More On Favorite Authors
Several readers responded about their favorite authors, or at least authors whose books they routinely enjoy. Linda Dove said she was a true Backman fan, and Becky Peace wrote, Anne Tyler is a favorite. She has the amazing talent of writing about daily life and ordinary people so that we both understand others better and see ourselves clearer. And she does that with beautiful, concise writing. But does one ALWAYS like every book from a favorite author? Probably not. For example, I did not enjoy a new book by Brianna Labuskes. (Of course, you could very well love it so please don’t let me influence you!) Labuskes wrote The Librarian of Burned Books, and I found it fascinating. During a book club discussion of the book, one person said she could not keep up with the three main characters and the switching time periods. That is the problem I had with The Boxcar Librarian.
Labruskes’ new historical novel The Boxcar Librarian is set in Montana during the Great Depression. Millie Lang, an editor for the WPA, travels to Missoula for a project. While trying to sort out why an important publication has not been completed, she stumbles upon a mystery involving Alice Monroe and Colette Durant, the two founders of the Boxcar Library. It seems that amid tensions between union workers and management, Colette somehow disappears on the maiden journey of the library. What happened to her? Unfortunately, I was not invested enough in the characters to really care so the mystery aspect was not motivating. As mentioned earlier, I think that is because I found it difficult to move back and forth between the characters and the time line. I do think, however, that the book is worthwhile from an historical aspect.
Fiona Davis is another author I usually like to read. Her historican novel The Lions of Fifth Avenue was captivating. Her new book The Stolen Queen, which I plan to read, is set both in New York and Egypt in the 1970s. Charlotte Cross is associate curator of the Met’s Department of Egyptian Art. She spent her younger years as an anthropology student in the Valley of the Kings. The other main character is Annie Jenkins, an ambitious young intern working on a gala to be held at the Met. On the night of the gala, a valuable artifact from the Egyptian collection goes missing. Needless to say, this is a mystery that must be solved so together Charlotte and Annie travel back to Egypt and into a web of secrets and danger in order to find the stolen treasure. This is such a timely book in light of the recent opening of the museum in Cairo. Davis also tackles the ethical question of artifacts taken from their country of origin.