My last library haul of 2022

 One of the things that I’m grateful for this year is being able to make regular trips to my local library.

 Granted, due to time and current circumstances, my visits have become bimonthly at best yet just having that brief break in my daily routine to pick up a few new(to me) books is such a joy that I treasure each and every chance I get.

For this last library haul of the year, my luck was good as the third book in Marty Wingate’s First Edition Library Mystery series , The Librarian Always Rings Twice, was right on the shelf. 

Set in Bath, England, our leading lady is Hayley Burke, the curator of  Middlebank House, a small private collection of Golden Age mysteries by the late Lady Georgiana Fowling, who fancied herself a mystery writer as well.

Hayley has just convinced the board of directors,along with the indomitable Mrs. Woolgar, to allow once a week public viewings of Her Ladyship’s library and while that plan seems to be going well despite frequent questions about whether they have a tea room available, a couple of unexpected visitors cause some unwelcome ruckus indeed.

One of those visitors is John Aubrey, who claims to be Lady Fowling’s grandson, the result of a secret affair between her and his late grandfather. While his evidence of such lineage is rather vague, John is very familiar with Lady Fowling’s detective novels, which were privately published and given to only a select set of people.

This new arrival angers Charles Henry Dill, the obnoxious nephew of Lady Fowling who has wormed his way into a “personal assistant “ job at Middlebank. He takes the first chance he gets to physically attack John during one of the open to the public sessions, an act he’ll soon regret.

When a friend of John’s is found dead in front of Middlebank, his resemblance to John Aubrey becomes a motive for murder with Charles Henry a prime suspect in the case. 

As much as she dislikes Charles Henry, Hayley knows that he’s not a killer and reluctantly but reliably takes up a sleuthing role to clear his name. She also wants to find out the truth about John Aubrey as well, perhaps solving two mysteries for the sad price of one fatality.

I do enjoy this series, with such delightfully literate and quirky characters and since I did visit Bath many years ago(including the Jane Austen Center, where Hayley used to work!), these cozy capers are a great way to go back.

Although the title of this particular entry references a James M. Cain novel and film, the book most referred to within the story is a Daphne Du Maurier work entitled Frenchman’s Creek. I’m a hundred pages into the book right now so perhaps by the end, both of these references will connect themselves:

Interestingly enough, my next selection has drawn comparisons to Du Maurier’s classic Rebecca as well as Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic, a great read indeed.

The Hacienda by Isabel Canas takes place after the Mexican War of Independence, which leaves young Beatriz Hernandez and her mother in serious need of a safe haven. By marrying widower Don Rodolfo Solorzano and retreating to his estate known as the Hacienda San Isidro , she appears to have a chance to start a new life.

However, a number of strange events, along with the ominous attitude of the family housekeeper, give Beatriz some suspicions regarding how the first wife of Don Rodolfo died.

Her only ally is Padre Andres who, against his better judgment, is willing to cleanse the house via exorcism. However, the spirits that haunt San Isidro may be aided by more corporal entities, who would do anything to protect what secrets may be hidden upon such less than hallowed grounds.

I’ve heard good word of mouth about this debut novel and even though scary stories aren’t usually considered seasonal fare this time of year, it’s more than worth it to dive into these new creative waters. 

With the likes of Du Maurier and Moreno-Garcia as muses for this gothic tale, no doubt that I am in for a real treat here:

To round things out, my last pick was Amor Towles’ The Lincoln Highway, a book that I hope spurs me into finishing another title by this author.

The plot of this set in the 1950s novel is focused on newly released prisoner Emmet Watson, who finds no better choice than to leave his hometown with his younger brother Billy in search of a new life in San Francisco.

 Billy believes that their mother, who left their Nebraska farm years ago , is out there and with their father dead, is the only chance at family either of them has left.

That journey becomes plagued with obstacles such as a pair of former acquaintances of Emmet’s deciding to “borrow “  their car, forcing the brothers to hop trains in order to travel. Along the way, they met various friends and foes who show them the best and worst that life has to offer, hoping to ultimately find a place to truly cal home.

Towles is best known for his novel A Gentleman in Moscow, a book that I did enjoy yet didn’t quite finish at the time(I got distracted to say the least on that). Nevertheless, the whimsical energy of that story left such a pleasant memory that I do want to try again anew here.

While A Gentleman in Moscow had some Wes Anderson movie vibes for me, The Lincoln Highway feels more like O Brother, Where Art Thou? in nature which is good because the Coen Brothers are grand masters of offbeat storytelling and that sets a fine template for this engaging adventure to be sure:

Well, I do plan to take my time with this trio of reads and hope to have completed all three in the early days of the new year soon to be. Nothing like a good book to snuggle up with during the bleakness of winter there!

I look forward to find more such paperbound gems in 2023 and if all goes well, to visit my local NY Public Library branch more often. In such troubling times as these, our public libraries are becoming targets of ignorance and abuse, something that we need to hold strong against now more than ever.

One sure thing about libraries is that despite the odds, they fight hard to be the welcoming refuge of knowledge and art that people need in times like this. Also, there is plenty of bookish joy to be found for those who seek it there and let’s resolve to engage in that as well next and every year: