BookBrowse Highlights
Hello,

As we near the end of another great year of books, I'd like to wish you a wonderful holiday season and happy reading in 2023.

If you're on the lookout for presents to give the readers in your life, see our Top 20 Books of the Year for inspiration, and keep in mind that you can still save on a BookBrowse membership for a friend, or yourself!

You can also check out a new book that has received high praise from our First Impressions reviewers: Scatterlings by Resoketswe Martha Manenzhe, a historical novel set in South Africa, explores the fallout from the 1927 Immorality Act through the lens of one family. (The law banned mixed-race relationships, and stayed in place in various forms until 1985).

Plus, we're looking back on all our First Impressions books from 2022. Browse these along with our complete archive to enjoy honest reader insights on hundreds of titles!

This is the last newsletter of 2022. The next issue of BookBrowse Highlights will be on Jan 5; and if you subscribe to it, look for Publishing This Week on Jan 2.
Until then, with best wishes and grateful thanks,

Davina Morgan-Witts
BookBrowse Publisher
First Impressions
Each month we give away books to BookBrowse members who live in the U.S. to read and review. Here are their opinions on one recently released title.
Scatterlings
by Resoketswe Martha Manenzhe

"In 1927, South Africa passed the Immorality Act, making it a crime for a white person to have sexual relations with a Black one, even within marriage; in addition, their children could be seized and sent away... Alisa and Abram are caught in such a bind and must choose whether to flee... Despite the dark subject material here, this is...a story of resilience and joy, especially in the person of Dido, Abram and Alisa's daughter. She is a spark of life in a bleak landscape and helps us to understand that we must live, and live well, no matter what the cost or barrier standing against us. Infused throughout are stories and legends from Africa... These, too, add a ray of hope, if only by reminding us that the world is eternal, even if we are mere embers in the great fire, quickly winking out by giving life to those who come after us... Scatterlings is a truly essential read for our times." - Reid B. (Seattle, WA)

"Scatterlings is at once beautiful and painful, insightful and (for those of us not familiar with the history of South Africa) educational. It is also a novel that blends historical and literary fiction... It explores big questions and it does so in a quiet, understated manner. Telling the story of Apartheid and the Immorality Act through a small lens only adds to its power... I'm excited to recommend it to my book club." - Elizabeth T. (Bradenton, FL)

"Beautifully written in prose that is poetic at times, the book stayed with me after I finished it, and I found myself rereading passages not only for their lyricism, but also for the thought-provoking issues explored by the author." - Joan R. (Chicago, IL)
Save on BookBrowse for a Friend (Or for Yourself!)
Snag the perfect holiday gift for your bookish family and friends, and save some money while you're at it!

For a limited time, we're offering a 20% saving, so you can gift a membership for just $36 (regular rate $45). Buy today and tell us when you'd like your gift sent, and we'll email the gift certificate to your lucky recipient on the day you specify.
 
You can also save 20% on a first-time membership for yourself.
Not valid to extend an existing membership.
Offer ends Dec 28, 2022.
Impressive Impressions: Our Reader Reviews in 2022
Online reader reviews can be great for discovering what other people think of books that you’re considering reading yourself. BookBrowse’s First Impressions program is an extra reliable resource for high-quality, trustworthy reader reviews of new titles.

Here are our First Impressions titles from 2022. If you’d like to browse more, we now have nearly 800 available on the site!
Book News
  • USA Today pauses bestseller list; Bookforum ceases publication
  • Reese Witherspoon and the boom in celebrity book clubs
  • The Word of the Year goes goblin mode
  • Donate to provide books to Ukrainian refugee children
  • HarperCollins union workers bring strike to the National Book Awards
Literary Quizzes
Need a way to fill some holiday downtime, or fun activities to do with friends and family during your time together? Try your hand at a literary quiz or two, or for a bigger challenge, check out our annual Big Holiday Wordplay.
Author Pen Names
Big Holiday Wordplay
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About BookBrowse
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.
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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