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An Unusual '60s Romance & the YA You Love
Members' YA favorites, Liza Tully, Zayd Ayers Dohrn, and more ...
BookBrowse Highlights
Hello Readers!
This week, our members discuss the story of a delightful crime-solving duo, The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant by Liza Tully.
First Impressions readers dig into Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young, written by the son of radicals Bernardine Dohrn and William Ayers, Zayd Ayers Dohrn, who brings a personal perspective to impactful events in American history.
In Editor’s Choice, we review Stephanie Sy-Quia’s debut A Private Man, a slowly unspooling tale of forbidden love between a theology teacher and a priest in 1960s England. And get insider insight into how authors’ drafts change with our “beyond the book” article on Veronica Roth’s process in writing her dystopian fantasy novel Seek the Traitor's Son.
Do you ever read YA? If so, what are some of your favorites? See what our members are saying in the community forum.
Thanks for reading,
The BookBrowse Team
Book Club Discussions
Discussions are open to all! If you’d like to participate, you can do so by creating an account here. Please note that discussions can contain spoilers.
The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant by Liza Tully
From the Jacket Olivia Blunt doesn't want to be an assistant detective for the rest of her life. She's determined to learn everything she can from her mentor and renowned investigator, Aubrey Merritt, but the latter is no easy grader. After weeks of fielding phone calls from parties desperate for the world-renowned detective's help, a case comes across Olivia's desk that just might be worthy of Merritt's skills. |  |
From the Discussion
“I loved it! It was a great mystery with relatable characters. I really enjoyed how the relationship between Merritt and Blunt evolves while still acknowledging that neither of them are going to change much.” —Charity_M
“It had the feel of a classic detective story while also exploring themes of insecurity, loneliness, sexism, and family roles. I found it engaging and intelligent without becoming overly heavy or dark.” —rose_s
See what people are saying in response to this question: Olivia enjoys the resort but thinks that if she had the money, she likely wouldn’t spend it at a place like that. (p. 139-140) What about you? Would you spend time at the resort? What would be your ideal vacation if you had the funds available?
First Impressions
Each month, we share books with BookBrowse members to read and review. Here are their opinions on one recently released title.
Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young by Zayd Ayers Dohrn
“I was drawn to the author's story because his parents were people I had heard about my whole life. I grew up outside of Chicago, where a fair amount of the events in this book occur…His parents, Bernardine Dohrn and William Ayers, were ‘60s radicals, who thought that through militant action, organizing and sometimes violence, they could end the Vietnam War and bring about social change and equality. Their choices and their impact on their children, families, fellow radicals, the government and the world at large were both inspiring and horrifying…His family's history gives a personal perspective on an important time in our own American history, that is still relevant today.” —Jill D. (Lake Forest, IL) |  |
“I have learned so much about American revolutionaries in the ‘60-70s and found myself doing extra reading and research after reading. I also had engaging conversations with others about the topics in the book. As someone who struggles with an interest in history, that is a big deal.” —Kristina
“Mr. Dohrn does an excellent job providing insights into the motivations and thoughts of his parents and other Weather Underground members. It would be a great book club selection.” —Lynn D. (Kingston, NY)
For Members
This issue of The BookBrowse Review contains reviews and "beyond the book" articles for 14 titles, including A Private Man by Stephanie Sy-Quia, Palaces of the Crow by Ray Nayler, and All Them Dogs by Djamel White. We also bring you a giveaway of The Catch by Yrsa Daley-Ward, an interview with Princess Joy L. Perry, and more. Not Yet a Member? Do you love to spend your reading hours immersed in captivating storytelling and intriguing ideas? |  |
Then a BookBrowse membership is for you! What you see on BookBrowse for free and in this newsletter is just a small part of what is available to members—for just $5.00/month! Join Today!
Editor’s Choice
A Private Man by Stephanie Sy-Quia
It is 1963 when Margaret Bendelow is hired to teach theology at a women's college in England. Her cognitive skill and understanding of theological complexities are exemplary. Her academic depth is noteworthy. At the beginning of her career, the future seems too far away to contemplate—she'll be awash in dementia in 2019. The present is where she thrives. Margaret is excited about her appointment until she finds out she will be under the supervision of someone named Father Fletcher. She resents having to prove her credibility when she has studied at Regina Mundi, a college that teaches laywomen theology. |  |
The shaping of Margaret as a woman of wit and lofty dreams, of desires and frustrations, is the complicated task Stephanie Sy-Quia eagerly takes on, inspired by her grandparents' forbidden love story. … continued
Review by Valerie Morales
Beyond the Book
Veronica Roth: A Case Study in How Authors' Drafts Change
Veronica Roth's latest novel, Seek the Traitor's Son, is a dystopian fantasy featuring extensive character development, a mysterious prophecy, and deep explorations of grief and guilt. Roth is an old hand at writing dystopian novels: she began drafting the dystopian YA novel Divergent in the early 2000s when she was a senior at Northwestern University. By 2013, the Divergent trilogy had sold a combined 6.7 million copies, and a film adaptation of Divergent was released in 2014. But the criticism of her books—that they had inconsistent worldbuilding, and were cheesy or too unrealistic—stuck with Roth, and although she wrote several standalones after that, it wasn't until the fall of 2019 that Roth began working on another dystopian novel. |  |
Roth's conception of this novel and the world it depicted didn't come to her fully formed but rather changed a lot over the six years and many drafts it took to complete … continued
Article by Jordan Lynch
BookBrowse Community Forum
Do you ever read books categorized as YA? If so, what are some that you’ve really enjoyed? See how our members are answering this question (books mentioned include Elizabeth Wein’s Code Name Verity and S. E. Hinton’s The Outsiders) and join the conversation in the BookBrowse community forum. |  |
Here, you can find all kinds of book talk, including recommendations and book club advice, book news, book club discussions, Ask the Author interviews, and much more.
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