Norah_Piehl

Norah_Piehl

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BookBrowse Reviewer Norah is a BookBrowse Reviewer and has written reviews featured in The BookBrowse Review.

Norah Piehl is a former bookseller who has also worked for several publishing companies. Currently the executive director for Litquake, San Francisco's literary festival, Norah reviews books and writes interviews and features for a number of print and online publications. She lives with her family in Berkeley, California.

BookBrowse Editorial Reviews (127)

BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Dry Season: A Memoir of Pleasure in a Year Without Sex
by Melissa Febos
(6/4/2025)
In addition to her personal history, Febos finds solace and inspiration in the stories of women artists and creatives who lived outside traditional expectations of romantic love and sex. On one particularly transformative trip to London's Bloomsbury neighborhood, Febos realizes the extent to which she's become accustomed to adapting even her daily routines to accommodate the preferences of romantic partners; freed of such expectations, she can establish a routine of reading, writing, exercise, a
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves
by Sophie Gilbert
(5/7/2025)
Girl on Girl is structured more or less chronologically, starting with a chapter on the changing face of the music industry in the 1990s and wrapping up with a final chapter that touches on the relevance of Gilbert's observations to the 2024 presidential campaign and women's political power (or lack thereof). Along the way, individual chapters focus on the fashion industry, film, reality television, beauty standards, fame, confessional narratives, and more. Although Gilbert's contemporari
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Woodworking
by Emily St. James
(3/26/2025)
The trans characters' attempts to find and build their own support network, as well as their genuine (and in many cases, fully justified) fears of coming out in an environment that is unfriendly at best and terrifyingly unsafe at worst, feel authentic, and although the trajectory for most characters is positive, that's definitely not the case for everyone. Erica's gradual, halting, and sometimes messy process of transitioning also rings true, a much bigger undertaking than "simply" publicly affi
BookBrowse Editorial Review
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This
by Omar El Akkad
(2/26/2025)
El Akkad places a large part of the blame not only on politicians, but also on the press, a world he knows well. His book is a hybrid memoir of sorts, and it incorporates his personal story of being born in Egypt, growing up in Qatar, and moving as a teenager to Canada, where he began writing for his college newspaper shortly after 9/11, later covering a variety of international stories for the Toronto Globe and Mail. He despairs at what his profession has become, the "tortured, spineless
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Death of the Author: A Novel
by Nnedi Okorafor
(1/15/2025)
Death of the Author is a novel full of possible avenues for discussion. There's its unusual structure, which includes not only the novel-within-a-novel but a series of interviews with Zelu's friends, lovers, and family members providing their own takes on events. Although largely taking place in Zelu's hometown of Chicago, Okorafor's novel is at its heart an African story, not only in Rusted Robots' Nigerian setting but also in Zelu's family dynamics, informed in large part by her
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Nicked: A Novel
by M. T. Anderson
(7/31/2024)
Nicephorus, a lowly monastery clerk, sets sail on the quest of a lifetime. On the way, he encounters sailors, adventurers, and mercenaries from across Europe, Asia, and Africa, including those who are Muslim or who worship no god at all. M.T. Anderson is an award-winning author of numerous books for children and young adults, and here he seamlessly applies his storytelling skills to his first novel for adults. As he explains in an afterword, the seemingly outlandish adventures he chronicles are
BookBrowse Editorial Review
One of Our Kind: A Novel
by Nicola Yoon
(6/19/2024)
Almost as soon as the Williamses move in, Jasmyn detects something a bit...off about Liberty. The neighbors are friendly enough, but they seem decidedly uninterested in getting involved with social justice movements like Black Lives Matter, or in protesting the recent police shooting of an unarmed Black man and his young daughter. Reading Nicola Yoon's adult debut, One of Our Kind, in many ways mirrors Jasmyn's experiences. Like Jasmyn, readers will feel initially uneasy, and then increas
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Says Who?: A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Words
by Anne Curzan
(4/17/2024)
Yes, you read that right: Curzan uses "funner" in her book's title, and if that fact gets you ready to fire off an angry email to her publisher, maybe this isn't the book for you. Or maybe, on the other hand, it's exactly the right book to urge you—both playfully and persuasively—to take a different approach to our ever-evolving language. Curzan is a professor of English, linguistics, and education at the University of Michigan. Many of the examples she incorporates into her book com
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Headshot: A Novel
by Rita Bullwinkel
(3/20/2024)
Set amid the glow of the fluorescent lights of Bob's Boxing Palace (a converted warehouse) in Reno, Nevada, Headshot recounts the drama that is the 12th Annual Daughters of America Cup, pitting eight of the country's best 18 and under girl boxers against one another over two days in July. The novel is structured like a tournament—in a series of bouts between rival boxers, beginning with the semifinals and culminating with the ultimate match. Bullwinkel is an accomplished writer of s
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Atlas of Us
by Kristin Dwyer
(2/21/2024)
In her second novel for young adults, Kristin Dwyer crafts a moving character study, a portrait of a young woman in search not only of healing, but also of a way back to herself. Maps's journey through grief is almost painfully authentic, both in how she's determined not to let her pain define her and how that pain breaks the surface at the most surprising and inconvenient times. In this story, as in real life, grief and anger become intertwined—making her way through that thicket is every
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Around the World in Eighty Games: From Tarot to Tic-Tac-Toe, Catan to Chutes and Ladders, a Mathematician Unlocks the Secrets of the World's Greatest Games
by Marcus du Sautoy
(1/10/2024)
In early sections on the Middle East and India, Du Sautoy explores the origins and rules of games that are popular globally, such as backgammon, chess, and hopscotch, as well as elements like dice that form the basis of countless others. Additional subjects such as senet or the royal game of Ur might be new discoveries for readers but are clearly revealed through straightforward explanations. Throughout, Du Sautoy, who is a professor at the University of Oxford, takes a mathematical approach to
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Dayswork: A Novel
by Chris Bachelder, Jennifer Habel
(10/4/2023)
The Melvillian chronicle that emerges is more or less chronological, but Dayswork is hardly a straightforward biography, though it is heavily informed by the work of several biographers, most notably Hershel Parker (referred to for most of the novel simply as "The Biographer") and Elizabeth Hardwick. Dayswork itself is emphatically a novel, one that continually returns to Melville's life but that intersperses broader considerations of marriage, aging, romantic and platonic love, th
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Thornhedge
by T. Kingfisher
(9/6/2023)
Kingfisher, who also writes children's books under the name Ursula Vernon, knows how to spin a compelling tale. Toadling's story—and the castle's lurking secrets—unfold gradually, interspersed with scenes depicting her growing friendship with Halim. As the narrative progresses, so does readers' sense of mounting horror and dread, as they realize just how high the stakes are, even as they, like the curious Halim, might want to see the truth for themselves. Kingfisher consistently upen
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Bee Sting: A Novel
by Paul Murray
(8/2/2023)
The novel concentrates on each of the members of the Barnes family in turn, initially in long narrative sections that could stand alone as substantial short stories, complete with distinctive narrative voices (particularly Imelda's, which reads almost as stream-of-consciousness, with little to no punctuation). The length of The Bee Sting means that Murray has a very large canvas with which to work, enabling him to engage with big issues like sexuality, immigration, childhood trauma, and s
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Puzzle Master: A Novel
by Danielle Trussoni
(7/12/2023)
Brink soon realizes that Moses is not the only one following Price's case carefully, and that other, powerful forces are eager to solve the puzzle for their own reasons. His increasingly dangerous quest takes him deep into a centuries-old mystery, one with connections to both Jewish mysticism and the modern-day technocratic elite. Trussoni, whose previous novels include a duology about angels, employs some supernatural elements, which complement the thriller plot. Readers who usually eschew the
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Birnam Wood: A Novel
by Eleanor Catton
(4/5/2023)
Mira and Lemoine are a delightfully mismatched pair, and readers will relish seeing the ways in which they dance around one another while also using one another. Mira, although ostensibly the selfless do-gooder, is in many ways just as conniving and calculating as Lemoine, who comes off, as the story progresses, as ethically bankrupt but at least honest about it. Theirs is just one of the richly complicated relationships at play as Catton's drama unfolds—there's Mira's old flame Tony, newl
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Davenports
by Krystal Marquis
(2/15/2023)
The Davenports is full of beautiful gowns, high society gossip, fabulous balls and more than a little scandal. But given the time period and the identities of the characters (Mr. Davenport, for example, was formerly enslaved and has yet to be reunited with his brother), Marquis's debut also carries historic heft. In the process of growing her political awareness, Olivia learns about race riots in nearby Springfield just two years earlier, during which the city's Black residents were attac
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Bloodbath Nation
by Paul Auster
(2/1/2023)
In five short chapters, each of which reads more or less like a standalone essay, Auster compels readers to confront the ugliness of where we find ourselves, the ways in which we have come to expect gun violence in virtually every public and private realm, from schools and nightclubs to grocery stores and even churches and synagogues. He traces the links between social media, hatred and troubled young men's compulsion to be the next one to prompt sensationalistic headlines. Auster also touches o
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains
by Bethany Brookshire
(1/4/2023)
It's worth noting that Brookshire focuses her book on vertebrates, since they prove much more polarizing than, say, mosquitoes or lice. She starts off with some high-profile pests—rats and snakes—whose very presence is likely to prompt not only loathing but also fear. But, she points out, even those reactions are learned, culturally specific, and, in many cases, revealing of human shortcomings. Wealthy Americans, for example, are apt to point fingers at poor folks living in rat-infes
BookBrowse Editorial Review
I'm the Girl
by Courtney Summers
(11/16/2022)
I'm the Girl is a novel for mature teen readers; not only due to its explicit descriptions of sexual violence, among other troubling topics, but also because of its sophisticated storytelling and prose. At times, Summers employs almost savagely precise descriptions, but elsewhere, readers must fill in the gaps for themselves. Throughout, the novel grapples with questions about the nature of power, especially for young women. Cleo Hayes contends that, even at places like Aspera that cater
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Shrines of Gaiety: A Novel
by Kate Atkinson
(10/5/2022)
Much as she did skillfully and delightfully in her Jackson Brodie mysteries, Atkinson segues from character to character and from scene to scene, cleverly utilizing overlapping chronologies and well-placed coincidences in techniques reminiscent of the best Victorian novels. But she also folds in issues of sexuality, women's rights, reproductive health, drug use, sexual harassment and other topics that ring true to the time but wouldn't have been written about so openly as the author is free to d
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Inventing the It Girl: How Elinor Glyn Created the Modern Romance and Conquered Early Hollywood
by Hilary A. Hallett
(9/7/2022)
Fans of celebrity biography will find much to celebrate here, as many of Nell's remarkable circle of friends and acquaintances — including Rudolf Valentino, Sarah Bernhardt, Daisy Greville and of course Clara Bow — have cameos. And those who value social history more generally will appreciate how Hallett's biography carefully interrogates the ways in which gender, class and geography shaped Nell's options and opportunities, as well as her understanding of how to expand the boundaries
