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BookBrowse Free Newsletter 09/03/2015

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September 3, 2015
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Hello
 
Constance Kopp was the very definition of a tough-as-nails woman, someone who, when backed into a corner, stood up and fought. One of America's first female deputy sheriffs, she and her delightful band of sisters animate the new novel, Girl Waits With Gun set in 1914.

In another time and an entirely different place, Afghan school teacher Fereiba also summons her every strength to transport her family to safety when the ruthless Taliban takes over her country and her peace. Nadia Hashimi's When the Moon is Low grippingly chronicles this resourceful young woman's story. Add Florence Gordon to this list of women we love to read about, who stays true to her principles and whose acerbic wit serves her well in her graying years.

While you're here, don't forget to sign up for our giveaway where you can win a signed copy of Louise Penny's latest in the Inspector Gamache series, The Nature of the Beast, and discover why he is a house favorite.

We sift through the very best books so we can feature ones that will earn a place on your favorites shelf. As always, please do share your feedback with us (just reply to this email to reach me) and happy reading!
 
Your editor, 
Davina






florence1. The BookBrowse Book Club

Please Join Us to Discuss: 

Book Jacket
Florence Gordon by Brian Morton

Published Sep 2015, 320 pages

A wise and entertaining novel about a woman who has lived life on her own terms for seventy-five defiant and determined years, only to find herself suddenly thrust to the center of her family's ...



2. 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 release.



 Jade Dragon Mountain by Elsa Hart

 Publisher: Minotaur Books
 Publication Date: Sep 2015
 Mysteries, 336 pages

 Number of reader reviews: 21
 Readers' consensus: 4.8/5.0


Members Say
"A wonderful book, the first in a new mystery series. Set in eighteenth-century Yunnan, China, it blends Chinese culture with frontier culture and the Jesuit missionary attitudes of the time. Li Du, the central character, is a great blend of educated upper class Chinese with a touch of Hercule Poirot." - Patricia S. (Chicago, IL)

"The believable characters, including the emperor's first consort, a traveling storyteller from Egypt, and a mysterious botanist masquerading as a Jesuit brother, add to the enjoyment of this debut suspense novel." - Rebecca H. (Bolton, CT)

"Elsa Hart has woven a silken tapestry of intrigue and fascinating characters set against the vibrant landscape of China. Her descriptions of people and places are so real. Li Du the librarian reminds me a bit of Colombo but much more complex. I am looking forward to reading more novels from Ms Hart." - Susan M. (Ashland, OR)

"I hope Ms. Hart will provide us with more tales from Li Du. If so, I'll save a place on my bookshelf for the introspective librarian next to my Brother Cadfael and Amelia Peabody mysteries." - Amanda G. (Windham, OH)

More about this book |  Read all the reviews    Buy at Amazon |  B&N |  Indie  



 3. First Impressions: Members Recommend

 Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart

 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
 Publication Date: Sep 2015
 Historical Fiction, 416 pages

 Number of reader reviews: 20
 Readers' consensus: 4.5/5.0


Members Say
"What a wonderful read. I so enjoyed meeting the Kopp sisters, especially Constance! What an enviable character and actual person of history!" - Ann W. (Cashiers, NC)

"This historical novel, set in New Jersey in 1914, about one of the nation's first female deputy sheriffs is great fun. The Kopp sisters, orphans, hold onto their farm, despite the attempts to persuade them that they need a man around the house. A gangster dares to challenge their claim for payment of repair debts for their buggy, but they are persistent, and this persistence gets them into trouble, conquered by bravery, smarts, and stubbornness....I am looking for a sequel. A woman like Constance will surely have more adventures as a deputy sheriff." - Mary P. (Bellingham, WA)

"Recommended for historical fiction readers, people from New Jersey, sister stories and book clubs. This book is a 2015 favorite!" - Barbara (Cherry Hill, N.J.)

" I read this book in two days and will recommend it to my book group." - Anna R. (Oak Ridge, TN)




moon4. First Impressions: Members Recommend

 When the Moon Is Low by Nadia Hashimi

 Publisher: William Morrow
 Publication Date: Jul 2015
 Novels, 400 pages

 Number of reader reviews: 12
 Readers' consensus: 4.6/5.0


Members Say
"After reading Nadia Hashimi's first book, The Pearl That Broke Its Shell, I knew I was hooked on this author. Now she has brought us another story from Afghanistan that may be even more emotionally wrenching than her first...Those who like Khaled Hosseini's books will find Hashimi's story an excellent addition to the stories of Afghanistan." - Lynne B. (Exeter, NH)

"Love, death, birth, chaos in a rocket-ravaged Kabul, and the fortunes of a family emigrating from the turmoil of Afghanistan are the themes of this 'in the moment' book. It is also a coming-of-age story as a young man separated from his family tries desperately to rejoin them; the obstacles he encounters are many. I found the book intriguing and difficult to put down." - Florence K. (Northridge, CA)

"I thank BookBrowse for the chance to preview When The Moon Is Low by Nadia Hashimi. I intend to recommend this novel to my book club and want to read her previous novel." - Esther L. (Newtown, PA)




 5. First Impressions: Members Recommend

 A Good Family by Erik Fassnacht

 Publisher: St. Martin's Press
 Publication Date: Aug 2015
 Novels, 432 pages

 Number of reader reviews: 24
 Readers' consensus: 3.9/5.0


Members Say
"This is one of the best books I've read this year. Told from the viewpoint of each of the four members of the family, this novel manages to combine great humor, tremendous sadness, and lots of wisdom. I've already recommended it to six friends and it isn't even published yet. Outstanding." - Sylvia G. (Scottsdale, AZ)

