Hello,

This month, we bring you our first book club discussions of 2024, which center on two uniquely captivating novels.

Lauren Grodstein's We Must Not Think of Ourselves is a compelling work of World War II fiction based on the real archives recovered from the Warsaw Ghetto, while The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods (pseudonym of bestselling author Evie Gaughan) is a magical story for book lovers that ranges from Paris to Dublin and contemporary times to the 1920s.

We also have a recent interview with historical fiction author Marie Benedict, free books for members to request, and some fabulous upcoming discussions!

With best wishes,

The BookBrowse Team

We Must Not Think of Ourselves

by Lauren Grodstein

From the Jacket

A heart-wrenching story of love and defiance set in the Warsaw Ghetto, based on the actual archives kept by those determined to have their stories survive World War II

From the Discussion

"I had already read so much about the Ghetto, had visited Poland and was afraid this would just redo so many other books, movies and plays. But it didn’t at all for me. Lauren Grodstein made it personal and brand new, with interesting, complicated people and a wonderful plot." —Jude Gee

"I thought this book was excellent and compelling. ... I learned so much about what happened in the Warsaw Ghetto. I guess I truly never thought of the day-to-day life of the people. What did they do all day? How did they entertain themselves? How did the children play? What did parents do to try to keep life 'normal'?" —linz

"Although I braced myself for a potentially difficult read, given the topic, I thought this was very captivating and very readable, right from the first sentence." —magpie

The Lost Bookshop

by Evie Woods

From the Jacket

For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives.

But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder… where nothing is as it seems.

From the Discussion

"I adored this book. One of the best stories I have read in the last year or so. Many of my favorite topics are intertwined in this story, particularly the comfort of bookshops, old manuscripts from beloved authors, and mixed in is more than a little mystery, secrets, wonder and magical circumstances...what's not to love?" —Diane C

"I really liked this book. ... The characters were multi-dimensional, and the story intriguing. I enjoyed figuring out the deeper character connections before the end. I’m very glad to have spent the time reading it." —gerrieb

"Ever since childhood, I have loved books and devoured them whenever I could. I remember being in the library until closing time many days, sitting in the middle of a pile of books, enthralled. I related to Opaline and her love of the physical side of books—beautiful illustrations, bindings, maps, cover art." —Borntoread

Marie Benedict's historical fiction sheds light on the lives of key historical women. Her recent books have explored the life of Rosalind Franklin, whose work was central to unlocking the mystery of DNA structure; the mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie; and Winston Churchill's wife, Lady Clementine; and, more recently, the lives of the Mitford sisters.

What kinds of sources did you consult to learn about the Mitford sisters and their world? When looking at writing they published more broadly, like Nancy's books or Unity's articles, does the intended audience change the way you interpret their perspectives?

"In some ways, the Mitford sisters are the best chroniclers of their own histories and the most crucial sources, even though there are myriad books written by others about them. Between them, they've penned many books and countless shorter pieces—a mix of biographies about each other, biographies about others, autobiographies, non-fiction on a variety of topics, articles, and, of course, Nancy's famous semi-autobiographical post-World War II novels, The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate, and her less famous novels as well. Each of these books, in its own way, shares different slices of the Mitford sisters' lives. That said, given the sisters' penchant for larger than life tales and the way their writings shifted depending on the nature of their audiences, those writings need to be taken with a grain of salt—and often, I found myself turning to their actual letters to one another as a rich and engrossing source of information about them." ...continued

Members! This month's First Impressions and Book Club books are now available to request. Offer closes end of Saturday, January 20.

Books are provided free of charge to BookBrowse members resident in the U.S. with the understanding that they'll do their best to either write a short review or take part in an online discussion forum (depending on whether the book is assigned for First Impressions or the Book Club). Members who choose to take part generally receive a book about every three months.

Not yet a member? Free books are one of the many benefits of a BookBrowse membership, for just $3.75/month!

Join (or renew a lapsed membership) by end of Saturday, the 20th, and you'll be in time to request book(s) from this month's offer. As we assign based on when a member last received a book, new members always have priority!

Three of this month's books are offered in print and mailed free of charge to members, one is available as a download from Netgalley. The format is stated on the request page. See this month's books!

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.

This month, we're discussing Lauren Grodstein's We Must Not Think of Ourselves and Evie Woods' The Lost Bookshop. In Feburary, discussions will feature Lynda Rutledge's Mockingbird Summer and Costanza Casati's Clytemnestra, and Parini Shroff's The Bandit Queens will open in March.

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