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow: A novel
by Gabrielle Zevin
(8/3/2022)
Zevin is a long-time gamer, and her knowledge of what draws people to video games and what goes into making them rings true. She understands that game-playing, and game-making, are a kind of storytelling, and perhaps that is what draws her to write about this world. What Sadie, Sam and their creative partners do feels not that different from the worldbuilding that novelists undertake (minus all the programming know-how). Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, as the title suggests, is abou
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Favor: A Novel
by Nora Murphy
(6/8/2022)
Murphy, a lawyer who has studied intimate-partner violence, effectively illustrates how even the most high-achieving people can find their self-confidence and their freedom eroded bit by bit at the hands of a manipulative and controlling spouse. The Favor is propulsive and morally compelling. Though it lacks the plot twists seasoned readers of thrillers might be expecting, it nevertheless offers plenty to chew on and debate.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Impossible Us
by Sarah Lotz
(4/6/2022)
The Impossible Us weighs in at well over 500 pages, but the narrative really flies by, in part because a significant portion is composed of Bee and Nick's email exchanges, which are pithy and frequently very funny. The remainder unfolds in short chapters alternating between the two characters' perspectives. Lotz excels at developing a plausible love story, and at exploring the more speculative elements of the plot without getting bogged down in explanations. The story is sure to open read
BookBrowse Editorial Review
My Fine Fellow
by Jennieke Cohen
(3/2/2022)
My Fine Fellow will absolutely be enjoyed by readers whether or not they've seen the Lerner and Loewe musical by which it's inspired; certainly fans of My Fair Lady will appreciate spotting the references Cohen cleverly sprinkles into her prose, but they're hardly essential. More at the heart of the novel is a celebration of food and cooking, and of the ways in which food can connect us to our personal heritage and also open up the whole world. Fans of The Great British Bake Off
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Suburban Dicks
by Fabian Nicieza
(8/4/2021)
Kenny and Andrea's tense personal chemistry sets up their odd-couple professional relationship; both are supremely talented, both investigate the mystery using their own skills and methods, and they consistently question one another's motives and means. Most readers—especially if they have small children at home—will probably find themselves on Team Andrea once she starts coming up with more and more creative and outlandish solutions for childcare, including enlisting her children as
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano
by Donna Freitas
(5/19/2021)
In addition to being a reflection on the complexities of relationships, Freitas's novel is an elegant exploration of what might be called fate. While exploring Rose's attitudes toward her potential future(s) as a mother, The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano examines her relationship with her own mother and the identities of women in general. Rose's role as a daughter comes to affect the way she conceives of her other identities, such as her professional role as a sociologist—an occupat
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Rescuing the Planet: Protecting Half the Land to Heal the Earth
by Tony Hiss
(4/21/2021)
Hiss takes the clever approach of making a fairly abstract, seemingly unrealistic goal more concrete by introducing readers to scientists, naturalists and activists who are already helping to achieve it in a variety of landscapes and locations. Perhaps most ambitious is the group to whom Hiss first introduces us, an inspiring coalition of First Nations Dene leaders ("First Nations" is a Canadian term referring to a grouping of indigenous peoples, including the Dene), scientists and environmental
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Libertie
(4/7/2021)
In her debut novel, Greenidge demonstrated her skillful storytelling powers, which are also clearly on display here. Libertie is at once a very individual chronicle of the changing, sometimes contentious relationship between a mother and a daughter with competing ambitions, and an exploration of much broader issues. These include the phenomenon of colorism, both within the African American community and more broadly, as well as the vigorous post-Emancipation philosophical debates about th
BookBrowse Editorial Review
No One Is Talking About This
by Patricia Lockwood
(2/17/2021)
Throughout, the narration is fluid, with frequent shifts of perspective between "I" and "she" further off-balancing the reader. In a way, the first half of the book feels like the internet itself — disjointed, bawdy, infused with unearned confidence and genuine bewilderment that this is what we have come to, individually and collectively, both despising the online world and being incapable of disengaging from it. And then, in a moment, the direction of the novel — and the protagonist
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Super Fake Love Song
by David Yoon
(1/20/2021)
Although Sunny exhibits genuine complexity and growth, and although the secondary characters are generally well developed, Yoon's novel could have been even stronger had Cirrus been a more layered character. This slight weakness aside, this is a heartfelt and often funny coming-of-age novel that will speak especially to music lovers as well as anyone who has ever felt they had to hide or apologize for their hobbies and passions.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Mother Code
by Carole Stivers
(9/2/2020)
Stivers' novel is not merely a book-length thought experiment about the consequences of a scenario like the one she envisions. It also carries immense and poignant resonance about the vitality and fragility of human lives and relationships and the complexity of human emotional needs, offering heartbreaking scenes of both optimism and grief. Despite its apocalyptic premise, The Mother Code is, at its heart, a surprisingly hopeful novel, one that offers a particularly generous depiction of
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Distant Dead
by Heather Young
(7/15/2020)
In chapters narrated primarily from the points of view of Sal (starting from the first day of school and leading up to Adam's death in March) and Nora (starting with the discovery of the murder and leading up to the solving of the crime), Young effectively draws out the complexities of each character's life. The stories of love and loss—mostly centered on issues of addiction and substance abuse—that Young recounts in her novel are, perhaps, indicative of countless other stories that
BookBrowse Editorial Review
All Adults Here
by Emma Straub
(6/3/2020)
The mood of Straub's novel is by turns serious and sunny, and the experience of reading it is so effortless and enjoyable that readers might not even notice just how skillfully the author juggles a handful of narrative points of view, not to mention numerous conflicts, issues and themes. All Adults Here celebrates the connections between family members and within communities, acknowledging interdependence while also recognizing that relationships—and the individuals within them̵
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Lady's Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness
by Sarah Ramey
(4/22/2020)
The Lady's Handbook for Her Mysterious Illness is a painfully personal memoir of illness, as well as a toolkit for readers, especially women, who have grown frustrated by repeatedly being dismissed or ignored by medical professionals. It's also a philosophical treatise arguing that for women to become heroines in their own stories, they need to be willing to travel inwards and downwards, addressing their sometimes uncomfortable histories and finding the courage to listen—both to oth
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Weather
by Jenny Offill
(3/4/2020)
"How do you maintain your optimism?" That question is at the heart of Jenny Offill's Weather. Although the novel raises far more questions than it answers (and that's part of the point, after all), Lizzie's experience seems to suggest that the answer to this main question lies in understanding and forgiveness—for our families, for our neighbors, for utter strangers and, not least of all, for ourselves.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
This Is Happiness
by Niall Williams
(1/22/2020)
Particularly given this narrative structure—an old man recalling his youthful exploits—This Is Happiness could easily veer into the realms of sentimentality, but it never does. There's a type of nostalgia, to be sure, especially as Faha—like the rest of rural Ireland—sits on the brink of an entirely new way of life. But there's no wistful longing to bring back those days of yore—just an honest reckoning that, as fondly as those days and people and adventures
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Marilou Is Everywhere: A Novel
by Sarah Elaine Smith
(9/4/2019)
Confident prose and intricate narrative structure mark Mary Lou is Everywhere as one of the most interesting first novels of this year, and its author as one of the most exciting young novelists for readers to follow.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
We Contain Multitudes
by Sarah Henstra
(7/10/2019)
The epistolary form can be difficult for any writer to pull off convincingly, and that is at times true here as well...That bit of inauthenticity aside, We Contain Multitudes nevertheless beautifully conveys the vulnerabilities and heady joys of first love, even (or maybe especially) when surrounded by genuine complications and obstacles.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Underland: A Deep Time Journey
by Robert Macfarlane
(6/19/2019)
Macfarlane profiles people who champion earth's remotest regions and, as he lyrically describes, the wonders that can be found everywhere on Earth—not only at its highest summits but also in its most mysterious and unknowable depths.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Confessions of Frannie Langton
by Sara Collins
(5/29/2019)
Historically compelling and urgently relevant, Sara Collins’ debut novel raises important questions about agency and the right to tell one’s own story, particularly when one is young and socially disadvantaged. Collins gives Frannie a strong voice, a witness to the brutalities of power from one who has experienced them first-hand.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Memories of the Future
by Siri Hustvedt
(4/17/2019)
Perhaps unsurprisingly given its scope and themes—not to mention the substantial talents of its creator—Memories of the Future manages to be both broadly philosophical and deeply personal, the kind of novel that will speak to readers on many different levels.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
After She's Gone
by Camilla Grebe
(3/20/2019)
Grebe's novel, narrated from the points of view of Jake, Malin, and Hanne herself, offers not only a genuinely suspenseful narrative but also a thoughtful exploration of prejudices – about everything from race and age to nontraditional gender identity, addiction, and developmental disabilities – that lurk not only around but also within all of us.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Heavens
by Sandra Newman
(3/6/2019)
The Heavens is the kind of novel that almost demands multiple readings, and certainly merits intense discussion. Newman raises questions about the kinds of stories we tell, about the (perhaps dangerous) human tendency to cast ourselves as the heroes of the stories we inhabit, about whether the human condition is evolving for the better…or otherwise. It's also a masterful and heart-rending novel of 9/11, one that takes an entirely different approach to telling that familiar story, pl
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Unmarriageable
by Soniah Kamal
(2/6/2019)
Unmarriageable is far more than a connect-the-dots retelling of Pride and Prejudice with 2001 Pakistan standing in for Regency England and shalwar khameez substituted for corsets and petticoats. In between the moments of broad humor, Kamal offers many moments of real insight into a culture where class, reputation and marriageability are still paramount considerations.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Transcription
by Kate Atkinson
(10/3/2018)
Loyalties, betrayals, being duped into playing for the other side--these are all the standard stuff of spy fiction. But in Atkinson's ingenious novel, she uses these conventions as a springboard to consider larger ideas: individual motivations toward patriotism, the ambiguity of reality, and the slippery nature of time.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Home After Dark
by David Small
(9/19/2018)
Home After Dark powerfully conveys the psychic and societal damage wrought by a culture of toxic masculinity. Russell is so unsure about which modes of masculinity are acceptable, his self-image so malleable and distorted (brilliantly portrayed as Russell examines his warped reflection in a Christmas tree bulb and, later, in a spoon), that he finds it almost impossible to trust anyone - including himself and, most poignantly, the Chinese immigrant family the Mahs, whose kindness Russell f
