The Overbooked Bibliophile

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Set on a fictional Welsh island in 1938,  Whale Fall  by  Elizabeth O'Connor  revolves around eighteen-year-old Manod Llan, a lifelong islander, who dreams of a life different from the one expected of girls her age in her community. She yearns for a future that would take her away from the island yet feels a deep attachment to the small community (fifteen men, twenty women, and twelve children), her father and younger sister Llinos whom she has taken care of ever since her mother passed on. When a beached whale washes ashore, their isolated island catches the attention of outsiders among whom are two ethnographers who visit the island to study the way of life of the islanders. Manod is a bright girl, well versed in both Welsh and English and the natural choice for a translator who could assist Joan and Edward in communicating with the islanders and transcribing their notes. Joan’s friendship and worldliness inspire Manod and Edward’s promises give her hope. But as she

  Rating:  3.5⭐️ After high school English teacher Richard Boyle intercepts Mark LeDrew, a former student attempting to enter the school building with a bomb strapped to his chest and manages to talk him out of entering the building thus averting a mass tragedy, he is hailed a hero. However, the incident also attracts the attention of a former student with a grudge. Billy Finster, an airport baggage handler with shady dealings, threatens to go public with his allegations unless Richard pays him for his silence. Richard vehemently denies Billy’s allegations but suspects that Billy’s accusations might not be completely baseless as Mark had also voiced similar grievances. But Billy isn’t Richard’s only problem. Jealous colleagues, a lawsuit, irate parents protesting Richard’s classroom discussions on books they deem inappropriate and coping with the trauma of almost being blown up and the strain of keeping secrets from his wife complicated the situation further. Unbeknownst to Richard, Bi

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The novel begins with twenty-two-year-old Ella Fitchburg in 2018 being released after serving six years of a twenty-five-year sentence for the attempted murder of her former boyfriend’s father, a prominent judge. Haunted by her past and the painful memories of Jude with whom she had dreamt of a future but who disappeared from her life after her arrest, Ella is desperate to locate the daughter she gave birth to and was made to give u for adoption while in prison. Complicating matters further is the fact that she does not have a clear memory of the night of the attempted murder and is unable to locate Jude, who might be able to shed light on the events of that night. Her mother, Helen, who works in a dress shop and loves her daughter, wouldn’t hesitate to relocate so that both of them could start afresh. Despite her mother’s protest, Ella secretly embarks on a search for her daughter. Ella, who earned a college degree while incarcerated, finds it difficult to secure employme

  Rating: 4.5⭐ Delightful and riveting in equal measure,  Nonna Maria and the Case of the Lost Treasure  by  Lorenzo Carcaterra  is simply unputdownable! When the granddaughter of an old friend approaches Nonna Maria for her assistance in locating treasure hidden by her deceased grandfather in Ischia’s caves, Nonna Maria taps into her knowledge of the history of the island and enlists the help of two islanders who have experience navigating the dangers within the caves. Parallelly, Nonna Maria’s vast network of friends and family also helps her track the movements of a group of criminals who have ventured onto the island to assassinate her friend (with whom she frequently collaborates) Carabinieri Captain Paulo Murino for reasons which are gradually revealed. There is a lot to unpack in this novel, but the narrative is engaging and at no point do you feel overwhelmed or find the plot(s) difficult to follow. I should mention that this installment is relatively more intense than the prec

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ In  Still See You Everywhere , the third installment of  Lisa Gardner ’s  Frankie Elkin  series, we follow our protagonist to a remote atoll in the middle of the Pacific in her efforts to find the younger sister of serial killer Kaylee “Keahi” Pierson dubbed by the media as the “Beautiful Butcher” and guilty of eighteen proven murders. Over twelve years ago, after a particularly violent episode involving her wealthy, influential and abusive boyfriend Sanders “Mac” MacManus left Keahi hospitalized, her younger sister Leilani “Lea” then only five years old, disappeared without a trace. When Keahi receives a letter she believes was written by Lea, she has reason to believe that Mac has been holding Lea against her will. Barely three weeks before her scheduled execution Keahi, who has had a tragic and violent past but shows no remorse for her actions, asks Frankie to save Lea, who she believes will be accompanying Mac to an isolated Hawaiian island, the site for his latest busi

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A story that touches upon themes of the horrors of war, trauma, resilience and survival, friendship, compassion and the healing power of books and reading  Miss Morgan's Book Brigade  by  Janet Skeslien Charles  is a remarkable work of historical fiction. Based on the true story of Jessie Carson, an American librarian known for her efforts to establish children’s libraries in war-torn France and training young French women librarians, the novel also sheds light on CARD, the American Committee for Devastated France,  (Le Comité américain pour les régions dévastées) , an initiative headed by wealthy American philanthropist Ann Morgan and the women who volunteered to travel to France to help rebuild devastated French communities near the war front in the aftermath of The Great War. The narrative is shared through dual timelines set in 1918 France and 1987 New York City. The 1918 timeline is shared from the perspective of Jessie, as she travels to CARD Headquarters in the

Audio Narration : 4⭐ Plot: 2.5⭐ Librarian Chloe Sampson has a lot on her plate. Legal guardian to her three younger siblings ever since their mother abandoned them, she juggles her job at the local library and her responsibilities at home. When she discovers a rare edition of an old book while clearing out the library basement, she decides to sell it for a decent price, hoping that the sale will temporarily ease her financial woes. The book in question has handwritten notes written in the margin – notes indicating a romantic relationship between two book-loving people ( “J” an “C”). When her grumpy elderly neighbor Jasper Holmes offers to buy the book for a handsome price Chloe begins to put two and two together and begins to search for more books in the library with similar messages on the pages. As the narrative progresses, Chloe’s quest marks the beginning of an unlikely friendship with Jasper, who helps her when she is at her wit’s end. We follow Chloe as her deep dive into the eve