www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/06/08/books/review/future-worlds-quiz.html

Women’s fiction

397 pages

Pub date: 9 June 2026

Four stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

My thoughts:

I have read and enjoyed other books by this author, most especially The Mayfair Bookshop, a title which was about Nancy Mitford. Knight has set her fiction in many time periods; here she is at the very exciting end of the 1960s in the U.S. It was a time with movement away from the more conservative era that preceded it.

There is a lot about music in this story. Those familiar with the late 60s will find the names of many musicians that they recognize, making it fun to make a playlist.

Music is important in this story but it is also a novel about three generations of women with questions about how to best live one’s life.

The oldest character is Eleanor (Ellie). She is 69 in the summer of 69. Eleanor has recently received some life changing news. This spurs her on to wanting an adventure, and one that hearkens back to when she was a young and talented musician. So…Eleanor hops on a plane to a California music festival, the first of a number of festivals to be found in these pages. She tells no one where she is going.

Eleanor’s daughter, Leanne is in a marriage in which her husband seems to be moving further and further away from her. Leanne is in the “sandwich generation,” with concerns about both her mother and daughter. How will her life have changed by the end of this story?

Nora is a bright young woman who will be attending Yale in the first class to ever admit women. Her future looks as bright as she is. What will the summer bring to her? (For one thing, a road trip).

Follow these women over a summer in which memories are built that will last them all for a lifetime.

Note that this book is a bit long but those willing to spend the time will, I think, enjoy it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this title. All opinions are my own.

Description:

from the publisher

Three generations of women, an unforgettable summer of music, and the epic cross-country road trip they’ll never forget.

Summer, 1969: Eleanor Bell doesn’t have anything to lose. According to the doctors, she might not remember how to sing or play guitar soon, so why not head west now? Why not join the music festivals sweeping the country and lose herself in the music again, in a swan song of her own? 

Except she forgets, maybe on purpose, to tell anyone where she’s going. When her daughter, Leanne, discovers her mother missing, she enlists the help of her own daughter, Nora, to help her find Eleanor. The last thing Nora wants to do before starting as one of Yale’s first female undergrads is hit the road. But then Nora hears something strange on the radio—her grandmother’s voice, singing. Nora and Leanne hop in their Chevy for a cross-country road trip, always one step behind Eleanor, who has been dubbed the Dame of Rock n’ Roll by none other than Johnny Carson. 

Full of nostalgia and awash with the warmth of summer, Lost in the Summer of ’69 is an epic celebration of savoring the encore-no matter what the next act may bring. 

by Colleen Cambridge

An e book bargain

#AFashionablyFrenchMurder #NetGalley

The American in Paris mysteries are so enjoyable. The sleuths in this three book, post WWII, series are Julia Child and her fictional friend Tabitha. Both enjoy living in Paris with its markets, neighborhoods, foods and more to explore. These settings are delightfully described.

Of course, Julia is learning to cook and makes sublime meals. She also tries to help Tabitha achieve some culinary mastery. Julia cooks for her husband Paul in a marriage that comes across as strong and supportive. Tabitha cooks for her grandfather and uncle; the latter is not her relation but is in a relationship with Tabitha’s grandfather.

This time the murder mystery takes place in the world of haute couture. I loved this setting and learned a lot about French fashion during the time period. Readers may be startled to know that Madame Lannet’s close friend thinks that the murder was committed by Christian Dior. Mon Dieu! And, there will be more than one murder.

Tabitha and Julia are on the case. Readers of the series will be happy to welcome them and the regulars back to print. Some will wonder if Tabitha will finally have her romance with a certain detective. Qui sait?

This book is one that it is easy to recommend. I very much enjoyed it and hope that the series will have a long life.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 29 April 2025

272 pages

Historical fiction-Mystery & Thrillers

From the Publisher

Others in the series:

Delightful: Mastering the Art of French Murder

It is indeed: A Murder Most French (Colleen Cambridge)

Poetry & Verse

Religion & Spirituality

288 pages

Pub date: 21 August 2026

Four stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

My thoughts:

I look forward to starting my day with this book. Since I received it in June, I began right there with an entry on flip flops that truly evoked summer. I then looked at the beginning of the book and felt the tenderness of January 4th’s entry about when the author got his first library card. Those who adore reading will go a bit pitter-pat when they come to that one.

