It took me a couple of minutes to recognize her. It was only after a burly security guard urged me to move along did the realization sink in: that was the actress Julianne Moore signing copies of her new kids' book, Freckleface Strawberry: Lunch, or What's That?, at the Penguin Random House booth.

Some years ago, when I first attended Book Expo America (or BEA as it is usually known) I noticed just one signing line, an insanely long one for Stephen Colbert. If I were to know that he would leave The Colbert Report in a few short years, I would have expended the energy to wait around for his signature on the book he was releasing then.

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Dear BookBrowsers,

A few weeks ago, the wildly popular website Humans of New York featured an adorable elementary schooler. What stuck with me was her hugely inventive story -- she had created a country called Manizao, she explained, that was between India and China and its president was a girl called Mahava. These intricately plotted stories from childhood are wonderful products from kids who can color outside their boxes and transport themselves to places of wonder and fantasy. The magic of speculative fiction fills such a niche for adults all while spinning a credible yarn. In this special issue, our book club recommendations deliver great stories, speculative fiction that will fire your imagination by asking a very basic and intriguing question: what if?

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Dear BookBrowsers,

Breakfast in bed with burnt toast. Go ahead, you've earned it. Besides, there are some Mother's Day traditions you simply must not break. But this year, maybe it's time to start a new one: how about giving yourself, or the favorite mom in your life, a day filled with reading? We've selected 10 choice picks from recently published books that will deliver a perfect Mother's Day this May 10 for the reader mom in your life. And if that mom is you, there's no better time like the present to place this list in strategic locations around the house for the crowd to notice. Ample hints can't hurt either. Happy Mother's Day!

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Dear BookBrowsers,

Do you remember Agatha Christie's meticulously crafted mysteries? For many of us, they were an early grade-school introduction to the genre where we saw that mysteries could be fun and cerebral. While Christie's work might be classic staged whodunnits, because we like to up the ante at BookBrowse, let's take the theme one step further and look at mysteries that are beyond standard-issue quick reads.

Our latest series of recommendations for book clubbers delivers mysteries that both deliver a juicy story and transport you to interesting locales and times to truly broaden your horizons. Even better, they're packed with intriguing themes for you to take apart and dissect at your next meeting; and for a limited time you can read the reviews and "beyond the book" articles for all of them in full. So dive in. Psst, if mysteries are your guilty pleasure, we promise, we won't tell.

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We have an incredible lineup of books to discuss over the next couple of months in BookBrowse's Book Club!

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There's a reason that spring is many people's favorite season. This year, where winter has been long and bruising for many, spring's renewal has been especially welcome. Of course, for readers, it is also a chance to take a look at the new crop of books and cull promising ones for our reading lists. In this special edition newsletter, we feature a dozen novels to be published in April and early May that are promising to blossom into great reading experiences. We hope you find many to your taste.

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