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Audra - Which operating system are you using - Linux, OSX or Windows ?
If the brown book with the magnifying glass appears in your taskbar/dock/whatever (i.e. outside the main calibre window) then that's the ebook viewer, click on it - I suspect your Operating System is opening it minimised.
calibre site ==>>
calibre - E-book management
calibre user manual ==>>
calibre User Manual
BR