The Librarian - the joy of reading!

Fresh out of library school, Sylvia Blackwell takes a job as a children's librarian in a small market town. The library is pretty run down, but she is determined to get the youngsters of East Mole not only reading, but to be enthusiastic about reading. It doesn't take long for her to befriend some of the local children, including the incredibly smart son of her neighbour, her landlady's neglected grandchild and the daughter of the local doctor. Just as it seems her efforts are starting to be rewarded, she falls for the doctor and beings an affair, even though he is married. This begins to impact on her life and work, which, together with her unpopularity with certain members of the community - including her boss at the library who doesn't like change - leads her to spinning out of control. Alongside this, the children she has become close to become embroiled in some serious mischief, which has a lifelong impact on their lives. I found The Librarian, by Salley Vickers, easy to read and enjoyable for the most part, although I became frustrated with Sylvia as I just couldn't understand why she fell for the doctor who seemed to have almost no redeeming features. However, I enjoyed the interaction between Sylvia and the children and felt that these sections were particularly well observed. Full of nostalgia and tinged with heartbreak, the unfairness and small mindedness of the time it's set in (1958) is hard to take. Strangely relevant for today, where libraries are being decimated at an alarming rate of knots and the value of reading and expanding one's mind on something other than celebrities does not seem to be recognised. All hail the library!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.
Length: 400 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from my mum.

The Falls - a little bit spooky!

In the twelfth outing for John Rebus, Edinburgh's grumpy and self-destructive police detective, the action begins with a student going missing. There is very little to go on, but when a carved wooden doll in a tiny coffin appears not far from the family home, Rebus starts to make links to other instances where carved coffins have been discovered in the past - all the way back to a seat of 16 found in a hillside in 1836. His colleagues think he's barking up the wrong tree, so when another lead emerges to do with an Internet role-playing game that the missing girl was involved in - that becomes the focus for his long time mentee, Siobhan Clarke. The Falls, by Ian Rankin is a real cat-and-mouse crime novel, with lots of red herrings and peril along the way. Rebus is dogged in his belief that the coffins hold clues, and, as usual, this gets him into trouble with his superiors. Along the way, he forms a personal relationship with a local historian, so there is a little love interest - but Rebus doesn't have a good history when it comes to mixing his work with his home life, especially when his capacity to seek solace at the bottom of a pint glass overwhelms him. Always enjoyable and full of interesting detail, Ian Rankin's creation rarely disappoints - and this is no exception.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Formats available: print; audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.
Length: 479 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from my husband.

The Binding - ignorance is bliss?

Emmett Farmer, a young man living with his family is recovering from a mysterious illness, about which he remembers almost nothing, when a letter arrives, summoning him to an apprenticeship with a Binder named Seredith. Here he learns the skills needed to bind a book - a trade that is reviled and feared in equal measure - for what's within that binding is more than just a bedtime story. A Binder can remove the unwanted memories of a person and trap them inside a book. Reputable Binders keep that book safe while the person goes on with their life, unaware of what's happened. However, disreputable Binders take memories from the poor and destitute, and then sell those books they create to wealthy people looking for entertainment. But when Seredith dies and Emmett is taken on by another Binder, his life starts to spin out of control, especially when he keeps being drawn to a wealthy young man who seems to dog his steps. When Emmett discovers that there is a book with his own name on it, he manages to find and destroy it - and the memories come flooding back. The Binding, by Bridget Collins is a book that sucks you in from the first page. It's a fascinating premise - what would you do if you could erase a terrible memory - would it be like giving up part of your soul and turn you into something you are not? Emmett is a likeable character and is ably supported by a solid cast of others, many of whom sit on the darker side of life. A mix of love story, thriller and cracking good yarn, I read the audio edition which I can highly recommend. This was verging towards a five-star review, but I felt that some sections slowed the story too much and could have used a little bit of editing to keep them as sharp as the majority of the book - but that could be just me!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.
Length: 384 print pages.
Price I paid: £5.84.

Light On Snow - emotional!

Light On Snow, by Anita Shreve is a quiet book in that there may not be big actions scenes, however, this does not mean that it is not an engrossing read. It's told from the perspective of Nicky, a young girl who is living with her father in an isolated house in the woods. They have moved to this lonely spot following the tragic death of her mother and her sister. Her father is determined to keep the world at bay and try to heal, but Nicky would rather be closer to the action the local town might offer. One evening, their settled world is shattered when they find an abandoned baby in the snow nearby, and race it to the hospital. The baby survives and Nicky begins to harbour a fantasy about them being able to look after the baby permanently. This fantasy goes up a notch when the baby's mother shows up at their house during a bad storm and during the days that follow, when their home is cut off from the main road, they face the dilemma of whether to turn her in to the authorities. This is a moving story of loss and longing. Nicky is an excellent narrator and all the characters are filled out and believable, and even those your brain is telling you to despise are written sympathetically. It just goes to show that you never really know what you would do in any given situation until you walk in someone else's shoes. Anita Shreve is a fine author and her books are full of heart - if you haven't tried her yet, I recommend you do so!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 272 print pages.
Formats available: print; audio CD; ebook.
Price I paid: £0.00, borrowed from my Mum.