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Harry's Trees
by Jon Cohen
(8/29/2018)
Harry's Trees is the best kind of feel-good novel - one that gives readers glimpses into magic and hope and happy endings but doesn't lose sight of the fact that its characters should feel like real people leading real lives colored by loss and confusion and mortgage payments. Cohen's novel is in many ways about generosity, but it's also generous in its telling, as it allows each character's story to take root and spring to life, building a narrative as rich and i
BookBrowse Editorial Review
I Will Be Complete: A Memoir
by Glen David Gold
(8/1/2018)
Glen David Gold is a writer best known for his wryly observant, mordantly funny novels Sunnyside and Carter Beats the Devil. It turns out, however, that his most remarkable story might be his own life story, which is what he turns to in his new book, I Will Be Complete
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Planet Funny: How Comedy Took Over Our Culture
by Ken Jennings
(7/11/2018)
Jennings's book celebrates humor — It would be a rare reader who doesn't come away from the book without a list of a dozen or more films, television shows, commercials, or comedy sketches to look up online — but it also urges readers to think about humor more critically, to question whether its relentless ubiquity has a purpose, or if it might be healthier to turn down the laugh track once in a while.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Lawn Boy
by Jonathan Evison
(5/30/2018)
Evison's prose is sharp, and the situations he describes (such as an ill-fated occupation of a Walmart and an even less well-advised anti–puppy mill protest outside a pet store) offer opportunities for broad humor. But he also clearly cares deeply for the characters about whom he writes, and Lawn Boy is also a profoundly humanistic and hopeful novel at its core. Young Mike is an idealist – and readers - adults and young adults alike - will be rooting for him to upend the systems that seem
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Place Between Breaths
by An Na
(5/2/2018)
An Na's novel has an innovative, even clever, structure, one that elegantly, and at times unnervingly, mirrors the feelings of disorientation, the breakdown between reality and visions, that can haunt a person with schizophrenia. Linked to seasons of the year – representing past, present, and future - and utilizing varying narrative voices and verb tense, chapters overlap and at times collide with one another, as Grace - and, by extension, the reader - grows increasingly unmoored from
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Look Alive Out There: Essays
by Sloane Crosley
(4/4/2018)
Some of the pieces here are mere vignettes, tiny moments of observation or connection that span only a page or two, while others resemble longer journalistic pieces in which, inevitably, Crosley herself is the hapless protagonist even as she investigates the capriciousness of modern life. Look Alive Out There is sure to satisfy the long-time fans of her witty, sardonic personal essays while her new maturity will also gain her new ones.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Speak No Evil
by Uzodinma Iweala
(3/7/2018)
Speak No Evil leaves readers with many unanswered questions, but not because of any failure on the part of the narrative or its author. Instead, the questions that will remain with readers are deliberate and sobering - questions that will provoke contemplation or discussion, as readers ponder what might have been or, for some characters, what might still be possible.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Sunburn
by Laura Lippman
(2/21/2018)
Sunburn is deeply informed by classic noir novels and films, from the overall tone to specific plot points, but its setting in the 1990s make it feel like a perfectly blended mix of the old and the new. Noir offers a rich combination of dire circumstances and tortured characters, and Lippman has built on classic formulas, incorporating more contemporary storytelling techniques and creating in Polly a character who goes way beyond the femme fatale trope.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Love, Hate and Other Filters
by Samira Ahmed
(1/24/2018)
In Samira Ahmed’s thoughtful debut novel, Maya’s first-person narrative alternates with more ominous passages fueled by hate and dread, passages that initially may unsettle readers and eventually may force them to wrestle with their own prejudices and preconceptions. The shift from straightforward young adult romance to a more intense story of intolerance and hatred may seem abrupt or even jarring to many readers, but in the end, this backdrop helps provide context for Maya’s personal conflicts
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Landscape with Invisible Hand
by M.T. Anderson
(9/20/2017)
Certainly Anderson’s novel is a work of speculative fiction, but that’s because it prompts readers to ask their own questions about economic disparities, enforced inequality, ethnocentrism, and (just maybe) art’s ability to shed a clearer light on all of these troubling issues, both in Adam’s world and in our own. Thanks in large part to its slender size, Landscape with Invisible Hand is a novel that lends itself to repeated readings, study, and discussion, as readers contemplate parallel
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The World of Tomorrow
by Brendan Mathews
(9/6/2017)
The carefree confidence of late 1930s America is, of course, the height of dramatic irony, the height of dramatic irony, given that present-day readers know what happens next (and what was already happening overseas). Mathews's accomplishment with this novel is illustrating that confidence on both a macro and micro scale, offering readers a dynamic portrait of both a whole city and an intimate group of characters. The energetic storytelling, touches of humor, and ability to build suspense point
BookBrowse Editorial Review
New People
by Danzy Senna
(8/2/2017)
At times, the glimpses into Maria's inner thoughts take readers to some pretty dark and uncomfortable places that will compel readers to confront their own assumptions about race and identity. Readers who pick up New People in 2017, more than twenty years after its setting, will recognize both how much Brooklyn, its residents, and the country as a whole have continued to evolve over the intervening decades and how relevant the issues raised in its pages — from gentrification and the creat
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Shadow Man
by Alan Drew
(7/12/2017)
Shadow Man remains a satisfying suspense novel, complete with unnerving glimpses into the serial killer's mind and motivations as well as some adrenaline-pumping pursuits. More generally, however, Drew's latest novel offers deep reflections into the ways damage wrought during childhood and youth continues to scar the present. Ben's investigation into the various crimes afflicting Rancho Santa Elena is compelling, but even more riveting—and ultimately the heart of the matter—is Ben's reluc
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Do Not Become Alarmed
by Maile Meloy
(6/21/2017)
Meloy, who has written well-regarded books for both adults and young readers, divides her narrative into short chapters written from a variety of adult and child characters. Virtually every member of the three families has a chapter from his or her point of view, and several other supporting characters also have their voices heard over the course of the novel. In lesser hands, this technique could have felt like a writing exercise or parlor game, but Meloy adeptly utilizes this strategy to broad
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Book of Joan
by Lidia Yuknavitch
(5/17/2017)
Yuknavitch's novel draws its inspiration not only from literary and historical figures, but also from feminist and queer theory, politics, environmental studies, and philosophy. It touches on numerous issues of gender, environmental degradation, inequality, injustice, and the role of humans in ensuring their own survival – or destruction. Obviously reading The Book of Joan is not a light or easy endeavor; the braided narratives and the occasionally grotesque subject matter can m
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Glass House: The 1% Economy and the Shattering of the All-American Town
by Brian Alexander
(5/3/2017)
Everything is connected, however, as Alexander repeatedly reinforces, which is why Glass House should be essential reading for anyone concerned about the future of American workers – regardless of what town we call home.
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The Dark Flood Rises
by Margaret Drabble
(3/22/2017)
The Dark Flood Rises, in addition to offering various considerations of individual mortality, also broadens its scope to examine the aging of our civilization and our world. Drabble depicts a Europe overrun with refugees desperate for solace and safety, an island chain at risk of destruction by volcanoes, an England whose lowlands are increasingly subject to flooding. Imagery of floods, both literal and figurative, recurs throughout the narrative and gives the novel a feeling of impending
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Merrow
by Ananda Braxton-Smith
(2/15/2017)
Although some readers may relish the folklore than infuses the novel, others may grow impatient with the slow pacing that results from the numerous stories within the main story. In the end, Neen’s narrative suggests that the stories that sustain us and give us hope, the ones that are most powerful and important, might not always be the ones that are objectively true: “If I didn’t make my own story, there were plenty to do it for me. Some would do it kindly, others any way they could, but I knew
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The Sellout
by Paul Beatty
(1/18/2017)
The Sellout feels irreverent, over-the-top, but never so much so that it loses its thoughtfulness or its heart. “Who am I? And how may I become myself?” are questions repeated several times in the novel, questions that remind readers repeatedly of the universality behind the narrator’s story, despite its specific circumstances and its audacious veneer. Even though Beatty’s novel is uniquely American, steeped in the painful history and ongoing discord that characterize race relations here,
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Harmony
by Carolyn Parkhurst
(9/21/2016)
Parkhurst writes with compassion and sensitivity about the experience of parenting and fervently loving a child drastically different from the one you imagined.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Underground Railroad: A Novel
(9/7/2016)
Reading The Underground Railroad offers plenty of reminders of just how far our nation has come since these darkest years in our history, but also countless reminders of just how far we have yet to travel before we arrive at any destination resembling that hopeful vision.
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Another Brooklyn: A Novel
by Jacqueline Woodson
(8/3/2016)
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given Woodson’s background not only as a novelist but also as a poet, Another Brooklyn is told in spare, lyrical prose, with a surface simplicity that belies its underlying narrative strength and emotional heft. Often, in Woodson’s novel, what isn’t said is as essential as what is, and readers come away feeling as if they, in the process of reading the novel, are somehow partners in Woodson’s project of telling her poignant and devastating story about dreams
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Everyone Brave is Forgiven
by Chris Cleave
(5/4/2016)
Cleave pulls no punches in describing the devastation of war, depicting violent acts, horrific circumstances, and the equally catastrophic effects they have on people’s lives both on the battlefield and at home. Despite (or perhaps because of) the grand and gruesome backdrop against which the interpersonal dramas of Mary and Alistair play out, their love story is, in fact, less captivating than each one’s individual story of loss, redemption, and rehabilitation. Inspired in part by Cleave’s own
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Black Rabbit Hall
by Eve Chase
(4/6/2016)
Black Rabbit Hall is drawing a number of comparisons with the beloved novels of Daphne Du Maurier, not least because of their shared setting in Cornwall, but also because of a more generalized exploration of the links between a specific, evocative place and (often devastating) family history. Chase's novel rarely shifts setting from the confines of Black Rabbit Hall and its environs; when it does, the change is both jarring and a bit liberating, as if the reader can finally take a deep br
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Thanks for the Trouble
by Tommy Wallach
(3/16/2016)
Tommy Wallach is a young writer who’s not afraid to tackle big issues of life and death. His debut novel, We All Looked Up, focused on a group of teenagers doing normal teenage things while confronting their own mortality, in the form of an asteroid hurtling toward Earth. Now, in Thanks for the Trouble, Wallach offers another thoughtful novel that deals with issues of (im)mortality, loss, and change, all tinted with humor and a hint of magic.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Dogs of Littlefield
by Suzanne Berne
(2/3/2016)