Each day offers a short reflection. Best of all, there is something to read for the entire year. Enjoy these entries along with the occasional illustrations.

Recommended as a nice way to start one’s day.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ave Maria Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

Description:

from the publisher

Wonder Is a Lovely Place to Be gathers 365 essays, poems, and sketches from Brian Doyle, revealing his keen eye for grace and an imagination shaped by his Catholic faith. Drawing from both beloved and previously unpublished works, this collection invites readers to notice holiness woven through ordinary, everyday moments.

With a keen eye for detail—the slap of flip-flops on pavement, a kindergartener released to the playground with arms flung open and untied shoes, a no-look pass in a neighborhood pickup basketball game—Doyle shapes small moments into stories and aims them straight at the human heart. His writing is a summons to live with wide eyes and open hearts in a fragile world: “Do not tire, do not despair, . . . be relentless, be merry, . . . be alert, be attentive—for there is holiness all around us like an ocean.” In Doyle’s vision, holiness lives in pain as much as it does in joy, and “no moment is mundane, every moment is a miracle, every moment is a meal.”

Doyle wrote everywhere—on envelopes, inside book jackets, on the backs of menus—driven by the conviction that we are “here so briefly” and called, each day, to “see clear” and “bring [our] best selves to bear.” Some of these fragments became essays published around the world; many others remained scattered across his desk like driftwood from a life immersed in language. Now his wife, Mary Miller Doyle, gathers his writing—including never-before-seen stories, poems, sketches, and even cartoons—into a daily collection that invites readers into his sacred imagination on all year long.

A born story catcher, Brian Doyle was a master of the brief essay, the tight poem, and the achingly beautiful anecdote. Though the magazine editor, novelist, and author of One Long River of Song and A Book of Uncommon Prayer died of brain cancer at sixty, readers continue to return to his work for the way it reveals the joyful, wild mystery of holiness humming through all things.

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Advance Praise

“Daily doses of wonder and inspiration from a brilliant writer who drew and was gone much too soon. I stole so much joy from the pictures and words in this collection, and so will you.”
Austin Kleon
New York Times bestselling author of Steal Like an Artist

“Wonder Is a Lovely Place to Be peeks inside the life and mind of Brian Doyle, the most curious and creative writer (and amateur artist) whose pen ever danced across the page, leaving a legacy of wit and wisdom in his wake. If you’ve long loved Brian’s poetic, playful, daring, and startling way with words, you will leap at the chance to hold more in your hands. And if you’re new to Brian’s brilliance, what a joy awaits you in these pages! A daily dose of Brian Doyle is a lovely place to be.”
Laura Kelly Fanucci
Author of Living Easter

“Brian Doyle had a rare gift for catching grace as it flew by and setting it gently on the page. This book is a yearlong invitation to see the world with a sacramental imagination and to discover holiness hiding in plain sight.”
Fr. Edwin Obermiller, CSC
Special assistant to the vice president for university relations for the University of Portland

Many thanks to Stop You’re Killing Me for these lists!

2026 DAGGER SHORTLISTS ANNOUNCED
The Dagger Awards are awarded by The Crime Writers’ Association to celebrate the best in crime and thriller writing. The awards will be presented on July 2nd in London. Here are the shortlists:

Diamond Dagger *

Mark Billingham

Gold Dagger
°	King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby
°	The Death of Us by Abigail Dean [review]
°	Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson [review]
°	The Girl in Cell A by Vaseem Khan
°	The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon [review]
°	The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson [review]

Whodunnit Dagger
°	The Christmas Cracker Killer by Alexandra Benedict
°	Little Secrets by Victoria Goldman
°	Etiquette for Lovers & Killers by Anna Fitzgerald Healy
°	A Queer Case by Robert Holtom
°	A Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel Pennant
°	Bad Influence by CJ Wray

Twisted Dagger
°	What Happens in the Dark by Kia Abdullah
°	Her Many Faces by Nicci Cloke
°	Some of Us are Liars by Fiona Cummins
°	Scenes From a Tragedy by Carole Hailey
°	The Bodies by Sam Lloyd
°	We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough

