This book was a refreshing change then some of the more depressing books I have been reading. I give it a solid 5 out of 5 stars.

This book is about the Pack Horse Library of Kentucky set during the great depression. The book is told by four of the main characters. Addie, Emmett, Bettina, and Nanny Fay. Which gives it four unique viewpoints and adds depth to the story.

Addie is a city dweller that moves to a poor coal mining town and has to get used to going without all the luxuries of a big town. Emmet is a recently returned college graduate who does not think he will be able to use his degree in a small town. The town is very wary of strangers and is deeply superstitious of many things. So Addie has to overcome those challenges and Emmet is finding it hard to fit in again.

It is a Christian Fiction genre and that was also a fun thing for me to read as I have not read this genre for a long time. I found the spiritual and Biblical quotes great. The Biblical quotes are from the King James Version of the Bible. They are very understandable even in the older format. There are also quotes from major literary works.

I enjoyed the friendships that were made and how they overcame a lot of difficult situations. The book has it’s ups and downs but everything turns out in the end.

This book has a tentative on-sale date of September 15, 2020.

Classic Kim Vogel Sawyer. Excellent story line. Well developed characters. Beautifully written. Read this novel on your front porch or back deck. You will not be disappointed. Five stars.

Predictable characters and plot. Since there are several books out now about the packhorse librarians, this has a much harder competition that I think the author expected. Others are far better.

Great book about second chances! This was a riveting story that moved at just the right pace. I don’t often read books about the depression era, but it was an intriguing story, told well.

Another enjoyable story about the Pack Horse Library Project during the 1930's in Kentucky. For some women the program was just a paycheck but for others it was to encourage the coal mining community to read as this novel portrays. The author did a wonderful job describing life in the mountains of Kentucky, both good and bad. The superstitions and grudges people held and the aspects of coal mining along with the actual library all made this a story for all. The deep faith of Nanny Fay and Addie is very encouraging. Highly recommended!

Rec email of Historical Fiction Newsletter with upcoming titles
This one jumped out at me - wanted to read

Romans 8:28 Look for the blessings; scripture base
praying for God's provision - get answer
Liked her describing walking into library - smells, the discoveries, the magic

WPA (Works Progress Admin Programs)- Librarians take books up to mountain
Packhorse librarians need a 4th rider
"A proponent of Reading"
Delivering books to Hill Families is a job for some, for others - it goes deeper
"Books open up worlds beyond the view from one own window"
Books, words, open, mind and hearts for this and future generations

Descriptions had me there, living it, feeling it, seeing it
I find the packhorse librarians history very interesting

GREAT Read!!
Would like this to be a sequel or series

A lovely story.A book that drew me right in ,I love stories about books librarians A book an author I will be recommending a pleasure to sit back and read this wonderful story,#netgalley#waterbrook

3.5-4 stars

I love stories about traveling librarians during the Great Depression, so I was really excited to read this!

I thought it was a good story, but I was hoping to get to know more about the people of the small coal mining town. Addie and Emmet are young adults, but at times these characters seemed almost too juvenile. I cared less about their budding friendship/relationship, and more about Nanny Fay and the history of her and her late husband’s families.

When Addie mentioned the idea of writing a book about the people who made up their small community, I was hoping to get to know more of their stories, but the author seemed to quickly brush over that. (That would be a great plot for a future book...something similar to “The Help”.)

Overall, I thought it was a nice story, I just wish it had been a less juvenile plot and more about the history of the traveling librarians and the people of that region/time period.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3465898992

I pretty much jump at the chance to read any book about libraries, librarians, or books... so I jumped at the chance to read this one.

I'll admit, based on the book's description, I wasn't prepared for what was in the book. It is very religious and... well... I'm not. If the book description had included that, I might have skipped this one. However, if religion is your thing then this is probably a great book for you. With the religious parts aside, I did really like the premise of the book... librarians on horseback bringing books to those who wouldn't normally have access to them. The folks in the hills have their quirks and prejudices, as people do in real life. My only other slight critique is that everyone's problems and prejudices have basically gone away by the end of the book so that everything wraps up nicely and very happily ever after. Since things don't usually end that nicely in real life, it is a bit too... fantasy for me. However, if you need a feel good happily ever after book and are a religious person, then I'd highly recommend it.

