Book Club News: March Issue
Greetings!

In this issue of Book Club News, we bring you two discussions of books that follow young women with secrets through trying but evolving times in American history.

In her memoir You'll Forget This Ever Happened, Laura L. Engel writes about giving up her son for adoption in the 1960s.

The Nurse's Secret, a novel by Amanda Skenandore, takes the reader into 19th-century New York City through the eyes of Una, who enters the nursing school of Bellevue Hospital under false pretenses.

We also bring you our list of the most popular book club books of 2022, as chosen by subscribers. If you took part in the voting, thank you!

Plus, browse 1700+ reading guides for our highly recommended featured books; and a reminder of our current and upcoming book discussions, which are open to all, so do join us!

Very best,

Davina Morgan-Witts
BookBrowse Publisher
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.
The Nurse's Secret
by Amanda Skenandore
From the Jacket

Based on Florence Nightingale's nursing principles, Bellevue is the first school of its kind in the country. Where once nurses were assumed to be ignorant and unskilled, Bellevue prizes discipline, intellect, and moral character, and only young women of good breeding need apply. At first, Una balks at her prim classmates and the doctors' endless commands. Yet life on the streets has prepared her for the horrors of injury and disease found on the wards, and she slowly gains friendship and self-respect.

From the Discussion

"My favorite genre is historical fiction. I think Skenandore did a great job of displaying this slice of life in late-19th-century New York City beautifully. This reader fell into the setting, enjoyed the plot and the various rounded characters and learned a great deal about this time and place. In my opinion the definition of a good novel." - shirleyl

"I thought this was a fascinating book. I appreciated the up-close look at how patients were treated at Bellevue, particularly those with addiction or mental health issues. I thought Una’s character showed how difficult it was to try and change your social status—without fake papers she never would have been given the opportunity to become a nursing student. The book also shows why judging someone based only on education, clothing, address, or gender does not provide the entire picture of the person." - acstrine

"The author knows the nursing field, has worked through a pandemic, and she always does an incredible amount of research. The life of the poor during this era was not new to me, nor was the setting of Bellevue, but the nursing program was a fantastic way to demonstrate how quickly and immensely the medical field and the nursing practice was changing at that time. I liked her character development and writing in general. Can't wait for the next novel!" - ruthiea
You'll Forget This Ever Happened
by Laura L. Engel
From the Jacket

In You'll Forget This Ever Happened, Laura Engel takes us back to the Deep South during the turbulent 1960s to explore the oppression of young women who have committed the socially unacceptable crime of becoming pregnant without a ring on their finger. After being forced to give up her newborn son for adoption, Engel lives inside a fortress of silent shame for fifty years—but when her secret son finds her and her safe world is cracked open, those walls crumble.

From the Discussion

"I was captivated by Laura Engel's writing... I married in 1968 and identified with how things were back then. I looked forward to going to bed early every night to see what happened next. Engel was full of hope as young girls are at that age and my heart broke along with hers many times. She knows how to bring all those feelings back to life and I liked this book very much." - JanBB

"I had a bittersweet experience with this book since I could have written it with relatively minor revisions to the story. I was 16 when I became a birthmother. This story rings very true and is not exaggerated. It’s hard to believe people held such stigmas in that day and time but it was true... This book provides a look inside the lifelong trauma that birth mothers and many birth fathers remember oh so well." - judyg

"This book initially interested me as an adoptive mother of two children. I wanted to hear the other side of adoption, the birthmother’s story, and this certainly gave me insight. This book is written really well and I applaud the author for baring her soul. It evoked many emotions in me, and at times brought tears to my eyes. I will recommend this book to my friends and to my adult adopted children." - rosemarys
Most Popular Book Club Books of 2022
At the start of each year, we ask BookBrowse subscribers to look back on the previous year and tell us which books they most enjoyed discussing with their book group. The 2022 Top 10 includes some favorites from previous years and some new arrivals!

For the second year, Amor Towles takes a top spot with The Lincoln Highway, along with four other books which were also on the Top 10 List in 2021: The Personal Librarian, Hamnet, The Four Winds and Klara and the Sun. These are all excellent books which continue to deliver superlative storytelling and rich fodder for discussion. ... continued
Reading Guides for Recommended Books
BookBrowse provides reading guides for 1700+ books. Not only do these guides help lay the groundwork for interesting and invigorating discussions with your book club, but you can have the assurance of knowing that all of the corresponding books have been carefully selected and come highly recommended by our reviewers.

Members can browse guides by theme, setting and time period, but anyone can search by author, title and genre or check out our featured guides of the week.

Take a look to find your next book club pick today!
Book Club Discussions
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 200 past discussions.
Resources for Book Clubs
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!
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.
1-408-867-6500
Toll Free: 1-800-745-5306 (US & Canada)
Copyright 2023