This week, our First Impressions readers share their thoughts on Lindsay Lynch's novel Do Tell, a historical drama about gossip, secrets and power set in Hollywood's golden age.

In Editor's Choice, we bring you something quieter to balance out the Tinseltown talk: Patrick deWitt's The Librarianist follows a former librarian through a solitary, beautiful life of reading. You can also check out a linked "beyond the book" article on V-E Day and peruse hand-selected read-alikes.

Plus, we have an announcement for you about upcoming Literary Tours in Greece, Morocco, Uzbekistan and other destinations with bestselling author John Shors.

With best wishes,

Davina Morgan-Witts

BookBrowse Publisher

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

"Set in the golden age of Hollywood, but still relevant today (unfortunately), this is a novel of resiliency, resourcefulness, and reinvention. When Edie's dream of being an actress is coming to an end and a major Tinseltown scandal that she has insider knowledge about is just ramping up, she capitalizes on her part-time gig as a tipster to a popular gossip columnist to start her own gossip column. Edie uses her influence as 'the most feared woman in Hollywood' to try to do some good in a town where decency is in short supply. Do Tell will appeal to fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Hollywood history buffs, and movie fans in general. It would be a great book for book clubs. It's insightful and has some unexpected turns. I couldn't put it down!" —Gina V. (Bloomington, IN)

"As someone who doesn't much care for gossip or celebrity, I didn't expect to be drawn so deeply into the life of a B-actress turned gossip columnist covering Hollywood's golden years. But I was, mostly due to the well-drawn, complex characters." —Helia R. (Goodlettsville, TN)

"Golden-age Hollywood behind the scenes was just right for my early summer reading. I was caught up in this story of alliances and gossip." —Janet T. (Northbrook, IL)

Patrick deWitt's The Librarianist begins when Bob Comet, a 71-year-old retired librarian who lives a solitary life in Portland, Oregon, stumbles upon a senior center. "He had no friends, per se; his phone did not ring, and he had no family," deWitt writes, and though Bob isn't unhappy with these circumstances, he's taken with the eccentric group of seniors that he meets, and immediately signs up to volunteer at the center. A lover of literature, he decides to read aloud to the residents; one short story he chooses is Gogol's "The Overcoat," a nod to the type of person one might suspect Bob to be: a tragic everyman, with no life beyond his mundane daily existence. But Bob has faith in the "sideways beauty and harsh humor of the work," as the reader, in turn, learns to have faith in his contentedness and fulfilling inner world.

Bob turns to literature to recognize himself in others, and to not be alone. His reading is described as "a living thing, always moving, eluding, growing, and he knew it could not end, that it was never meant to end"—a beautiful portrayal that makes this lifetime activity sound closer to the creation of art than what people often call the "consumption" of it.

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Patrick deWitt's The Librarianist depicts main character Bob Comet's childhood experience of being driven home by a sheriff, after having run away, on the day that officially marked the end of World War II.

May 8, 1945 is the day when German troops throughout Europe surrendered to the Allies, and is known as V-E Day (Victory in Europe Day). Millions of people rejoiced at the news that the war was over. ... continued

If you've enjoyed any of the books below, we think there's a good chance you'll also like reading The Librarianist. Conversely, if you enjoy The Librarianist, we suggest the following titles for you as well.

BookBrowse offers handpicked read-alike recommendations for more than 4,500 titles and 3,000 authors. Members have access to full results, while non-members can explore a limited number of results.

Lessons by Ian McEwan

Lessons shines at disrupting hoary old concepts like good guys and bad guys, clear motivations and closure by tweaking well-trodden themes. While the book puts plot, characters and ideas first, its prose style is routinely insightful and enticing: "Long drives usually settled him into sustained reflection… His little car, nimbler and more spacious than he expected, was a thought-bubble pushing north through a country he no longer quite knew or understood."

All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami

Rather than presenting a straightforward fable where our unassuming protagonist comes to love her life through learning the value of asserting herself, Kawakami offers a thornier reality. The more Fuyuko tries to make the decisions one is theoretically supposed to make, the more these decisions chafe against her body and mind. The novel grapples with the complexity of societal pressures by showing a protagonist who lives an existence that society deems unusual, while also assimilating to her peers in every way she can.

Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri

Lahiri's protagonist is a moody storyteller, but it is the bitterness of her emotions that shocks her surroundings to life, and even her more anxious and disturbing thoughts contain a certain strange beauty. Buried in the novel's sparseness is a deceptively alive story that builds in momentum even as it offers little in the way of actual plot. Whereabouts reminds us that there is no escape from the confines and consequences of physical place and time, but its portrayal of these elements is cathartic, stimulating and satisfying.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

Each chapter of this finely crafted novel reveals contained memories and significant events that shaped Ove. They unfold to show tragedies and personal sorrows that embittered him and a stoic resiliency and acceptance that enabled him to cope. A Man Called Ove addresses serious universal themes of loss, loneliness, feelings of worthlessness, aging, ill health and isolation. It is an inspiring affirmation of love for life and acceptance of people for their essence and individual quirks. A Man Called Ove is a perfect selection for book clubs.

As a book lover, the chances are that you enjoy traveling to places you've never been through the books you read, and you probably also enjoy traveling in person, which is why I am excited to update you on John Shors' upcoming Literary Tours.

You may know John from his novels, many of which have been featured on BookBrowse and are bestsellers in the U.S. and overseas. In all his eleven novels to date, John brings his settings to vivid life by drawing on his many years of travel and research.

For some years now, John has been combining his love of writing and travel to personally lead small groups (average size is just 10 people with two guides) on tours to the parts of the world he knows intimately.

Among the tours coming up in 2024 are trips to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, one in the company of bestselling novelist Jamie Ford which will dive deep into the origins of both authors' works; and another accompanied by a yoga master who will guide daily yoga and meditation classes at special sites.

Other 2024 destinations include Greece, Morocco, Uzbekistan, Japan, Laos and Bhutan.

"I’ve been inspired to go on three of John's tours after reading his books. His trips are exceptional, and he makes everyone on his trips feel safe, important, and fulfilled. I can’t wait for the next big adventure!"