Debbie Laskey's Blog: Five Books to Celebrate National Book Lovers Day!

If you know today is a very special day, then you're a bibliophile like me because today is NATIONAL BOOK LOVERS DAY!

Last year on this date, I shared 22 passages from books I read during 2025, and three years ago on this date, I shared my five favorite books of all time. Today, I'm going to share the five best books I read last year to celebrate National Book Lovers Day.

According to NationalToday.com, "Books are the purest form of escapism. They can take you to any time, place, or culture. In honor of National Book Lovers Day, August 9, we put away our smartphones, pull out a good book, and simply read. (Of course, an audiobook will suffice.) From clay tablets to eBooks, literature has played a crucial role in preserving cultures, educating the masses, and storytelling. Thanks to Johannes Gutenberg's 15th-century printing press, anyone, not just royalty, monks, or landed gentry, could read and own books. But, alas, there was no overnight shipping. Today, join a book club or re-read a favorite novel because National Book Lovers Day rocks!"

Drum roll please...here are the five best books I read last year.

THE LIBRARY OF LOST DOLLHOUSES by Elise Hooper. It's easy to see why I chose this book: I have a passion for reading, libraries, San Francisco, architecture, the Art Institute of Chicago's Thorne Rooms, dollhouses, miniatures, history, and to quote the author, "the importance of illuminating overlooked women."

According to the book's flap, "Tildy Barrows, Head Curator of a beautiful archival library in San Francisco, takes an unexpected turn when she, first, learns the library is on the verge of bankruptcy and, second, discovers two exquisite never-before-seen dollhouses. After finding clues hidden within these remarkable miniatures, Tildy sets out to decipher the secret history of the dollhouses, aiming to salvage her cherished library in the process. Her journey introduces her to a world of ambitious and gifted women in Belle Epoque Paris, a group of scarred World War I veterans in the English countryside, and Walt Disney's bustling Burbank studio in the 1950's. Spanning the course of a century, this book tells the captivating story of secrets and love that embrace the importance of illuminating overlooked women."

Author Elise Hooper explained, "As I delved deeper and deeper into the history of dollhouses, I noticed that miniatures tend to grow in popularity during difficult times. For example, at the end of World War I, Queen Mary commissioned a grand dollhouse from England's leading artisans as a way of lifting the nation's spirits. After the dollhouse was finished, over a million and half people showed up to see it exhibited. In the United States, the Art Institute of Chicago's well-known Thorne Rooms and Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle were created and exhibited during the Great Depression to raise money for charitable causes. And then in 2020, while people were stuck in their homes during the pandemic, another flourishing of modern miniatures took hold once again and captured people's imaginations on social media. I love this proof of how art plays an important and positive role in our lives."

My favorite quote from this book was: "Reading is magic. Think of the imagination and sense of adventure that readers employ every time they crack open a book."

THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah. Published in February 2024 (but I read it in 2025), this historical work of fiction tells the story of a young woman from San Diego who served as a nurse in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Her brother did not survive the war, but she did. Her father had been so embarrassed about her going to war that he lied and told people she went to Italy instead. When she came home from the war, she suffered from PTSD, and no one at the Veterans Administration believed that she had suffered - and continued to suffer from her trauma - and yet she experienced as much trauma as the men who saw battle.

The book was incredibly well-written, the story was so well researched, and upon finishing it, the characters remained with me for a long time. And after finishing the book, I conducted my own research about the impact of American women who served in Vietnam and learned that there is a Vietnam Women's Memorial in Washington, D.C. Glenna Goodacre, the sculptor of the Vietnam Women's Memorial, explained, "My desire to create a lasting tribute to the American women serving in Vietnam is founded upon my deep respect for each of them, and my heartfelt prayer for their healing and hope. I have been humbled by the enormity of such a task yet incredibly honored by the overwhelming gratitude of the veterans. The emphasis of this tribute is centered on their emotions: their compassion, their anxiety, their fatigue, and above all, their dedication."

Author Kristin Hannah has said, "One of the things I love about historical fiction is its ability to illuminate the modern world. Now, more than ever, we need to find a way to come together and have civil, informed conversations."

My favorite quote from this book was: "Thank God for girlfriends. In this crazy, chaotic, divided world that was run by men, you could count on the women."

THE BORROWED LIFE OF FREDERICK FIFE by Anna Johnston. According to author Johnston, "I’ve always been fascinated by cases of mistaken identity and the phenomenon of doppelgangers. I began exploring the idea of one man being able to redeem another man’s life, even after death, and the plot grew quickly from there."

