The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore

THE LIBRARY OF BORROWED HEARTS by Lucy Gilmore (The Lonely Hearts Book Club) is another wonderful feel good book with plenty of references to titles, authors, and their characters. There are two time periods; one is 1960 where Jasper, a logger, and Catherine, library employee and daughter of a military commander, tentatively make each other’s acquaintance by leaving notes in books. The other is present day where wannabe librarian Chloe is responsible for her rather eccentric siblings (15-year-old Trixie, and 11-year-old twins Theo and Noodle). Chloe discovers the decades old correspondence and uses that former attachment (and the search for more books related to it which she undertakes with Zach, a local outdoorsman) as an escape from a stressful reality. Turns out Jasper is her elderly neighbor and both he and young Chloe transform throughout the story. With special appeal to fans of tales like A Man Called Ove, THE LIBRARY OF BORROWED HEARTS is a light, diverting read filled with amusing banter and slow burn romance. The many book titles to which characters refer are especially fun and they are listed in an appendix, along with a Reader’s Guide. Reading it made me smile – a lot; this would be a charming summer read for book clubs. Enjoy!