Kirkus Star in the categories of fiction, nonfiction and young readers' literature." All books that receive a Kirkus starred review will be automatically eligible for entry. The prize for... (more)May 28 2014 Amazon has finally broken its silence over the dispute with Hachette, saying that while the two sides are working hard, Amazon is "not optimistic [the issue] will be resolved soon." For its part, Hachette said it is holding its position. In a statement, the publisher said it will "spare no effort" ... (more)May 28 2014 Esteemed poet and memoirist, Maya Angelou, is dead at 86. She was best known for her searing look at the Jim Crow South. Ms. Angelou was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama. May 23 2014 Amazon's slowdown of their business with Hachette Book Group (as the parties battle over terms) has taken another turn with the disappearance of the pre-order buying capability for print and Kindle editions of many forthcoming Hachette Book Group titles. May 21 2014 Simon & Schuster is to make its backlist of ebook titles available via Oyster and Scribd. Both services offer flat rate plans allowing subscribers to download an unlimited number of books each month for $9.95 (Oyster) and $8.99 (Scribd). HarperCollins and Wiley already participate in both programs May 20 2014 A new report by Common Sense Media based on a number of different studies concludes that US reading rates drop precipitously from childhood to the tween and teenage years: "One study documents a drop from 48% of 6- to 8-year-olds down to 24% of 15- to 17-year-olds who are daily readers; another ... (more)
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Free & Fun
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 Wordplay Solve this clue "A F A H Money A S P" and be entered to win the book of your choice: Enter |
 Why Do We Say? |
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 Win This Book  That Night by Chevy StevensPublication Date: Jun 2014 Enter the Giveaway
From the JacketAs a teenager, Toni Murphy had a life full of typical adolescent complications: a boyfriend she adored, a younger sister she couldn't relate to, a strained relationship with her parents, and classmates who seemed hell-bent on making her life miserable. Things weren't easy, but Toni could never have predicted how horrific they would become until her younger sister was brutally murdered one summer night. Toni and her boyfriend, Ryan, were convicted of the murder and sent to prison. Now thirty-four, Toni, is out on parole and back in her hometown, struggling to adjust to a new life on the outside. Prison changed her, hardened her, and she's doing everything in her power to avoid violating her parole and going back. This means having absolutely no contact with Ryan, avoiding fellow parolees looking to pick fights, and steering clear of trouble in all its forms. But nothing is making that easy-not Ryan, who is convinced he can figure out the truth; not her mother, who doubts Toni's innocence; and certainly not the group of women who made Toni's life hell in high school and may have darker secrets than anyone realizes. No matter how hard she tries, ignoring her old life to start a new one is impossible. Before Toni can truly move on, she must risk everything to find out what really happened that night. But in That Night by Chevy Stevens, the truth might be the most terrifying thing of all. Reviews"Starred Review. Fans of layered mysteries will love this novel as they try to guess the players in Nicole's death and try to figure out exactly what happened 'that night.' A compelling, exceptional read." - Library Journal "A thriller that will grip you from page one." - Harlan Coben
"Intense and disturbing - a terrific psychological thriller." - Lee Child 5 people will each win a hardcover copy of That Night. 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 Past Winners
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