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This Week's Top 10
| September 25, 2014
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Hello
In this issue our members recommend two recently published books they read earlier this year through our First Impressions promotion (that provides free books to members in return for a short and honest review). By coincidence both books explore fictional historical characters - Juliet's Nurse from Romeo & Juliet and Rapunzel from the fairytale that might have been inspired by real events.
Our featured "Editor's Choice" reviews are the novel Ghost Month, set in the seedy underbelly of Taipei and nonfiction The Human Age which takes an optimistic (one could even say contrarian) view of our current epoch which scientists call the Anthropocene - the age of human ecological impact.
Also, if you enjoy a trip to the movies, check out my latest blog post in which I profile eight Fall movies based on books that actually look like they could be worth seeing - and a further nine that I reckon I'm happy to miss!
As always, best wishes and thanks for reading!
Davina, BookBrowse Founder & 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 to keep (including free shipping) about every three months. Here are their opinions on two recently published books:   Juliet's Nurse by Lois Leveen Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books Publication Date: Sep 2014 Historical Fiction, 384 pages Number of reader reviews: 45 Readers' consensus: 4.2/5.0 Members Say "I thoroughly enjoyed this book, its historical placement and the fleshing out of characters that only briefly appear in Shakespeare's tale. This is the story of the nurse and her incredible attachment and relationship with the child - Juliet - for whom she serves as wet-nurse and ultimately her confidant. Told entirely from the nurse's perspective, 14th century Verona springs to life - the plague, the violence on the streets, and the incredible divide between rich and poor. This is definitely a book that would provide great discussions in a book club. Great read." - Estella P. (New York, NY) "This novel is so engrossing from page one, the reader feels as if transported to a living time with the turbulent history, vivid characters and palpable atmosphere of that time in Verona. Highly recommended." - Therese X. (Calera, AL) "I absolutely LOVED this book--a great book club selection, particularly read in tandem with the play." - Darra W. (Walnut Creek, CA)
More about this book | Read all the reviews Buy at Amazon | B&N | Indie |
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2. First Impressions: Members Recommend  Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books Publication Date: Sep 2014 Historical Novel, 496 pages Number of reader reviews: 17 Readers' consensus: 4.1/5.0 Members Say "Combine history lesson, romance, real life intrigue, and witchery and you
have Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth. Her clever weaving of the biography of Charlotte-Rose de la Force, an acclaimed published 17th century storyteller, with the Rapunzel of the fairytale is a revelation." - Patricia G. (Dyer, IN)"The conclusion is a tour de force, with all explained very satisfactorily. I recommend this book highly." - Lois (Wilmington, DE) "Book clubs can discuss the harshness of life in those times and how this story became the fairy tale we all know. I am very glad that I asked for this book." - Peggy K. (San Diego, CA) "The back cover alludes to Philippa Gregory and I wholeheartedly agree. The author nicely weaves together historical fiction in the style of Gregory along with the fairy tale, Rapunzel." - Liz B. (Fairview, TX)
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 3. Editor's Choice: Fiction 
Ghost Month by Ed Lin
Hardcover (July 29, 2014), 336 pages. Publisher: Soho Press.
BookBrowse Rating: 5/5, Critics' Consensus: 4.6/5
Ghost Month is a unique and nuanced work of literary fiction; a murder mystery set in the seedy underbelly of Taipei, and a very satisfying read. It seized my attention from the first sentence, "When I found out the girl I was going to marry was murdered..." in a paragraph that continued on, setting a dark emotional tone of futility and despair as well as conveying an ambiguity about the relationship between the girl and the narrator. Protagonist Jing-nan is this narrator, a sympathetic character at ease in Taiwan's shadowy Shilin Night Market, replete with outsiders, dodgy characters... continued
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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4. Editor's Choice: Nonfiction 
The Human Age by Diane Ackerman
Hardcover (September 10, 2014), 352 pages. Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company. BookBrowse Rating: 5/5, Critics' Consensus: 5.0/5 Buy at Amazon | B&N | IndieIn The Human Age, Diane Ackerman takes a close and surprisingly optimistic view of our current epoch which scientists are calling the Anthropocene - "the age of human-ecological impact." Early on Ackerman tells readers that the book looks to examine what the future might hold given a whole host of issues unfolding today. Taking into consideration the latest technologies, the vast amount of information available online, and the advances in medicine and abilities to improve the human body, she sets out to answer whether or not it's still possible to fix the mess we've gotten ... continued Read the review | More Editor's Choices | More reviews by Sharry Wright 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. Publishing Soon
Each month BookBrowse previews 80-100 notable books. Here is a particularly interesting title from these upcoming books.  The Zone of Interest by Martin AmisPublisher: Knopf Publication Date: Sep 2014 Novels, 320 pages Critic's Opinion: 5/5
Once upon a time there was a king, and the king commissioned his favorite wizard to create a magic mirror. This mirror didn't show you your reflection. It showed you your soul - it showed you who you really were.