...this isn’t just a novel of ideas; Berne’s scrutiny of upper-middle-class suburbia is also grounded in specific scenes that offer rich fodder for satire: a town meeting, a dinner party, and a book group (particularly ironic since Berne’s novel itself is more than likely to spark heated discussion at countless book groups). Frequently hilarious, always intriguing, Berne’s foray into the dining rooms and psychotherapy offices of Littlefield will prompt readers to look anew at their own aspiratio
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Not If I See You First
by Eric Lindstrom
(1/6/2016)
Debut novelist Lindstrom gives Parker a singular outlook, providing her with a strong, opinionated, sometimes brutally honest voice and never casting her as the helpless victim of her circumstances. Neither is she depicted as unrealistically heroic - she has shortcomings and flaws just like any well-rounded, complicated character.
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The Emperor of Any Place
by Tim Wynne-Jones
(11/18/2015)
The contemporary story of Evan and his grandfather is realistic and convincing as a modern-day story of a young man coming of age during a time of grief. The historical narrative includes supernatural scenes and creatures whose presence adds suspense—even terror—and vividly deepens and enriches the novel's themes about the vital need for storytelling, the strength of memories, the strong pull of family connections, and the catastrophic personal and social costs of war. Pretty intense stuff for a
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Making of Home: The 500-Year Story of How Our Houses Became Our Homes
by Judith Flanders
(10/21/2015)
Throughout, Flanders notes how difficult it can be to research or understand what everyday houses and homes were like over the centuries; the versions of “home” we see depicted in classic works of art, for example, were often idealized, and there has been little impetus, historically, to preserve humble homes for posterity (she offers the particularly stark example of the incredible scarcity of authentic examples of slave quarters in the American South). She’s clearly done her research, though,
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Goodbye Stranger
by Rebecca Stead
(9/16/2015)
Stead also writes convincingly from the points of view of both male and female characters – Bridge and Sherm share a vulnerability, introspection, and kindness that will win over all kinds of readers. Goodbye Stranger is a winsome, at times outright funny, book that also offers serious messages about loyalty, independence, and the preciousness of friendships new and old.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Night Stages
by Jane Urquhart
(8/12/2015)
In lesser hands, the three separate narrative strands that make up Urquhart's novel would have come off as three separate and disjointed novellas rather than a unified whole. But Urquhart, an accomplished and award-winning prose stylist, seems to handle this kind of narrative balancing act with ease, uniting the various stories, not only through character and circumstance, but also through theme.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
A God in Ruins: A Todd Family Novel
by Kate Atkinson
(5/13/2015)
Atkinson's A God in Ruins is simultaneously a story of one man's harrowing journey through war, a family's journey through the twentieth century, and every person's journey through mistakes and shortcomings toward something resembling redemption, no matter how imperfect.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own
(4/29/2015)
"Whom to marry, and when will it happen — these two questions define every woman's existence, regardless of where she was raised or what religion she does or doesn't practice...men have their own problems; this isn't one of them." This provocative pronouncement is how Kate Bolick opens her combination memoir/women's studies book Spinster, which is in large part an attempt to imagine what might happen if women were to refuse to define themselves in terms of those two questions — in short t
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Hausfrau
by Jill Alexander Essbaum
(3/18/2015)
At times it's difficult to discern just why Anna is so desperately unhappy, why she finds her husband (who seems mostly harmless enough, just perhaps dull or disengaged, more than a little blind to his wife's unhappiness) so infuriating and unsatisfactory, why she actively shuts out others' overtures of genuine friendship and kindness. She is occasionally frustrating for that reason, but also fascinating to consider in her complexity and her thoroughly realistic conception of herself as a passiv
BookBrowse Editorial Review
H Is for Hawk
(3/4/2015)
In the end, Macdonald — as she begins to emerge from the grief that has almost consumed her — is able to reflect on larger questions, such as how and why humans imbue wild creatures with human qualities and whose version of "nature" is worth preserving. Most of all, she realizes that — her genuine and hard-won affection for Mabel notwithstanding — she needs more than a raptor counterpart to find herself truly human.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Honeydew: Stories
by Edith Pearlman
(2/18/2015)
Unlike many contemporary short works, Pearlman's stories usually have satisfying narrative arcs that will appeal to many readers, even those unaccustomed to frequently reading short stories. And they are truly "short" stories—most clocking in at twenty pages or less, making them ideal brief escapes into vividly realized, beautifully written worlds and lives. Throughout, Pearlman exhibits an elegance with language that's essential for mastering the genre.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Sweetland: A Novel
by Michael Crummey
(1/21/2015)
Sweetland is perhaps a perfect novel for book group discussions, as it offers numerous opportunities for interpretation and even speculation about everything from the reasons underlying Sweetland's stubbornness to the nature of his ultimate fate. It's also a powerful character study of an older, scarred but undefeated man, as well as a potent portrait of the land and people he adores.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Story Hour
by Thrity Umrigar
(9/17/2014)
Thrity Umrigar's sixth novel is simultaneously a study of a friendship, a morality play, and an exploration of how personal history can shape relationships, often in surprising ways. But readers certainly won't anticipate this kind of scope from the novel's opening scenes, in which Lakshmi Patil, a recent immigrant to the U.S. from India, attempts to commit suicide and is assigned to a therapist, Maggie Bose. The Story Hour is the kind of novel that starts out small, but quickly expands t
BookBrowse Editorial Review
100 Sideways Miles
by Andrew Smith
(9/3/2014)
100 Sideways Miles, with its quirky mix of past and present, physics and history, will remind some readers of Louis Sachar's Holes - except with a lot raunchier language. In previous novels like Winger and Grasshopper Jungle, Andrew Smith has demonstrated - often to hilarious effect - that he totally gets the mind of the adolescent male. Here, as in his previous books, he also shows that for teenage guys, vulnerability and bravado go hand-in-hand, that friendships and
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Stranger on the Train
by Abbie Taylor
(7/9/2014)
The missing child plot, of course, brings to life every parent's worst nightmare. Equally unsettling, however, is the way in which Taylor brings to light many of the secret and ugly desires that mothers may occasionally have, but can only rarely articulate.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Watcher: A Novel of Crime
by Charlotte Link
(6/4/2014)
In addition to being a truly gripping thriller, The Watcher also offers genuine character development, as its central characters all evolve and grow as individuals even in the wake of the troubling events that bring them together. American readers can only hope that more of Link's work will soon be available in translation.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Blessings
by Elise Juska
(5/21/2014)
Throughout the novel, right up until the affecting final scene, Juska explores the paradox of family—how it is the thing that both stifles and sustains you, how it can be simultaneously predictable and unexpected, stable and fragile.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Frog Music
by Emma Donoghue
(4/9/2014)
Frog Music is the best kind of historical fiction: as authentic in its emotions and characterizations as it is in its archival details. Jenny's story—and, to a certain extent, Blanche's own—is one of creating new identities out of choice or necessity, of striving for new beginnings in the wake of loss and tragedy, of trying and sometimes failing to craft new beginnings for oneself. To say that Donoghue brings her roster of historical characters to life in her fiction is to understate the
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Wind Is Not a River
by Brian Payton
(2/19/2014)
The Wind Is Not a River will likely spark readers' interest in a remote part of the world and in a little-known chapter of World War II history even as it tells a memorable story about the power of love and the will to survive.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Crane Wife
by Patrick Ness
(1/22/2014)
Readers familiar with Patrick Ness's fantasy works may be primarily surprised at his adeptness with realistic fiction, but Ness's real skill here is in balancing out all these elements, which could have resulted in a confusing mishmash of themes and tones but instead combine in some surprising and satisfying ways. The Crane Wife is an exploration of artistic creation as well as of the creative power of love.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Fangirl
by Rainbow Rowell
(10/2/2013)
Cath is a character many readers can empathize with. These include not just those who, like her, feel like their most authentic selves reside online, but also anyone who has felt like an outsider when thrust into a new situation.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Tumbledown
by Robert Boswell
(9/4/2013)
These characters, whatever their faults or shortcomings, seek love, connection, and dignity, just like anyone else. Boswell's novel reminds us of the fragility of these kinds of connections but also of their vital necessity—it recognizes the imperfections of "this tumbledown world," while highlighting the power and potential of every person to seek beauty and find meaningful relationships with others.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
How to Create the Perfect Wife: Britain's Most Ineligible Bachelor and his Enlightened Quest to Train the Ideal Mate
by Wendy Moore
(5/8/2013)
Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction. That's certainly the case with the story Wendy Moore tells in How to Create a Perfect Wife: Britain's Most Ineligible Bachelor and His Quest to Train the Ideal Mate. Moore combines engaging storytelling with exhaustive and impressive research as she brings to life the misadventures of the eighteenth-century gentleman Thomas Day.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The End of the Point
by Elizabeth Graver
(3/20/2013)
The End of the Point is poetic and profound. Again and again, Graver's characters either articulate or exemplify the idea that, whether they understand why or how, it's only at Ashaunt Point that they are truly themselves at their most authentic, largely removed from the dramas that might characterize the rest of their lives. Readers will likely come away from Graver's novel reflecting on the special places in their own lives, longing to reconnect with or revisit them, to introduce their
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Still Point of the Turning World
by Emily Rapp
(3/6/2013)
In The Still Point of the Turning World Emily Rapp examines her son's all-too-brief life - and her own reactions to it - fearlessly and with an honesty that will devastate and astonish not only other parents, but everyone who opens this remarkable book.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Love Is a Canoe
by Ben Schrank
(2/6/2013)
There have been times in protagonist Peter Herman's life that he wishes he had never written the book that made him famous. Marriage Is a Canoe, his self-help manual – masquerading as a memoir of the summer he spent with his grandparents when he was thirteen – certainly helped him earn the kind of comfortable life he continues to lead forty years after its original publication. But he's now more often embarrassed than flattered by strangers' accolades and admiration; four decades of livi
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Me Before You: A Novel
by Jojo Moyes
(1/23/2013)
Me Before You is a story about personal redemption and self-worth, about finding courage, about knowing what to hold onto and what to let go. It's also a meditation on one of the most controversial and divisive issues of our times.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Tenth of December: Stories
by George Saunders
(1/9/2013)
Some may wonder what George Saunders, the brilliant and often bitingly satirical author whose work largely came of age during the George W. Bush administration, would find to focus on in this nominally less politically fraught time. It turns out that to a writer for whom humanity’s moral imperatives - indeed the very essence of humanity itself - is at the center of his attention, there’s still more than enough material to populate a devastatingly insightful collection like Tenth of December
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Sweet Tooth: A Novel
by Ian McEwan
(11/28/2012)
