The Giver of Stars

This book gave me similar feelings as when I read Where the Crawdad's Sing by Delia Owens. Each of the the female characters, having their own specific struggles, show an incredible amount of individual strength. Nothing bothers me more than weak and unstructured female characters in books, making unrealistic decisions and relying on someone else to solve everything for them.
I love books about books. I feel like because reading books is my favorite hobby, I am most excited when they are an important feature in a story. I especially love all of the nods to the classics mentioned throughout. This book got me a little weepy a few times in a good way. The camaraderie between the librarians and the dedicated book readers was what did it. Also, the unexpected love that blooms for Alice with Fred and Margery with Virgina. Very different types of love, but romantic and beautiful just the same.
Historical fiction has been my favorite genre lately. I love learning about a life that I could never have dreamed of. Not surprisingly, I have a strong desire to get back into horseback riding after this.