Steel Dagger
°	The Midnight King by Tariq Ashkanani
°	King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby
°	The Big Empty by Robert Crais
°	A Sting in her Tale by Mark Ezra
°	Such Quiet Girls by Noelle W Ihli
°	The Good Father by Liam McIlvanney
°	We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter [review]

First Novel Dagger
°	The Peak by Sam Guthrie
°	The Lost Detective by Elspeth Latimer
°	The Wolf Tree by Laura McCluskey [review]
°	The Vanishing Place by Zoë Rankin [review]
°	Coram House by Bailey Seybolt [review]
°	Holy City by Henry Wise [review]

Historical Dagger
°	A Granite Silence by Nina Allan
°	Barvick Falls by Rob McInroy
°	The Devil’s Draper by Donna Moore
°	Gunner by Alan Parks
°	The Art of a Lie by Laura Shepherd-Robinson [review]
°	A Case of Life and Limb by Sally Smith [review]

Non-Fiction Dagger
°	Shadow of the Bridge: The Delphi Murders and the Dark Side of the American Heartland by Áine Cain and Kevin Greenlee
°	The Spy in the Archive: How One Man Tried To Kill the KGB by Gordon Corera
°	The Murder Game by John Curran
°	Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser
°	That Dark Spring by Susannah Stapleton
°	The Illegals by Shaun Walker

Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger
°	Murder Mindfully by Karsten Dusse [review]
°	The Lake by Jørn Lier Horst
°	Red Water by Jurica Pavicic
°	Big Bad Wool by Leonie Swann [review]
°	The Winter Job by Antti Tuomainen
°	Strange Pictures by Uketsu

Short Story Dagger
°	“Split Your Silver Tongue” by S.A. Cosby   Birds, Strangers and Psychos
°	“The Karpman Drama Triangle” by Denise Mina   Birds, Strangers and Psychos
°	“Full Circle” by Abir Mukherjee   Playing Dead: Short Stories by Members of the Detection Club
°	“The Apple Falls Not Far” by Ambrose Parry
°	“Strangers on a School Bus” by Peter Swanson   Birds, Strangers and Psychos
°	“Waiting” by Michael Wood   Criminal Pursuits: This Is Me

Previous Dagger Awards

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2026 CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE
Crime Writers of Canada present the Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence to recognize excellence in Canadian crime writing. The 2026 Award Winners were announced on May 29, 2026. Our congratulations to the winners (listed first in each category) and to all of the nominees.

Grand Master Award
*	Rick Mofina

Best Crime Novel
*	The Black Wolf by Louise Penny
°	The Retirement Plan by Sue Hincenbergs [review]
°	The Hunger We Pass Down by Jen Sookfong Lee
°	Into the Fall by Tamara L. Miller
°	The Tiger and the Cosmonaut by Eddy Boudel Tan

Best First Crime Novel
*	The Beltane Massacre by Ray Critch
°	Yesterday’s Lies by Jan Field
°	The Broken Detective by Joel Nedecky
°	A Painting to Die For by David L. Tucker
°	Too Dark For the Light by A.L. Wahdel

Best Best Crime Novel Set in Canada
*	Salt on Her Tongue by C.S. Porter
°	That Other Family by Lis Angus
°	Every Fall by Angela Douglas
°	Detective Aunty by Uzma Jalaluddin [review]
°	The Hitchhikers by Chevy Stevens

Best Traditional Mystery
*	The Cost of a Hostage by Iona Whishaw
°	The Engineer’s Nemesis by Shelley Adina
°	Stella Ryman and the Search for Thelma Hu by Mel Anastasiou
°	A Dark Death by Alice Fitzpatrick
°	Some Justice: A Ghazi Ammar Medieval Mystery by Laury Silvers

Best Crime Short Story
*	“Polly Wants a Freaking Cracker” by Sylvia Maultash Warsh   Malice Domestic: Murder Most Humorous
°	“Under the Circumstances” by Lis Angus   A Capital Mystery Anthology
°	“The Lost Diner” by Madeleine Harris Callway   Pulp Literature, Issue 47, Summer 2025
°	“Cold Shock” by Barbara Fradkin   A Capital Mystery Anthology
°	“The Headache” by Billie Livingston   Dark Yonder, Issue 11, Nov. 2025

