The Library of Borrowed Hearts

Published: Dreamscape Media
Narrators: Leanne Woodward, Aven Shore, Joe Jameson, Bob Ball.
Date: 30th April 2024
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Librarian Chloe Sampson has been struggling: to take care of her three younger siblings, to find herself, to make ends meet. She’s just about at the end of her rope when she stumbles across a rare edition of a book from the 1960s at the local flea market. Deciding it’s a sign of her luck turning, she takes it home with her—only to be shocked when her cranky hermit of a neighbor swoops in and offers to buy it for an exorbitant price. Intrigued, Chloe takes a closer look at the book only to find notes scribbled in the margins between two young lovers back when the book was new…one of whom is almost definitely Jasper Holmes, the curmudgeon next door.

And when she begins following the clues left behind, she discovers this isn’t the only old book in town filled with their romantic marginalia. This kickstarts a literary scavenger hunt that Chloe is determined to see through to the end. What happened to the two tragic lovers who corresponded in the margins of so many different library books? 

The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore was very enjoyable. We have Chloe and her three siblings Theo, Trixie and Noodle (Aloysius) and their next door neighbor – a grumpy old man who never returns anything that goes over into his garden.  That’s Jasper.

Chloe was left to care for her sister and brothers when their mother just up and left them. She has done so with a very low paid job at the local library. Then she comes across the book with all the notes that two people have made in the margins of a book quite a long time ago. The mystery begins!

Soon we are down that rabbit hole of a story which is utterly fascinating. It eventually plays out into the lives of Chloe and her brothers and sisters. We meet along the way Zac who rescues Noodle when he gets in a spot of bother. Zac becomes quite significant.

This story is a whole listening experience, I went along for the ride and I came to really love these characters. It has some sad parts to it and equally it has some laugh out loud moments and very heart warming moments. It’s one of those books I hate to say good bye to the characters.

The narration is very good, the story as it moves along is told from a few of the characters viewpoints, and different narrators voice these characters.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.

Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels or anything in those genres – join them.

Well another week goes by. It was a good reading week with some sunshine and walks (short!) thrown in. I didn’t do that much really, just all the usual daily things. And as I just heard of someone very sick I can definitely count the ordinary and usual as a blessing.

What I read last week:

What I am reading now:

Listening to

I finished my slow and steady read

So I have opted to read as a slow and steady book a middle grade book.

Up next:

Not sure maybe one of these just collected from the library on Sunday.

 

Last Week’s Posts

What Happened to Dervla McTiernan

The Wild Lavender Bookshop  Jodi Thomas

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The Wild Lavender Bookshop. Jodi Thomas

Published:  Kensington
Date:   23rd April 2024
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

The trees that circle Someday Valley near Honey Creek are dressed in their fall finest, providing a pretty backdrop for the local businesses—including the little bookshop loved by schoolteacher Cora Lee Buchanan. There, under the watchful eye of owner Noah O’Brien, Cora Lee and her sister, Katherine, meet each Wednesday. Their talk mostly revolves around one subject: their father, known to everyone in town as Bear.

Both Cora Lee and Katherine worry about Bear Buchanan. They’ve no idea Bear has a secret life of his own. As for the sisters, Katherine, beautiful and self-absorbed, is in search of her third husband, while Cora Lee is in love for the first time. On warm nights, she climbs up to her building’s roof to chat with Noah and listen to the melody of the water below. Yet there is more intrigue afoot in Honey Creek . . .

Andi Delane has arrived in town to hear the last wishes of the father she never met. She was shocked to get a letter from lawyer Jackson Landry, and she has few expectations—of this mysterious will, or of Deputy Danny Davis who’s been assigned to protect her. But fall always brings changes, and this year there will be enough to alter not just the lives of those who call Honey Creek home, but the future of Someday Valley itself . . .

Another very enjoyable book from Jodi Thomas, The Wild Lavender Bookshop is at the centre of all the main goings on that happen in Someday Valley over this period of time.

Andi who I have been long looking forward to turning up in Someday Valley finally appears and it is around her that all the action takes place. And finally she will get to meet two of her half brothers.

