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BookBrowse Highlights
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August 13, 2015
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Hello,
Quick. What book first comes to mind when you hear the words "dark" and "Scandinavian" in the same breath? If you brought up The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, you're probably not alone.
But it would be a pity to overlook the Germans who have been increasingly biting off a chunk of the market when it comes to edgy, atmospheric and nail-biting thrillers from Northern Europe. Our Beyond the Book for German writer Charlotte Link's The Watcher, proves that she belongs in august company with a whole slew of immensely readable mysteries and thrillers to add to your to-read pile.
Our review of Jane Urquhart's The Night Stages will have you adding this one to your groaning list as well. Don't miss the related Beyond the Book about the Gander International Airport in Newfoundland and its immensely arresting mural.
At BookBrowse, we routinely curate the very best for your reading pleasure, with every recommendation vetted by our review team as best in class.
As always, 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 one recent releases.  Still Life Las Vegas by James Sie St. Martin's Press, hardcover & ebook, Aug 2015. Novel, 368 pages
Number of reader reviews: 23
Readers' consensus: 3.8/5.0
Members Say "James Sies's Still Life Las Vegas is a stunning debut novel with characters, especially Walt, so skillfully developed that they will dwell in my memory for a long time. Sies moves deftly between characters and shifts in time to advance Walt's haunting journey to a truly poetic ending. ... Not for all book clubs, but if your group is in to drinking deeply of a text, this book is for you." - Patricia S. (Yankton, SD) "I was reminded of Theo from The Goldfinch, who also had transforming experiences in Las Vegas and who we also leave with only the beginning of his journey completed." - Maggie R. (Canoga Park, CA) "This is a book that you need to give yourself some time to really enjoy. I especially liked the use of illustration to add to the story and the setting. The characters are unusual, but I found myself really connecting and wanting to read to the end. I would recommend this book for people who like to read with an open mind and see where the story takes you!" - Dorian B. (Bainbridge, NY) More about this book | Read all the reviews Buy at Amazon | B&N | Indie
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  2. Editor's Choice 
The Night Stages by Jane Urquhart
Hardcover & ebook (Jul 2015), 416 pages. Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. BookBrowse Rating: 5/5, Critics' Consensus: 4.8/5 Buy at Amazon | B&N | IndieReviewed by Norah Piehl Review: You've probably been there. On your way from one place to another, stuck in an airport or train station while mechanical difficulties, or labor disputes, or, most likely, weather conspired to make what you thought would be a mere blip on your journey into something resembling its own destination. That's the scene at the start of Jane Urquhart's The Night Stages - Tamara, fleeing mid-twentieth century Ireland for the United States after escaping a particularly self-destructive affair with a married man, finds herself marooned in Gander, Newfoundland when a routine fuel stop turns into... 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 available. |
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 3. Beyond the Book Kenneth Lochhead's "Flight and Its Allegories"
and the Gander International Airport
 Every time we review a book we also explore a related topic. Here is a recent "beyond the book" article for The Night Stages by Jane Urquhart
If you flew on a transatlantic flight at some point in the mid-twentieth century, odds are you found yourself at Gander International Airport in Gander, Newfoundland, on at least one leg of your journey. For years, before the advent of wide-body jets with higher fuel capacity, Gander was the main refueling stop for aircraft bound for the United States from Europe, and was consequently one of the ... continued
Read in full | More about this book
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4. Editor's Choice
The Watcher by Charlotte Link
Paperback & ebook (Jul 2015), 400 pages Publisher: Pegasus Books BookBrowse Rating: 5/5, Critics' Consensus: 5.0/5 Buy at Amazon | B&N | Indie
Reviewed by Norah Piehl Review: Charlotte Link's The Watcher starts out as if the writer (and hence, the reader) is looking at the world through an enormous panoramic lens, panning past dozens of seemingly unrelated scenes featuring what appear to be unconnected characters. The effect is disorienting and, especially since some of the scenes are violent, more than a little unsettling. In such novels, the reader needs to trust that the author will eventually narrow the focus, reveal the connections, and enable the reader-like the characters who populate Link's novel-to fit together the puzzle pieces that reveal the... 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 available. |
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5. Beyond the Book
Popular German Crime Writers
 Every time we review a book we also explore a related topic. Here is a recent "beyond the book" article for The Watcher by Charlotte Link Thanks to authors like Jo Nesbo, Karin Fossum, and Henning Mankell, not to mention Stieg Larsson, American readers have become quite familiar with contemporary Scandinavian thrillers and novels of psychological suspense. As The Watcher demonstrates, however, the Nordic countries hardly have a monopoly on this genre, and in recent years several novels by contemporary German thriller writers have begun to hit the English-speaking market. Here are a few names to look for... Read in full
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 6. Publishing Soon Each month BookBrowse previews 80+ notable books. Here is a particularly interesting title from these upcoming books.  Touchstone. Publication Date: Aug 2015. Novel, 384 pages Critic's Opinion: 5/5 Buy at Amazon | B&N | Indie
Hailed as "China's Midnight's Children" (The Independent) this "brilliant, mind-expanding, and wildly original novel" (Chris Cleave) about a Beijing taxi driver whose past incarnations over one thousand years haunt him through searing letters sent by his mysterious soulmate.