Best Best Juvenile or YA Crime Book
*	The Mystery of the Haunted Dancehall by Charis Cotter
°	Death by Whoopee Cushion by Vicki Grant
°	The Mizzy Mysteries: A Skeleton in the Closet by Claire Hatcher-Smith
°	The City of Lost Cats by Tanya Lloyd Kyi
°	Bark Twice for Murder by John Lekich

Best Nonfiction Crime Book
*	Hitman: The Untold Story of Canada’s Deadliest Assassin by Julian Sher & Lisa Fitterman
°	The Many Names of Robert Cree: How a First Nations Chief, Brought Ancient Wisdom to Big Business and Prosperity to His People by Robert Cree with Therese Greenwood
°	Acts of Darkness: Notorious Criminals, Their Defenders, Prosecutors, and Jailers by John L. Hill
°	Arctic Predator: The Crimes of Edward Horne Against Children in Canada’s North by Kathleen Lippa
°	On the Lam: Great (and Not So Great) Escapes from Prison by Lorna Poplak

Previous Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence

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Visit the Stop, You’re Killing Me! online store for SYKM shirts, mugs, aprons, and more!

#TheEights #NetGalley

I had learned about this title long before it was published and knew that I wanted to read it. I was absolutely thrilled to be given an advance e-galley.

I could not wait to sit down and begin this novel. I went on to savor it and find it easy to give an excellent review.

WWI led to devastation and a reorganization of British society. Many men died; many women were unlikely to marry. Social changes came as with the suffrage movement and (finally) the admittance of women to Oxford degrees. (Prior to this, women could attend but would not formally graduate).

This engrossing historical novel follows four women from this time period who were known as “the eights” because of the corridor that they lived on at their Oxford College. Readers meet Beatrice, Marianne, Otto, and Dora. Each has their own history and backstory.

Beatrice is the daughter of a very politically active mother who was an absent parent. Readers learn that it was difficult for Beatrice to confide in her mother. Beatrice s studying PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics).

Marianne is a cleric’s daughter. It is clear that she is hiding something. Marianne is also less financially well off than some of her peers.

Otto is part of a family with socialite sisters. Her parents would like her to marry. Otto is studying Mathematics.

Dora has had two major losses from the war relating to both her brother and finace. These men would have been at Oxford had there been no war. Dora feels that she is there in their place. Dora is studying English.

The world of Oxford in this time period is engagingly portrayed through many characters in addition to these four. I came to care very deeply for the eights and did not want the book to end. It is my sincere hope that Miller is penning her next novel even as I write this.

Note that there is a helpful glossary at the back of the book for those who are unfamiliar with British higher education.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 15 April 2025

Historical fiction

382 pages

Note:

Recommended those who have enjoyed the novels by Pip Williams.

An e book bargain: The Bookbinder by Pip Williams

Editorial Reviews

A Goodreads Most Anticipated Book of Spring
A Book Riot Best Historical Fiction of April
A Brit & Co. New April Book to Add to Your Calendar STAT

“The Eights is an entertaining and moving imagining of four smart women dealing with the engrained misogyny of the time. I came to love these four women as though they were my sisters.”
—Tracy Chevalier, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Girl with a Pearl Earring and The Glassmaker

“A story about women taking their place in a man’s world, The Eights beautifully captures the power of friendship and love in the wake of extraordinary loss. It was a pleasure to read.”
—Pip Williams, New York Times bestselling author of The Dictionary of Lost Words

“Miller’s engrossing debut follows the first women undergraduates eligible to earn degrees at Oxford University. …. They’re unlikely allies, a novelistic trope that Miller transcends through insightful and surprising characterizations…. It’s a memorable tale of a fast-changing world.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Miller describes campus life in vivid detail, and her protagonists are complex, with hidden motivations and insecurities that are gradually revealed as their friendships develop. This pairs well with Helen Simonson’s The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club and Kate Quinn’s The Briar Club.”
—Booklist

“A heartfelt, thoughtful and engaging book about the first women students to go to Oxford University – their friendships, their secrets, their ambitions and their opponents – in the tremulous, haunted years immediately after the First World War. Joanna Miller brings 1920s Oxford to life with a vivid immediacy and makes us care deeply about four young women who find themselves pioneers in a strange new world, trying to find a way forward in the aftermath of war. A thoroughly lovely debut that will win many hearts, with its celebration of friendship and the persistence of hope.”
—Joanna Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Whalebone Theatre

