Books of the week Feb. 9
Title: “The Giver of Stars”
Author: Jojo Moyes
In 1937, Alice Wright meets Bennett Van Cleave in her native England and is swept away by his American good looks. They marry and make the journey back to his home in Baileyville, Kentucky.
Marriage is not what Alice thought it would be, especially since they live with Bennett’s overbearing father. When an opportunity comes up to join the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky, part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s traveling library, Alice eagerly joins.
After she gets used to the pain from riding and enduring the elements, Alice enjoys her new job and makes friends with Margery, the leader, and soon after with the other ladies.
Delivering books to people who would otherwise never read one is rewarding and gives them purpose; however, not everyone in town is pleased with this endeavor, and the senior Van Cleave has made it his mission to put a stop to it.
When the snow melts on the upper ridge, the body of Clem McCullough is discovered. His family was in a known feud with Margery’s family. Now Margery is on trial, and it’s not looking good – until her defense comes from an unlikely source.
This is a remarkable story based on true events that you can read or listen to on audiobook on the Libby app.
Title: “It Happened One Summer”
Author: Tessa Bailey
Piper Bellinger is the party princess. There isn’t a wild shenanigan she hasn’t done. All her parties and excursions are paid for by her stepdad. Why should she care? It isn’t her money.
However, her lifestyle comes to a complete halt when she ends up in jail and her stepdad cuts her off. He decides Piper and her sister need to learn how to live like “normal people.”
He ships them off to their biological father’s dive bar in middle-of-nowhere Washington.
Determined to get her money and lifestyle back, Piper decides she will reopen the bar and prove she can run a business. But will she get distracted by the grumpy sea captain she can’t seem to avoid?
This book is the first in the Bellinger Sisters series by Tessa Bailey. The author describes this book as a Schitt’s Creek-style romantic comedy. The main tropes are enemies-to-lovers and redeemed main character.
This title is available as an eBook on the library’s new service Hoopla.
