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BookBrowse Highlights
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August 6, 2015
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Hello
Stories set in the Wild West quench our thirst for rollicking adventure with a dash of can-do. The early pioneers and the anything-goes attitude that ruled the landscape for years were the stuff of legend.
Even in this crowded field of colorful personalities, Calamity Jane stands out. Immortalized in literature and as much a product of her own stories as truth, she found a way to bend the unwritten rules of the land for her own survival, and is the subject of the Beyond the Book for one of our recent features, Paradise Sky.
At BookBrowse, we're always on the lookout for books that expand your horizons whether they be through adventures set in the Wild West or closer to home. The assortment of First Impressions features in this issue is testament to the incredible diversity of books we showcase routinely.
Lasso one of the many adventures here and satiate your appetite for intelligent fun. Happy reading!
Your editor, Davina |
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1. First Impressions: Members Recommend
Each month we give away books to U.S. resident members to read and review (or discuss). Members who choose to participate receive a free book about every three months. Here are their opinions on five recent releases.
Fishbowl by Bradley Somer
St. Martin's Press, Aug 2015. Novel, 304 pages
Number of reader reviews: 26 Readers' consensus: 4.5/5.0
Members Say
"Have you ever wondered what lives people really live? Then pick up Bradley Somer's new novel Fishbowl. A clever title, a very clever premise and a great story. Fishbowl lets the reader explore the lives of the residents of the Seville on Roxy with Ian, a goldfish, yes a fish, that swan dives out of his bowl on the twenty seventh floor. From the first pages, this book made me smile. The story includes a heroine, a villain and a cast of eccentric characters all looking for love. ... As a reader, I just love the fact that novels give you a window into other peoples lives, and Fishbowl does that with a unique twist." - Pam L. (Melbourne Beach, FL)
"If you want to read a feel good book snap it up. It kept me engaged until the final page. I am probably a sucker for a happy story." - Barbara C. (Riverside, CA)
"Thank you to Book Browse and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of Fishbowl, by Bradley Somer. I LOVED this book, reading it in one day... I am anxious to share this book with my friends and book club. Thank you, Mr. Somer, for writing such a readable, entertaining, and though provoking book." - Amy M. (Southlake, TX)
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2. First Impressions: Members Recommend
Trust No One by Paul Cleave
Atria Books, Aug 2015. Thriller, 352 pages Number of reader reviews: 40 Readers' consensus: 4.3/5.0
Members Say "I love when a well-known, respected author of thrillers/mysteries writes a standalone. They get to flex their literary muscles without depending on familiar characters. Such is the case in the brilliant novel Trust No One. Imagine a man, confessing to his crimes as a serial killer (in great, realistic detail), who also happens to have written novels along the exact same line as the crimes that he is confessing to, except that he cannot remember any of that, because he also has early-onset Alzheimers...WOW. Did he? Is he? ... Absolutely original. Bravo!" - Sherri A. (Westbrook, CT) "Mr. Cleave has implemented a clever plot idea and executed it well. He's an excellent writer and I enjoyed the gallows humor throughout." - Rosemary C. (Austin, TX) "WOW! and that is all I can say about this amazing book... If you read mysteries, then give this book a shot. The author's perspective is uncanny, and mystery lovers will absolutely embrace this book for its realism." - Daniel A. (Naugatuck, CT)
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3. First Impressions: Members Recommend
Lamp Black, Wolf Grey by Paula Brackston
St. Martin's Griffin, Aug 2015. Historical Fiction, 336 pages
Number of reader reviews: 22 Readers' consensus: 3.4/5.0
Members Say "From the start, this story captured my imagination. Alternating between present day Wales and medieval Wales, the story interconnects the lives of a 21st century artist and Merlin the wizard from Arthurian legend. Although parts of the story are fantastical and force the reader's imagination, the story has several twists and turns that keep the interest level high and cause the characters to develop more fully. As a result, it is a quick and enjoyable read that is highly recommended." - Diana C. (Delray Beach, FL)
"I judge most books to be sister worthy or not! I would definitely share this one with her. We both love to escape into a book. This book has it all but not too much. I have always enjoyed stories of Merlin.... Take my word ....it is good. Thanks BookBrowse!" - Fannieforrest
"This is now one of my favorite books. I really liked the way the author was able to combine King Arthur's times with modern day and trials and tribulations all the way through." - Sherrill B. (Columbia City, IN)
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4. First Impressions: Members Recommend
Make Your Home Among Strangers by Jennine Capó Crucet
St. Martin's Press, Aug 2015. Novel, 400 pages
Number of reader reviews: 27 Readers' consensus: 3.9/5.0
Members Say "In her debut novel, Crucet wrestles with illegal immigration, cultural differences and expectations, family dysfunction and loyalty, and issues encountered by low-income students attending expensive, prestigious schools and by first-generation Americans who are the first in their families to attend college - and masterfully weaves it all into a memorable story. She shows us that although we are all products of our upbringing, it is possible, sometimes inevitable, and often desirable to move beyond what we came from. Hers is a talent to watch, and I am already anxiously awaiting her next book. I plan to put Make Your Home Among Strangers on my book club's list for 2016." - Sally H. (Geneva, OH)
"The book was quite an eye-opener for me, as it brought up issues I had never thought about, and it is also just a good read." - Susan S. (Lafayette, CA)
"Read this book! It's going to be big. The writing never falters. I look forward to reading Jennine Capo Cruzet's short fiction, How to Leave Hialeah." - Maggie R. (Canoga Park, CA)
