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This issue spotlights three recently published books recommended by our members. We also invite you to go "beyond the book" to explore the myth of the American cowboy and browse previews of notable books publishing soon (one book highlighted below with many more online).
Your Editor Davina
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 1. This Month's Free Books
Members - this month's book selection is now open. To request, make sure to visit bookbrowse.com/arc by this Sunday 3pm ET.
Not yet a member? If you join by this Sunday and then visit bookbrowse.com/arc to request a book you will receive it!
Membership benefits include our twice-monthly membership magazine, plus full access to all our reviews, beyond the book articles, previews, themed reading suggestions and readalikes; plus free books to read and review or discuss. All for $10 for 3-months or $35 for a year. That's less than $3 a month for a year of good reading about good reading.
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2. First Impressions: Members Recommend
 The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: Mar 2016
Novel, 304 pages
Number of reader reviews: 24
Readers' consensus: 3.9/5.0
Members Say Brooklyn, 1947: in the midst of a blizzard, in a two-family brownstone, two babies are born minutes apart to two women. "This was an excellent read concerning two sisters related by marriage who shared a secret and thus created a tight bond." - Barbara B. (Holbrook, NY) "What I found intriguing was the way in which the author chose to let the decision play out in the lives of Helen and Rose and the two families. I was so taken with the book that I found myself reading until 3 o'clock in the morning! A thought provoking book. I'm suggesting it to my book group." - Marcia C. (Jeffersonville, PA) "I finished The Two Family-House last night. If Loigman had other books I would be on my way to the book store now to purchase more. Loigman paints her characters like a masterpiece starting with a sketch of the character and adding layer upon layer of human emotions. ... A beautiful story so craftily woven as with the threads of a piece of beloved fabric. This is a book to add to my list of favorites of all times. I will be recommending this book to all my friends and family." - Candace F. (Lincoln, NE)
More info | Read all the reviews Buy at Amazon | B&N | Indie
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3. First Impressions: Members Recommend  Shelter by Jung Yun Publisher: Picador
Publication Date: Mar 2016
Novel, 336 pages
Number of reader reviews: 28
Readers' consensus: 4.3/5.0
Members Say "This book was outstanding. I was hooked from the very first sentence and could barely stop until I read the last heart wrenching line. This was a story of parents and children, of Korean immigrants struggling to fit into American communities, trying to meld their cultural traditions with those of their new communities. ... I loved this book--it carried profound truths about family, marriage, friendship. I look forward to anything this author pens." - Marlene B. (Mequon, WI) "This is a compelling and emotional story of love, loss, guilt and forgiveness. It is ripe for sharing and discussion." - Rose N. (Saginaw, MI) "If I had to describe this book in one word it would be haunting. A story of a family caught between cultures, it is both informative and heartbreaking. The storyline illustrates so profoundly that money and success is meaningless without love. Only through an act of violence is this family able to examine their lives and start to take steps toward correcting and healing. A great read by author Jung Yun." - Rosemary T. (San Antonio, TX)
More info | Read all the reviews Buy at Amazon | B&N | Indie
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4. First Impressions: Members Recommend  The Return of the Witch by Paula Brackston Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Publication Date: Mar 2016
Novel, 352 pages
Number of reader reviews: 25
Readers' consensus: 4.0/5.0
Members Say "Mrs. Brackston's book had me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next. It was spellbinding and moving and I was very pleased with the way it all turned out. Also for a sequel to a book I hadn't read, this book stood wonderfully on its own. I would highly recommend reading all of Mrs. Brackston's material, especially if you are a fan of all things magical." - Melissa M. (Leesburg, FL) "I loved this fast paced, exciting, historical time traveling character book from the first page and plan to go back and read the first book." - Linda M. (Lititz, PA) "i really enjoyed this book even though I don't usually like supernatural . The author was able to combine geography, history, romance and the supernatural. All in one story which made for an exciting book. Paula Brackston is now one of my favorite authors. I also enjoyed her book Lamp Black Wolf Grey." - Sherrill B. (Columbia City, IN)
More info | Read all the reviews Buy at Amazon | B&N | Indie |
 5. Editor's Choice 
Epitaph by Mary Doria Russell
