This week we feature a magical novel about finding love in a 1960s French village and an influential classic about an early 18th-century castaway.
Fiction
‘The Little Village of Book Lovers’
By Nina George
The author of the best-selling “The Little Paris Bookshop” makes Love the narrator of this lyrical novel. When Love accidentally infuses some of her powers into French orphan and infant Marie-Jeanne, she grows up gifted with the ability to detect signs indicating true love between others. She plays matchmaker to her friends, and the bookmobile she and her foster father operate allows her to bring together other soulmates. But will Jeanne-Marie ever find a true love of her own?
Ballantine Books, 2024, 272 pages
Literary History
‘The Writer’s Lot: Culture and Revolution in Eighteenth-Century France’
By Robert Darnton
What was the writer’s role in 18th-century France leading up to and during the French Revolution? One of the leading scholars on French literary culture, specifically during the revolutionary era, tackles this question by following three writers of the age. These French authors experienced varied levels of success, both financially and politically. Darnton is able to paint a rather accurate picture by using this anecdotal evidence, along with other substantiated facts. A brilliant undertaking.
Belknap Press, 2025, 240 pages
Photography
‘Glorious Gulf of Mexico: Life Below the Blue’
By Jesse Cancelmo
When it lies below the surface, sometimes beauty cannot be seen. From the Gulf Coast shore, the Gulf of Mexico (now America) mainly looks muddy. Once underwater, the viewer can take in its glories and beauty. This photo essay takes readers to this world. It follows the Gulf shore, capturing each place along the shore. It closes with a look along the rim of the Gulf’s continental shelf. Text accompanies each photo, placing each scene in context and educating readers about the places and the sea life shown.
Texas A&M University Press, 2016, 156 pages
Fantasy
Edited by Jason Cordova
This book is what happens after giving a collection of science fiction and fantasy authors a cover image and asking them to write on a military theme inspired by it. This anthology contains nine original tales ranging from short stories to novellas, all with a combat theme. The result is a marvelous sampler of virtually every flavor of fantasy and sci-fi: a first contact story, combat science fiction, urban fantasy, alien invasions, and more. The unifying theme is small teams facing formidable odds.
Baen Books, July 2025, 320 pages
Classics
By Daniel Defoe
First published in 1719, this story of a castaway helped shape the English novel while delivering a grand tale of adventure. Crusoe is an ordinary man with flaws faced with extraordinary challenges, which, along with Defoe’s matter-of-fact style, may account for the story’s popularity. The lone survivor of a shipwreck, he must live by his wits, mastering both his environment and himself. For 28 years, he hunts, farms, studies the Bible, and eventually rescues the man he famously calls Friday.
Signet, 2008, 336 pages
For Kids
By Dr. Seuss
This familiar Dr. Seuss story features the lovable elephant Horton in the colorful Jungle of Nool. At its core, it’s about compassion, illustrating the idea that “a person’s a person no matter how small.” Comical and heartwarming, this is a children’s library must-have. For extra enjoyment, check out the audiobook narrated by Dustin Hoffman.
Random House, 1954, 72 pages
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