By Debbie Robinson
‘The Real Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things’ by author Paula Byrne is a really wonderfully documented exploration into the life of one of the most popular and beloved writers in Britain and around the world. The book includes many paintings and drawings from the period of Ms. Austen’s life. Byrne uses a different object in each chapter to bring out the nuances, charms and true strengths of this remarkable and extremely talented woman. Ms. Austen had the fortitude and drive to push aside the barriers that society put up against ‘literary’ females. I am grateful to her because I certainly can’t imagine a world without Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett!
For years on the beautiful island of Java, WWII seemed far away, then people, some friends and some neighbours started to disappear. Lise Kristensen was 10-years-old when her family began two gruelling years of imprisonment in a Japanese POW camp. The camp was a disease-riddled, vermin-infested hell. Ms. Kristensen and her family used an old door laid on cement posts to sleep above the filthy ground. Her book, ‘The Blue Door,’ is the incredible story of their ultimate survival.
‘Songs of Willow Frost’ is a beautiful and haunting novel that is set in the tough and desperate years of the Great Depression. It is the tale of a young boy’s search for a mother that he thought was gone forever. His glimpse of an actress on an old movie screen who looks like his mother gives him hope that she is somehow still alive—somewhere. This sweeping saga by author Jamie Ford will touch the hearts of all who have ever yearned for family and a home.
Fantasy readers will enjoy ‘Isles of the Forsaken’ by writer Carolyn Ives Gilman. This is an engrossing novel about politics, power and colliding cultures. The book has a cast of characters that are vivid and a story that is deliciously complex!
Young Adult Reads: ‘In a Flash’ by Eric Walters.
DVD Pick: ‘Across the Universe’ starring Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturges and Joe Anderson–the story of a young Liverpool dockworker searching for his estranged father in America–a great movie, terrific cast and a spectacular soundtrack–you will have to sing along!
There is free wireless access during Library hours so bring the device of your choice and join us (we also have two public computers available). See you at the Library! Blog us at www.assiginacklibrary.wordpress.com
