In this month's Book Club News, we have two ongoing discussions of new paperback releases for you to enjoy: Nguyen Phan Que Mai's multigenerational epic The Mountains Sing, which was the winner of last year's BookBrowse Debut Award, and Gill Hornby's fictional take on sisters Cassandra and Jane Austen, Miss Austen. In addition, we're revisiting last year's discussion of another novel recently released in paperback that has been popular with our members, The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi.

In two new blog articles, we explore the subject of virtual book club meetings. Find out what our Book Clubs in Lockdown report reveals about the pros and cons of using Zoom for book discussions, and the implications for the future.

We also have more upcoming book club discussions for you to peruse, and a free webinar on building community through book clubs for librarians.

Very best,

Davina

Discussions are open to all to view and participate, so if you've read this book, please do "join the discussion." If you have not, we suggest you go to "about the book."

For fans of Jo Baker's Longbourn, a witty, poignant novel about Cassandra Austen and her famous sister, Jane.

"To my surprise, I really enjoyed reading this book. One of my good friends is an over the top fan of all things Austen and I admit to some eye rolling when she gets going about the delicious Mr. Darcy. However, this was a well written possible explanation of one of those literary mysteries, like the mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie, that beg for an author to attempt to come up with a logical, reasonable explanation. This explanation was plausible to me! ... My Book Club will hear positive reasons to read and enjoy this novel from me when we finally get to meet in person next week after a year of Zoom." - millicentg

"Literary scholarship is still a predominantly male field, and most research that has been done on Jane Austen over the years has been by men. I think novels like this and Austen biographies by female scholars are a great opportunity to peel back the 'male gaze' from the way we look at history, and to try to tell these stories through women's points of view." - rachelh

"'A single woman should never outlive her usefulness' is one of my favorite lines from the story. The women of the time were expected to marry so they could have a home of their own and not be a burden on their parents or married siblings. Women today can certainly make their own way; they don't have to marry in order to create a life for themselves. They face other challenges of a glass ceiling and discrimination in other ways. Still, they can live alone if they choose and make their own way." - djcminor

Last year, our online book club discussed The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi. It was a popular selection, so we're revisiting it now the book is released in paperback.

Escaping from an arranged and abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone from her 1950s rural village to the vibrant pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the henna artist - and confidante - most in demand to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own…

"I loved The Henna Artist and read it again in two days. I think Lakshmi was such a deep character. I loved the relationships between the women. There were lots of complexities within them that made for a great read!" - sheyc

"The Henna Artist drew me in right away and kept my attention - I loved how the smells, tastes and sounds all came alive. There was strong character development without being too forced, and it covered difficult subjects in a thoughtful way." - TBM

"I really enjoyed this book, especially the historical time frame it was set in as Indian society scrambled to find its footing after independence from the British, and lawmakers set out to establish reforms that defied old traditions regarding age of consent and divorce. A very immersive and engaging historical/domestic/romantic novel that flowed seamlessly, with a great wealth of knowledge on Indian cuisine and herbal remedies. One of my top reads so far this year." - bookfabulous

The discussion of The Henna Artist took place in March last year, so the forum is closed for new posts at this time, but you can read the almost 300 comments on 25 topics, or explore more about the book, via these buttons.

In Part I of the post, we focus on the general pros and cons of holding virtual meetings, as reported by the survey's respondents, and in Part II, we talk about how book discussions tend to unfold in this format compared to in-person 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 150 past discussions.

Librarians, please join us for an upcoming free webinar...

In Building Community Through Book Clubs, we'll explore actionable insights from BookBrowse's two recent research reports: The Inner Lives of Book Clubs (2019) and Book Clubs in Lockdown (2020).

Join us via Zoom on either Thursday, April 15 or Tuesday, April 20. The same content will be presented in both sessions.

The information is tailored to public librarians, but others interested in the topic are welcome to attend.

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.