The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson

 

The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson-322 pages

     

Lonely librarian June Jones has never left the sleepy English village where she grew up. Shy and reclusive, the thirty-year-old would rather spend her time buried in books than venture out into the world. But when her library is threatened with closure, June is forced to emerge from behind the shelves to save the heart of her community and the place that holds the dearest memories of her mother.

Joining a band of eccentric yet dedicated locals in a campaign to keep the library, June opens herself up to other people for the first time since her mother died. It just so happens that her old school friend Alex Chen is back in town and willing to lend a helping hand. The kindhearted lawyer's feelings for her are obvious to everyone but June, who won't believe that anyone could ever care for her in that way.

Being a library lover I enjoyed this book very much.  It contains many wonderful stories from the different patrons and what the library has meant to them over their lifetimes.  You are hoping all along that June finds the courage to break out of her comfort zone and solve the puzzle of what is really going on with the county council.  She finally sees what an asset she has been as a librarian and as a community leader.  Strangely enough, June takes a train to an interview so that worked out well with our statewide challenge!

Violeta: A Novel by Isabel Allende

 

Violeta: A Novel by Isabel Allende-322 pages

Violeta is telling her life story in the form of a letter to someone she loves.  She is born in 1920, the youngest of 6, the previous 5 being boys.  Her mother is sickly and spends most of her time in bed throughout Violetas life..eventually succumbing to consumption.  Her father dies when she is fairly young.  The Great Depression has a lot to do with his death and between the two events the family is forced to live in the country with some distant relatives.  They ride a train into the countryside with as much as they could pack from their previous lives.  Violeta goes from a life of privilege to one of hard work.  But she realizes that this is the best time of her life and will reflect years later on how she came of age and how it taught her valuable lessons that will see her through the hard times. 

She lives through a Great War and the fight for women's rights.  She survives not one but two pandemics.  She is married, and yet has many passionate affairs.  She experiences love and tragedy through her two children.  Through it all she is strong and a survivor.

I enjoyed it very much.  Though I must confess I got lost with all the different names because I was not familiar with any of them.  I like to think about all of the changes that people who lived during these years went through.  They truly were the toughest generation.

  

Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn

 

The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn-433 pages

Based on a true story of a female Russian sniper in WW II.  She married and had a son at fifteen.  Her husband and her separated soon afterword and her parents helped to raise their grandson while she fiinshed school with the end goal of graduate school.  But her plans got sidetracked when Germany declared war on her homeland.  She had taken sharp shooting lessons way before this event.  Her strong desire to fight for her homeland and her son compelled her to sign up for the Russian army the very next day.  At first they didn't allow her to shoot anything, but then circumstances changed and she had more than 300 kills by the time she left for the United States with a Russian delegation to try to influence president Franklin Roosevelt to back their war effort. The soldiers rode on many different trains in order to reach the front.  It was on these long rides that she forged many friendships that aided her throughout the war.  I enjoyed this very much.  I had never heard of a female Russian sniper so it was very interesting to read about her and all she had to overcome. She carried her masters disortation through many battles where it even got blood stained.  She was determined to complete her goal of graduate school which she did after she left the army.  Very inspiring.  I liked it very much.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

 

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak-550 pages

One of my all time favorite books once I figured out that "Death" was the narrator.  WWII in Germany, everyone caught up in Hitler's propaganda, a young girl who was given to a couple on Heaven Street for a modest stipend when her mother could no longer care for her.  Her deep love and friendships that result from the trials that she endures.  A story of war and all its ugliness.  And even though she couldn't read in the beginning, she had a hunger for words.  Then when they hid a Jew named Max their basement, Liesel began to fully understand the power that words had.  The story starts with a train ride on the way to her new life.  An absolutely wonderful story that sticks with you for a long time.

In Search of Van Gogh by Gloria Fossi

 

                  

                                               In Search of Van Gogh by Gloria Fossi-230 pages

  Everything you ever wanted to know about the mysterious Van Gogh and more!  It was an enjoyable read and the amazing pictures bring the man to life.  He was quite a wanderer, searching for something that he never found.  He was very close to his brother Theo, and the ironic thing is that they died less than six months apart.  There were different modes of transportation in their day, but the steam powered train had just come on the scene and Vincent used the train quite extensively in his travels.  I enjoyed this as I was always intrigued by his death at such a young age.  He had so much talent you wonder if he would have lived say as long as Monet,  how his works would have evolved.