According to the book's description, "Frederick Fife was born with an extra helping of kindness in his heart. If he borrowed your car, he’d return it washed with a full tank of gas. The problem is, at age eighty-two, there’s nobody left in Fred’s life to borrow from, and he's broke and on the brink of eviction. But Fred’s luck changes when he's mistaken for Bernard Greer, a missing resident at the local nursing home, and takes his place. Now Fred has warm meals in his belly and a roof over his head — as long as his look-alike Bernard never turns up. Another character, Denise Simms is stuck breathing the same disappointing air again and again. A middle-aged mom and caregiver at Bernard's facility, her crumbling marriage and daughter's health concerns are suffocating her joy for life. Wounded by her two-faced husband, she vows never to let a man deceive her again. As Fred walks in Bernard’s shoes, he leaves a trail of kindness behind him, fueling Denise's suspicions about his true identity."

My favorite quote from this book was: "Love is about picking someone up and never, ever putting them down again, no matter how heavy things become."

THE SICILIAN INHERITANCE by Jo Piazza. As a fan of other books by Piazza, it's easy to see why I chose this book. In fact, in her book that I read in 2024, CHARLOTTE WALSH LIKES TO WIN, the protagonist, Charlotte Walsh, ran for Senate from the state of Pennsylvania, but the book ended with no clear ending. Instead, there was an author's note at the end, and that note made the book memorable:

"I bet you have a lot of questions after getting to the final page of this book. Namely, does Charlotte win? Does she lose? Does she stay with Max? Does she opt to do it all on her own? The truth is, I've written six different endings to this book...In these politically charged times, everything is taken as a statement. A definitive ending to this book would have been seen as one statement if she won and another if she lost...I wanted to talk about what it means to be an ambitious woman and what it costs us...I wanted to show how difficult it still is for a woman to run for office even though we all know we need more of us in government."

And now, back to THE SICILIAN INHERITANCE, a book about romance, a murder mystery, history, and Sicily...according to the book's description, "Sara Marsala barely knows who she is anymore after the failure of her business and marriage. On top of that, her beloved great-aunt Rosie passes away, leaving Sara bereft with grief. But Aunt Rosie’s death also opens an escape from her life and a window into the past by way of a plane ticket to Sicily, a deed to a possibly valuable plot of land, and a bombshell family secret. Rosie believes Sara’s great-grandmother Serafina, the family matriarch who was left behind while her husband worked in America, didn’t die of illness as family lore has it . . . she was murdered."

My favorite quote from this book centered around this theme: "The importance of women writing their own histories and legacies."

GROWING HOME by Beth Ferry with art by The Fan Brothers was recognized as Barnes & Noble's 2025 Children's Book of the Year. Reading children's books as an adult can be considered "brain candy" because it fosters imagination and provides joy and escapism with beautifully crafted stories and illustrations.

According to the book's description, "A motley crew of talkative plants, a curious spider, and a grumpy goldfish use their newfound magical abilities to defend their family from a greedy human. Ivy is the beloved houseplant of young Jillian Tupper of Number 3 Ramshorn Drive, much to the constant dismay of Toasty the goldfish, who is technically the family pet — swimming in his special place of honor, the antique octagonal fish tank — and should be the most loved. It seems that’s how the cookie crumbles in the curious Tupper household, but soon a sequence of thrilling and magical events challenges that way of life forever. First, there’s the arrival of Arthur, a knowledgeable spider with a broken leg and a curious mind, hidden in an old typewriter. Then Jillian throws everyone for a loop when she brings home dear, sweet Ollie, a school houseplant who just wants to be friends and sing. When Toasty splashes the plants with his tank water out of frustration, the friends learn that they can do magical things — like lift heavy objects and turn things invisible! It turns out Toasty’s fishtank isn’t just for fish; it was made by a curious inventor who gave it special powers that, in the wrong hands, could disrupt everything forever. And a curious man with purple shoes just so happens to want that tank at any cost. Can Ivy, Toasty, Arthur, and Ollie grow to be friends in time to work together to save their beloved Tupper family from utter ruin?"

My favorite quote from this book was: "Have you talked to any of your plants lately? Admired their green leaves or their pretty flowers? Told them they are beautiful? No? Get on that, reader! Then go pet your dog, cat, snake, or guinea pig. Talk to your goldfish! Sing to your parakeet. Animals are people too! Never forget that!"

Doesn't that story sound like fun? It certainly was!

What will YOU read to celebrate National Book Lovers Day? I hope this post gave you some ideas! Happy reading!

Debbie Laskey's Blog

Sunday, August 9, 2026

Five Books to Celebrate National Book Lovers Day!

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