From the Stacks
By Carol Ann Robb, PPL Reference Librarian

Britannia often rules my reading choices, and the past fortnight has been no different. I happened to be in the middle of “The Library” by Bella Osborne when the Queen’s death was announced and it just felt right to find myself in an English setting. And the fact that it was a comforting tale of how a library can unite souls in need of connecting with each other was exactly what I needed.

I had “Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting” by Clare Pooley on-deck for my next read and it, too, is the story of an unlikely group of people who, after meeting each other on the daily train commute in and out of London, come together to help each other navigate life’s problems. Of course, all of the people are quirky in their own, lovable ways and you find yourself rooting for each of them. If you enjoyed Backman’s “Anxious People,” this is a book to put on your “to-read” list.

Next up is Hazel Prior’s “Ellie and the Harpmaker” for Tuesday’s book discussion. Actually, this will be a re-read for me so I know I’ll soon be in Exmoor, which is a very picturesque area so I’m eager to return, if only through the pages of a book. It, too, is an “uplit” title that is just the ticket when you’re in need of an easy, pleasant read.

And then I’ll be ready to return to the US with “Book Lovers” by Emily Henry, which will put me back in North Carolina. I’ve no doubt, though, that there will be many more British titles in my future reading. Britannia rules my pages.