Book Club News: May Issue |
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Greetings!
This month, we're hosting online discussions of Gabriela Garcia's Of Women and Salt, a character-focused novel spanning multiple generations, and The Girl in His Shadow by Audrey Blake, a work of historical fiction about a woman practicing medicine in the 1800s. We're also taking a look back at last year's discussion about Julie Clark's thriller The Last Flight, which has just been released in paperback.
If your book club is looking for ways to have productive conversations about race, you can find relevant resources in our recent blog post on the subject.
Would you like to see your book club on BookBrowse? We have 14 years of interviews with a variety of book groups, and are looking to publish more. If your club has unique or interesting qualities that you would enjoy discussing with us, send us brief details and we may feature you in the future.
Very best,
Davina
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Discussions are open to all to view and participate, so if you've read this book, please do "join the discussion." If you have not, we suggest you go to "about the book."
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The Girl in His Shadow
by Audrey Blake
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From the Jacket
The story of one woman who believed in scientific medicine before the world believed in her.
From the Discussion
"LOVED the book. I am such a fan of good stories dealing with the early days of women in medicine and am especially drawn to this time period. I also found it serendipitous reading the book during Women’s History Month. It reminded me of what might have been a prequel to the Waverly Place series by Sara Donati whose books are set in the late 1800s. By contrast, The Girl in His Shadow begins in 1845 when women were even less accepted in the medical profession." - paulak
"I really enjoyed it. The story was interesting and never felt too "researched"; the characters were fully developed; the pacing was great. I didn't know much about women in medicine, or rather the lack of, in that time period, and enjoyed learning what advances were being made, etc. And I always love a strong female protagonist!" - jodyh
"There was an excellent balance of technical writing, historic references and personal dialogue and interaction. A very enjoyable book that I have already recommended to a friend for her book club this summer." - barb23703
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Sourcebooks. Historical Fiction. 384 pages. Published May 4, 2021 |
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Of Women and Salt
by Gabriela Garcia
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From the Jacket
A sweeping, masterful debut about a daughter's fateful choice, a mother motivated by her own past, and a family legacy that begins in Cuba before either of them were born.
From the Discussion
"I really enjoyed this book! I liked traveling through time learning about cigar making, revolutions, immigration and deportation. I fell in love with the characters and saw how the previous generations still lived within each woman. I felt like the ending came together beautifully." - Jessica F
"Of Women and Salt was beautifully written, and the characters were believable and engaging. I appreciated how the author connected the familial traumas from one generation to the next. The contrast in the US treatment of immigrants based on their country of origin was vividly depicted." - sjd
"I really enjoyed it overall. I liked that it was a multi-generational immigration novel about women that was messy and a little weird in both structure and subject matter. That's still not the expected route for such stories to take, and it's an approach that upends popular narratives suggesting that immigrants and marginalized people need to be perfectly sympathetic or exotic objects in order to be seen as human or worthy of attention. It's not a book that particularly asks for the reader's sympathy, but it engages on a deep level and offers a close-up and interesting view of several flawed, willful women." - elisabethc
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Flatiron. Novel. 224 pages. Published March 30, 2021 |
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Last year, BookBrowse's book club discussed The Last Flight by Julie Clark. It received many positive comments, so we're revisiting it now that the book is released in paperback. |
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The Last Flight
by Julie Clark
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From the Jacket
For fans of Lisa Jewell and Liv Constantine, The Last Flight is the story of two women - both alone, both scared - and one agonizing decision that will change the trajectory of both of their lives.
From the Discussion
"This book was fantastic! My first five star read of the year! I couldn't get it out of my mind and even persuaded my husband to read it (he usually reads about one book a year), and he really enjoyed it as well. The writing was great, the pace was perfect, and I just couldn't figure out what was going to happen next." - LindaB
"The Last Flight, full of plot twists and interwoven characters, was a fun read. It held my attention as I tried to unravel what was happening, and then just when I thought I had it, some new twist complicated matters again! The ending was something I did not expect. Very nice." - Crisandy5
"This book is riveting from beginning to end! I wouldn't make such a statement about most of the new titles I have read. The author immediately draws the reader into her plot. The writing is excellent and very fast-paced. Often it is difficult to follow two storylines happening at the same time in novels, but I had no such issues with this one. Definitely a five star recommendation from me." - JudyW
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The discussion of The Last Flight took place last summer, so the forum is closed for new posts at this time, but you can read the almost 200 comments on 22 topics, or explore more about the book, via these buttons. |
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Sourcebooks. Thriller. 288 pages. Paperback published May 4, 2021 |
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How to Have a Productive Book Club Discussion on Race |
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Over the past year, BookBrowse has been contacted many times by book club members asking for advice on how their group should approach discussing potentially sensitive topics, particularly relating to racial issues. While race is not the only topic that can be a challenge to discuss, it has been top of mind for many groups over the past year.
With this in mind, here are some resources that BookBrowse's editorial team recommends to help these discussions be productive. Each takes a slightly different perspective, so one may resonate with you more than another.
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Current & Upcoming Book Club Discussions |
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Discussions are open to all, so please join us! If you would like to receive a message when a particular discussion opens, you can sign up for a one-time notification. You can also find inspiration for your book club among our more than 150 past discussions. |
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BookBrowse offers a cornucopia of resources for book clubs including recommended books by genre, time period, setting and a wide range of themes; advice on starting and running a book club and much more! |
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Usually published once a month, Book Club News is one of BookBrowse's four free newsletters. We also publish BookBrowse Highlights every Thursday, Publishing This Week every Sunday; and Librarian News monthly.
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