June 2011

We love when librarians give us feedback about our books.

We were thrilled to receive this rave review of THE LANTERN from Carol A. Kubala, Adult Services Librarian at the Saxton B. Little Free Library in Columbia, CT 

What Carol says about THE LANTERN by Deborah Lawrenson:

It came wrapped much like a present, in rich green , heavy paper; filigreed, deckle edged, fastened with a silver seal ; this special treasure of a book, The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson. My fingers carefully opened my gift from the publisher, Harper, imprint of Harper Collins and I read the first page. I was captured immediately by its lyrical language, its setting of a crumbling cottage in Provence, whispering hints of scent that tickled my nose and grew, and an intense, suspenseful story; part ghost, part love, part haunting tale of evil with murky shadows everywhere. Parallel narrators roaming the farmland of Les Genévriers carried me along and kept me reading past my bedtime to see how their journey would end. The Lantern wrapped up satisfyingly, both figuratively and in plot. That it is compared to du Maurier's, Rebecca and Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale seems a good fit. I'd also suggest The Lantern to fans of Joss's, Half Broken Things and Waters's, Little Stranger. Though the finished copy will not be gift wrapped, unfolding the story should be gift enough.

What Carol says about herself:

I have worked at The Saxton B. Little Free Library, Columbia, CT for over 27 years, presently in Adult Services. What this means in a small library is that I do whatever needs to be done with a focus on adult circulation and acquisitions. What I enjoy most about my job is helping our public find materials that fill their needs; particularly books to engage and enchant them. I also love doing book displays and moderate a Readers' Advisory forum on webjunction.  My favorite reads are what I call adrenaline adventure, like The Lost City of Z by David Grann and travel narratives.

Carol sent this photo of herself so obviously she's got a pretty good sense of humor, too!

We welcome reviews from all librarians!

Feel free to ask for galleys, write a review and help spread the word about good books!

-Virginia