“My book of the year. The writing is wonderful, the subject fascinating and the storylines utterly absorbing. I’m so sad I’ve finished it. I loved everything about this book. I ADORED it.”
—Jill Mansell, Sunday Times bestselling author of Rumor Has It

“The past feels aston­ishingly present in Joanna Miller’s debut…Rigorously researched, The Eights bril­liantly synthesizes fact and fiction, and the trials and triumphs of the quartet are deeply relatable. [Surrounding a] debate about whether women have any business being at Oxford … The Eights is a rewarding read for anyone who enjoys emotional, character-driven narra­tives and for anyone who celebrates impeccable writing. But most of all, it’s for anyone who has ever been told they couldn’t do something but did it anyway.”
—BookPage

#TheGiverofStars #NetGalley

Jojo Moyes has written many novels that I have loved. There, of course, was the trio of books that began with Me Before You. I also enjoyed The Last Letter From Your Lover and Silver Bay, among others.

I was interested in reading The Giver of Stars but hesitated for a while. The reason was that I had recently read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek and I knew that the books covered similar territory (literally in terms of geography and also in concept). I am glad to report that both novels are well worth a reader’s time.

Each of these historical novels is premised on the love of books and ways to make books available to readers. In this one, readers follow Alice. She was born in England and has married an American. Her life is not exactly what she was hoping for so, when Eleanor Roosevelt is looking for women to distribute books, she is eager to rise to the challenge.

Over the course of the novel Alice and her new female friends learn a lot about one another and how they want to live their lives. Follow along with them and enjoy this latest novel by one of our best writers of women’s fiction.

My only quibble with this book is that it is so similar to Troublesome Creek. For that reason, readers may want to spend time with just one of these titles.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Editorial reviews:

“Though she made her mark writing contemporary romance, Moyes proves just as adept at historical fiction. . . . The Giver of Stars is a celebration of love, but also of reading, of knowledge, of female friendship, of the beauty of our most rural corners, and our enduring American grit: the kind of true grit that can be found in the hills of Kentucky and on the pages of this inspiring book.”
—The Washington Post

“Moyes paints an engrossing picture of life in rural America, and it’s easy to root for the enterprising librarians.”
—The New York Times Book Review

by joycesmysteryandfictionbookreviewsJuly 22, 2019

This is a wonderful historical novel based upon the Book Women who delivered library materials to those in the out of the way sections of Kentucky.  The book women were part of a program started by President Roosevelt under the WPA.

There are many book women in Troublesome Creek, Kentucky but the protagonist of the novel is the unforgettable Cussy.  Cussy speaks in dialect which helps the reader to fully enter into her world.  Cussy faces special challenges because she is the last of the ‘blues.’  There really were blue-skinned people in America as a supplement at the back of the novel attests.  They were objects of curiosity and also of prejudice, just as was the case for the African American population.

Cussy wants to be independent both before and after her disastrous short term marriage.  And yet, what will happen with patron Jackson who is one of the few to call Cussy by name, rather than the derogatory Bluet?

Cussy’s love of books flows through the novel.  There are references to books that were popular at the time, including those by Steinbeck and Rex Stout.  Cussy’s inventiveness in making books and delivering what her patrons need is impressive.

The landscape of rural Kentucky, the small towns, the mines, the mountains are all well described.  Each patron that Cussy visits has a back story and readers will even come to learn more about the mule who transports her.

If you are a reader who enjoys historical fiction set in the U.S., consider this one.  Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Sourcebooks, for this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am very excited to be a part of this blog tour. I have enjoyed everything that I have read by this author. Fans of historical fiction will too. This book is definitely worth a look!

Many thanks to everyone at HTP for this opportunity.

About the Book:

A heartwarming story about a mother and daughter in wartime England and the power of books that bring them together, by the bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London.

In Nottingham, England, widow Emma Taylor finds herself in desperate need of a job. She and her beloved daughter Olivia have always managed just fine on their own, but with the legal restrictions prohibiting widows with children from most employment opportunities, she’s left with only one option: persuading the manageress at Boots’ Booklover’s Library to take a chance on her with a job.

