Hi {First Name},
In this issue, we cover two books that feature strong young female protagonists contending with hardship and isolation.
Our First Impressions readers highly recommend A Million Things by Emily Spurr, about a 10-year-old girl named Rae living alone after a tragic event and trying to maintain normalcy to avoid social services. She befriends an old woman next door and their relationship blossoms into something beautiful and life-sustaining for both.
The Editor's Choice review this week is for Jordan Ifueko's Raybearer, which is newly released in paperback. The Beyond the Book article examines trends in the fantasy genre that are outside of the Western canon.
We also show you how to find the newest releases on our website and bring you news from the book world.
Very best,
Davina
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Each month we give away books to BookBrowse members who live in the U.S. to read and review. Members who choose to participate receive a free book about every 3-4 months. Here are their opinions on one recently released title. |
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A Million Things
by Emily Spurr
Reader Reviews
"A captivating read that's hard to put down, this book is one of my favorite new releases in 2021. It reframes the notion of family and what it means to belong and find your place in the world. Really timely and thought-provoking." - Cherryl V.
"This book really snuck up on me and then proceeded to rip my heart out. It has been a while since I had to stop reading because of the tears pouring down my face. Rae is a precocious ten-year-old who loves her trusty dog Splinter. Her nosy older neighbor Lettie cries out for help one day. Soon, this unlikely pair is spending more time together as they both deal with secrets and loneliness. These characters are so memorable! This debut made me ponder how we define family and how we can best help people with mental illness." - DeAnn A.
"I cannot remember a time when I started a book and did not move until it was finished. A Million Things by Emily Spurr had me at the first chapter, and nothing was going to stop my reading until I finished. We watch the relationship between Rae and Lettie grow and bloom, like an old dried-up flower that is miraculously and beautifully brought back with life-giving water. This novel will stay with you long after it is read. I have the electronic copy, but I plan to buy a hard copy as soon as it is released. Oh, keep your Kleenex handy while you read!" - Beth P.
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Berkley Books. Novel. 304 pages. Published Aug 24, 2021
Readers' Consensus: 4.7/5, Number of Reader Reviews: 33
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The following review originally ran in August 2020 when Raybearer was released in hardback. We are running this debut young adult novel again to coincide with the paperback release of Raybearer and the hardcover/ebook release of Book 2: Redemptor.
You can easily find reviews for the latest paperback releases on the BookBrowse website under the "What's New" tab on the menu bar and selecting "New in Paperback."
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Raybearer
by Jordan Ifueko
Sixteen-year-old Tarasai has never known anything outside of her tutors; the compound of Bhekina House; the Swana Grasslands (one of the 12 realms of the empire of Aritsar); and The Lady, her mysterious mother who is away more than she is around. Her father Melu, whom she has met only once, is an alagbato — one of the guardians of Swana. She is lonely, craving love, or simply human contact. In Bhekina House, The Lady has forbidden anyone to touch Tarasai, as she has a special gift that allows her to see other people's memories when she touches them. Her life is full of lessons in language and history, though she's unsure what she is preparing for. All she knows is that whenever The Lady appears to test her, she is found lacking.
But suddenly, Tarasai is sent away by The Lady to the capital of Aritsar to compete with other children vying to become one of Crown Prince Ekundayo's Council of Eleven. Every member of the council must have a Hallow, a special gift like hers, and every member must also love the Crown Prince so that they can bond with him through something known as the Ray. Together, the Council of Eleven and the Emperor — the Raybearer — rule the empire of Aritsar.
In Raybearer, Jordan Ifueko opens the genre of fantasy further, stepping beyond old tropes and stories of power struggles to present something new...
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Beyond the Book: Griots and a New Direction for Fantasy
"Griot" is one name of many for a West African historian, singer, storyteller, poet or musician who sometimes also acts in an advisory capacity to a ruler. Griots are living repositories of culture, who carry, remember, recite and pass on oral histories through performance. While there are different instruments that griots might use while performing, Mbali uses a talking drum, a West African instrument consisting of two drumheads connected by leather cords. The novel's protagonist Tarasai is given a similar drum, an ancient artifact, inscribed with the words "The truth will never die, as long as griots keep beating their drums." The notion of empire is one of the book's major themes, and with it, the question of what history is and who gets to write it. As such, the concept of the griot — of living, remembered history that can be re-remembered and reclaimed, even after an attempt to stamp it out — is integral to what makes this fantasy novel so refreshingly different...
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Amulet Books. Fantasy. 400 pages. Published in paperback Aug 3, 2021
Critics' Consensus: 4.6/5. BookBrowse Rating: 5/5
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Do you like to be in the know? Do you want to be the first person to tell your book club about the next bestseller? If you haven't already, sign up for BookBrowse's "Publishing This Week" newsletter. You'll get an email every Sunday featuring the most talked about and promising new releases for the coming week. |
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- The polarized publishing world
- Hachette to buy Workman, as publishing continues consolidation push
- Censorship on the rise worldwide
- On Diversity: A Survey of Canadian Readers 2021
- U.K. authors rally to protect copyright
- Why would anyone shop indie when there’s a better price just a few clicks away?
- The rise of audio original publishing
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With so many new books published every month, it's difficult to find the standouts, the ones which are really worth your time. This is why hundreds of thousands of readers rely on BookBrowse to do the hard work of sifting though the multitude of titles to find the most promising new books, with a focus on books that entertain, engage and enlighten. |
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BookBrowse Highlights is one of our four free newsletters. We also offer Publishing This Week every Sunday, and Book Club News and Librarian News monthly.
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