Hello
 In this issue we introduce a new sleuth who will appeal to mystery and historical fiction aficionados alike - none other than 16th playwright Christopher Marlowe who, in all likelihood, did do to a fair amount of real-life spying for Queen Elizabeth. In the related "beyond the book" article for A Prisoner in Malta our reviewer James Broderick eruditely explores the 400-year-old question - did Shakespeare write his plays or were they written by someone else - and was that someone Christopher Marlowe? If you've found the "Shakespeare authorship" question a tad dry, even irrelevant, or perhaps didn't even know there was a question to resolve, be prepared to be happily intrigued as James, in a mere 700 words, eloquently gets to the gist of a debate that has spawned dozens of books. This is just a taste of what you'll find in this issue, with much more awaiting you at BookBrowse! Thanks for reading! Your Editor Davina
|
The content in this newsletter is a fraction of what is available to our members. You may wish to explore these options:
|
 1. Editor's Choice
A Prisoner in Malta by Phillip DePoy
Hardcover & ebook (Jan 26, 2016), 320 pages. Publisher: Minotaur Books. BookBrowse Rating: 4/5, Critics' Consensus: 4.3/5 Buy at Amazon | B&N | IndieReviewed by James Broderick Review: Christopher Marlowe was a genuine man of mystery - and thus the perfect protagonist for a novel in which his shadowy associations, his ready wit, and his reputed swordsmanship are all called upon to save his own life and that of his beloved Queen of England. The first of a projected series of mystery novels featuring Marlowe, A Prisoner in Malta finds the dashing, romantic poet-playwright at his swashbuckling, wise-cracking best. And Edgar Award-winning author Phillip DePoy pulls out all the stops in the series debut, making full use of Marlowe's legendary rapier wit (and actual rapier wielding) in this frenetic and satisfying historical mystery/thriller. ... 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.
|
 2. Beyond the Book
The Shakespeare Authorship Question
 Every time we review a book we also explore a related topic. Here is a recent "beyond the book" article, by James Broderick, for A Prisoner in Malta
Christopher Marlowe, Renaissance playwright and poet - and protagonist of Phillip DePoy's A Prisoner in Malta - produced a handful of dramatic masterpieces in his relatively short life. That is, if you believe he died at age 29 in a bar fight at a public house in Deptford, in southeast London. But some believe his death was staged and that he went on not only to live for decades abroad but also to produce the greatest dramas of all time - under the name William Shakespeare .... continued Read this beyond the book article in full |
 |
3. Editor's Choice: Younger Readers
We Are the Ants by Shaun Hutchinson
Hardcover & ebook (Jan 2016), 464 pages. Publisher: Simon Pulse. BookBrowse Rating: 5/5, Critics' Consensus: 5.0/5 Buy at Amazon | B&N | Indie
Review by Donna Chavez Review: With the fate of the world on his shoulders, sixteen-year-old Henry Denton has become the most memorable young adult protagonist I've ever met. He is going through an adolescent existential crisis of epic proportions and he's handling it with all the grace and style he can muster. But with less than two decades of life experience to call on, what he can marshal just isn't enough. It made me want to step into the pages of the book, take him in my arms and hug him, tell him that it would all be okay in the end. But Henry needs to learn that on his own. ... 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.
|
4. Beyond the Book
Multigenerational Homes
Every time we review a book we also explore a related topic. Here is a recent "beyond the book" article written by Donna Chavez for We Are the Ants by Shaun Hutchinson
 In We Are the Ants, Henry Denton's maternal grandmother, Nana, lives with him. Early on, it's clear that Nana has Alzheimer's and lives with his family because she can no longer live on her own ...
According to an April 2015 Newsweek article, "a record 57 million Americans (1 in 6 people) now live in some sort of multigenerational configuration. That number has doubled since 1980." And in England, an article cites the figure increased by 56% between 2004 and 2014, to a total of 313,000 multigenerational households ... continued Read this beyond the book article in full |
 5. Readalikes  You can find handpicked readalikes for over 2000 authors and 3000 books on BookBrowse, including Island of a Thousand Mirrors, a stunning literary debut of two young women on opposing sides of the devastating Sri Lankan Civil War.
If you liked Island of a Thousand Mirrors, try:
|
A much-anticipated debut from a remarkable new talent in Irish fiction-a terrifyingly intimate story of a war marriage caught up in the calamity of World War II.
|
 Children of the Jacaranda Tree by Sahar DelijaniA stunning debut novel set in post-Revolutionary Iran that gives voice to the men, women, and children who won a war only to find their lives-and those of their descendants - imperiled by its aftermath.
|
An unflinching portrayal of the Korean immigrant experience from an extraordinary new talent in fiction.
|
A stunning story about how love and war inalterably change the lives of those they touch, The Surrendered is elegant, suspenseful, and unforgettable: a profound meditation on the nature of heroism and sacrifice, the power of love, and the possibilities for mercy and salvation.
|
|
 6. Author Interview  Sally Hepworth discusses The Secrets of Midwives, which tells the story of three generations of women devoted to delivering new life into the world - and the secrets they keep that threaten to change their own lives forever. Read the Interview
|
7. Publishing Soon
Each month BookBrowse previews 80+ notable books. Here is a particularly interesting title from these upcoming books.  The Swans of Fifth Avenue
by Melanie BenjaminPublisher: Ballantine Books Publication Date: Jan 26, 2016 Historical Fiction, 368 pages Critic's Opinion: 5/5 Buy at Amazon | B&N | Indie
The New York Times bestselling author of The Aviator's Wife
returns with a triumphant new novel about New York's "Swans" of the 1950s - and the scandalous, headline-making, and enthralling friendship between literary legend Truman Capote and peerless socialite Babe Paley.
|
 8. Win This Book
 The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer
Published Feb 2016, 336 pages
From the Jacket
Newly single mom Beth has one constant, gnawing worry: that her dreamy eight-year-old daughter, Carmel, who has a tendency to wander off, will one day go missing.
And then one day, it happens: On a Saturday morning thick with fog, Beth takes Carmel to a local outdor festival, they get separated in the crowd, and Carmel is gone.
Alternating between Beth's story and Carmel's, and written in gripping prose that won't let go, The Girl in the Red Coat-like Emma Donoghue's Room and M. L. Stedman's The Light Between Oceans - is an utterly immersive story that's impossible to put down ... and impossible to forget.
Reviews
"Starred Review. Hamer's dark tale of the lost and found is nearly impossible to put down and will spark much discussion." - Booklist
"Keeps the reader turning pages at a frantic clip... What's most powerful here is not whodunnit, or even why, but how this mother and daughter bear their separation, and the stories they tell themselves to help endure it." - Celeste Ng, author of Everything I Never Told You
"Compulsively readable...Beautifully written and unpredictable, I had to stop myself racing to the end to find out what happened." -Rosamund Lupton, author of Sister
5 people will each win a hardcover copy of The Girl in the Red Coat.
This giveaway is open to residents of the USA & Canada only, unless you are a BookBrowse member, in which case you are eligible to win wherever you live.
Enter the giveaway | Past Winners
|
 About BookBrowse
Get to know BookBrowse through our 4-part introductory series:
You might also be interested in our About section, including how we got started, profiles of our editorial staff and reviewers, and answers to frequently asked questions.
|
|