When the threat of war in England becomes a reality, Olivia must be evacuated to the countryside. In the wake of being separated from her daughter, Emma seeks solace in the unlikely friendships she forms with her neighbors and coworkers, and a renewed sense of purpose through the recommendations she provides to the library’s quirky regulars. But the job doesn’t come without its difficulties. Books are mysteriously misshelved and disappearing and the work at the lending library forces her to confront the memories of her late father and the bookstore they once owned together before a terrible accident.

As the Blitz intensifies in Nottingham and Emma fights to reunite with her daughter, she must learn to depend on her community and the power of literature more than ever to find hope in the darkest of times.

Start reading:

PROLOGUE

Nottingham, England April 1931

JUST ONE MORE CHAPTER. Emma lingered in the storage area on the second floor of her father’s bookshop, Tower Bookshop, with Jane Austen’s Emma cradled in her lap. Sadly, not her namesake—her parents had named her Emmaline for an aunt she’d never met, who had died on Emma’s seventh birthday ten years ago.

Still, the book was one of Emma’s favorites.

“Emma.” Papa’s voice rose from somewhere in the bookshop, sharp with irritation.

She frowned. Papa was seldom ever cross with her.

Perhaps the smoke from the man who had come in with his cigar earlier still lingered in the shop.

She settled a scrap of paper into the spine of her book.

“Emmaline!” Something to that second cry snapped her to attention, a raw, frantic pitch.

Papa was never panicked.

She leaped up from the seat with such haste, the book dropped to the ground with a whump.

“I’m in the warehouse,” she called out, racing to the door.

The handle was scalding hot. She yelped and drew back. That’s when she saw the smoke, wisps seeping beneath the door, glowing in the stream of sunlight. 

Fire.

She put her skirt over her hand and twisted the knob to open the door. Thick plumes of smoke billowed in, black and choking.

She sucked in a breath of surprise, unintentionally inhaling a lungful of burning air. A cough racked her and she stumbled back, her mind reeling as her feet pulled her from the threat.

But to where? This was the only exit from the storeroom, save the second-floor window.

“Papa,” she shouted, terror creeping into her voice.

All at once, he was there, wrapping a blanket around them, the one she kept in the shop for cold mornings before the furnace managed to heat the old building.

“Stay at my side.” Papa’s voice was gravelly beneath the blanket where he’d covered the lower part of his face. Even as he led her away, a great cough shuddered through his lean frame.

Beyond the wall of smoke was a vision straight out of Milton’s Paradise Lost as fire licked and climbed its way up the towering stacks of books, devouring a lifetime of careful curation. Emma screamed, the sound muted by the blanket.

But Papa’s hand was firm at her back, pressing her forward. “We have to run.” Not slowing, he guided her to the winding metal staircase. She used to love clattering down it as a girl, hearing the metal ringing around her.

“It’s hot,” Papa cautioned. “Don’t touch it.”

Emma hugged against his side as they squeezed down the narrow steps that barely fit the two of them together. It swayed beneath their weight, no longer sturdy as it had once been. The blazing heat felt as though it was blistering Emma’s skin. Too hot. Too close. Too much.

And they were plunging deeper into the fiery depths.

The soles of Emma’s shoes stuck to the last two steps as rubber melted against metal.

What had once been rows of bookshelves was now a maze of flames. Even Papa hesitated before the seemingly impassable blaze.

But there was nowhere else to go.

The fire was alive. Cracking and popping and hissing and roaring, roaring, roaring so loud, it seemed like an actual beast.

“Go,” he shouted, and his grip tightened around her, pulling her forward.

Together they ran, between columns of fire that had once been shelves of books. An ear-shattering crack came from above, spurring them to the front as fire and sparks poured down behind them.

Emma ran faster than she ever had before, faster than she knew herself capable. Papa’s arm at her side yanked her this way or that, navigating through the fiery chaos. Until there was nowhere to go.

Papa roared louder than the fire beast and released her, running toward the blazing door. It flew open at the impact, revealing clean sunny daylight outside. He turned toward her even as she rushed after him and grabbed her around the shoulders, hauling her into the street.

Emma gulped in the clean air, reveling in the cool dampness washing into her tortured lungs. A crowd had gathered, staring up at the Tower Bookshop. Some came to Emma and Papa, asking in a frenzy of voices if they were hurt.

In the distance came the scream of emergency sirens. Sirens Emma had heard her entire life, but had never once needed herself.