Andi and the Deputy soon have a thing going on between them, Noah the bookshop owner discovers he really does have feelings for the younger of Bear’s daughter and Bear himself just might have someone rather special to him as well.

The story is told with all the wonderful Texas setting Jodi Thomas does so well, along with that strong sense of humor that is also her trademark.  It has plenty of action and as usual the characters endear themselves to this reader’s heart.

What Happened to Nina? Dervla McTiernan

Published: HarperCollins Australia
Date: 28th February 2024
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Nina and Simon are the perfect couple. Young, fun and deeply in love. Until they leave for a weekend at his family’s cabin in Vermont, and only Simon comes home.

WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA?

Nobody knows. Simon’s explanation about what happened in their last hours together doesn’t add up. Nina’s parents push the police for answers, and Simon’s parents rush to protect him. They hire expensive lawyers and a PR firm that quickly ramps up a vicious, nothing-is-off-limits media campaign.

HOW FAR WILL HIS FAMILY GO TO KEEP HIM SAFE?

Soon, facts are lost in a swirl of accusation and counter-accusation. Everyone chooses a side, and the story goes viral, fuelled by armchair investigators and wild conspiracy theories and illustrated with pretty pictures taken from Nina’s social media accounts. Journalists descend on their small Vermont town, followed by a few obsessive ‘fans.’

HOW FAR WILL HER FAMILY GO TO GET TO THE TRUTH?

Nina’s family is under siege, but they never lose sight of the only thing that really matters – finding their daughter. Out-gunned by Simon’s wealthy, powerful family, Nina’s parents recognize that if playing by the rules won’t get them anywhere, it’s time to break them.

My thoughts.

What a disturbing crime/mystery story this is. We meet Nina in the prologue, we see things and when she disappears we know enough to be worried for her.

We see her family – distraught and out of their minds. We see Simon and his family and for a start they see money and power as the way to proceed. They are not likeable!

We see the police following up on small leads, and we see the online trolls that Rory – Simon’s father has set in place to blacken Nina and her family. That part I found chilling and oh so real. We see it every day over smaller matters than possible crime.

Have You Seen Nina? was a riveting and disturbing read. Would justice be served? I didn’t see what was coming and that was even more disturbing. It wasn’t something I could rest with or delight in. Messy!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.

Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels or anything in those genres – join them.

Welcome in. Well I went back to wearing summer clothes, and then yesterday sorted out winterish ones again. We had a couple of days rain which was excellent. It was an atmospheric river that really went around us, north and south of us got very heavy rain. They said we’d have heavy rain one night, but we got a 5 minute sprinkle!

So anyway plenty of reading and quilting. I got a flu and Covid vaccine on Saturday. My arm is still sore from the Covid one!

What I read last week:

A good reading week. The Underground Library was about WW2 and London and underground train station and the people of course. Secrets of Riverside was a a review book. Just for the Summer I listened on audio. I loved it, Abby Jimenez is a wonderful author. The Wanderer was a reread via audio and I still really liked it.

What I am reading now:

Reading a library/review book.

Listening to…       A review audiobook

Slow and Steady Read.

Getting near the end, so coming to the big blow up I think.

Up next:

Not sure exactly which ones but these are probables. One a library book and one a review book.

 

Last Week’s Posts

Seaglass Summer. Rachel Hanna

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Seaglass summer

Published: Deamscape Select
Date: 19th March 2024
Narrator: Becky  Brabham
Length: 3hours 36 minutes.
Source: Publisher via Netgalley

At 40, Tara Lawson’s world falls apart. A painful divorce and the loss of her job as a journalist leave her reeling. But it’s the news of her beloved grandmother’s passing that draws her back to her childhood home in Seagrove, South Carolina, to settle the estate.

In the midst of her grief, Tara unexpectedly reconnects with Noah, her childhood best friend. Now a successful sea glass artist, Noah’s steadfast presence becomes a comforting anchor. Together, they revive their old tradition of hunting for sea glass, a simple joy that begins to heal Tara’s emotional wounds.

As the summer unfolds, their bond deepens, and a profound love blossoms. The peaceful beach town, the shared silence and laughter, and the beauty of sea glass all play a part in Tara’s healing process.

