I wish I could remember who recommends a book to me when I love it. It’s usually not a mystery because I’m up-to-date with those. It’s usually just a good story, such as Poppy Alexander’s The Littlest Library. I “think” it might have been Kaye Wilkinson Barley who suggested this one. It’s a sweet story about a librarian who needs a boost in life.
At 32, Jess Metcalfe lost her beloved grandmother Mimi, the woman who raised her, and her job at the local library when the library closed. Bourton-on-the-Marsh is the only home Jess knew after her parents died in a car accident when she was four. But, her best firend, Hannah, married and living in Australia, tells her she needs a change in life. But, Jess is afraid of change. She has a fear of devastating loss, a fear of impending disaster. And, it’s worse when she starts to feel happy because she knows it won’t last.
Jess has nothing to do one day, though, and heads to Devon. In Middlemass, she comes across a little cottage that desperately needs help. And, Jess herself is so desperate that she falls in love with Ivy Cottage although she never really had a chance to tour it. An angry man confronts her about parking and blocking the roads. For once in her life, Jess does something impulsive, and puts in an offer on the rundown cottage. Before she knows it, her grandmother’s house is sold, and she’s packing up ten boxes of books to move to Middlemass.
That angry man is Aidan Foxworthy, Jess’ new neighbor, and the man who sold his grandfather’s cottage. Aidan might be stoild, with little expression except exasperation when he’s near Jess, but he’s also a helpful neighbor. Then, he tells Jess the telephone box on the property is her responsibility, and sends her to the parish council where they’re brainstorming ideas for the telephone box. What about a little lending library with Jess’ ten boxes of books as the basis of the library?
Jess and Aidan might rub each other the wrong way, but he puts shelves in the telephone box after she cleans it. As she starts to find friends in the community, there’s always something nagging at her, though. It’s Hannah who tells her she just can’t allow happiness to happen because she’s always afraid something will go wrong.
The Littlest Library is about a woman who is afraid to find happiness. There are so many reasons I loved this book, including the comment that broke my heart. “We’re book-starved here in MIddlemass.” It’s a moving novel of community and love and books, and finding where you belong. You might just want to check it out.
Poppy Alexander’s website is http://www.poppy-alexander.com
The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander. Avon/HarperCollins, 2021. 326p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I downloaded a galley from NetGalley.
I love the idea of a phone box library (and the cover). Too bad they didn’t do that rather than just getting rid of them.
I agree, Jeff. Wouldn’t that have been great?
Most phone boxes were owned by AT&T who took the tax donation that was generated by removing each one. A couple here here tried to buy them and do just this and the idea went nowhere. The company got a far bigger tax writeoff by destroying them than selling them or donating them thanks to how the tax laws are set up. There were local news stories here on the couple that were trying to buy several of them and those stories went national at the time. My wife was still alive then so there was a discussion at her infusion site where there had been their own library for patients that we frequently brought stuff too.
Then, a few months before Sandi passed so this was about this time of year back in 2017, a new office manager took over. She had the 100 books removed and wiped out the little library the patients were using in order to remove the book case entirely and put a coffee table with a vase of artificial flowers on it. Wanted to brighten the room and “nobody reads print books anymore. That is what our phones are for.”
I was particularly annoyed as a number of authors had, just a few weeks earlier, sent books to be placed in the little library after I had gone on social media and offered to put them there. I did it three times over the years we were at Texas Oncology-Medical City Dallas Hospital and it was a huge hit each time. Then this moron takes over and without asking anyone, just wipes it all out.
I don’t know what happened because Sandi was soon admitted to the main hospital and had a lot going on as things went steadily downhill. We were never in the office or infusion again just after she wiped out the little library so I don’t know how all that worked out.
That’s so lousy, Kevin. I hate it that she never even talked to people as to whether or not they wanted the books there. That’s terrible.
I loved this book! It always makes me happy to recommend a book and then hear it was a hit. Yay!
I loved it, too, Kaye. Enjoyed seeing the change in the community. Just a terrific book. I put myself on Poppy Alexander’s mailing list.
This book sounds fabulous, the library has it on order which is a good thing..Thanks for sharing Kaye’s recommendation
Jeannette, Now I have to see if our library has it on order. It’s my fault if we don’t.