| Join us this week for our discussion of Rhys Bowen's The Rose Arbor, an absorbing historical mystery about three girls who went missing in England during World War II.
In Editor's Choice, we feature O.O. Sangoyomi's atmospheric debut Masquerade, which follows a blacksmith in 15th-century West Africa as she's swept into a world of royal drama and intrigue.
We also bring you a "beyond the book" article — accompanying our review of Jess Row's The New Earth, out now in paperback — about the Zapatistas, an indigenous resistance movement from Chiapas, Mexico.
Plus, read more articles in our Places, Cultures, and Identities category, connect with us on Facebook (and other social media), and learn about this year's Hugo Award winners, along with the history of the prize. | | With best wishes,
The BookBrowse Team
| | | 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. | | | The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen
From the Jacket
London: 1968. Liz Houghton is languishing as an obituary writer at a London newspaper when a young girl's disappearance captivates the city. If Liz can break the story, it's her way into the newsroom. She already has a scoop: her best friend, Marisa, is a police officer assigned to the case.
Liz follows Marisa to Dorset, where they make another disturbing discovery. Over two decades earlier, three girls disappeared while evacuating from London. One was found murdered in the woods near a train line. The other two were never seen again.
From the Discussion
"Everything you would want, historical fiction plus a mystery. It kept me guessing." —maurconn
"Will be a good book for book club discussion...I have not read this author before and do anticipate reading more of her books." —Maggie
"I gravitate to historical fiction quite frequently and this certainly did not disappoint. Admire a book more when it leads me to go down the rabbit hole after reading to learn even more about something." —jillg | | | Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi
After the conquest of port city Timbuktu by the king of Yorùbáland, nineteen-year-old Òdòdó is kidnapped from her mother, Okόbí, and their blacksmiths' guild to Ṣàngótè, the capital. There, she discovers that a charming stranger she earlier entranced with her trader's song while crafting one of her special silver daffodils is the current ruler, or Alàáfin, of Yorùbáland: Àrèmo. Elevating her from blacksmith, an impoverished working class status scorned for being the domain of unmarried women, Àrèmo decrees that she will be his bride. Òdòdó agrees to marry him only after he brings Okόbí to the royal city to share in her newfound wealth and social status.
Though Òdòdó has Àrèmo's love and affection, her new role as the Alàáfin's betrothed is unstable. Derided for her blacksmith's background, she must learn to navigate the intrigue and shaky political alliances of the royal city and eventually fight for her survival against rebels, conquered slaves, and rival states — forces of resistance formed in opposition to Yorùbáland's warmongering. Meanwhile, the search for her mother, who has gone missing, drags on as a blacksmiths' strike spreads throughout Yorùbáland.
In this setting based on fifteenth-century West African society, following Òdòdó as she takes up the helm of her story in first-person narration is thrilling. ... continued | | | The Zapatistas
In Jess Row's novel The New Earth, the character Zeno's mother was a Zapatista in Chiapas, the southernmost state in Mexico, where she was killed. The Zapatistas are an indigenous peasant movement from Chiapas named for the Mexican Revolution leader Emiliano Zapata. They formed in 1983, organized secretly for 10 years, and then gained worldwide recognition in 1994, when they incited a rebellion against the government. The resistance movement still exists today and remains proudly undefeated by the state.
Mexico has the largest indigenous population in Latin America, and Chiapas is over one-quarter indigenous. Indigenous people have historically been excluded from basic services such as education and healthcare there; and although Chiapas is one of the wealthiest states in Mexico in terms of natural resources (including 30% of Mexico's fresh water supply), it has the highest poverty rates of all of the country's 32 states. The Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), an armed guerrilla organization, was formed out of these conditions, intent on representing the rights of Chiapas' indigenous people and demanding the Mexican government put an end to indigenous segregation and oppression. ... continued | | Places, Cultures & Identities | | | For every title we review, we also write a "beyond the book" article that focuses on a related cultural, historical, or contextual topic. Browsing these articles is a great way to find new books and learn about new subjects!
In addition to the Zapatistas, topics covered in our Places, Cultures, and Identities category include Black utopias, Irish vernacular in Ferdia Lennon's Glorious Exploits, the real place that inspired Shakespeare's Birnam Wood, and South Australia's wine region. Members have full access to all articles, while others have limited access. | | Connect with BookBrowse on Social | | | Did you know you can connect with BookBrowse on Instagram, X (Twitter), and Facebook?
Whatever your preferred social media channel, you'll find us there with reviews, recommendations, book club resources, and much more.
Right now, you can join our new Facebook group to share your favorite reads, ask for help with what to read next, and discuss all things books. We look forward to seeing you there! | | | This year's Hugo Award for Best Novel goes to Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh, an ambitious space opera that Publishers Weekly has said "deserves a space on shelves alongside genre titans like Ursula K. Le Guin and Octavia Butler." Thornhedge, T. Kingfisher's dark, lush interpretation of "Sleeping Beauty," takes the prize for Best Novella.
Learn more about the winners through the links on our Hugo Awards page, where you can also explore previous winners. | | | The Hugo Awards are presented each August for notable achievements in science fiction and fantasy published in English over the previous year. Widely considered the most prestigious awards in the genre, they're bestowed annually at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), a global gathering of science fiction and fantasy fans, writers, artists, and musicians.
First held in 1939, Worldcon is the world’s longest running science fiction convention. Thousands of sci-fi aficionados attend every year; the 2023 event, held in Chengdu, China, had a record 18,895 in-person attendees, and well over 20,000 when virtual attendees were added in. The event is open to all Worldcon members — some 50,000 people as of 2020. ... continued | | With so many new books published every month, it's difficult to find the standouts, the ones that are really worth your time. This is why hundreds of thousands of readers rely on BookBrowse to do the hard work of sifting through the multitude of titles to find the most promising new books, with a focus on books that entertain, engage, and enlighten. | | BookBrowse Highlights is just one of our free newsletters. We also offer Publishing This Week every Sunday, and Book Club News and Librarian News monthly. We send out Genre Specific Emails occasionally. | |
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