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This Week's Top 10
| September 4, 2014
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Hello,
In this week's issue we bring you two books our members have recently reviewed and recommended - the compelling Accidents of Marriage by Randy Susan Meyers and Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera, a gorgeous debut novel set during the Sri Lankan Civil War.
We've just opened a new book club discussion of The Lion Seeker, set in South Africa - if you've read it, please do join us to discuss; if you haven't, you can browse an excerpt and read reviews on BookBrowse. This is just a taste of what awaits you in this issue!
Yours, Davina, Editor
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1. First Impressions: Members Recommend
Each month we give away books to US resident 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 one recently published book:
Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books Publication Date: Sep 2014 Debut Novel, 224 pages Number of reader reviews: 21 Readers' consensus: 4.6/5.0 Members Say"This is a must read book for readers who love to read about a far away land that they have heard about but have never really understood. It's a story of love, hate, treachery and redemption. Conflict between the Tamils and the Sinhalas lead to a bloody Civil War that affects all the characters we learn to love in this story...This would be a great book for book groups to read as there is so much to discuss, especially the characters." - Nancy K. (Toledo, OH)
"This superb novel never takes sides in the conflict and is written with the lushness of all the different Sri Lankan histories and backgrounds...A must read!" - Jan Z. (Jefferson, SD)
"Munaweera's writing is exquisite. It flows so smoothly it seems casual. There are no wasted words or dull prose. Each sentence is a new structure and complete idea, yet it flows seamlessly between the one before and after. She presents vividly the breathtaking beauty found in Sri Lankan nature and the heart-wrenching joys and sorrows found in human relationships." - Molly B. (Longmont, CO) "What a gorgeous book, parts of it so heartbreaking I could not control the tears that would flow from my eyes and blurred my reading. When I finished this book I could not put it down so I have started reading it again." - Jeanette L. (Marietta, GA) More about this book | Read all the reviews Buy at Amazon | B&N | Indie
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2. First Impressions: Members Recommend
Each month we give away books to US resident 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 one recently published book:
Accidents of Marriage by Randy Susan Meyers Publisher: Atria Books Publication Date: Sep 2014 Novels, 368 pages Number of reader reviews: 63 Readers' consensus: 4.1/5.0
Members Say"I absolutely loved this book. It so eloquently tells the story of a family and its secrets, and what happens when the unthinkable exposes them." - Eileen L. (Danvers, MA) "I received this book as I was leaving for vacation, and after the 1st chapter decided it would be a great vacation read. To my surprise it was much better than just a vacation novel. I loved the characters, and the way the author injected so many thoughtful topics... I highly recommend this book to book clubs, as it has many topics of conversation, and in general as a well written, complex yet easy to follow novel." - Judy M. (East Haven, CT) "I found Accidents of Marriage to be a fascinating, touching, and thought-provoking study of consequences. A compelling story line, well-drawn characters, believable dialog, and good pacing. I cared about the characters and what happened to them and was sad to come to the end of the story. Should be an excellent choice for book clubs." - Beth T. (Savannah, GA) "Some novels I read, enjoy and forget. Accidents of Marriage will be in my thoughts for a long time." - Shirley D. (Amherst, MA)
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3. The BookBrowse Book Club
Please Join Us to Discuss:
The Lion Seeker by Kenneth Bonert
Published Sep 2014, 576 pages
A thrilling ride through the life of one fumbling young hero, The Lion Seeker is a glorious reinvention of the classic family and coming-of-age saga. More about this book | Browse the discussion
Discussions Opening Soon
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A lot of BookBrowse's content is available for free but full access is for members. Most readers of this newsletter are not members. Membership is $10 for 3 months or $35 for a year. Find out more!
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4. Editor's Choice
The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
Hardcover (September 02, 2014), 640 pages. Publisher: Random House. BookBrowse Rating: 5/5, Critics' Consensus: 4.8/5 Buy at Amazon | B&N | Indie
Imagine being perched at the very top of a roller coaster ride. Picture that steep plunge down, the hair-raising twists and loops as you get sucked in and shaken about. Diving into The Bone Clocks feels much like this mad adrenaline rush. You don't just read a Mitchell novel, it grabs you and pulls you into a whirling vortex of complex plotlines. In true Mitchell style, he rewards faithful readers with stories about characters we have met before. For example, Hugo Lamb from Black Swan Green is back in one of the most memorable and gorgeously written pieces of writing I have ever read. If ...
continued Read the review | More Editor's Choices | More reviews by Poornima Apte Full access to our reviews & beyond the book articles are for members only. But there are always four free Editor's Choice reviews and beyond the book articles on our homepage.
