BookBrowse Highlights
Hello,
This week, we take a look at our online book club discussion of In Every Mirror She's Black, the debut novel by Nigerian author Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström. Set in Sweden and alternating between three narrators, the book offers a compelling story and insight into the experience of being a Black woman in a majority-white society.

In Editor's Choice, we review Charlotte McConaghy's new novel (after her popular debut Migrations). Set in Scotland, Once There Were Wolves narrates a woman's attempt to rewild the Highlands amid a tumultuous personal life and the disapproval of a community that sees the titular animals as a threat.

We also bring you news of upcoming book club discussions and a new Wordplay.

Very best,
Davina

P.S: Members, just a reminder that the latest issue of The BookBrowse Review has just published. You'll find it at https://www.bookbrowse.com/mag
BookBrowse Book Club
In Every Mirror She's Black
by Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström

From the Jacket

Three Black women are linked in unexpected ways to the same influential white man in Stockholm as they build their new lives in the most open society run by the most private people.

From the Discussion

"I enjoyed this book. It appealed to me on the story level, the emotional level and the sentence level. It is a portrait of a particular culture and of Black women’s experience in this culture. I liked that it spoke truth to the experience; it has an emotional punch and is written with grace and dignity." - beverlyj

"I really liked this book. It's beautifully written. I became so engrossed in the story of these three women I could not put it down. I'd definitely read another book by this author." - janines

"I enjoyed this book very much. Many issues were explored including race, immigration and gender equality in the workforce and in relationships. I particularly enjoyed that a good deal of the book takes place in Sweden - it was interesting to read about the Scandinavian culture and stereotypes. I found the writing very descriptive and was able to visualize many of the settings, which added to the allure of the storylines. I liked the chapters alternating from the perspectives of the three women, and the author did an outstanding job of telling their stories." - melissac

Sourcebooks. Novel. 416 pages. Published Sep 7, 2021
Current & Upcoming 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, sign up for a one-time notification. You can also find inspiration for your group among our more than 180 past discussions.
Editor's Choice
Once There Were Wolves
by Charlotte McConaghy

In Charlotte McConaghy's second novel after her debut Migrations, environmental biologist Inti Flynn has just arrived in Scotland. The head of a controversial rewilding project, she is tasked with overseeing the release of wolves throughout Cairngorms National Park. Fearing for their livestock, the surrounding community of rural farmers is immediately resistant, and their hostility reaches a fever pitch when a man is found dead. Inti is determined to absolve the wolves of blame — and thus spare them from a brutal culling — but to do so means proving there's a killer in their midst.

McConaghy's prose is gorgeous, without ever feeling overwrought. She paints vivid pictures of Scotland's rugged landscape, contrasting its beauty with the inherent dangers of living and working on such harsh terrain. The nuance of her writing is such that, though the novel is a gripping page-turner, it also delves deeply into the psyche of its characters, as more and more secrets bubble to the surface...

Beyond the Book: Rewilding Scotland


In Charlotte McConaghy's novel, Once There Were Wolves, the heroine leads a project to reintroduce wolves to the Highlands, the mountainous region of northern Scotland. As they were hunted to extinction around the end of the 17th century, there is a very real debate surrounding the possibility of bringing wolves back to this area, and based on successful efforts already accomplished, some experts consider Scotland a potential model for rewilding campaigns across the globe.

The primary aim of rewilding is to conserve and restore natural environments. This facilitates the development of healthy, balanced ecosystems, which in turn supports species diversity and alleviates the impact of climate change. Ideally, rewilding means minimal human interference, but with deforestation, pollution, habitat loss and extinction so advanced in many parts of the world, specific strategies are being implemented to return the land to nature and kickstart the regenerative process...

The above "beyond the book" article is one of hundreds in our Nature and the Environment category. Other recent articles include:

  • Poison from the Sky in Oregon
  • Youth Environmental Activism
  • The Arctic Tern
  • Colombia's Biodiversity
Flatiron Books. Novel. 272 pages. Published Aug 3, 2021
Critics' Consensus: 4.3/5, BookBrowse Rating: 5/5
Review and article by Callum McLaughlin
Wordplay
Solve our Wordplay puzzle to reveal a well-known expression, and be entered to win a 6-month membership to BookBrowse.

"Pull Y U B T B"
The answer to the last Wordplay: Run T G

"Run the Gamut or Run the Gauntlet"

The answer we had in mind for this Wordplay is to run the gamut, but there is at least one other perfectly acceptable alternative, to run the gauntlet, which we also treated as correct when drawing the winning name; the same applied to the handful of entries for "run to ground."

We explore the interesting etymologies of both run the gamut and run the gauntlet below.

To run the gamut means to experience the entire range of something. For example, one might run the gamut of emotions from anger to happiness. Gamut has its roots in music, and specifically in the hexatonic (six-note) scale developed by medieval monk and musician Guido of Arezzo in the 11th century. To quote Merriam Webster:

"Guido called the first line of his bass staff gamma and the first note in his scale ut, which meant that gamma ut was the term for a note written on the first staff line. In time, gamma ut underwent a shortening to gamut but climbed the scale of meaning. It expanded to cover all the notes of Guido's scale, then all the notes in the range of an instrument, and, eventually, an entire range of any sort..."

Sponsored content
About BookBrowse
With so many new books published every month, it's difficult to find the standouts, the ones which are really worth your time. This is why hundreds of thousands of readers rely on BookBrowse to do the hard work of sifting though the multitude of titles to find the most promising new books, with a focus on books that entertain, engage and enlighten.
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)
Copyright 2021