My First Read of 2024
The first book I chose to read in 2024 is (drumroll) The Lions of 5th Avenue by Fiona Davis. (Stadium level cheering heard here).
This won’t be a review because I am a painfully slow reader. I am only 46% finished, according to my Kindle reader. However, I was excited about this book from the first chapter, and I know you will be too. I downloaded this book from Bookbub as one of their Ebook Bargains. If you are unfamiliar with Bookbub, you must check them out here: www.bookbub.com.
I love historical fiction and read a ton of WWII books. I chose this one because it is historical fiction but unrelated to WWII. It is a period in which I have read very little. By the title, I imagined it as a Gilded Age – esque story of the Wall Street Barons.
I was tickled to find out the Lions referred to in the title are the lions in front of the New York Public Library! The first chapter takes place in 1913 when the superintendent of the brand-new New York Public Library moves in with his family. Yes! You read that right. He moved into the library with his family. When it first opened, there was a hidden, seven-room apartment in the library. Is it not a dream come true to live in one of the most stunning libraries in the world?
As I began the book, I imagined it had a similar appeal to the children’s book From The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, where the children secretly live in a museum.
I won’t say much more about this read except that it is a dual timeline book that deals with women’s equality issues of the time and the mystery of a book theft.
Have you read this book? What were your thoughts? What is your first read of 2024?
Disclaimer: The links provided lead to Bookshop.org. I do not receive any compensation from these links, but a portion of your purchase will go to support independent bookstores. For this post I have chosen the Andover Bookstore as the Bookshop.org affiliate. Andover Bookstore in Andover, MA is the oldest independent bookstore in the country.