With many of us unable to gather in groups right now, virtual book clubs are becoming a big deal. We hope Bookship is helping you stay in touch with friends & family.
We’re working on something we’re pretty excited about! The chance to (virtually) meet the author of the book you’re reading! But first, a few quick updates:
With more reading time available, people are reading more classics. We’ve added hundreds of new free books to read right inside the app. Did you know the word “robot” was first introduced in Karel Capek’s classic Russian Sci-Fi novel R.U.R.? Just tap the link to read it in Bookship. A beautiful new edition of War & Peace, The Art of War, the fantasy classic The King of Elfland’s Daughter. Try Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, The Life of Frederick Douglass, or Jack London’s classic adventure The Sea Wolf. You can see the most recent new eBooks in the category unsurprisingly called New Free Books, under Browse / Read Free.
For Bookship Premium users, we’ve add a ton of new content. We now include blog posts from the author, if they have a blog. As a reminder, we don’t run ads or sell your personal information; Bookship Premium is how we keep the lights on. Click to learn more about Premium.
This month’s tip: Your group can keep a shared TBR list in Bookship! From Accounts, create a group with your members. Then, on any Book page click the bookmark icon, then tap your group name. Anyone in the group can add books or see the complete book list, under Account / My Groups / group name / Booklist (TBR). The Help section in the app has a video showing you how.
Meeting the author of a book you love has to be one of the coolest things ever! We’re going to start making that possible! Bookship will have a new section dedicated to authors who will join your book club meeting via Zoom. When you start one of their books, we’ll get in touch to set it up. Some authors can only meet with groups of a certain size, usually 10 or more; if your group is smaller we’ll see what we can do. Keep in mind there’s a lead time; it can sometimes be a month before the author can make a meeting. If you want us to include a particular author, let me know; we’ll try our best!
Are you an author? Let me know if you want to be included.
We haven’t launched this in the app yet, but we’re delighted to announce some of the participating authors. They are ready to go, so if your group starts one of their books, I’ll be in touch.
Nomi Eve is the author of Henna House and The Family Orchard, which was a Book-of-the-Month Club main selection and was nominated for a National Jewish Book Award. Nomi is extremely generous with her time and has met with hundreds of book clubs! |
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Henna House is “A touching coming-of-age story” in the tradition of Anita Diamant’s The Red Tent, about a young woman, her family, their community and the customs that bind them, from “a storyteller of uncommon energy and poise” (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times). | |
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| | Bina Shah | | Before She Sleeps |
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Bina Shah is a writer of English fiction and a journalist living in Karachi, Pakistan. She is the author of four novels and two collections of short stories and a regular contributor to the international New York Times. |
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A Publishers Weekly Starred Review. Before She Sleeps is a dystopian novel from one of Pakistan’s most talented writers; a modern-day parable: answering the The Handmaid’s Tale with an explosive imagining of women’s lives in repressive Middle Eastern and South Asian countries. | “Female-centered #Dystopia from #Pakistan: Before She Sleeps, Bina Shah. Fascinating new angle on ‘emotional work’!” -- Margaret Atwood on Twitter | |
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| | Emma Smith-Stevens | | The Australian |
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The Australian is Emma Smith-Stevens' debut novel. Her writing has appeared in BOMB Magazine, Literary Hub, the New York Times Bestselling Not That Bad (Ed. Roxane Gay), and elsewhere. Lauren Groff, the author of Fates and Furies, said "what a wonderful new writer we have in Smith-Stevens". |
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A Publishers Weekly Starred Review. In her humorous and emotionally resonant debut, Emma Smith-Stevens follows the exploits and evolution of a young man - known only as the Australian - over the course of a dozen years, from his time in Melbourne, posing as Superman for tourist photos, to his life in New York, where he spends years unemployed before stumbling into fame and fortune. | |
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| | Jennifer Steil | | Exile Music |
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Jennifer Steil is an award-winning novelist and memoirist who lives in many countries. Her first novel The Ambassador's Wife was inspired by her real-life kidnapping while in Yemen. That experience became the first scene of the novel. |
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Based on an unexplored slice of World War II history, Exile Music is the captivating story of a young Jewish girl whose family flees refined and urbane Vienna for safe harbor in the mountains of Bolivia. | Good Morning America called it one of the 25 books you'll want to read this summer. | |
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M.K. (Mary) Tod is well known in historical fiction circles for both her novels as well as her blog, www.awriterofhistory.com. She loves talking with readers about her work and her research. |
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When Grace Hansen finds a box belonging to her beloved grandfather, she has no idea it holds the key to his past—and to long-buried family secrets. In the box are his World War I diaries and a cryptic note addressed to her. Determined to solve her grandfather’s puzzle, she follows his diary entries across northern France, where she becomes increasingly drawn to a charming French man—and suddenly aware that someone is following her… | The Historical Novel Society said "Time and Regret is a thoughtful and elegant ...Highly recommended." | |
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| | Jaimal Yogis | | All Our Waves Are Water |
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I met Jaimal in Hawaii when he spoke about his first memoir, Saltwater Buddha. He has far too much wisdom for someone so young. A frequent TV and media guest and writer for The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and ESPN, Jaimal also speaks regularly at grade schools, universities, and businesses. You will not regret reading any of Jaimal's books. Trust me on this one. |
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Saltwater Buddha chronicles Jaimal running away from home at 16 from California to Hawaii to surf, and his coming of age and journey into Buddhism. Jaimal's most recent work for adults, All our Waves Are Water, follows Jaimal’s trek from the Himalayas to Indonesia; to a Franciscan Friary in New York City to the dusty streets of Jerusalem; and finally to San Francisco’s Ocean Beach. | Most recently, in his latest book, Mop Rides the Waves of Life, Jaimal teaches 4-8 year olds timeless beach wisdom with the story of Mop, a sensitive and fun-loving kid who just wants to be in the ocean. | |
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Thanks for reading and staying in touch. If you have any trouble with Bookship, please drop me a note.
Happy Reading!
