Novel Maven

Summary: Laura Lyons lives with her family inside the New York Public Library, where her husband Jack is the superintendent. She finds her life as a 1930s wife and mother of two unfulfilling, and begins journalism school and an exploration of women's rights as a way to inject meaning into her dull life. When priceless first editions go missing in the library, Jack and his family may be the prime suspects. Sadie Donovan is Laura's granddaughter and a librarian at the NYPL in the 1990s. She is promoted to the curator of the Berg Collection right before an important exhibit, and pieces slated for display begin to go missing. If Sadie can figure out what happened to the books that went missing in the 30s, maybe she can figure out how the books are being stolen in the present.   I received an electronic galley copy of this title from the publisher through  Netgalley  in exchange for an honest review. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.   Read my...

Summary: When Leena is given paid time off from work after having a panic attack during a meeting with a client, she decides to leave London life behind and go live in the country with her grandmother. Leena's grandmother Eileen is newly single, and decides to swap places with Leena and trades simple country living for the bustle of London. Each woman finds herself and a bit of romance along the way.   I received an electronic galley copy from the publisher through  Netgalley  in exchange for an honest review. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my  Disclosure Policy  for more information. The age differences in this book were refreshing. Typically women's fiction focuses on one age group, but having a young woman interacting with her grandmother's friends and having Eileen interact with young, hip Londoners made the story feel original. Each character had a romance, but they were one part of the story rather than having the whole ...

Summary: Rose is a bookseller and restorer living in a college town in Connecticut. She receives an interesting commission to restore a book from artist William, who has found an old manuscript written by an Italian ancestor. Rose discovers that the text is a treatise on art, but hidden underneath is a more private document written by Giovanni Lomazzo. The reader switches between present-day Rose and Renaissance Italy Gio until the document's mysterious story is revealed. I received an electronic galley copy from the publisher through  Netgalley  in exchange for an honest review. I also received a print galley from a convention with no strings attached. 😉  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read my Disclosure Policy for more information. Let’s be honest, I was first drawn to this book because of the gorgeous cover. It definitely stood out to me in a sea of galleys being offered for free at the Public Library Association convention in Nashville. I a...