Hello
There is much to explore in this week's issue of BookBrowse Highlights! Our book club is discussing Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own. You can read an excerpt from the book and our review; and please do feel free to dive into the conversation - the nature of the topic means there's a number of discussions you can take part in without having read the book, for example, what makes a woman single? Is it a matter of marital status? Of habits or state of mind? Members - it's free book time again! This month we have six First Impressions titles on offer with requests closing on Sunday. Books featured in this issue will transport you from World War II to Armenia, by way of California and Connecticut (the setting of Ann Leary's The Children, which you can enter to win.) You might also want to check out our short list of the best new and notable books that published this week - which, by popular demand, is now a regular feature of these emails. Wherever your reading transports you, I wish you bon voyage! Your Editor, Davina
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  2. 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! (Must be resident in the USA to request) Membership benefits include our twice-monthly membership magazine, plus full access to all our reviews, beyond the book articles, previews, themed reading suggestions and read-alikes; plus free books to read and review or discuss (most members who take part receive a free book about 4 times a year.) 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. Join today! |
 3. Editor's Choice 
Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave
Hardcover (May 2016), 432 pages. Publisher: Simon & Schuster. BookBrowse Rating: 5/5, Critics' Consensus: 4.5/5 Buy at Amazon | B&N | Indie
Reviewed by Norah Piehl. 5 stars!
A perfect wartime love story inspired by the real-life love letters between Chris Cleave's grandparents.
Cleave pulls no punches in describing the devastation of war, depicting violent acts, horrific circumstances, and the equally catastrophic effects they have on people's lives both on the battlefield and at home. Despite (or perhaps because of) the grand and gruesome backdrop against which the interpersonal dramas of Mary and Alistair play out, their love story is, in fact, less captivating than each one's individual story of loss, redemption, and rehabilitation. Inspired in part by Cleave's own grandparents, E veryone Brave Is Forgiven becomes a far more universal story, one that sheds new light on a well-known part of history, but that illustrates human phenomena - fear, paralysis, mistrust, hope - that are hardly unique to a specific time and place.
Read the reviewFull 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: Malta During WWII Every time we review a book we also explore a related topic. Here is the "beyond the book" article for Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave, written for us by Norah Piehl:
 The island country of Malta, one of the key settings in Chris Cleave's Everyone Brave is Forgiven, might be tiny, but its location between Italy and North Africa, halfway between the Strait of Gibraltar and Egypt, has made it a strategically important naval base for hundreds, if not thousands, of years - including during World War II. Malta voluntarily became part of the British Empire in 1800... continued Read in full |
5. Eight Books Set in California for Book Clubs An Indian friend once recently described California as "America's America." What she was getting at was that if the United States for a long time was considered the shining beacon of democracy, then California was at the very epicenter of all that's great about the country. California Cool is a real currency and the diverse demographics of the Golden State complemented by its absolutely breathtaking geography mean plenty of rewarding material for talented authors to explore - and for book clubs to enjoy - as these selections amply illustrate. Each recommendation is backed by an excerpt and reading guide, and for a limited time, you can also read our full length reviews and "beyond the book" articles. continued... |
6. Author Interview
  Dawn Anahid MacKeen shares how the Armenian genocide shaped her family and why it matters that Turkey still denies this dark history - a topic she explores in The Hundred-Year Walk, a biography of her grandfather's courage in the face of terrible odds. Read the Interview | The Hundred-Year Walk
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 7. Win This Book  The Children by Ann LearyPublishes May 24, 2016
256 pages
Enter the Giveaway From the Jacket Charlotte Maynard rarely leaves her mother's home, the sprawling Connecticut lake house that belonged to her late stepfather, Whit Whitman, and the generations of Whitmans before him. While Charlotte and her sister, Sally, grew up at "Lakeside," their stepbrothers, Spin and Perry, were welcomed as weekend guests. Now the grown boys own the estate, which Joan occupies by their grace - and a provision in the family trust. When Spin, the youngest and favorite of all the children, brings his fiancé home for the summer, the entire family is intrigued. The beautiful and accomplished Laurel Atwood breathes new life into this often comically rarefied world. But as the wedding draws near, and flaws surface in the family's polite veneer, an array of simmering resentments and unfortunate truths is exposed. With remarkable wit and insight, Ann Leary pulls back the curtain on one blended family, as they are forced to grapple with the assets and liabilities - both material and psychological - left behind by their wonderfully flawed patriarch. Reviews "Starred Review. In this deeply satisfying novel about how unknowable people can be, intrigue builds with glass shards of dark humor toward an ending that is far from comic." - Kirkus Reviews "Ann Leary's compelling tale is satisfyingly layered with unreliable witnesses and betrayals large and small; in which the worst harm may not be caused by an unknown stranger." - Helen Simonson, author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand 5 people will each win a hardcover copy of The Children. 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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 8. Published This Week Interested to know what good books published this week?
Click on any of the book jacket images to view info about the book on BookBrowse.
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