Hello
In this week's issue we highlight The Children by Ann Leary, which some of our members recently reviewed for our First Impressions program, and we introduce a new book club discussion of Sweet Caress by William Boyd. In addition, we review Smoke by Dan Vyleta and go "beyond the book" to explore the noxious history of London fog. We also find out the source of the expression " it's all Greek to me" (and find out what the Greek equivalent is), and bring you a round up of the best books that published this week. 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. 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.
 The Children by Ann Leary Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: May 2016
Novels, 256 pages
Number of reader reviews: 25
Readers' consensus: 3.7/5.0
Members Say
"We all have our family stories. Our world according to ourselves formed from family lore with our own personal twist. The setting is Lakeside Cottage, the ancestral home of The Whitman family. This story weaves the tale of two families blended together by an affair. On the surface everything appears to have worked out well until a girl with her own agenda targets the favorite son and changes the course their family forever." - Marci G. (Sicklerville, NJ)
"I received this book on Monday evening and finished it Tuesday around noon. It was just that good... I have read Leary's The Good House but not her other novel (Outtakes from a Marriage). I am definitely going to do so now." - Pam S. (Henderson, KY)
"I had a hard time putting it down the weekend I read it. A delight!" - Janet R. (Visalia, CA)
"This novel, although set in rural northern Connecticut, was reminiscent of Ellen Gilchrist's southern novels. And that is quite a compliment. Leary's characters are strong and well developed. This reader wishes she lived next door to them on that idyllic lake, even if that means being on the lookout for Mr. Clean." - Shirley L. (Norco, LA)
More about this book | Read all the reviews Buy at Amazon | B&N | Indie
|
 2. The BookBrowse Book Club Please join us to discuss....
 Sweet Caress by William Boyd
Published May 2016, 464 pages
When Amory Clay was born, in the decade before the Great War, her disappointed father gave her an androgynous name and announced the birth of a son. But this daughter was not one to let others define her; Amory became a woman who accepted no limits to what that could mean, and from the time she picked up her first camera, one who would record her own version of events.
Moving freely between London and New York, between photojournalism and fashion photography, and between the men who love her on complicated terms, Amory establishes her reputation as a risk taker and a passionate life traveler. Her hunger for experience draws her to the decadence of Weimar-era Berlin and the violence of London's Blackshirt riots, to the Rhineland with Allied troops and into the political tangle of war-torn Vietnam. During her ambitious career, the seminal moments of the twentieth century will become the unforgettable moments of her own biography as well. "Few contemporary writers are able to evoke the ambiance and drama of our recent past as forcefully as Boyd ... And [his] characters are as beguiling as his prose." - The Washington Post
"Entertaining and seemingly effortless in their fluency, [Boyd's] novels conceal insights into human behavior that are more intricate than may first appear." - The New York Times Book Review
| Join the discussion
|
 3. Editor's Choice 
Smoke by Dan Vyleta
Hardcover & ebook (May 2016), 448 pages. Doubleday BookBrowse Rating: 5/5, Critics' Consensus: 4.8/5 Buy at Amazon | B&N | Indie
Reviewed by Lisa ButtsIn Dan Vyleta's universe, set in an alternate Victorian England, people engaging in sinful thought or behavior are marked by a cloud of dark smoke manifesting their indiscretions for all to see. This smoke is a contagion drowning London in a viscous cloud of vapor and soot. Trade embargoes and travel restrictions limit information from the outside world, though there are whispers of strange technologies from abroad. Other aspects are not far from the historical reality: The rich lord their superiority over the "common" masses while engaging in abject behavior and the Tories and Liberals battle for political power, along with a few revolutionaries throwing a wrench in the general order. Vyleta's London is pitch-perfect Dickensian in tone as well as subject matter, with subtle critiques of class and imperialism and more overtly in an encounter with unionizing coal miners. These elements are well-incorporated nods but Vyleta's vision is entirely original and stunning in its portrayal. Vyleta's story is all his own - a remarkably riveting, grim, but hopeful novel, that defies typical genre assignations. Hope for a sequel may be wishful thinking, but it is a compliment of the highest order. ... 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: London Fog Every time we review a book we also explore a related topic. Here is our "beyond the book" article for Smoke by Dan Vyleta
Vyleta's Smoke draws inspiration from the very real issue of smog in Victorian London, the result of fog off the Thames river mixing with smoke from early industrialization and coal-burning fires in homes. This is hinted at when the novel's young protagonists are briefly hidden in a coal mine before making their way into the city. Making the connection even more explicit, the book's cover features the book's cover features Monet's atmospheric painting, Houses of Parliament: Effect of Sunlight in the Fog.  Historically, London fogs can be dated all the way back to the 13th century. Legislative attempts by authorities over the years to curtail - or even entirely ban - the burning of coal were ignored due to lack of any effective alternative. As population increased and industrialization began in earnest, the problem spiraled out of control. The results were cataclysmic, centuries of death from bronchitis and other respiratory ailments as well as countless coach accidents, drownings, and violent acts facilitated by the low visibility of the foggy atmosphere. The conditions were described evocatively in an 1849 article from The Illustrated London News ... continued Read in full | More about this book
|
 5. Wordplay Solve our fiendish Wordplay puzzle, and be entered to win the book of your choice! This week's Wordplay Solve this clue: "B A Usual" Enter now
The answer to the last Wordplay: I I A Greek T M " It's all Greek to me" Meaning: It's unintelligible Some sources say that this expression originates from the notations of Medieval scribes who would write Graecum est, non legitur or Graecum est, non potest legi (It is Greek; it cannot be read) in place of parts of the text that they had trouble translating. This seems to us to not entirely ring true given that the cost of writing materials in that period would have surely meant that only those who actually had the skills to do the task would have been allowed to do the translation - or would have consulted with colleagues who could. Also, the job of most scribes was not to interpret but to simply copy (a trade eradicated with brutal efficiency by the invention of the printing press). Putting that aside, what we can firmly point to is Shakepeare's use of the expression in his 1599 play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar:
Cassius: Did Cicero say any thing?
Casca: Ay, he spoke Greek.
Cassius: To what effect?
Casca: Nay, an I tell you that, I'll ne'er look you i' the face again: but those that understood him smiled at one another and shook their heads; but, for mine own part, it was Greek to me. I could tell you more news too: Marullus and Flavius, for pulling scarfs off Caesar's images, are put to silence. Fare you well. There was more foolery yet, if I could remember it.
No doubt your inquiring mind is now wondering, if English speakers say "it's all Greek to me" what do other countries say? And most pressingly, what do the Greeks say? ...continued
|
 6. Published This Week
Interested to know what notable books published this week?
Click on any of the book jacket images to view info about the book on BookBrowse.
|
 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.
|
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.
|
