Book reviews, excerpts, reading guides and more of BookBrowse 2006 Favorites by debut authors

The Thirteenth Tale

by Diane Setterfield

Hardcover: Sep 2006 | Paperback: Oct 2007

A love letter to reading, a book for the feral reader in all of us, a return to that rich vein of storytelling that our parents loved and that we loved as children. Diane Setterfield will keep you guessing, make you wonder, move you to tears and ...

Water for Elephants

A Novel

by Sara Gruen

Hardcover: May 2006 | Paperback: May 2007

An atmospheric, gritty, and compelling novel of star-crossed lovers, set in the circus world circa 1932 illuminated by a wonderful sense of time and place. Winner of the 2007 BookBrowse Award for Most Popular Book.

The Stolen Child

A Novel

by Keith Donohue

Hardcover: May 2006 | Paperback: May 2007

Inspired by the W.B. Yeats poem that tempts a child from home to the waters and the wild, The Stolen Child is a modern fairy tale narrated by the child Henry Day and his double.

Special Topics in Calamity Physics

by Marisha Pessl

Hardcover: Aug 2006 | Paperback: Apr 2007

A darkly hilarious coming-of-age novel and a richly plotted suspense tale told through the distinctive voice of its heroine, Blue van Meer.

The Dreamwalker's Child

by Steve Voake

Hardcover: Apr 2006 | Paperback: Mar 2007

A young boy, in a coma after an accident, wakes up in a new world full of danger and aventure.

The Madonnas of Leningrad

by Debra Dean

Hardcover: Mar 2006 | Paperback: Feb 2007

The ravages of age are taking their toll on Marina, an elderly Russian woman. While she cannot hold on to fresh memories, her distant past is preserved: vivid images of her youth in war-torn Leningrad, and the exquisite masterpieces of the ...