The wizard couldn't look at it without turning away. The king couldn't look at it. The courtiers couldn't look at it. A chestful of treasure was offered to anyone who could look at it ... continued
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 6. Eight Movies Based on Books I'm Looking Forward to in Fall 2014 (& Nine I'll Give a Miss) It takes a lot to get me into a movie theater. The expense combined with the smell and relentless chomping of popcorn are big turnoffs, but maybe two or three times a year I'll make a trip to the big screen. This Fall there are eight films that I'm keeping an eye on - a couple that I'll definitely leave the house for, the remainder I'll wait for on Netflix, or maybe spring for on pay-per-view; or, better still, put myself on the waitlist at our local library which carries a veritable cornucopia of film delights. If you don't share my tastes or you just love, love, love the movies and like to know about everything new - keep reading to the end for an additional 9 movies based on books which hold less appeal for me but maybe just up your alley! (Movies profiled include Gone Girl, Mockingjay I, The Hobbit III, Unbroken, Wild, Rosewater, Love Rosie and Paddington) Continued.... Read this blog post | All blog posts
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 7. Author Interview  Two interviews with Lily King about her life and works, and in particular her 2014 novel Euphoria and Father of the Rain (2010) Read the Interview | Euphoria
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 8. Beyond the Book
Sarah Waters' Literary Influences
 Every time we review a book we also explore a related topic. Here is a recent "beyond the book" article for...
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
Hardcover (September 16, 2014), 576 pages.
Sarah Waters' The Paying Guests belongs to an unusual mixture of genres. Here is a partial pedigree of the literary influences on its style and content: First Half
Postwar novels
As in the novels of Elizabeth Bowen and Elizabeth Taylor, Waters shows how the interwar period was a crossroads for women, with barriers of sex and class becoming less rigid. In the tradition of those female realist writers, she "use[s] the domestic novel to grapple with the intricacies of a broken civilization and the reconfiguring of gender and social roles it entails." (Rachel Cusk's review for The Guardian.) Cusk goes so far as to call The Paying Guests a pastiche, with Frances "a kind of riddling Bowen-esque heroine." Edwardian class studies
There are definite echoes of the delicate class studies of E. M. Forster here, especially his Howards End, which has as a main character a lower-class insurance clerk named Leonard Bast - a remarkably similar name and character to Waters' Leonard Barber. The first line of The Paying Guests, "The Barbers had said they would arrive by three," also echoes the matter-of-fact opening of a sophisticated Virginia Woolf novel: "Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself."
continued ... Read in full | More about this book |
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 9. Readalikes for I Shall Be Near To You by Erin Lindsay McCabe
I Shall Be Near To You is the intimate story of the drama of marriage, one woman's amazing exploits, and the tender love story that can unfold when two partners face life's challenges side by side.
If you liked I Shall Be Near To You, try these:
Fiction Hardcover Apr 2014
A novel about war and homecoming, love and duty, and an impassioned look at the effects of war on women-as soldiers and caregivers, both at home and on the front lines.
Nonfiction Hardcover Sep 2014
Karen Abbott tells the stories of four courageous women - a socialite, a farmgirl, an abolitionist, and a widow - who were spies during the Civil War.
Fiction Hardcover Sep 2014
Neverhome tells the harrowing story of Ash Thompson during the battle for the South. Through bloodshed and hysteria and heartbreak, she becomes a hero, a folk legend, a madwoman and a traitor to the American cause.
Fiction paperback May 2012
With the rich detail of Cold Mountain, the strong female bonds of The Help, and the untold history of The Warmth of Other Suns, comes a powerful debut novel about the secrets a woman keeps, and those she will risk everything to tell.
Find readalikes for over 2000 authors & 3000 books | How we pick readalikes
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 10. Wordplay
Solve one of our fiendish wordplay puzzles, and be entered to win the book of your choice! Enter now
Current wordplay:
Solve this clue: "Keep Y S O"
The answer to last Week's Wordplay: P T I Y Pipe A S I
"Put that in your pipe and smoke it"
Used, impolitely, to indicate that the person addressed will have to accept a particular situation, even if it is unwelcome. Examples of this expression crop up from the early 19th century and are presumed to derive from the belief that pipe-smoking is a good aid to thought. For example: In The Pickwick Papers (1836), Dickens uses the expression in an incomplete form, indicating that it's likely the phrase was sufficiently well known not to have to be spelled out in full: 'Come along, then,' said he of the green coat, lugging Mr. Pickwick after him by main force, and talking the whole way. Here, No. 924, take your fare, and take yourself off - respectable gentleman - know him well - none of your nonsense - this way, sir - where's your friends? - all a mistake, I see - never mind - accidents will happen - best regulated families - never say die - down upon your luck - Pull him UP - Put that in his pipe - like the flavour - damned rascals.' And with a lengthened string of similar broken sentences, delivered with extraordinary volubility, the stranger led the way to the traveller's waiting-room, whither he was closely followed by Mr. Pickwick and his disciples. Continued...
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