Paperback (Feb 2016), 320 pages. Publisher: Ecco. BookBrowse Rating: 5/5, Critics' Consensus: 5.0/5 Buy at Amazon | B&N | Indie Mary Doria Russell's novel, Epitaph, which tells of the famous event at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, AZ does not disappoint in its recount of honor, justice, jealousy, pride and vengeance. All of the characters we remember from other tales of the event are present: Wyatt Earp, his brothers Virgil and Morgan and their wives, his loyal friend Doc Holliday, and Josephine Marcus. The villains are there as well: Curly Bill, Ike Clanton, Johnny Ringo, and Johnny Behan. While the story is a familiar one, the writing is unique in its character development and illustrative language. It offers a thorough depiction of the players, period and story... 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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 6. Beyond the Book
The Myth of the American Cowboy
Every time we review a book we also explore a related topic. Here is a recent "beyond the book" article for Epitaph by Mary Doria Russell:
 In a chapter toward the middle of her novel, Epitaph, Mary Doria Russell includes an excerpt of a letter penned by Oscar Wilde, in England, to Harry Wood, editor of one of Tombstone's newspapers, The Nugget. In it, he inquires whether the editor could "obtain for me a good specimen of the genus Homo known as the cow-boy." The note lends humor to a tense moment in the book, right after the cowboys who attacked Virgil Earp were exonerated, but it also indicates how far flung the fascination was with the American cowboy. The image of the lone cowboy - sitting tall in his saddle, astride his favorite trusty horse, hat pulled down against sun and sand, spurs catching the glint of the sun - is a vivid one in American culture. Resilient against weather and beast, always pushing forward and never backing down, proud but dark and brooding, quick-acting and straight-shooting, the cowboy has captured imagination throughout American history and lends itself to some of our most favorite stories. ... continued Read in full | More about this book |
 7. Author Interview
 A Q & A with Pamela Rotner Sakamoto, author of Midnight in Broad Daylight: A Japanese American Family Caught Between Two Worlds
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 8. Publishing Soon
Each month BookBrowse previews 80+ notable books. Here is a particularly interesting young adult title from these upcoming books:  Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. JohnstonPublisher: Dutton Children's Books Publication Date: Mar 2016 Novels, 256 pages Critics' Opinion: 5/5 Buy at Amazon | B&N | Indie"Starred Review. [Johnston] draws from Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, and perhaps as much from too-common present-day headlines, in the fearless story of a 17-year-old Ontario cheerleader getting a sense of her new normal after being drugged and raped at cheer camp." - Publishers Weekly "Starred Review. Johnston's clever-but never precious-update of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale is unflinching but not at all graphic in its treatment of sexual violence.... Middle and high school readers will pass this powerful, engaging story around and around." - Kirkus Reviews "Starred Review. A beautifully written portrait of a young woman facing the unthinkable, this is a must-buy for high school collections." - School Library Journal |
 9. Wordplay Solve our fiendish Wordplay puzzle, and be entered to win the book of your choice!
This week's Wordplay
Solve this clue: "F W O A Nail T K W L"
The answer to last Week's Wordplay: Y C M Flies W H T W V
"You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar"
Meaning: People will respond better to you if you are polite than if you are rude.
According to The Random House Dictionary of America's Popular Proverbs and Sayings Benjamin Franklin recorded this expression in Poor Richard's Almanac in 1744, but its first recorded use is in Common Place of Italian Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases, collected by G. Torriano and published in 1666. We were unable to find any information on G. Torriano but did glean that his collection is the earliest known reference to another popular expression: The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
Commonplace books became very popular during the Renaissance, used as a kind of intellectual filing system, whereby one collected poems, proverbs, quotes, and other material around a particular subject or theme. Over time, the idea expanded to encompass a more modern combination of a scrapbook and a diary filled with sketches, photographs, articles, mementos, even mathematical equations. For more on commonplace books see our " beyond the book" article to Why We Broke Up.
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 10. 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.
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Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
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