Sweet Tooth is, in part, a fictionalized memoir of the literary scene in the 1970s (based quite heavily on McEwan's own experiences as a university student and as a young short story writer; the novel includes cameos by a handful of his friends and mentors) and a breathy piece of escapist spy fiction. McEwan is not John le Carre, however, and so the most intriguing aspects of McEwan's novel are not about espionage per se, but rather about the ways in which writers of realistic fiction, by
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
by Robin Sloan
(11/14/2012)
Sloan effectively combines real-world technologies, settings, and situations with unabashed fantasy - trying to discern the difference (and in many cases deciding it doesn't really matter) is a great deal of the fun. Ultimately a very satisfying (and surprisingly old-fashioned) adventure story, Sloan's debut is also a reminder for readers about the varied pleasures of reading, of discovery, of investigation, and of books themselves.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Winter Journal
by Paul Auster
(10/17/2012)
Winter Journal is far more than a simple collection of lists, however; the memoir is strongest and most emotionally compelling when the reader can see Auster arriving at moments of revelation, such as the realization that his moments of periodic physical frailty coincide closely with episodes of emotional intensity, personal crisis, and loss. Once this pattern has been identified, it's fascinating to trace it through his life, to consider what this synthesis of mind and body means not onl
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Every Day
by David Levithan
(10/3/2012)
Although the premise of Levithan's novel might seem far-fetched, the concept is a deeply provocative starting point from which to explore a wide variety of topics and themes...Every Day also gets at the heart of what it means to be human and what it means to love. Both are, at best, elusive and, at worst, impossible for A...The profound loneliness of A's life - the lack of genuine connection, and the absence of the opportunity to know someone over time and have him know you – is, at
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Battleborn: Stories
by Claire Vaye Watkins
(9/12/2012)
Throughout the collection, the stories and their characters convey feelings of loss and regret, for what has - or hasn't - happened to them and to the place where they live, whether globally or more locally...This fear - of smallness, of loss even to the point of extinction - pervades nearly all of the stories. Some are almost painful in their bitterness and brutal in their sparseness. But there's a bleak beauty here too, both in the landscapes Watkins portrays and in the restrained prose she us
BookBrowse Editorial Review
This Is How It Ends: A Novel
by Kathleen MacMahon
(9/5/2012)
This Is How It Ends, set in Dublin, Ireland in 2008 is just about perfect for a quiet read, perhaps wrapped in a sweater and holding a mug of tea on one of the first cool evenings of fall. Addie occupies the grand narrative at the center of MacMahon’s novel. A woman who looks and even feels young, she is nevertheless starting to cope with the challenges – aging parents, envy over her sisters’ fecundity, loneliness and regret – of early middle age. Addie is hardly alone; virtually every ch
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Vandal Love: A Novel
by Deni Y. Bechard
(8/8/2012)
Elements of Béchard's novel have a magical realist quality - the extremes of the characters' sizes, their prodigious appetites, the coincidences that bring them together. Its idiosyncratic characters and darkly strange worldview, however, will remind many readers of the gothic atmosphere of Joyce Carol Oates's novels. It's hard to believe that this skilled, often deeply moving novel is Béchard's first - readers will certainly be hoping for great things from this imaginative, original,
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Uninvited Guests: A Novel
by Sadie Jones
(6/14/2012)
Jones pulls readers into the drawing-room with what appears at first to be a classic English country-house tale, but winds up becoming something quite a bit darker, and thoroughly unexpected. Using the country house novel as a commentary on social class is nothing new - what's surprising and innovative about this one is the particularly daring and delightful ways in which Jones does so. This many-sided novel, which constantly confounds and even dashes expectations, is not for everyone; but for t
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Enchanted
by Alethea Kontis
(5/16/2012)
Alethea Kontis's novel simultaneously offers readers the joy of recognizing old favorites in new clothing and the pleasure of discovering something entirely original and new. If Sunday is doomed to a happy life, her readers are blessed with an equally happy romp through a fairy tale landscape both familiar and unexpected.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
After the Snow
by S. D. Crockett
(4/11/2012)
After the Snow offers readers both a warning - a stark meditation on what might happen in the future - and an opportunity to reflect on how we live, and who we are in the world, now.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Girlchild: A Novel
by Tupelo Hassman
(3/7/2012)
Although Hassman's novel is, undeniably, a series of small gems tied together by one character in search of answers, it's also a broader meditation on what it means to grow up female in small town America.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Ragnarok: The End of the Gods
by A.S. Byatt
(2/1/2012)
Like myth itself, Byatt's retelling of the Ragnarok story can feel unsatisfactory, or at least unsettling, failing to offer readers a tidy conclusion or a happy ending... Instead, it will continue to unsettle readers long after its final page, prompting reflections on the inevitability of mortality - both personal and global - and on the power and potential of a fundamentally flawed species to change behaviors before it's too late.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Life: An Exploded Diagram
by Mal Peet
(11/3/2011)
Mal Peet manages to convince readers, just as Clem and Frankie are convinced, that the force of young love is every bit as powerful as the forces that can destroy - or preserve - the world. So is Peet's novel for adults or for teens? In the end it doesn't really matter. This novel - about the patterns of war and peace, about the forces that propel humans to wage war or to pursue reconciliation, about the impulse to create as well as destroy - will speak, like any good story, to perceptive, thoug
BookBrowse Editorial Review
I Married You for Happiness
by Lily Tuck
(10/5/2011)
Even though Tuck profiles a marriage at its most vulnerable and tragic moments, she also vividly portrays the pleasures and strengths of a marriage partnership. And the ending, although ambiguous and certainly surprising, is the perfect distillation of the novel's themes and preoccupations. Tuck writes both clearly and concisely about mathematics; her explications of complicated problems such as the Schrödinger's cat paradox dovetail nicely with the rest of the narrative, echoing, but never upst
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Map of Time: A Novel
by Félix J Palma
(8/4/2011)
Palma is clearly an accomplished storyteller - the novel's fast pacing, imaginative exploits, and unexpected twists and turns make each story a fascinating piece in its own right; combined, the work is both an utterly perfect summer read and an extended meditation on the permeability of time and the limitations of technology, as seen through the lens of the Victorian age. Palma's narrator is sophisticated, an amalgamation of Dickensian omniscience and the knowing wink of postmodernism.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Big Girl Small: A Novel
by Rachel DeWoskin
(6/15/2011)
DeWoskin's novel evokes high school life with a kind of biting cynicism while it simultaneously offers a hopeful coming-of-age story with a performing arts setting that will appeal to fans of the television shows Fame and Glee. Big Girl Small is both sophisticated thematically and (at times) raucously crude, the kind of book both teenage girls and their parents might laugh along with.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Tiger Hills: A Novel
by Sarita Mandanna
(4/6/2011)
Propelled by romance, colored by loss, enriched by authentic details, Tiger Hills is both the saga of a people, and a land and the equally moving story of an inimitable woman and the two men who love her.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
You Know When the Men Are Gone
by Siobhan Fallon
(2/3/2011)
For many years, Tim O'Brien's collection of short stories, The Things They Carried, has been required reading for those who want to really understand the human cost of the Vietnam War. In You Know When the Men Are Gone, Siobhan Fallon has done the same thing for our current conflict, showing readers the human faces and hidden dramas of war.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing: From the Files of Vish Puri, Most Private Investigator
by Tarquin Hall
(11/3/2010)
The contrasts and contradictions in modern Indian life lie at the heart of Tarquin Hall's mystery, not only in the reflections of his protagonist but also in the mystery plot itself. Past clashes with present, superstition collides with rationality, as Hall cleverly captures--even in the guise of a fairly breezy murder mystery--the essential nature of contemporary India.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
American Wasteland: How America Throws Away Nearly Half of Its Food (and What We Can Do About It)
by Jonathan Bloom
(10/20/2010)
Bloom... vividly illustrates how waste is built into our whole way of eating, from farm to table to trashcan. As he traces the problem of waste into grocery stores, buffet restaurants, school lunchrooms, and convenience stores, Bloom argues that waste was understandable (if not forgivable) during the rampant consumerism and excess that characterized the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. Nowadays, however, as Americans increasingly seek to reduce their carbon footprint, to eat and shop locally, to r
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Fame: A Novel in Nine Episodes
by Daniel Kehlmann
(9/22/2010)
Daniel Kehlmann's novel can be read, in many ways, as an extended exploration of the distinctions between artifice and reality or, more precisely, between story and "real life," whatever that consists of. Defining that distinction - only to blur it again repeatedly - is the ongoing project of Kehlmann's brilliantly playful novel... With energy, flexibility, and elegance, Kehlmann constructs a brilliant whole, simultaneously playful and thoughtful, certainly the kind of novel that engages readers
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Super Sad True Love Story: A Novel
by Gary Shteyngart
(9/8/2010)
Forget suspense thrillers and horror novels. Forget zombies and vampires and things that go bump in the night. If you are passionate about books and reading, if you value real work, if you love America, Gary Shteyngart's Super Sad True Love Story just might be the scariest book you read this year. What's most frightening - and, yes, saddest - about Shteyngart's satirical third novel is just how plausible the whole thing is... [I]n the end, Shteyngart's novel is about love - of places, for
BookBrowse Editorial Review
What Is Left the Daughter: A Novel
by Howard Norman
(7/8/2010)
Howard Norman is a master storyteller, packing provocative details into virtually every sentence of this short, but hardly slight, novel. Secondary characters, including the bakery owner, an aspiring stenographer, and a record collector, are depicted as quirky but utterly human. Likewise, the details of life in Middle Economy, including Tilda's aspirations to become a professional mourner, Donald's increasing obsessions, and Wyatt's attempt to master a craft, are simultaneously slightly off-kilt
BookBrowse Editorial Review
Solar
by Ian McEwan
(5/19/2010)
... Ironic, too, is the way in which Beard is able to speak about science. The passages in which McEwan quotes large segments of his informational and motivational speeches are brilliantly crafted pieces of popular science writing, Beard's knowledge of and apparent passion for his chosen field shine through every word, inspiring both Beard's audiences and McEwan's readers. But the narcissistic, short-sighted internal monologues that compose much of the rest of the novel call into question not on
BookBrowse Editorial Review
So Much for That: A Novel
by Lionel Shriver
(4/7/2010)
Given the acrid tone and complex implications of the current debates on health care, it's clear that these issues will remain with us for a long time to come; by melding the political with the personal, Shriver's novel, in the way of the very best topical fiction, will bring the matter home, to people's dining room tables and living room sofas, as families and book clubs and friends debate - using the tools of fiction - the issue that will define our times.
BookBrowse Editorial Review
The Unnamed: A Novel
by Joshua Ferris
(2/17/2010)
At times, reading The Unnamed feels a bit like accompanying Tim on one of his involuntary walks - aimless, increasingly desperate, without an end in sight. In that way, the narrative style and structure perfectly echoes the novel's theme. Readers who, like Jane at times, are searching for answers to Tim's condition, may grow impatient with Tim's seemingly endless peregrinations. Most readers, however, will be drawn into Ferris's poetic, empathetic accounts of Tim's journeys and returns, a

