THE BOOKWORM
Are you looking for suggestions for Summer Reading? Never fear… I have several books to suggest! First, I’d like to mention a husband and wife who write great fiction – not together; they write very different books. Will Thomas was a Librarian for many years. He turned to writing mysteries set in the Victorian era, titled the “Barker and Llewelyn” series. In the first book in the series, Welshman Thomas Llewelyn is looking for work and answers a newspaper ad that mentions “Some Danger Involved,” which turns out to be the understatement of the century. There are similarities in this series to the Sherlock Holmes books, but they shouldn’t necessarily be compared; “Barker and Llewelyn” books have their own very distinct characters and narratives. Cyrus Barker, a main character in the series, is known for his fondness for Pekingese dogs and the study of martial arts. There are now fourteen books in this series, so they will keep you busy reading for a while!
The first novel by Julia Bryan Thomas is “For Those Who Are Lost.” I devoured this book recently – it’s that good. The book is set on the Island of Guernsey and England during WWII, and specifically during the occupation of Guernsey by the Nazis. The novel is based on harrowing facts, where parents had only 24 hours to decide if they wanted to evacuate their children with their teachers to England, prior to the occupation. Parents who did make this heartbreaking decision were cut off from their children for years. The latest book by Julia Bryan Thomas is “The Radcliffe Ladies’ Reading Club.” We have both novels cataloged at the library. Will Thomas and Julia Bryan Thomas reside in Oklahoma.
“The Librarian of Burned Books” by Brianna Labuskes is another novel set during WWII, and the action takes place in Berlin, Paris, and New York. An important feature in the book involves ASEs or Armed Services Editions. There were over 120 million editions printed inexpensively and shipped to those serving in WWII. They were reprinted classics and books by popular authors during the War. As I was reading this book, I wondered if perhaps my paternal grandfather read some of the ASEs while on the west coast in WWII, waiting to be shipped overseas to Asia. “The Librarian of Burned Books” is available in print, and as an audio e-book.
If you’re searching for a mystery to read, “Murder at the Book Club” by Betsy Reavley is set in Cambridge, UK and revolves around a large book club that meets each week. I can tell you I was shocked to learn some people apparently don’t attend book clubs for literature or coffee! At least some of the characters in this book don’t, as you’ll discover if you decide to read this mystery. We have this book in print at the library, in the mystery section.
For a non-fiction selection, I recommend “The Lost King: The Search for Richard III” by Philippa Langley and Michael Jones. You might remember the story hitting the headlines about a decade ago – the king that was found buried underneath a car park in Leicester, England. Philippa Langley formed the Scottish branch of the Richard III Society and was the driving force behind the search for the king’s burial place. Richard III was the last English king to die in battle, and this non-fiction title reads like a thriller. There are very detailed timelines and maps included in the book. Here’s hoping you have the time to read many books this Summer!
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