Helen Cartwright, 83 y/o, has returned to her family home in a small village in England after 60 years in Australia to die. Not that she has a diagnosis beyond being old. She has been back for 3 years, but returned still actively grieving the abrupt loss of her husband and the tragic loss of her son. She is very lonely and isolated. She does the same thing most days and memories do not give her comfort. Then she unwittingly brings a 5” male mouse into her house. He decides to stay with her and she decides to care for him. (This is not a talking mouse or an anthropomorphic rodent). To care for him she starts meeting a few people she can connect with as she moves from removing the mouse by trapping to naming Sipsworth and hoping wildlife rescue group will take him to making Sipsworth a housemate. Eventually it is revealed that Helen has done significant things. Slow start. A comforting book. Perhaps this book raises awareness of long term grieving, loneliness, sadness and isolation in people in our lives (or in ourselves).

3.75 stars rounded up. I find this book very hard to rate as much of the merit comes from its status as a classic. Mark Twain’s novel is full of adventure, boyhood mischief and depictions of the racist antebellum Southern US. I’m very familiar with the story and probably have the strongest memory of the Elijah Wood portrayal on film. There’s nostalgia that comes with taking that trip down the river with Huck and Jim and revisiting their stops along the way. Yet, during this reading, I was shocked at the preponderance of vernacular and ear-piercing slurs (specifically the n-word) that made it rather hard to listen to on audio. If this book were written today as historical fiction, I’d probably be rounding down the rating, but I can’t ignore where this text stands in history. Tom Parker’s narration felt rather fast-paced, but his voice felt authentic though his occasional vocal clicks stuck out a bit.

Loved this book so much. It is well written, suspenseful, full of adventure & love. It is like a warm hug!

This book has great vocabulary and shared insights to the world about life as a minority. It displays a coming of age theme which revolves around Starr, the ferocious main character of this novel. I would definitely recommend!

When I first heard about this book about bookstores, it seemed right up my alley. Sure enough, this is a great book for book lovers and those who love browsing the shelves of their local brick and mortar. This historical journey through American booksellers goes back to the time of Benjamin Franklin and continues through cultural shifts in the county- from gay rights to racism. The business of books, the evolution of big box retailers and the transition to online sales and digital formats are all discussed. The book was a bit dry at times but did make me excited to visit independent bookstores in other parts of the country. I listened to the audiobook on Libby.

We loved this intro to Shakespearean England and the time of Queen Elizabeth I! We blazed through it.

It is really good. I like the whole series????

Fantastic like all the rest and a satisfying ending for Jack

I loved the way each chapter was from a different perspective.

Really good book. Loved her sense of humor and she’s so cool! Would highly recommend.