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Time Stamp 01-Jun-26 07:27 AM
Locale en
User Agent Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)
Remote IP 127.0.0.1
Host Name 127.0.0.1


Execution Time

Total Time Avg Time Count Template
1780298856927 ms 1.78029885693E+012 ms 1 /root/website/app_server.cfm
1946 ms 1946 ms 1 /root/website/readers/index.cfm
1545 ms 1545 ms 1 /root/website/readers/dsp_profile.cfm
196 ms 196 ms 1 CFC[ /root/website/cfcs/discourse.cfc | fetchAvatarUrl(Norah_Piehl) ] from /root/website/cfcs/discourse.cfc
194 ms 194 ms 1 /root/website/app_layout.cfm
146 ms 146 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/layout/dsp_right_column.cfm
118 ms 118 ms 1 /root/website/app_globals.cfm
112 ms 56 ms 2 /root/website/adsystem/adsystem_mod.cfm
71 ms 71 ms 1 /root/website/adzones/AdZone6.cfm
66 ms 66 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_member_profile.cfm
45 ms 45 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_active_obc.cfm
43 ms 43 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/layout/dsp_footer.cfm
41 ms 41 ms 1 /root/website/adzones/showcase_track.cfm
40 ms 40 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/dsp_book_giveaway.cfm
26 ms 26 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/dsp_border_first_impressions.cfm
25 ms 25 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_arcs_for_ad.cfm
20 ms 20 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_current_competition.cfm
14 ms 14 ms 1 /root/website/act_check_login.cfm
13 ms 13 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_following_count.cfm
13 ms 13 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_member_info.cfm
13 ms 13 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_reviews_by_member.cfm
12 ms 12 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_follower_count.cfm
11 ms 4 ms 3 /root/website/actions/act_spider_tracker.cfm
10 ms 10 ms 1 /root/website/actions/adstatus.cfm
10 ms 10 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_current_wordplay.cfm
2 ms 2 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/layout/dsp_header.cfm
1 ms 1 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_current_ezine.cfm
1 ms 1 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_previous_arcs_for_ad.cfm
1 ms 1 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_reader_reviews_power_reviewers.cfm
1 ms 1 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/layout/dsp_bottom_block.cfm
1 ms 1 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/layout/head.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/Application.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/act_libraryIPLogin.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/actions/udfs.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/banners/ad_594.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/formurl2attributes.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/js/fbjavascriptsdk.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/queries/qry_get_free_newsletters.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/dsp_border_booktalk.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/dsp_header_newsletter.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/dsp_wordplay.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/email_modal.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/layout/google_tags.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/layout/header_announcement.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/layout/main_menu.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 /root/website/site/blocks/layout/main_search.cfm
0 ms 0 ms 1 CFC[ /root/website/cfcs/discourse.cfc | init() ] from /root/website/cfcs/discourse.cfc
2 ms  STARTUP, PARSING, COMPILING, LOADING, & SHUTDOWN
1948 ms  TOTAL EXECUTION TIME
red = over 250 ms average execution time


SQL Queries

spidercheck (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=11ms, Records=1) in /root/website/actions/act_spider_tracker.cfm @ 07:27:36.036
SELECT	a.bot_number
        FROM	bots a
        WHERE	charindex(a.bot_name, ?) > 0
		OR a.bot_ip = ?
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(cf_sql_varchar) = Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)
Parameter #2(cf_sql_varchar) = 127.0.0.1

get_member_info (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=12ms, Records=0) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_member_info.cfm @ 07:27:36.036
select 	a.*, 
    		b.member_account_type_name, b.member_account_type_charge, b.member_account_type_charge_frequency,  b.member_account_type_months, 
            c.member_chargetype_name, c.member_chargetype_number, a.member_classification_number, a.member_book_format
	
    from members a, member_account_types b, member_chargetype c
	
    where a.member_account_type_number = b.member_account_type_number
	and a.payment_method_id = c.member_chargetype_number
	and a.member_number = ?
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 0

adactive (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=9ms, Records=2) in /root/website/actions/adstatus.cfm @ 07:27:36.036
SELECT	viewby, section
    FROM	adsystem 
    WHERE	active  = 1 
    AND		start_date <= GETDATE()
    AND 	(viewby = ? OR viewby = 'all')
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_VARCHAR) = non

get_current_ezine (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=0ms, Records=1, Cached Query) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_current_ezine.cfm @ 07:27:36.036
select		top 1 ezine_number, ezine_dt, ezine_image, ezine_brief_description, ezine_introduction
from		ezines
where		ezine_active_flag = 1
and 		ezine_type_number = 4
and			ezine_dt < getdate()
order by 	ezine_dt DESC
get_current_wordplay (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=10ms, Records=1) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_current_wordplay.cfm @ 07:27:36.036
SELECT		a.wordplay_number, a.wordplay_dt, a.wordplay_name, a.wordplay_intro_text, b.wordplay_puzzle_number, b.wordplay_puzzle_question
    FROM		wordplays a 
	INNER JOIN	wordplay_puzzle_mapping c on c.wordplay_number = a.wordplay_number
	INNER JOIN	wordplay_puzzles b on b.wordplay_puzzle_number = c.wordplay_puzzle_number
	WHERE		a.wordplay_number = (	select top 1 a.wordplay_number
                                from wordplays a, wordplay_puzzles b, wordplay_puzzle_mapping c
                                where a.wordplay_number = c.wordplay_number
                                and b.wordplay_puzzle_number = c.wordplay_puzzle_number
                                and a.wordplay_dt < getdate()
                                and a.wordplay_expiration_dt > dateadd(day, -1, getdate())
                                order by a.wordplay_dt asc
                                )
get_ComNo (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=9ms, Records=0) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_current_competition.cfm @ 07:27:36.036
SELECT 	TOP 1 	x.competition_number, x.bb_briefs_flag
	from			competitions x
	
		WHERE	x.competition_dt <= getdate()
		AND		x.competition_expiration_dt > dateadd(d,-1,getdate())
get_current_competition (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=10ms, Records=0) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_current_competition.cfm @ 07:27:36.036
SELECT 	x.competition_number, x.book_number, x.competition_teaser_title, x.competition_teaser_description, x.competition_intro_text, x.competition_expiration_dt, x.bb_briefs_flag, x.competition_full_info_flag, x.competition_type, x.competition_optin,x.competition_optin_text, 
				a.book_title as "title",
				(b.author_first_name + ' ' +  b.author_middle_initial + ' ' + b.author_last_name) as "author",
	            f.edition_publish_dt AS "hardcover_publish_dt", f.edition_jacket_image as "hardcover_jacket_image",
				g.edition_publish_dt AS "paperback_publish_dt", g.edition_jacket_image as "paperback_jacket_image"
	
		FROM 		competitions x
		INNER JOIN	books a on a.book_number = x.book_number
		INNER JOIN	book_author_mapping c on c.book_number = x.book_number
		INNER JOIN	authors b on c.author_number = b.author_number
		LEFT JOIN	editions f on a.book_number = f.book_number and f.edition_paperback_flag = 0
		LEFT JOIN	editions g on a.book_number = g.book_number and g.edition_paperback_flag = 1