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5. First Impressions: Members Recommend
The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes by Anna McPartlin St. Martin's Press, Aug 2015. Novel, 368 pages
Number of reader reviews: 14 Readers' consensus: 4.7/5.0
Members Say "I LOVED this book! It made me laugh and cry and everything in between, and I hated to see it end. Despite knowing the inevitable outcome, I wanted to know everything there was to know about Rabbit Hayes and her family and friends." - Kathleen W. (Appleton, WI)
"Although the book was very difficult to read, through all of my tears, I fell in love with every one of the characters. It was a real family with all of the love and anger and forgiveness and laughter that make a family what it is." - Maggie S. (Durango, CO)
"From the title of this novel, the reader know from the outset its ending. As a breast cancer survivor, I was not sure I could see it through. Several times I put it down, not wanting to face what had to be coming - but I am ever so glad that I went back to finish. This is a rich and rewarding book in oh, so many ways... What I love the very best though is the author's strong affirmation for both life and death, and the indelible link between the two. This is a beautiful, rich, and rewarding story in more ways than you can imagine. Read it as a gift to yourself." - Susie J. (Fort Wayne, IN) More about this book | Read all the reviews Buy at Amazon | B&N | Indie
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6. Beyond the Book: Calamity Jane Every time we review a book we also explore a related topic. Here is a recent "beyond the book" article for Paradise Sky by Joe R. Lansdale Mulholland Hardcover, June, 2015, 416 pages. Buy at Amazon | B&N | Indie
Few figures encapsulate the myth-making impulse of The Wild West better than Calamity Jane, whose appearance in Joe Lansdale's Paradise Sky is just the latest in a century-long fascination with this shadowy woman on the fringes of western heroics. According to Calamity Jane - whose real name was Martha Jane Cannary - she came from about as humble a beginning as can be imagined. Born in the prairie town of Princeton, Missouri in 1852 to poor parents (reputed to be petty criminals) she was the oldest of six children. By age 15, both her parents were dead. As the de-facto head of the family, Martha took her siblings by covered wagon to Wyoming Territory, where she found odd jobs (including a likely stint as prostitute) until getting work as a scout at Fort Russell, where she rode out in advance of troops and settlers, taking note of Indian encampments, watering holes, the best routes for wagon trains, and the availability of food sources on the plains or in the desert.... continued Read in full | More about this book
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7. Publishing Soon
Each month BookBrowse previews 80+ notable books. Here is a particularly interesting title from these upcoming books.
Katrina by Gary Rivlin
Simon & Schuster, Aug 11, 2015
Current Affairs, 480 pages
Critic's Opinion: 5/5
Ten years after Hurricane Katrina made landfall in southeast Louisiana-on August 29, 2005-journalist Gary Rivlin traces the storm's immediate damage, the city of New Orleans's efforts to rebuild itself, and the storm's lasting affects not just on the city's geography and infrastructure-but on the psychic, racial, and social fabric of one of this nation's great cities...continued
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8. The 1960s & '70s
Whatever your interests you can find the books that are just right for you by browsing and cross-referencing our recommended reading lists by genre, time period, setting and wide variety of themes - including 1960s & '70s. Click the jacket for more about each book.
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9. News
Aug 03 2015 Alan Cheuse, the novelist, teacher and longtime literary commentator for NPR, died on Friday from injuries sustained in a car accident in California two weeks ago. He was 75. "On behalf of the family, we are in deep grief at the loss of our beloved father, husband and grandfather," daughter Sonya... (more)Jul 29 2015 The longlist, or 'Man Booker Dozen', for the £50,000 Man Booker Prize is announced and includes ... (more)Jul 21 2015 E.L. Doctorow, critically acclaimed author of the novels Ragtime and Billy Bathgate, has died in a New York hospital of complications from lung cancer. He was 84. In a 50-year career, Doctorow published 10 novels, a stage drama, two books of short fiction and numerous essays. US President Barack ... (more)
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10. Win This Book
The Gilded Hour by Sara Donati
Publishes September 1, 2015
752 pages
Enter the Giveaway
From the Jacket The international bestselling author of Into the Wilderness makes her highly anticipated return witha remarkable epic about two female doctors in nineteenth-century New York and the transcendent power of courage and love... The year is 1883, and in New York City, it's a time of dizzying splendor, crushing poverty, and tremendous change. With the gravity-defying Brooklyn Bridge nearly complete and New York in the grips of anti-vice crusader Anthony Comstock, Anna Savard and her cousin Sophie-both graduates of the Woman's Medical School-treat the city's most vulnerable, even if doing so may put everything they've strived for in jeopardy. Anna's work has placed her in the path of four children who have lost everything, just as she herself once had. Faced with their helplessness, Anna must make an unexpected choice between holding on to the pain of her past and letting love into her life. For Sophie, an obstetrician and the orphaned daughter of free people of color, helping a desperate young mother forces her to grapple with the oath she took as a doctor-and thrusts her and Anna into the orbit of Anthony Comstock, a dangerous man who considers himself the enemy of everything indecent and of anyone who dares to defy him. With its vivid depictions of old New York and its enormously appealing characters, The Gilded Hour is a captivating, emotionally gripping novel that proves Sara Donati is an author at the height of her powers. Visit The Gilded Hour website 5 people will each win a hardcover copy of The Gilded Hour. 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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