Hello,

This week, our First Impressions reviewers cover Adelle Waldman's Help Wanted, a funny, touching and realistic novel focusing on employees in a big-box retail store.

Our book club members discuss Costanza Casati's Clytemnestra, a feminist reimagining of one of Greek mythology's most maligned women.

We also bring you some superb read-alikes for Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, and a new Wordplay!

With best wishes,

The BookBrowse Team

Each month, we share books with BookBrowse members to read and review. Here are their opinions on one recently released title.

"Someone is going to be promoted at Town Square...In the warehouse department known as Movement the smart guess among team members is their manager, Meredith, will get the coveted spot. The question is, who from the team will then replace Meredith? Adelle Waldman knowledgeably sets the scene behind the sleek sales floor of a major corporate retail chain." —Claire M. (Wrentham, MA)

"While Help Wanted is character-driven, making it both interesting and fun to read, the underlying message about what this type of store does to their workers is very realistic. Waldman highlights the single mom, the ex-con, the student, and others who have not had a shot at a middle management 40-hr per week job, and what their struggles are...I appreciated this novel for both its humor and realism." —Julie Z. (Oak Park, IL)

"I loved this book. It was so interesting to read about the people who work in the early morning to unload the delivery trucks at a retail store...My book club will enjoy discussing this story. Years ago, we read Nickel and Dimed. Help Wanted is a bit of a fictional version of it." —Patricia W. (Desoto, TX)

Madeline Miller's Circe meets Cersei Lannister in a stunning debut following Clytemnestra, the most notorious heroine of the ancient world and the events that forged her into the legendary queen.

"I loved this novel from start to finish. I was caught up in the story and the fine writing, and felt immersed in a world and culture that was foreign to me. And since I began the book looking forward to reading about that 'evil husband-murdering queen' and wound up feeling quite different and sympathetic to her, I’d say brava to the author for that!" —Jude Gee

"The author makes ancient Sparta and its citizens come alive. The portrayal of both major characters and the variety of minor characters makes for a rich experience of the time. This version of Clytemnestra complements Aeschylus wonderfully." —mceacd

"A book that was hard to put down and it kept my attention from the first page to the last. I highly recommend, book clubs will have a lot to discuss." —Maggie

This issue of The BookBrowse Review contains reviews and "beyond the book" articles for 16 titles, including You Glow in the Dark by Liliana Colanzi, Held by Anne Michaels and Snowglobe by Soyoung Park.

We also bring you the latest news from the book world, exciting upcoming releases and much more.

Not Yet a Member? Do you love to spend your reading hours immersed in captivating storytelling and intriguing ideas?

Then a BookBrowse membership is for you! What you see on BookBrowse for free and in this newsletter is just a small part of what is available to members—for just $3.75/month! Join Today!

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus has been a big hit. This 2022 debut, following chemist Elizabeth Zott in the 1960s as she finds herself hosting a TV cooking show, has sold more than six million copies worldwide and has been translated into 42 languages. Praised for its wry, infectious humor and feminist voice, the novel is the recipient of a Goodreads Choice Award, was voted a BookBrowse Best Book of the Year by our subscribers and remains a popular book club pick beloved by readers. It's even been adapted into a TV series starring Brie Larson.

But if you've already read it and loved it, where do you go from here? What are some books like Lessons in Chemistry, with a similar atmosphere or story? Below, we share our read-alikes for Garmus's novel, which we think would be perfect for you if you're a fan. We hope you enjoy them!

The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel

A winsome sister duo is at the heart of this unusual and timely story; the book prioritizes the points of view of teenagers Eve and Vera, who are 15 and 12 when the book opens and 17 and 14 by the end. One year before, the girls' evolutionary anthropologist father, Sal, died in a car accident. Their mother, Jane, is a graduate student in paleobiology, and as a single mother has to try that much harder to be taken seriously in her field. The sisters' banter is a highlight of the novel: "'I feel like deranged Girl Scouts,' Eve said. 'What patch will we earn today?' 'The Extinct Animal Resuscitation Patch?' Vera suggested." Ironically, this fabulist-leaning novel is best when it is most realist, documenting struggles with bereavement, sexism and parenting teenagers.

Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner

Mrs. Everything spans six decades of an American family. We meet the Kaufman sisters Josette "Jo" and Elizabeth "Bethie" in 1951 Detroit. The girls grow up during an era where civil rights and women's roles will be challenged and transformed. Their mom Sarah, however, is not liberated. She's intolerant of any behavior that doesn't conform with tradition; she has difficulty making ends meet, especially after her husband dies unexpectedly. As Jo and Bethie come of age, the sisters struggle to form healthy bonds, find their own voices, and move beyond a strict upbringing. Book groups: gather those vintage gelatin dessert recipes and hunker down for astonishing discussions. This novel holds power to crack through decades of silence, family secrets, and hidden aspects of self. ... continued

Solve our Wordplay puzzle to reveal a well-known expression, and be entered to win a one-year membership to BookBrowse!

The answer to the last Wordplay: I Wouldn't T H W A T-F P

Meaning: I wouldn't want to be near or associated with that person. The expression can also be used to refer to a thing or event.

Phrases.org.uk finds an early use of this expression in an 1843 edition of The Covenant and Official Magazine of the Grand Lodge of the United States, edited by James L Ridgely: "That […] aristocracy of our country... would not condescend to touch a poor man with a ten foot pole." ... continued

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.

1-408-867-6500

Toll Free: 1-800-745-5306 (US & Canada)