But as the season draws to a close, Tara is faced with a decision that threatens to unravel everything she’s rebuilt. Torn between two paths, she must choose what she truly wants.

Sea Glass Summer  by Rachel Hanna is part of an ongoing series. This book is #11. It mainly focuses on Tara, returning home after her grandmother’s death, and Noah – Tara’s long term friend who now, as the story continues becomes something more.

The story also includes Julie who has been keeping a long term secret from her family and friends, she has been writing her first book. We learn of her journey and ultimate success.

I particularly liked the setting and the inclusion of the sea glass in the story, and the cover is really inviting.  There is a sense of a broad community of people who are there for each other.

The narrator does a competent narration and added to the story. I think this book will be welcomed by those who have been enjoying the series since its beginning.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.

Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels or anything in those genres – join them.

Well it was a reasonable week. We had cool but pleasant weather with one evening of rain. Not much or enough but at least some. My winter wood came on Tuesday and I spent that day putting it away. Usually I do it over about three days but not this time. I was rather stiff the next day. I think I might have to get a bit more but the thought of wheelbarrowing it around the back and stacking is too fresh in my mind at the moment.

We changed our clocks this week, so that will take a little adjusting too as it always does until it feels totally normal again.

What I read last week:

All good reads. I really liked The Beautiful Mystery, it is very tempting to go straight into the next one but there are library and review books waiting so will have to wait a while.

What I am reading now:

I am listening to…

And also. The Wanderer by Robyn Carr. A reread but on Audible Plus so I am enjoying that book all over again.

I continue on with my slow and steady read. It’s not gripping but I want to see how it all works out. I can see some of them are going to meet a crisis point.

Up next:

 

Last Week’s Posts

March Reading Round Up

The Happiness Blueprint Ally Zetterburg

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The Happiness Blueprint. Ally Zetterberg.

Published: Harlequin Trade Publishing: MIRA
Date: April 2nd 2024
Source: Publicist via NetGalley

Klara—who’s always thought of herself as a little different, a sneaker in a world full of kitten heels and polished boots—is feeling a disconnect these days. She has type 1 diabetes, currently works in a dead-end job, and is in desperate need of a change. When her dad falls ill, Klara begrudgingly agrees to help run his small construction company while he recovers, even though it means moving back home and pushing the boundaries of her comfort zone to the extreme.

Alex has been a shell of himself since his brother died in an accident. He’s unemployed, has bills piling up, and is distant from friends and family. His therapist is encouraging him to keep things manageable by setting up a calendar, checking off tasks each day, and looking for work to help get him back on his feet. When an ad pops up for a carpenter position at a small construction company, he jumps at the chance to take a step forward.

Klara’s and Alex’s stories unfold through a series of miscommunications in this clever and witty novel from debut author Ally Zetterberg that’s about finding acceptance and even love in unexpected places.

The Happiness Blueprint unfolds slowly for me to begin with, but then begins to unfurl and really get going. At first I wasn’t connecting with the story, but ever so cleverly  the characters, especially Klara and Alex, won my heart.

Klara is a delight, at first I couldn’t see how she would be a success in her new role in her father’s business, but it all works out well for her and in a way she finds herself as she gains in confidence. She has had to deal with diabetes since she was a child and also is beginning to think she might be on the autistic spectrum.

Alex has lost a brother in an accident just recently, it has seen him spiral into depression. He sees a pyschiatrist who gets him to write three tasks per day to carry out. He doesn’t start off too well with this but eventually gets there. How Alex and Klara meet up and what happens to them, I will leave to the reader to find out.

This book explores loss, depression, autism, family – parent/child, father/daughter, sisters, brothers. It’s a lot but the story handles them really well.