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5. Beyond the Book Civil War Women Fighters
Every time we review a book we also explore a related topic. Here is a recent "beyond the book" article for...
Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Karen Abbott
Hardcover (September 02, 2014), 544 pages. Buy at Amazon | B&N | Indie In addition to the four women profiled by Karen Abbott in Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy, many others had well-documented military careers. Some of these famous female soldiers include:
Frances Clalin enlisted as Jack Williams. A Minnesota farmer's wife and mother of three, Clalin signed up to be with her husband, Elmer. Her fellow soldiers considered her a "hard-drinking, tobacco-chewing, ...
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Read in full | More about this book
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6. Author Interview
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7. Readalikes: Pink Sari Revolution A triumphant portrait of a fiery sisterhood changing the lives of India's women.
If you liked Pink Sari Revolution, try these:
Paperback Oct 2003
This autobiography of the world-renowned, visionary economist who came up with a simple but revolutionary solution to end world poverty - micro-credit.
Paperback Apr 2014
From Pulitzer Prize-winner Katherine Boo, a landmark work of narrative nonfiction that tells the dramatic and sometimes heartbreaking story of families striving toward a better life in one of the twenty-first century's great, unequal cities.
Paperback Jun 2010
From two of our most fiercely moral voices, a passionate call to arms against our era's most pervasive human rights violation: the oppression of women and girls in the developing world.
Paperback Aug 2004
This powerful and inspiring book shows how one person can make a difference, as Kidder tells the true story of a gifted man who is in love with the world and has set out to do all he can to cure it.
Sold by Patricia McCormick
Paperback Apr 2008
Although Lakshmi's family is desperately poor her life still contains simple pleasures; but then Lakshmi's stepfather sends her away to take a job to support her family. When she arrives at "Happiness House", full of hope, she learns the unthinkable truth: she has been sold into prostitution. An exceptional novel suitable for teens and adults.
Find readalikes for over 2000 authors & 3000 books | How we pick readalikes
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8. Book Club Chat Kathryn Scott, founder of the Western Readers Bookclub, talks about the ways her book club is unique. Its members don't all read the same book at the same time the way most book clubs do. So what do they do? Read on!
Please tell us a bit about your book group?
Our group is called Western Readers, a name we chose as we live in West Auckland, New Zealand; and as a play on the name of our local newspaper The Western Leader. There are nine people in our group, eight women and one brave man! Our ages range from late 20s to mid-60s, and we are all at different life stages and with different reading preferences. That's interesting!
Yes, it makes for interesting discussion.
Is there something in particular that makes your group special or that you think might be different from other groups?
Something that we perhaps do differently from other groups is that we tend to select genres, topics or authors rather than specific books to read. We do this for a practical reason. We wanted to use books available in our library rather than having to buy books every month. As it would be difficult for all of us to borrow the same book every month, we decided on a more flexible option.
Who decides on the genres, topics or authors?
We each take turns selecting and this has worked very well for us. continued....
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9. Publishing Soon
Each month BookBrowse previews 80-100 notable books. Here is a particularly interesting title from these upcoming books. The Cat at the Wall by Deborah Ellis Publisher: Groundwood Books Publication Date: Sep 2014 Children's Novel, 144 pages
Critic's Opinion: 4/5
On Israel's West Bank, a cat sneaks into a small Palestinian house that has been commandeered by two Israeli soldiers. The house seems empty, until the cat realizes that a little boy is hiding beneath the floorboards. Should she help him? After all, she's just a cat. Or is she? She was once a regular North American girl, but that was before she died and came back to life as a cat.
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10. Win This Book
The Furies by Natalie HaynesPublished Aug 2014 304 pages
Enter the Giveaway
From the Jacket Natalie Haynes' The Furies is a psychologically complex, dark and twisting novel about loss, obsession and the deep tragedies that can connect us to each other even as they blind us to our fate. Reviews"Starred Review. Cleverly plotted, cannily paced, and unafraid to pose questions that don't have easy answers...[an] accomplished psychological mystery." -Publishers Weekly "Fans of Donna Tartt's The Secret History (1992), Erin Kelly's The Poison Tree (2011), and Tana French's The Likeness (2008) will likely enjoy the new perspective Haynes' conversational style offers to similar material." - Booklist "Fans of suspense fiction with depth will especially enjoy this read." - Library Journal " The Furies feels essential and exciting at the same time." - The Times (UK) "A gripping first novel...impossible to put down." - Herman Koch, author of The Dinner "A handsomely structured psychological mystery, and a moving exploration of grief." - Lionel Shriver 5 people will each win a hardcover copy of The Furies. 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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