Amy Kay
Hooked on Books
October is Canadian Library Month! This month, libraries and library partners across Canada raise awareness of libraries’ valuable role in the lives of people in Canada. For 2023, Ontario Public Library Week will take place from Oct. 16 to Oct. 20, and the theme is “Libraries For Life.”
People who love libraries and books often love to read books that celebrate books. Book people also tend to love stories set against the backdrop of publishing houses, bookstores and, of course, libraries. If this last example piqued your interest, read ahead to discover some great library-set fiction titles available at … the library!
The Last Heir To Blackwood Library by Hester Fox is lush, atmospheric and transports the reader to post–WWI England. A young woman inherits a mysterious library and must untangle its powerful secrets. Rumours swirl in the village about the previous owners, about ghosts and curses, and an enigmatic manuscript at the center of it all. As events grow more sinister, it’s up to the new owner to uncover the library’s mysteries – before it vanishes forever. This is a skillful reflection on memory and female agency, and a love letter to books from a writer at the height of her power.
The Little Village Of Booklovers by Nina George is a tender, lyrical standalone novel inspired by the the author’s previous bestseller, The Little Paris Bookshop. The little village of book lovers is that novel. Traveling the region of Nyons with her foster father’s mobile library in 1960s France, Marie-Jeanne, who has a special gift for matchmaking, brings soulmates together each place they go, but is unable to find one for herself, wondering when love will finally come to her.
In The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence, two strangers find themselves connected by a mysterious and vast library, which contains many wonders and even more secrets. On a used-up world where civilizations have risen and retreated in an endless tide, leaving a dusty wasteland in their wake, there is one constant: an ancient library, the repository of all knowledge and art.
Department Of Rare Books And Special Collections written by Toronto librarian Eva Jurczyk is about a woman struggling to step out from behind the shadows of powerful and unreliable men, and reveals the dark edge of obsession running through the most devoted bookworms. Working in the rare books department of a large university, Liesl Weiss discovers that a priceless book has gone missing as well as the librarian, and, investigating both disappearances, learns a shocking truth that shakes the very foundation on which she has built her life.
The Woman In The Library by Sulari Gentill is set in the beautifully ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library. Everything is completely silent one weekday morning, until a woman’s terrified scream echoes through the room. Security guards immediately appear and instruct everyone inside to stay put until they determine there is no threat. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers who had been sitting in the reading room get to chatting and quickly become friendly. Harriet, Marigold, Whit, and Caine each have their own reasons for being in the reading room that morning – and it just happens that one of them may turn out to be a murderer.
What You Are Looking For Is In The Library by Michiko Aoyama is about the magic of libraries and the discovery of connection. Tokyo’s most enigmatic librarian, Sayuri Komachi, is able to sense exactly what each visitor to her library is searching for and provide just the book recommendation to help them find it. A restless retail assistant looks to gain new skills, a mother tries to overcome demotion at work after maternity leave, a conscientious accountant yearns to open an antique store, a recently retired salaryman searches for newfound purpose. In Komachi’s unique book recommendations, they will find just what they need to achieve their dreams.
All of these titles can be reserved at your local branch of the County of Lennox and Addington Libraries or online at www.CountyLibrary.ca.