I especially loved Klara’s exposition of the importance of technology in modern life, all so positive and true.  I also enjoyed the setting which is mostly in Sweden. There is romance in the book, and that romance was just perfect. However this book is far more than mere romance. Graeme Simsion says on the cover it is charming and it is. But as you know if you have read Graeme Simsion, he also writes books with an autistic character.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ally Zetterberg is a British-Swedish writer. She spent ten years working internationally as a fashion model before becoming a full-time mum. Being neurodivergent herself and the mother of a child with Type 1 Diabetes, she is passionate about writing relatable characters and representing those living with medical conditions in commercial fiction. She speaks four languages and spends her days doing her best not to muddle them up.
SOCIAL LINKS
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March Reading round up

Total books read this month: 15

Book Ratings

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas. Library book. 4 stars
State of Bliss. Marie Force. Own Kindle book. 4.25 stars.
The Glass House. NetGalley review. 4.75 stars
The Art of Keeping Secrets. Audiobook. 4 stars.
The Labors of Hercules Beal. Own print book. 5 stars.
Christmas in Snowflake Canyon. Own kindle book. 4 stars
The Wartime Book Club. NetGallley Audiobook. 5 stars
The Happiness Blueprint.NetGalley book.  3.75 stars
The Siren Sussex. Library book. 3.75 stars
The Wild Lavender Bookshop NetGalley book 4 stars
Quarter to Midnight. Own print book 4.5 stars
A Rose in Winter. Own audiobook 3.25 stars
Sea Glass Summer NetGalley Audiobook 2.75 stars
Red Dirt Home. Library book. 4.25 stars
The Prince of Tides. Own book. 4.75 stars

Settings.

Canada  1
USA.  8
Australia 2
Jersey – Channel Islands 1
Sweden 1
England 2

New to me authors:

Kate Thompson  *
Ally Zetterberg
Mimi Matthews  *
Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
Rachel Hanna
Renae Black *

• Authors I want to read again.

Top Books for March

Looking forward to being published in April

.

 2024 Reading Goals check

24 in 24 books that I own. List made in January. 12/24 so far.

Emilie Richard Reader Challenge.   March. Women’s History.  The Wartime Book Club.

Rachael John’s Book Club selection for March. Read in February.

Slow Reading book – 24 minutes at least a day.  Prince of Tides.  Continued on through March. Completed Prince of Tides.  Started another Slow and steady read.

Buy 2 – 4 print books a month.

I have read Inheritance via audiobook but decided I’d like a print copy too.

Genre Check

Romantic Suspense. 2
Christmas Romance. 2.
Contemporary Fiction 3
Contemporary Romance 4
Middle Grade Realistic Fiction 1
Historical Fiction 1
Historical romance. 2

Linking up with Nicole from FeedYourFiction Addiction.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.

Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels or anything in those genres – join them.

Welcome in to another week of sharing what you have been reading.

What I read last week:

I thoroughly enjoyed Quarter to Midnight and Red Dirt Home. The two audiobooks were okay.

I also finished my slow and steady read. I thought it was really good, Pat Conroy can sure tell a story of a dysfunctional family, yet the bonds of love and forgiveness that lie there are amazing.

I had one DNF during the week. It was a review book from NetGalley. In case you’d like to see all the good reviews for this book I have linked the cover to Goodreads.

My review:

I have been forcing myself to read but at 57% I give up. It does have a great premise and some really interesting issues for the two main characters. The trouble is I couldn’t warm to them. I couldn’t feel any emotional pull. The writers’ room – really that’s what goes on? I am a fan of the podcast Happier in Hollywood, those two women do not make the writers’ room sound like this book does. Obviously the author does know how the writers’ room operates because evidently she is successful in her work.I wish her well in whatever writing she undertakes, but I realise I am not her audience, this has no “gotcha” pull for me. It seems to work for many readers here and that’s great, she has found her audience.

I rated it 2.0 stars. I usually do not give a DNF a star rating, but I felt I had read enough to do so.

What do you do with your DNF books in terms of ratings on a site like GR or NG?

What I am reading now:

From the library, one of those titles I picked up on my journey around blogs!

I am listening to…

This is just 1hr 17min. So I will go onto something else while I wait for Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez to publish. I’ve just used my most recent credit to pre – order it!

My next Slow and Steady book is Grown Ups, it’s about 600 pages and has been sitting on my shelf for far too long – since it published in 2020. One of those spur of the moment buys!

Up next:

Last Week’s Posts

The Wartime Book Club.  Kate Thompson

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