		WHERE		x.competition_number = ?
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 0

get_previous_arcs_for_ad (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=0ms, Records=0, Cached Query) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_previous_arcs_for_ad.cfm @ 07:27:36.036
SELECT 	a.arc_number,a.arc_client_url,a.arc_active_dt, a.arc_off_ad_dt,
		b.ezine_preview_number, b.ezine_preview_title, b.ezine_preview_subtitle, b.ezine_preview_jacket_image, b.ezine_preview_author, b.ezine_preview_publisher, 
		b.ezine_preview_publish_dt, b.ezine_preview_jacket_desc, b.ezine_preview_number_of_pages, b.ezine_preview_bb_comments, b.ezine_preview_isbn13,
		c.ezine_preview_category_name AS "ezine_preview_category",
		(select count(*) from arc_allocator d where d.arc_number = a.arc_number and arc_allocator_review_approved_flag = 1) as "reviews",
		(select (CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,0))) AS numeric(12,0)))+
				(CASE WHEN right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) > 25 AND right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) < 50 THEN 0.5
				 WHEN right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) > 50 AND right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) < 75 THEN -0.5
				 ELSE 0
				 END)
 			from arc_allocator	where arc_number = a.arc_number and arc_allocator_review_approved_flag = 1) AS arcrating,
 			(select (CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,1))) AS numeric(12,1)))from arc_allocator where arc_number = a.arc_number and arc_allocator_review_approved_flag = 1) AS "decrating"

FROM arcs a
INNER JOIN ezine_previews b ON b.ezine_preview_number = a.ezine_preview_number
INNER JOIN ezine_preview_categories c ON b.ezine_preview_category_number = c.ezine_preview_category_number

WHERE arc_closed_flag = 1
AND arc_obc_flag = 0
AND getdate() >= arc_on_ad_dt
AND getdate() < arc_off_ad_dt

ORDER BY a.arc_on_ad_dt DESC
get_future_obc (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=10ms, Records=0) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_active_obc.cfm @ 07:27:37.037
SELECT 		a.arc_forumidfk, a.discourse_flag, a.arc_promo_text, arc_on_ad_dt,
				b.ezine_preview_number, b.ezine_preview_title, b.ezine_preview_subtitle, b.ezine_preview_jacket_image, b.ezine_preview_author, b.ezine_preview_jacket_desc, b.ezine_preview_publisher, ezine_preview_publish_dt, ezine_preview_number_of_pages, ezine_preview_isbn, ezine_preview_short_summary,
	            b.ezine_preview_bb_author_link, ezine_preview_bb_link
	
	FROM 		arcs a
	INNER JOIN 	ezine_previews b ON b.ezine_preview_number = a.ezine_preview_number
	
	WHERE 		arc_obc_flag = 1

	AND 		getdate() < arc_on_ad_dt
	
		ORDER BY  	NEWID()
get_active_obc (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=22ms, Records=1) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_active_obc.cfm @ 07:27:37.037
SELECT 		a.arc_forumidfk, a.discourse_flag, a.arc_promo_text,
				b.ezine_preview_number, b.ezine_preview_title, b.ezine_preview_subtitle, b.ezine_preview_jacket_image, b.ezine_preview_author, b.ezine_preview_jacket_desc, b.ezine_preview_publisher, ezine_preview_publish_dt, ezine_preview_number_of_pages,  ezine_preview_isbn, ezine_preview_short_summary,
	            b.ezine_preview_bb_author_link, ezine_preview_bb_link,
	            c.book_reading_guide
	
	FROM 		arcs a
	INNER JOIN 	ezine_previews b ON b.ezine_preview_number = a.ezine_preview_number
	LEFT JOIN  	books c on c.book_number = b.ezine_preview_bb_link
	
	WHERE 		a.arc_obc_flag = 1
	AND			a.arc_active_flag = 0
	AND 		arc_closed_flag = 1
	AND 		getdate() >= arc_on_ad_dt
	AND 		getdate() < arc_off_ad_dt
	ORDER BY  	NEWID()
get_recent_obc (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=11ms, Records=4) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_active_obc.cfm @ 07:27:37.037
SELECT 		a.arc_forumidfk, a.discourse_flag, a.arc_promo_text,
				b.ezine_preview_number, b.ezine_preview_title, b.ezine_preview_subtitle, b.ezine_preview_jacket_image, b.ezine_preview_author, b.ezine_preview_jacket_desc, b.ezine_preview_publisher, ezine_preview_publish_dt, ezine_preview_number_of_pages,  ezine_preview_isbn, ezine_preview_short_summary,
	            b.ezine_preview_bb_author_link, ezine_preview_bb_link,
	            c.book_reading_guide
	
	FROM 		arcs a
	INNER JOIN 	ezine_previews b ON b.ezine_preview_number = a.ezine_preview_number
	LEFT JOIN  	books c on c.book_number = b.ezine_preview_bb_link
	
	WHERE a.arc_number IN (select top 4 arc_number
							from		arcs
							WHERE 		arc_obc_flag = 1
							AND			arc_active_flag = 0
							AND 		arc_closed_flag = 1
							AND 		getdate() > arc_off_ad_dt
							ORDER BY	arc_on_ad_dt DESC)
	ORDER BY  	NEWID()
get_member_profile (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=65ms, Records=1) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_member_profile.cfm @ 07:27:37.037
SELECT  m.member_number, m.discourse_username, m.member_first_name, m.member_last_name, m.profile_image_url, m.member_full_name, m.member_bio, m.external_link, m.member_classification_number, m.member_email
        FROM    members m
        WHERE   m.discourse_username = ?
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_VARCHAR) = Norah_Piehl

get_reviews_by_member (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=13ms, Records=0) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_reviews_by_member.cfm @ 07:27:37.037
SELECT  a.book_number, a.ezine_preview_number, a.reader_review_number,
            COALESCE(NULLIF(LTRIM(RTRIM(m.discourse_username)), ''), NULLIF(LTRIM(RTRIM(a.reader_review_reviewer_name)), '')) AS reader_review_reviewer_name,
            a.reader_review_title, a.reader_review_rating, a.reader_review_description, a.reader_review_dt,
            (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM reader_review_likes rl WHERE rl.reader_review_number = a.reader_review_number) AS like_count
    FROM    reader_reviews a
    LEFT OUTER JOIN members m ON m.member_number = a.member_number
    WHERE   a.member_number = ?
    AND     a.reader_review_approved_flag = 1
    
        ORDER BY a.reader_review_dt DESC
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 4253

get_follower_count (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=12ms, Records=1) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_follower_count.cfm @ 07:27:37.037
SELECT COUNT(*) AS follower_count
    FROM member_follows
    WHERE followed_member_number = ?
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 4253

get_following_count (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=13ms, Records=1) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_following_count.cfm @ 07:27:37.037
SELECT COUNT(*) AS following_count
    FROM member_follows
    WHERE follower_member_number = ?
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 4253

get_reviewer_number (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=17ms, Records=1) in /root/website/readers/dsp_profile.cfm @ 07:27:37.037
SELECT TOP 1 reviewer_number
                FROM reviewers
                WHERE reviewer_email = ?
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_VARCHAR) = norah.piehl@bookbrowse.com

get_reader_reviews_power_reviewers (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=0ms, Records=50, Cached Query) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_reader_reviews_power_reviewers.cfm @ 07:27:37.037
SELECT 		top 50 reader_review_reviewer_email_address, count(reader_review_reviewer_email_address) as "count"
	FROM 		reader_reviews
	WHERE 		reader_review_reviewer_email_address like '%@%'
	AND 		reader_review_reviewer_email_address <> 'reviews@bookbrowse.com'
	GROUP BY 	reader_review_reviewer_email_address
	
	
	ORDER BY 	count desc
(Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=32ms, Records=1) in /root/website/readers/dsp_profile.cfm @ 07:27:37.037
UPDATE members
                    SET profile_image_url = ?
                    WHERE member_number = ?
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_VARCHAR) = https://community.bookbrowse.com/user_avatar/community.bookbrowse.com/norah_piehl/240/47_2.png
Parameter #2(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 4253

get_reviewer_details (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=5ms, Records=1) in /root/website/readers/dsp_profile.cfm @ 07:27:37.037
SELECT reviewer_photo, reviewer_bio, reviewer_first_name, reviewer_last_name
            FROM reviewers
            WHERE reviewer_number = ?
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 48

get_editorial_reviews (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=1254ms, Records=127) in /root/website/readers/dsp_profile.cfm @ 07:27:38.038
SELECT  d.book_number, d.book_title, d.book_sub_title,
                    e.ezine_dt,
                    ep.ezine_preview_number, ep.ezine_preview_title, ep.ezine_preview_subtitle,
                    ep.ezine_preview_author, ep.ezine_preview_jacket_image,
                    mr.media_review_rating,
                    LEFT(mr.media_review, 500) AS review_excerpt
            FROM    ezine_edition_mapping b
            INNER JOIN editions c ON c.edition_number = b.edition_number
            INNER JOIN books d ON d.book_number = c.book_number
            INNER JOIN ezines e ON e.ezine_number = b.ezine_number
            LEFT JOIN ezine_previews ep ON ep.ezine_preview_isbn13 = c.edition_isbn13
                AND ep.ezine_preview_isbn13 IS NOT NULL AND LEN(ep.ezine_preview_isbn13) > 0
            LEFT JOIN media_reviews mr ON mr.book_number = c.book_number AND mr.media_review_type_number = 9
            WHERE   b.reviewer_number = ?
            AND     e.ezine_dt = (SELECT TOP 1 ez.ezine_dt
                                  FROM ezines ez
                                  INNER JOIN ezine_edition_mapping eem ON eem.ezine_number = ez.ezine_number
                                  INNER JOIN editions ed ON ed.edition_number = eem.edition_number
                                  WHERE ed.book_number = c.book_number
                                  ORDER BY ez.ezine_dt ASC)
            ORDER BY e.ezine_dt DESC
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 48

get_arcs_for_ad (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=11ms, Records=0) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_arcs_for_ad.cfm @ 07:27:38.038
SELECT 	top 10 a.arc_number,arc_promo_text,
		b.ezine_preview_number, b.ezine_preview_title, b.ezine_preview_subtitle, b.ezine_preview_jacket_image, b.ezine_preview_author, b.ezine_preview_publish_dt, 
		(select (CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,0))) AS numeric(12,0)))+
				(CASE WHEN right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) > 25 AND right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) < 50 THEN 0.5
				 WHEN right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) > 50 AND right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) < 75 THEN -0.5
				 ELSE 0
				 END)
 			from arc_allocator	where arc_number = a.arc_number and arc_allocator_review_approved_flag = 1) AS arcrating

FROM arcs a
INNER JOIN ezine_previews b ON b.ezine_preview_number = a.ezine_preview_number

