Making room on the shelves for more books. :)

I was pleased to find a bunch of new books in my Little Free Library today - many thanks! I'm taking some to read and release later on, either for themed releases or just to give them a bit more mileage, while leaving others for neighbors to enjoy.

This one's by an author whose work I've enjoyed, especially her Year of Wonders. This book's received rave reviews - and has inspired a 2022 film adaptation as well.

Later: I really enjoyed this one, from its focus on the history of a single rare book to the glimpses of people and places across the centuries. Protagonist Hanna is an Australian woman who's an internationally-renowned expert in the conservation of manuscripts, and I gloried in the details of her work - from her awareness of which species of goat produced the parchment to the sources of the various pigments to the way she treated tiny items found in the binding. [She goes full-on CSI there, retrieving a tiny fragment of insect wing, a hair, samples of stains...]

The story includes a description of the book itself, with its unusual images - it's a Jewish text from the 15th century, when Jews did not add images of humans to their manuscripts, so who created those beautiful works of art? - and the political hotbed surrounding it. The nature of Hanna's work is presented in loving detail, making me want more time with the worn parchment and flakes of pigment and her careful repairs. And then there's the book's story, which unfolds via each of the items Hanna has found; the analysis of the stains and the insect wing and the hair each provide some information about dates and locations, but in this novel the reader gets to see the truth behind each of those things - a truth that will only become known to Hanna and company in part. But Hanna and her global network of contacts manage to put together a pretty solid timeline of the book's travels over the centuries, and should make a fine story to accompany the book's appearance in its new museum home. Ah, but there's a twist at the end - the book that's on display is not the one Hanna worked on, and the only people who could have interfered with it include a trusted mentor - and the man she's fallen in love with...

That last complication comes near the end of the novel and, after a time-skip, is resolved more or less satisfactorily, though not without some angst for all the major characters along the way. But the book as a whole presents history as seen through a single work of art - and the effects of its conservation and examination on the people of today.

Oh, and we do find out who made the illuminations, and why; that was one of the more touching stories in the novel, especially when Hanna discovered the artist's name...

I'm adding this to the 2021 Bookish Bookbox, bookbox-journal here. (Missed the post office hours today so the box will go in the mail on Monday.) Hope someone enjoys the book!

*** Released for the 2021 The The challenge. ***

*** Released for the 2021 Keep Them Moving challenge. ***

Received in the Bookish Bookbox

Released in the Bookish Bookbox

Please enjoy!

This looks interesting and I'm claiming it from the bookbox, with gratitude to the several readers who have passed it on.