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Just six features in this issue, but what a wealth of books! Our Editor's Choice recommendation, Patrick Gale's A Place Called Winter, will transport you to early 20th century Canada, while our beyond the book article for The North Water invites you to explore similar maritime adventures. If the high seas aren't your thing, then perhaps a spot of gardening is? In our recent monthly book club newsletter we recommended 8 botanically themed books for book clubs (which, of course, make for good reading whether you're in a book club or not). The Sympathizer recently won the Pulitzer Prize, and give you a last chance to enter to win Ann Leary's The Children. Your Editor, Davina
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The content in this newsletter is a fraction of what is available to our members. You may wish to explore these options:
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1. Editor's Choice
A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale
Paperback (Mar 2016), 384 pages. Publisher: Grand Central Publishing. BookBrowse Rating: 5/5, Critics' Consensus: 4.7/5 Buy at Amazon | B&N | IndieReviewed by Davida Chazan
Review: When we first meet Harry Cane, he's in an institution, somewhere in Canada, where attendants are forcing him into a bath to calm him - a treatment for some kind of mental problem. Thankfully, Harry's removal from this place brings him to another facility, with more humane treatments. This is when author Patrick Gale returns us to Harry's younger days in early 20th century England, soon after his father's death. What transpires between these events includes his brother-in-law's discovery of Harry's affair with another man, which forces him to leave his wife and daughter, and find a new life as a farmer in Winter, in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan - hence the title of the book. Fans of Gale's work will already be familiar with his tender writing style. He creates a level of intimacy with his characters, which practically begs readers to embrace them with both their hearts and minds. They are realistic, honest, but also flawed, and act foolishly just as easily as they act responsibly. Equally as important is how they are scarcely ever predictable, and this keeps our attention while heightening our anticipation of what will happen next. Even Gale's minor characters get the same kind of attention. In A Place Called Winter, Gale has deepened his character development skills, probably because Harry Cane was a real person - he was Gale's great-grandfather. ... 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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2. Beyond the Book: A Maritime Reading List Every time we review a book we also explore a related topic. Here is a recent "beyond the book" article for The North Water by Ian McGuire Hardcover (March 15, 2016), 272 pages. Buy at Amazon | B&N | IndieThe North Water is a gritty, graphic novel about 19th-century whaling. Here are a few additional maritime adventures recommended by BookBrowse reviewer Rebecca Foster. |
3. Eight Books about Gardening & Botany
In case you missed our special book club newsletter a couple of weeks back....
It's almost summertime which means more time spent outdoors, rooted in the natural world. If you're lucky enough to own a gardening patch, you know how therapeutic an exercise it can be to smell the lavender and work the soil to get the tomatoes going. These book club selections borrow on the botanical delights of the season and deliver much to enjoy with the turn of every leaf. We hope you dig them as much as we do!
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4. Author Interview Viet Thanh Nguyen discusses his debut novel, The Sympathizer (winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction), how his life was shaped by his parents' immigrant experience as Vietnamese "boat people," and whether his book is political at heart. Read the Interview | The Sympathizer (Viet Thanh Nguyen is pronounced approximately, Viet Tang When. Pronunciations of Nguyen vary but the closet options for English speakers are usually considered to be Nwen or When. You'll find advice on many hundreds of author pronunciations in our helpful guide)
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5. Win This Book
The Children by Ann Leary
Published May 2016 256 pages
From the Jacket
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
"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
"The Children is populated by comically quirky characters reminiscent of Anne Tyler at her best. But in Ann Leary's capable hands, they come alive as funny, wise, sometimes confused but always hopeful as they navigate a plot rich with unexpected turns. Leary's unique voice and perspective make this the novel you won't be able to put down this summer." - Ann Hood, author of The Obituary Writer
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.
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6. 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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