BookBrowse Highlights
Hello Readers!
This week in First Impressions, reviewers reflect on Kennedy Cole’s impressive There Used to Be People Here, a strange, fantastical mystery set in 1970s small-town Mississippi.
For Editor’s Choice, we feature National Book Award nominee Red Ants, Kimberly Blaeser’s brilliant and versatile short story collection depicting contemporary Anishinaabe worlds.
Explore our “beyond the book” article for Meghan O’Gieblyn’s stunning memoir Will and Attention, which explains why overcoming addiction isn’t a matter of willpower.
Plus, we have a bunch of new free books for members to request! And a giveaway of A. J. Hackwith’s Goblin Market, a work of fantasy fiction inspired by Christina Rossetti’s poem of the same name.
Thanks for reading,
The BookBrowse Team
First Impressions
Each month, we share books with BookBrowse members to read and review. Here are their opinions on one recently released title.
There Used to Be People Here by Kennedy Cole
“What an amazing debut! This combines a love story with an alien invasion, heroism, racism, inclusion, and the values of small-town life all in one. We first meet Samuel as he's investigating a murder (a very strange one indeed) in a local gay bar in Mississippi. He's the only black policeman in a small town in the 1970s, so every day is a challenge for him filled with insults, sneers, and a general lack of respect from all his fellow police officers, except for Harold, his temporary partner, also assigned to this case.” —Susan_P
“If ever there was a book made for the movies, it's this one…completely unique and will surely keep many a reader up late into the night turning the pages. It's a winner!” —Linda_Monaco
“Kennedy Cole has somehow managed to merge In the Heat of the Night, The Twilight Zone, The Walking Dead, The X-Files, and The Stepford Wives into one wonder of a novel. The writing is delicious and creepy, the characters jump off the page…It's hard to believe this is a debut novel. This reader is hoping for a sequel!” —Helen_B
For Members
This issue of The BookBrowse Review contains reviews and "beyond the book" articles for 14 titles, including Abandoning a Cat by Haruki Murakami, Red Ants by Kimberly Blaeser, and Black Arts by Megan Giddings.
We also bring you previews of upcoming books, book club recommendations, and more
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Members! This month's First Impressions and Book Club books are now available to request. Offer closes end of Saturday, November 7.
Books are provided free of charge to BookBrowse members resident in the US 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).
Our basic membership guarantees you at least four books a year when you request each month. Free books are one of the many benefits of a BookBrowse membership. Join by this Saturday (for just $5.00 a month) to request and receive a book from this list. Don't wait!
Editor’s Choice
Red Ants by Kimberly Blaeser
Author and award-winning poet Kimberly Blaeser is Anishinaabe, and Red Ants, her first published prose work, is a collection of short fiction that reflects the traditions she grew up with as an enrolled member of the White Earth Nation in northern Minnesota. This remarkable set of genre-defying stories discusses themes such as identity, resilience, the importance of tradition, found family, and—perhaps most centrally—the Anishinaabe connection to the land and nature. … continued
Review by Kim Kovacs
Beyond the Book
Overcoming Addiction with Science, Not Willpower
Recently, I met an administrator for an elite college, and she told me about a presentation she gave to freshmen during orientation. She told the students that after graduation, 90% of them would agree that Saturday nights on campus with parties and drinking were a lot of fun and part of the college experience. They would go on about their lives and have great stories to tell. But 10% of students in the room, about 150 of them, would graduate as alcoholics.
The more users desire a drug, the harder the brain works to satisfy their desire. This flattens the myth that the addict can control their cravings. Meghan O'Gieblyn confesses in her memoir Will and Attention that she didn't understand why she traded eleven years of sobriety for alcohol. … continued
Article by Valerie Morales
Giveaway
Goblin Market by A. J. Hackwith
From the Jacket
Being a changeling is hard enough, but Toast was older than most changeling children when her goblin parents stole her back from her human family and returned her to the harsh, bustling world of the Goblin Market, where anything from your fondest dream to your strongest talent can be bought—or sold.
Nearly a decade later, Toast has grudgingly cobbled together a life there as the Market's guide for mortal visitors. But when the next arrival is her long-lost sister and the ancient beast whose magic the Market depends on disappears under strange circumstances, everything starts falling apart.
Praise
"Toast's emotional journey serves as the heart of this sweet yet nerve-jangling tale of belonging and companionship. With a feral undertone, a swoony queer romance, and a captivating lead, this is sure to charm." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Filled with intriguing characters exploring the meaning of family and home, Hackwith's novel presents a delightful take on Christina Rossetti’s ‘Goblin Market’ poem.” —Library Journal
About This Sweepstakes
We have five print copies of Goblin Market by A. J. Hackwith to give away.
This offer is open to residents of the USA, except for BookBrowse members who are welcome to enter wherever they live. If a member not resident in the US wins, they receive an extension to their membership.
Giveaway ends November 9, 2026