"I so thoroughly enjoyed this book. Each member of the Brunson family is undergoing their own personal crisis; a theme generated in many novels. However the format of this novel and the interactions among the family members is what makes this book stand out... the family captures your heart and universally connects us all." - Christine B. (Scottsdale, AZ)

"A very good family saga that would be perfect for book groups." - Diana P. (Schulenburg, TX)

"A page turner. All families struggle but what circumstances cause a successful 'good' family to fall apart? How they find their way back, individually makes for a great read. Wonderful debut story hope to read more from Erik Fassnacht." - Barbara O. (Maryland Heights, MO)







girl6. Beyond the Book: The Real-Life Kopp Sisters

Every time we review a book we also explore a related topic. Here is a recent "beyond the book" article for Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart

Girl Waits With Gun is historical fiction based on the true-life accounts of the Kopp sisters of New Jersey, whose lives were irrevocably changed after one roadside incident when their horse-driven buggy was damaged by a car.

The car's owner, Henry Kaufman, was a local industrialist who, along with his brother, owned a silk dyeing plant in Paterson, NJ. Refusing to acknowledge the accident and pay the damages, Kaufman instead chose to terrorize the sisters, sending them death threats by mail and generally harassing them for the better portion of a year.

Constance, the oldest of the three, who according to newspaper accounts stood six feet tall and weighed close to 180 pounds, decided enough was enough and teamed up with the local sheriff to bring a case against Kaufman to court and get justice delivered. In the beginning of the ordeal, the women also took to guarding their house with guns after numerous threats were received. In fact, the book's title is derived from the headline of a newspaper article "Girl Waits With Gun," which described Constance waiting around a street corner with a gun in her handbag to catch the man who had been such a source of mental anguish for her family.

Read in full | More about this book



7. News

Sep 01 2015
A survey by Dictionary.com appears to show that, while older generations might consider themselves the last bastions of correct spelling and grammar, almost three quarters of 18-34 year olds are irked by grammar and spelling slips on social media - higher than any other age group... (more)

Aug 30 2015
British neurologist and author Oliver Sacks has died at the age of 82 in New York. Dr Sacks earned a medical degree at Queen's College, Oxford University, and later began working as a consulting neurologist for Beth Abraham Hospital, in the Bronx, New York, in 1966. While there he encountered ... (more)

Aug 24 2015
Wired reports on this year's Hugo Awards, the highest honors in science fiction and fantasy writing, which were announced at the 73rd World Science Fiction Convention in Spokane, Washington. The awards took on an unusual level of drama this year... (more)

Aug 17 2015
In response to Sunday's New York Times article that describes Amazon as a cruel and back-stabbing environment, Jeff Bezos sent a company wide memo to employees which has been posted on GeekWire... (more)

Aug 15 2015
In an extensive article The New York Times looks at how Amazon is conducting an experiment in how far it can push white-collar workers to get them to achieve its ever-expanding ambitions. Written by Jodi Kantor and David Streitfeld the piece paints a picture of a harsh dog eat dog environment"... (more)




8. Publishing Soon

Each month BookBrowse previews 80+ notable books. Here is a particularly interesting title from these upcoming books.

Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie

Publisher: Random House
Publication Date: Sep 2015
Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Alternate History, 304 pages

Critic's Opinion: 5/5
Buy at Amazon |  B&N |  Indie
From Salman Rushdie, one of the great writers of our time, comes a spellbinding work of fiction that blends history, mythology, and a timeless love story. A lush, richly layered novel in which our world has been plunged into an age of unreason, Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights is a breathtaking achievement and an enduring testament to the power of storytelling.




9. Blog: Preview Fall 2015

In case you missed last week's special issue:

As a true book lover you know: summer is all very well for an occasional guilty pleasure and a whole pile of page-turners to tote to the beach but the real serious lifting -- both literally and metaphorically -- in terms of reading comes with the turn of the leaves in fall.

This season we have many heavy hitters from darlings of the literary fiction world such as Margaret Atwood and Jonathan Franzen, and also remarkable work from newer talent to keep an eye out for. Here are a dozen we have our sights trained on. ... continued

Read this blog post | All blog posts






win10. Win A Signed Hardcover


The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny

Published Aug 2015
416 pages

Enter the Giveaway




From the Jacket
Hardly a day goes by when nine year old Laurent Lepage doesn't cry wolf. From alien invasions, to walking trees, to winged beasts in the woods, to dinosaurs spotted in the village of Three Pines, his tales are so extraordinary no one can possibly believe him. Including Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache, who now live in the little Quebec village.

But when the boy disappears, the villagers are faced with the possibility that one of his tall tales might have been true.

And so begins a frantic search for the boy and the truth. What they uncover deep in the forest sets off a sequence of events that leads to murder, leads to an old crime, leads to an old betrayal. Leads right to the door of an old poet.

And now it is now, writes Ruth Zardo. And the dark thing is here.

A monster once visited Three Pines. And put down deep roots. And now, Ruth knows, it is back.

Armand Gamache, the former head of homicide for the Sûreté du Québec, must face the possibility that, in not believing the boy, he himself played a terrible part in what happens next.
 

3 people will each win a signed hardcover copy of The Nature of the Beast.
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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