This picture has nothing to do with this post but I discovered this Little Free Library on a walk around my neighborhood. I hadn’t seen this one before so I’m glad to see that there are more that have popped up around here. Do you have any Little Free Libraries in your neighborhood?
Anyway, today I wanted to share about two new books I started. I typically don’t start two new books on the same day but it just worked out that way this time.
The first one is Small Island by Andrea Levy, which won the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2004. The book is set in 1948 when England is just recovering from WWII. It’s the story of Queen Bligh who has taken on some boarders at her home and one of them happens to be Gilbert Joseph, a Jamaican immigrant who fought in the war and is now making his home in England.
When I started this book I really didn’t know what to expect. I remember this book being talked about a lot but that was in 2004 so it’s been a while. At the beginning of the book Hortense, Gilbert’s wife, arrives from Jamaica and chaos ensues. She was definitely in for a rude awakening at the lack fo amenities and just everything that she’s finding out about her new country. I’m barely into this book and I’m really into it.
My other read is The Witch Hunter by Max Seeck, translated by Kristian London. You know I really enjoy Scandinavian Noir so when I got this eGalley of this Finnish thriller I couldn’t resist. The story begins as a well-known author is at a literary event and just as he’s getting ready to wine and dine with some of the attendees, he’s notified that his wife’s been found murdered in their home. Meanwhile, investigator Jessica Niemi is at the scene of the crime but she’s made a crucial mistake. Now the race to find a killer is on before he commits another murder.
Only two books so far but I have no doubt I’ll be adding more to my current reads because I’m waiting on some new books for my reading group and for some reading projects next month.
What about you, have you read either of these books or do they sound interesting to you? Let me know if you’ve recently started a good story.
We have a Little Free Library in the neighborhood next to ours, but it seems to always have John Grisham and Tom Clancy and not much of anything else. I read Small Island in 2006 and thought it was very good. (Review here
I haven’t read Small Island but I do have it on my shelves and keep meaning to read it. I cannot wait to hear what you thought of it.
I have’t seen a lot of little free libraries near where I live. I wish there were more though.
I would read both books. The Jamaicans probably expected to see a verdant England but instead they see a bombed wreck with food and other shortages. I am amazed by Scandinavian Noir. Their crime rates are so low, yet they write excellent novels about solving crimes.
That Little Free Library is so cute! I love it. 🙂
Our friends were among the first to build and stock a little free library. Initially, there was a lot of problem with the city, but eventually, things were resolved. What does it say about a city that feels threatened by a Little Free Library. I have a box of books I need to deliver, but in the last couple of years, they have had no problem concerning lack of books. 🙂
The Witch Hunter sounds interesting!