This week, we're looking back over our book club discussions from 2023 and looking forward to some superb upcoming discussions in 2024.
In the mood for a suspenseful holiday read? Our latest Editor's Choice pick, Raul Palma's A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens, follows Hugo Contreras over the Christmas season as he grapples with debt, loss and an alleged haunting.
We also have previews of December books, along with new books for members to request. Plus, if you missed it, check out last month's episode of the Book Cougars podcast featuring BookBrowse publisher Davina Morgan-Witts below.
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With best wishes,
The BookBrowse Team
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Looking for some lively book banter? Whether you’re hunting for possible book club picks or just curious about others’ thoughts on a recent title, BookBrowse Book Club discussions are the perfect resource for tuning in to readers’ opinions, feelings and observations. By the end of 2023, our members will have shared their takes on 17 different books during the year.
Most of these discussions are now closed for new posts, but you can visit our archives to see how they unfolded and which topics were most popular. Plus, view titles from previous years for insight into what earlier selections might appeal to you or your book group.
We would love for you to join us as we dive into an exciting new lineup of discussions in 2024. We hope to see you next year!
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Members! This month's First Impressions and Book Club books are now available to request. Offer closes end of Saturday, December 2.
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 2nd, 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!
Most books are offered in print and mailed free of charge to members; occasionally, titles are ebook downloads. The format is always clearly stated on the request page. See this month's books!
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A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens
by Raul Palma
Raul Palma's debut novel A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens introduces Hugo Contreras, who came to the United States from Bolivia as a child and is now a widower in Miami, where he staves off mountains of debt acquired in part from his late wife's cancer treatment bills by earning a meager living as a babaláwo, a priest in the Afro-Cuban religion of Santería — a set of beliefs that he secretly doesn't subscribe to. While faced with celebrating the holidays alone, Hugo receives a life-changing call from Alexi Ramirez, the predatory attorney whose firm has been attempting to collect on his debt. Like others seeking help from Hugo and his boss, Lourdes, Alexi believes that he is being haunted, and he proposes a deal: If Hugo clears his ghosts, he will clear Hugo's debt.
Will Hugo agree to "help" Alexi? Will he be able to do so convincingly? Is the haunting, contrary to Hugo's private skepticism about the supernatural, real? These questions give the plot life and the reader much to ponder and anticipate, yet Palma's novel is most intriguing for how it builds the details of Hugo's personal story around the suspense that ensues. ...continued
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We know it can be tough to keep up with all the new books coming out every month, so we do the hard work for you. We've carefully selected some of the most noteworthy books publishing in December and are continually updating our selections — check them out and get yourself on the library wait-list ahead of the crowd!
BookBrowse members can see, sort and download the full list of previews for all months.
Non-subscribers can view books up to the current month. If you don't already, you may wish to subscribe to our Publishing This Week newsletter. | |
Last month, I had a great time chatting with Chris Wolak and Emily Fine for the 193rd episode of their wonderful podcast: Book Cougars: Two Middle-Age Women on the Hunt for a Good Read.
We discussed a bit about BookBrowse and a lot about book clubs. My part begins at 45:20, but I recommend you start at the beginning as they are two very fun and intelligent women.
—Davina
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Discussions are open to all, so please join us!
This week, we start discussing Sandra Newman's Julia. Our discussions of Lauren Grodstein's We Must Not Think of Ourselves and Evie Woods' The Lost Bookshop will open in January.
If you would like to receive a message when a particular discussion opens, you can sign up for a one-time notification.
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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.
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