More about this book | More Previews
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 7. Readalikes for Some Luck by Jane Smiley  From the winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Some Luck (just out in paperback) is a powerful, engrossing novel about the life and times of a remarkable family over three transformative decades in America
If you liked Some Luck, try these:
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Paperback Jan 2006
"Robinson's prose is beautiful, shimmering and precise; the revelations are subtle but never muted when they come, and the careful telling carries the breath of suspense....Robinson truly succeeds in what is destined to become her second classic."
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Paperback Sep 2008
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Olive Kitteridge offers profound insights into the human condition - its conflicts, its tragedies and joys, and the endurance it requires.
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Hardcover Oct 2014
Ambitious, rich, and compassionate, The Lives of Others is a novel of unflinching power and emotional force which anatomizes the soul of a nation as it unfolds a family's history.
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Paperback May 2009
The unsolved murder of a farm family haunts the small, white, off-reservation town of Pluto, North Dakota. The vengeance exacted for this crime and the subsequent distortions of truth transform the lives of Ojibwe living on the nearby reservation and shape the passions of both communities for the next generation.
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Hardcover Apr 2015
A powerful, timely debut, The Turner House marks a major new contribution to the story of the American family.
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 8. The BookBrowse Book Club
Please Join Us to Discuss:
Summer House with Swimming Pool
by Herman Koch
Published Jun 2015, 416 pages
Featuring the razor-sharp humor and acute psychological insight that made The Dinner an international phenomenon,
Summer House with Swimming Pool is a controversial novel that showcases Herman Koch at his finest.
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 9. Pronunciations
Wondering how to pronounce an author's name? Check out our author pronunciation section to find a guide to hundreds of tricky names. Here are a sample of names starting with the letter R. - Edward Rutherfurd: ruther-ferd (ruther rhymes with mother)
- J.K. (Joanne) Rowling: rolling
- Kathy Reichs: Last name rhymes with bikes
- Rick Riordan: RYE-r-don (first syllable is pronounced like rye bread)
- Dana Reinhardt: day-na rine-hart
You can challenge yourself with our interactive author pronunciation game in our author section (you'll need to scroll about halfway down the page to find it.)
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 10. Wordplay Solve our fiendish Wordplay puzzle, and be entered to win the book of your choice!
This week's Wordplay
Solve this clue: "I A J I W D, I I Worth D W"
The answer to last Week's Wordplay: Let's G T S O T R
"Let's get the show on the road"
Meaning: Let's get moving (with an undertone of stop wasting time)
Sources are in agreement that this show business phrase was in common use by the 1930s and perhaps originated around 1910. The earliest citation found in reference books is from James Jones' 1951 debut novel From Here to Eternity which is loosely based on his pre-WWII experience in the infantry: "Come on, come on." Prew said, "What's holding things up? Let's get this show on the road."
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 About BookBrowse
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Back issues of this newsletterYou might also be interested in the content of our About section, including how we got started, profiles of our editorial staff and reviewers, and answers to frequently asked questions. |
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