Looking for your next great read? See what the Newfields librarians are reading and loving this month…
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
As soon as March starts, I yearn for greenery in the future months. To that end, I try to read something based in Ireland or from an Irish author, just to welcome the spring weather as well as create a festive mood for Saint Patrick’s. And while I may have missed the mark a little this year (Sorta, she was born in Northern Ireland, but technically a British author?), I’m still grateful as I’ve found an incredibly engaging book that I’ve had an absolute joy reading.
Hamnet is a historical fiction book written by Maggie O’Farrell. Taking place in Warwickshire in the 1580s, it follows a playwright’s family, hopping between two timelines. One storyline details the passionate relationship of the parents around 15 years earlier, while the other storyline describes their family trying to survive the bubonic plague. The family must deal with the death of the only son in the family, and how grief is a driving force in creating arguably one of the best known tragedies on earth: Hamlet.
The novel is written beautifully—very descriptive and emotional with hints of dark forebodings. But what I like most is that the novel focuses less on Shakespeare, who isn’t even named in the novel, and more on his family. More often than not, his family is little more than a footnote in history. In this novel, the roles are reversed as we see a detailed scenario of who they might have been as people. Anne Hathaway, or Agnes in this retelling, is almost a spirited supernatural being, and it is easy to see how she draws in Shakespeare. This is the first author that has ever made me so incredibly interested in the journey of a flea. I have no idea how she did that, and now I need to read more of her works.
TLDR: If you’re a Shakespeare fan and/or enjoy some dramatic historical fiction, this book is definitely for you!
This book is available in both our physical library collection and in ebook and audiobook formats on the Libby app.
-Lauren B.
First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison
What a fun romp! I didn’t read the synopsis before listening and was pleasantly surprised to get a Sleepless in Seattle-inspired storyline (one of my favorite rom-coms of all time!).
Lucy’s daughter calls in to a romance radio show called Heartstrings, asking for dating advice…for her mom. Lucy joins the call and ends up sharing her hopes and fears about her dating life. She’s looking for magic. The call goes viral and leads to Lucy joining the radio team for a special show following her dating life. But while the show works hard to set Lucy up with the perfect man, sparks start to fly off-mic between her and its cynical host.
This is a sweet, well-paced, grumpy-sunshine romance that hits all the right notes without getting too sappy or derivative. A perfect light read to clear out the mid-winter blues.
What I liked:
- Good characters. All the characters were likable for me. No villains. No major jerks. The side characters were well drawn and the author did a good job capturing non-cringey humor and banter (not an easy feat!)
- Dual POV. Dual POV is hit-or-miss for me, but it really worked here. I actually enjoyed Aiden’s (MMC) perspective more than Lucy’s—but both were good. I loved seeing how each character developed feelings for the other over time and how they read (or misread) each other along the way. And Aiden’s POV in particular was *chef’s kiss* I found myself smiling listening to him develop a begrudging crush on Lucy and inadvertently get protective when she starts setting up real dates.
- The ending. I always hold my breath for the third-act breakup because it’s so rarely done well. But I was happy with how the author developed the characters and their relationship in a way that made the third-act conflict believable and bearable. It also helped that we didn’t sit in the conflict period for long. The characters get their act together quickly and don’t leave us sitting mopes-ville.
- The romance. I just really liked the dynamic between Lucy and Aiden—especially the little live radio scenes (the yearnnnning!).
🎧I listened to the audiobook version through an Advance Listening Copy from @Libro.fm and highly recommend the audio—two narrators whose acting was spot on!
This book is available to check out via audiobook and ebook on the Libby app and will be coming soon in physical format to our collection.
-Brittney T.
