BookBrowse Highlights

Hello Readers!

This week, our book club members discuss Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See, an intricately drawn historical novel based on the true story of a woman physician in 15th-century China.

Our Editor's Choice pick is the latest from Dinaw Mengestu. Someone Like Us explores the pain, secrets, and desires of an Ethiopian American father and son in the period before an unexpected tragedy.

Find more books about grief in our Dealing with Loss category, which includes over 600 titles.

We also bring you an article summarizing how authors have responded to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza since last October.

And we hope you enjoy our most recent Wordplay!

With best wishes,

The BookBrowse Team

But First in Celebration of our Site Update... a BookBrowse Pie!

Book Club Discussions

Discussions are open to all to view and participate, so if you've read a book, click on "discuss."

If you have not, we suggest you go to "about the book" to avoid spoilers.

Lady Tan's Circle of Women

by Lisa See

From the Jacket

The latest historical novel from New York Times bestselling author Lisa See, inspired by the true story of a woman physician from 15th-century China - perfect for fans of See's classic Snowflower and the Secret Fan and The Island of Sea Women.

From the Discussion

"I loved Lisa See’s Island of Sea Women and couldn’t wait to read Lady Tan’s Circle of Women - and it did not disappoint! The writing is beautiful without being too much...I enjoyed learning about Chinese medicine from hundreds of years ago and also glad to have a bit of a mystery thrown in." —LS

"Characters were well developed, ancient cultural practices were described well over the course of the book, and the storyline drew me in instantly and continued its intrigue throughout." —jenny

"This would be an excellent choice for book clubs. Mine would love it as they all like historical fiction with a good story." —candacef

About the Book

Discuss

For Members

This issue of The BookBrowse Review contains reviews and "beyond the book" articles for 16 titles, including Someone Like Us by Dinaw Mengestu, The God of the Woods by Liz Moore, and Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi.

We also bring you author interviews, news, previews of August books, and much more.

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Editor's Choice

Someone Like Us

by Dinaw Mengestu

While suicide is the seminal event in the novel Someone Like Us, its characters anchor the story, shedding light on male anxiety and fragility. Ethiopian American writer Dinaw Mengestu portrays a relationship between two men as loyal, complicated, and gentle. While Samuel struggles to stay afloat as a cab driver in Virginia, his son Mamush is drowning in his marriage in France.

The novel begins with Mamush arriving at his mother's house two days before Christmas. His mother announces with sadness that Samuel has died in his garage. Mamush is stunned into silence and grief while his mother clings to a familiar Ethiopian sermon, the idea that the death can be explained by a government conspiracy.

From there Mengestu untangles the past experiences of both men, and how things fell apart. The chapters alternate between Virginia and Chicago, places where the characters live parallel yet dissimilar lives as first and second generation immigrants. While a specific timeline isn't attached to the chapters, Mengestu shows the story through the perspective of Mamush, who is introduced to Samuel at the age of six without knowing the stranger is his father ... continued

Dinaw Mengestu's Someone Like Us, featured above, is just one of nearly 700 books in our Dealing with Loss category, which includes grief memoirs, fiction about bereavement, and other narratives engaging with mourning.

This is one of 100+ themed categories you can explore on BookBrowse to find the perfect read for your book club or yourself. Members can access all categories and filters to narrow their browsing, while non-members have limited access.

View Category

Authors Respond to the Crisis in Gaza

Since last October, the international and American literary landscapes have been deeply affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. One of the major ways this has manifested is in authors pushing governments and organizations to take action on behalf of Palestinians in the region, who face continuing violence and starvation. Here, we give a brief, non-exhaustive overview of how the situation in Gaza has been at the forefront of many events in the book world. ... continued

Wordplay

Solve our Wordplay puzzle to reveal a well-known expression, and be entered to win a one-year membership to BookBrowse!

"It's R C A D"

Enter Wordplay

The answer to the last Wordplay: L T C O of the B

"Let The Cat Out Of The Bag"

Meaning: Revealing a secret.

There are two possible origins for this phrase. The first claims the idiom came from the Royal Navy, established by King Henry VIII in 1546. At the time, it was perfectly acceptable to deliver harsh physical punishments to sailors guilty of even minor infractions. By the 18th century, one of the more common penalties was whipping, often with a cat o'nine tails. ... continued

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