WHERE arc_closed_flag = 1
AND arc_obc_flag = 0
AND getdate() >= arc_on_ad_dt
AND (select count(*) from arc_allocator d where d.arc_number = a.arc_number and arc_allocator_review_approved_flag = 1) > 1
and getdate() <= dateadd(day,1,a.arc_off_ad_dt)

ORDER BY NEWID()
get_arcs_for_ad (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=13ms, Records=3) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_arcs_for_ad.cfm @ 07:27:38.038
SELECT 	top 3 a.arc_number,arc_promo_text,
			b.ezine_preview_number, b.ezine_preview_title, b.ezine_preview_subtitle, b.ezine_preview_jacket_image, b.ezine_preview_author, b.ezine_preview_publish_dt, 
			(select (CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,0))) AS numeric(12,0)))+
					(CASE WHEN right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) > 25 AND right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) < 50 THEN 0.5
					 WHEN right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) > 50 AND right(CAST(AVG(CAST(arc_allocator_review_rating AS numeric(12,2))) AS numeric(12,2)),2) < 75 THEN -0.5
					 ELSE 0
					 END)
				from arc_allocator	where arc_number = a.arc_number and arc_allocator_review_approved_flag = 1) AS arcrating

	FROM arcs a
	INNER JOIN ezine_previews b ON b.ezine_preview_number = a.ezine_preview_number

	WHERE arc_closed_flag = 1
	AND arc_obc_flag = 0
	AND getdate() >= arc_on_ad_dt
	AND (select count(*) from arc_allocator d where d.arc_number = a.arc_number and arc_allocator_review_approved_flag = 1) > 1

	ORDER BY a.arc_off_ad_dt DESC
get_ads (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=31ms, Records=0) in /root/website/adsystem/adsystem_mod.cfm @ 07:27:38.038
SELECT		a.adid,	adweight
	FROM		adsystem a
	INNER JOIN 	ad_category_mapping b ON b.adid = a.adid
	WHERE		a.section = ?
	AND			a.active  = 1
	AND 		a.start_date <= GETDATE()
	
	AND (a.viewby LIKE '%n%' OR a.viewby = 'all')
            

	AND     (b.category_number IN (	SELECT	category_number
									FROM	category_book_mapping
									WHERE	book_number = ?)
      		OR 	b.category_number = ?)
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_VARCHAR) = adzone6
Parameter #2(CF_SQL_VARCHAR) = 0
Parameter #3(CF_SQL_VARCHAR) = 0

get_ads (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=14ms, Records=1) in /root/website/adsystem/adsystem_mod.cfm @ 07:27:38.038
SELECT	a.adid,	adweight
        FROM	adsystem a
        WHERE	a.section = ? 
        AND 	a.active  = 1 
        AND		a.start_date <= GETDATE()	
        
        AND (a.viewby LIKE '%n%' OR a.viewby = 'all')
        AND (select count(*) from ad_category_mapping where datalength(category_number) >= 1 and adid = a.adid) = 0
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_VARCHAR) = adzone6

get_type (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=23ms, Records=1) in /root/website/adsystem/adsystem_mod.cfm @ 07:27:38.038
SELECT	a.start_date, a.adid, a.end_date, a.camp_views, a.image_name, a.alt_text, a.views, a.code, a.adsize
        FROM	adsystem a
        WHERE	a.adid = ?
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 1112

get_quotes (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=39ms, Records=1) in /root/website/site/blocks/dsp_book_giveaway.cfm @ 07:27:38.038
select top 1 ezine_number, ezine_quote, ezine_quote_title
	    from ezines
	    where len(ezine_quote_title) > 1
	    order by newid()
get_free_newsletters (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=0ms, Records=4, Cached Query) in /root/website/queries/qry_get_free_newsletters.cfm @ 07:27:38.038
SELECT 	*
    FROM 	free_newsletters
get_ads (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=14ms, Records=0) in /root/website/adsystem/adsystem_mod.cfm @ 07:27:38.038
SELECT		a.adid,	adweight
	FROM		adsystem a
	INNER JOIN 	ad_category_mapping b ON b.adid = a.adid
	WHERE		a.section = ?
	AND			a.active  = 1
	AND 		a.start_date <= GETDATE()
		 	AND a.adid NOT IN (?) 
	AND (a.viewby LIKE '%n%' OR a.viewby = 'all')
            

	AND     (b.category_number IN (	SELECT	category_number
									FROM	category_book_mapping
									WHERE	book_number = ?)
      		OR 	b.category_number = ?)
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_VARCHAR) = showcase_track
Parameter #2(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 1112
Parameter #3(CF_SQL_VARCHAR) = 0
Parameter #4(CF_SQL_VARCHAR) = 0

get_ads (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=16ms, Records=1) in /root/website/adsystem/adsystem_mod.cfm @ 07:27:38.038
SELECT	a.adid,	adweight
        FROM	adsystem a
        WHERE	a.section = ? 
        AND 	a.active  = 1 
        AND		a.start_date <= GETDATE()	
        		AND a.adid NOT IN (?) 
        AND (a.viewby LIKE '%n%' OR a.viewby = 'all')
        AND (select count(*) from ad_category_mapping where datalength(category_number) >= 1 and adid = a.adid) = 0
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_VARCHAR) = showcase_track
Parameter #2(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 1112

get_type (Datasource=bookbrowse_com_new, Time=7ms, Records=1) in /root/website/adsystem/adsystem_mod.cfm @ 07:27:38.038
SELECT	a.start_date, a.adid, a.end_date, a.camp_views, a.image_name, a.alt_text, a.views, a.code, a.adsize
        FROM	adsystem a
        WHERE	a.adid = ?
Query Parameter Value(s) -
Parameter #1(CF_SQL_INTEGER) = 594


Scope Variables

CGI Variables:
AUTH_PASSWORD=
AUTH_TYPE=
AUTH_USER=
CERT_COOKIE=
CERT_FLAGS=
CERT_ISSUER=
CERT_KEYSIZE=
CERT_SECRETKEYSIZE=
CERT_SERIALNUMBER=
CERT_SERVER_ISSUER=
CERT_SERVER_SUBJECT=
CERT_SUBJECT=
CF_TEMPLATE_PATH=/root/website/readers/index.cfm
CONTENT_LENGTH=
CONTENT_TYPE=
CONTEXT_PATH=
GATEWAY_INTERFACE=
HTTPS=
HTTPS_KEYSIZE=
HTTPS_SECRETKEYSIZE=
HTTPS_SERVER_ISSUER=
HTTPS_SERVER_SUBJECT=
HTTP_ACCEPT=*/*
HTTP_ACCEPT_ENCODING=gzip, br, zstd, deflate
HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE=
HTTP_CONNECTION=upgrade
HTTP_COOKIE=CFCLIENT_BOOKBROWSE=order%3Dp%23member%5Fnumber%3D0%23member%5Factive%5Fflag%3D0%23member%5Flogged%5Fin%5Fflag%3D0%23library%5Fuser%5Fflag%3D0%23view%3Dbooks%23; CFID=4091527; CFGLOBALS=urltoken%3DCFID%23%3D4091527%26CFTOKEN%23%3Dda9312ac3f15f89e%2D14CAB7EF%2DFFC0%2DC599%2D717323711EE9F19E%23lastvisit%3D%7Bts%20%272026%2D06%2D01%2007%3A27%3A36%27%7D%23hitcount%3D92%23timecreated%3D%7Bts%20%272026%2D06%2D01%2007%3A27%3A07%27%7D%23cftoken%3Dda9312ac3f15f89e%2D14CAB7EF%2DFFC0%2DC599%2D717323711EE9F19E%23cfid%3D4091527%23; CFTOKEN=da9312ac3f15f89e-14CAB7EF-FFC0-C599-717323711EE9F19E
HTTP_HOST=dev.bookbrowse.com
HTTP_REFERER=
HTTP_URL=
HTTP_USER_AGENT=Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)
LOCAL_ADDR=127.0.0.1
PATH_INFO=/Norah_Piehl
PATH_TRANSLATED=/root/website/readers/index.cfm
QUERY_STRING=
REMOTE_ADDR=127.0.0.1
REMOTE_HOST=127.0.0.1
REMOTE_USER=
REQUEST_METHOD=GET
SCRIPT_NAME=/readers/index.cfm
SERVER_NAME=dev.bookbrowse.com
SERVER_PORT=8500
SERVER_PORT_SECURE=0
SERVER_PROTOCOL=HTTP/1.1
SERVER_SOFTWARE=
WEB_SERVER_API=
Client Variables:
cfid=4091527
cftoken=da9312ac3f15f89e-14CAB7EF-FFC0-C599-717323711EE9F19E
hitcount=100
lastvisit={ts '2026-06-01 07:27:38'}
library_user_flag=0
member_active_flag=0
member_logged_in_flag=0
member_number=0
order=p
timecreated={ts '2026-06-01 07:27:07'}
urltoken=CFID=4091527&CFTOKEN=da9312ac3f15f89e-14CAB7EF-FFC0-C599-717323711EE9F19E
view=books
Cookie Variables:
CFCLIENT_BOOKBROWSE=order=p#member_number=0#member_active_flag=0#member_logged_in_flag=0#library_user_flag=0#view=books#
CFGLOBALS=urltoken=CFID#=4091527&CFTOKEN#=da9312ac3f15f89e-14CAB7EF-FFC0-C599-717323711EE9F19E#lastvisit={ts '2026-06-01 07:27:36'}#hitcount=92#timecreated={ts '2026-06-01 07:27:07'}#cftoken=da9312ac3f15f89e-14CAB7EF-FFC0-C599-717323711EE9F19E#cfid=4091527#
CFID=4091527
CFTOKEN=da9312ac3f15f89e-14CAB7EF-FFC0-C599-717323711EE9F19E
Session Variables:
cfid=4091527
cftoken=da9312ac3f15f89e-14CAB7EF-FFC0-C599-717323711EE9F19E
sessionid=BOOKBROWSE_4091527_da9312ac3f15f89e-14CAB7EF-FFC0-C599-717323711EE9F19E
urltoken=CFID=4091527&CFTOKEN=da9312ac3f15f89e-14CAB7EF-FFC0-C599-717323711EE9F19E
URL Parameters:
Norah_Piehl=
Debug Rendering Time: 14 ms