Hello,

This week, we bring you two First Impressions reads ready to whisk you into another world. Rowan Beaird's The Divorcées is brilliant and edgy historical fiction set at a "divorce ranch" in 1950s Reno, while James Goodhand's The Day Tripper is the feel-good tale of a time travel mix-up.

We also share a "beyond the book" article on Nikolai Gogol's classic Dead Souls accompanying Asale Angel-Ajani's coming-of-age novel A Country You Can Leave, newly released in paperback.

Plus, explore many other books in our Adult-YA Crossover Fiction category, packed with novels and story collections for teen and grown-up audiences alike, and make sure to check out our current and upcoming discussions.

With best wishes,

The BookBrowse Team

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

"Set on a 1950s divorce ranch, this excellent debut novel taps into the fascinating, not-often-explored history of Reno, Nevada's quickie divorce industry. Lois Saunders, née Gorski...has a talent for bringing out a woman's best features with makeup, but she's not great with other women in general, or at least the socially reined-in women she's been around all her life...So when she meets fellow divorcée Greer, an odd but charismatic and glamorous woman who seems to see Lois, she's drawn into Greer's orbit. I was enthralled with the characters, the historical details, and the vibrant writing of this novel." —Ann B. (Kernville, CA)

"This book kept my interest as I read about the different women and each one's reason for wanting a divorce...I think this would be a great book club book and I recommend it!" —Tracey S. (Largo, FL)

"Beaird challenges the reader to guess what Greer is up to. Why has she revealed so little about herself? Why does she befriend Lois, teaching her aggressive moves like how to spit in a man's face after knocking his drink from the bar?... Overall, The Divorcées is a romp loaded with fascinating details evoking a time and place. Great for a vacation read!" —Linda A. (Encino, CA)

"James Goodhand's new book The Day Tripper is time travel with a twist. Each day Alex Dean confronts a new place and year, but the days are not in chronological order. One day he might be 36 years old and the next he's 22. He is experiencing his life out of order, often bewildered as to what events have gotten him to a specific place and time...At the beginning you have no idea what is going on nor why, but neither does Alex! It doesn't take long, however, for the story to begin to take shape, and you are hooked." —Linda S. (West Linn, OR)

"This story ultimately becomes a testament to the power of love and leaves the reader asking themselves, "If I could change something in MY past, would I do it and what would it be?" This book is a must-read for fans of time travel stories, but I would also recommend it to just about everyone." —Deborah C. (Rochester Hills, MI)

"Both funny and sad at times, it mimics real-life situations. Well worth reading. I enjoyed this book very much. A great read for book clubs." —Windell H. (Rock Hill, SC)

This issue of The BookBrowse Review contains reviews and "beyond the book" articles for 14 titles, including Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams and All Our Yesterdays by Joel H. Morris.

We also bring you the latest book news, upcoming releases, book club recommendations and 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!

Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol

In A Country You Can Leave by Asale Angel-Ajani, teenage narrator Lara characterizes her mother Yevgenia's reading habits as something akin to a religious experience. She describes coming upon her at a time when she was utterly absorbed by Nikolai Gogol's Dead Souls: "...a book she had read before, only this time she was reading the Italian translation. Months later she read it again in Spanish. My mother reads for nostalgia. The same twenty or maybe twenty-five books year in and year out, in the original and in translation. Once I know this, I understand that what my mother seeks from books isn't what I seek. I want to be lifted up, carried away. She wants to be anchored. The exact opposite of what each of us wants from our real life."

If this is the case, Yevgenia's choice of reading material reflects that fact as much as her reading patterns do. Dead Souls (Myortvye dushi in Russian), published in 1842 and considered a classic of Russian literature, is a unique picaresque work with a sense of intrigue and purpose but also a leisurely, circular quality to its storytelling that leads the reader to focus on the immediacy of the writing. ... continued

Asale Angel-Ajani's A Country You Can Leave, featured above, and Rita Bullwinkel's Headshot, appearing in our latest e-zine, are just two of 500+ books in our Adult-YA Crossover fiction category. Check it out to discover more highly recommended adult fiction that may also appeal to teen readers.

This is one of 100+ themed categories you can explore on BookBrowse to find the perfect read for your book club or yourself. Members can access all categories and filters to narrow their browsing, while non-members have limited access.

Discussions are open to all, so do join us!

Currently, we're discussing Parini Shroff's The Bandit Queens, among other books. We feature Nadine Bjursten's Half a Cup of Sand and Sky starting March 28, and A Great Country by Shilpi Somaya Gowda beginning in early April.

If you would like to receive a message when a particular discussion opens, you can sign up for a one-time notification.

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)