There was need now. She held on to Papa’s hand and looked behind her at the building that had been in her family for two generations and was meant to become hers someday. Her gaze skimmed over the bookshop to the top two floors where their home had once been.

The fire beast gave a great heaving howl and the top floor crumpled.

Someone grabbed her from behind, dragging her back as the rest of the structure came down, ripping her hand from her father’s. She didn’t reach for him again, unable to move, unable to think, her eyes fixed on the building as it crashed in on itself in a fiery heap. Their livelihood. Their home.

All the pictures of her mother who had died after Emma was born, all the books she and her father had lovingly selected from bookshops around England on the trips they’d taken together, everything they’d ever owned.

Gone.

Emma choked on a sob at the realization.

Everything was gone.

“We need a doctor.” A man’s voice broke through her horror, pulling her attention to her father.

He lay on the ground, motionless. Soot streaked his handsome slender face, and his thick gray hair that had once been the same shade of chestnut as hers was now singed in blackened tufts.

“Papa?” She sagged to the ground beside him.

His eyes lifted to her, watery blue and filled with a love that made her heart swell. The breath wheezed from his chest like a kettle’s cry. “You’re safe.”

Once the words left his mouth, his body relaxed, going slack.

“Papa?” Emma cried.

This time his eyes did not meet hers. They looked through her. Sightless and empty.

She shuddered at how unnatural he appeared. Like her father, and yet not like her father.

“Papa?”

The wailing sirens were still too far-off.

“I’m a doctor.” A man knelt on the other side of her father. His fingers went to Papa’s blackened neck and the man’s sad brown eyes turned up to her.

“I’m sorry, love. He’s gone.”

Emma stared at the man, refusing to believe her ears even as she saw the truth.

It had always just been Emma and her father, the two of them against the world, as Papa used to say. They read the same books to discuss together, they worked every day at the bookshop together, friends and colleagues as much as they were father and daughter. Once Emma had completed her schooling, she’d even traveled with him, curating books like the first editions they were still waiting on to arrive from Newcastle.

Now that beautiful light that shone in his eyes had dulled. Lifeless.

It was no longer Papa and her against the world.

He was gone.

Their shop was gone.

Their home was gone.

Everything she knew and loved was gone.

Excerpted from THE BOOKLOVER’S LIBRARY by Madeline Martin, Copyright © 2024 by Madeline Martin. Published by arrangement with HTP Books, a Division of HarperCollins.

About the Author:

Madeline Martin is a New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author of historical fiction and historical romance with books that have been translated into over twenty-five different languages.

Buy Links:

HarperCollins: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-booklovers-library-madeline-martin?variant=41311560695842 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1335000399  

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-booklovers-library-madeline-martin/1143849745  

BookShop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-booklover-s-library-original-madeline-martin/20392302 

Social Links:

Author Website: https://madelinemartin.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadelineMartinAuthor 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MadelineMMartin 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madelinemmartin/ 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12062937.Madeline_Martin 

The Booklover’s Library

By Madeline Martin

On Sale: September 10, 2024

ISBN: 9781335000392

Hanover Square Press Paperback Original 

Price: $18.99

An e book bargain

by Anne Youngson

Just as a narrowboat must travel at its own, somewhat measured pace, the timing of this novel is deliberate and thoughtful (in a good way). This is clearly a book to savor, not one to rush through. Readers will commit to the experience of enjoying some literary travel in an unhurried way.

The Narrowboat Summer tells the story of three women and those around them. The owner of the boat is Anastasia, an older woman who has lived on the canals. She needs a place to stay off of the water while she receives medical treatment. She comes to stay at Eve’s home.

Two women, previously unknown to one another, take on the task of ferrying Anastasia’s boat to its’ destination. One is Eve and the other is Sally, both of whom are seeking change and meaning in their lives.

As the two navigate and travel, they become closer to one another. They also meet a series of people on their literal journey and their voyages of self-discovery. These include an elderly man, a storyteller and others, all of whom have something to say and teach about life.

The stories of the characters are engaging and readers root for all of them as they seek the lives that they want (and deserve). Take the time to travel with them. You will enjoy the journey.

As a side note, I have always thought that it would be marvelous to travel along the British canal system. I still have not done that but this book did nothing to lessen my wish to do so.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.