Kim Vogel Sawyer did a great job developing the setting here--she definitely made me feel like I was right there in Appalachia! The details were so vivid, from the daily way of life to the flora and fauna. With the variety of narrators (besides Addie and Emmett, Bettina, a local girl who wants to marry Emmett, and Nanny Fay, an older woman rejected by the community because they think she is a witch, both narrate parts of the story), readers get a look into life for lots of people in the community, from different walks of life, making for a very interesting read. Addie sometimes felt a little too perfect, but I did appreciate her faith and her commitment to kindness. I wish the romance had been a little more developed, but for those who want an interesting historical fiction novel with a hint of romance, this is a good choice.
4 stars.
I read an ARC provided by the publisher via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This was a comfortable read exploring kindness and new situations. It takes place in Kentucky with a look at the lives of the packhorse librarians, a small mining town in the hills, and lifelong animosities. It was sweet, while tackling some difficult issues (prejudice, abuse, family dynamics...).

I feel in love with every character, I felt as if they had become close friends. This is a story that fills your heart and soul. I absolutely consumed with this story and could not shake it from my thoughts after the last page. A story steeped in hard times but how love and Gods promises bring about big gifts. I felt the author did such a fantastic job of showing how God brings beauty out of ashes. My emotions were on a journey that had hills and valleys but in the end left me with nothing but smiles and a joyful feeling of love in my heart for this book! This is sure to be number one on the Christian fiction best sellers list.
Was given a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

I fell in love immediately, I work in a public library so this story captured me right away. The characters are very interesting and I loved the way the story flowed. I also lived in the mountains here in southwest Virginia,so that really made the story for me. I can't wait to have this book at my library!

To be clear, this book is set in 1936. I say this because the it seems almost unbelievable in the way that people talk., dress, and act in the hills of Kentucky. As an eight-year-old who moved from the north to the hills of Tennessee in 1971, that was what I was expecting to see and hear. It was not so. So I’m going to give the author a pass on this as maybe he was like that in 1936. A very sweet, Christian story. Thanks to Netgalley for giving me this ARC for my honest opinion.

This book about the Kentucky Packhorse Library Project reminds me of two similarly-themed books that were published last year - THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK by Kim Michele Richardson and THE GIVER OF STARS by Jojo Moyes. I would put this one third behind those two. It is less about the library project and more about specific people trying to survive during the Depression. Plus, there are more themes of religion and faith in this book.

Addie Cowherd is just finishing her junior year of college when she learns her father is jobless and has been unable to pay her school bills. She cannot return to school and must look for work. She loves books and libraries, and wants to be an author, so she accepts a job as a traveling librarian in the small town of Boone's Hollow in the Kentucky mountains. There she encounters lots of distrust and anger, because she is an outsider, and because she has chosen to rent a room from the local "witch."

The writing is smooth and easy to follow, and the characters are vividly drawn and interesting. I would have liked to have read more about the library project and less about the local issues, and the plot is a bit predictable, but I still enjoyed a good read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Waterbrook & Multnomah publishers for providing an ARC.

The Librarian of Boone’s Hollow—Kim Vogel Sawyer—4 stars.

This novel’s plot was intriguing but the authenticity of each character was what really kept me in. The morals learnt in this story: love, compassion, peace and resilience make this a good Christian read. There were some aspects in the story that if skipped made the rest of the chapter a little confusing, but apart from that, the pacing of the novel was spot on, a good feat since pacing is an aspect of writing that a lot of authors struggle with.

A captivating read that I would recommend to lovers of quality historical literature with a Christian twist! (P.S: Although I heard about Kim Vogel Sawyer before, this is the first book by the author that I read and I was pleasantly surprised)

Kim Vogel Sawyer provides an historic look at the Depression Era in rural Kentucky in her latest novel. Set in the mid-1930s, a young woman named Addie faces an unknown future when she can no longer attend her college, and joins the WPA Packhorse Librarian program in a small mountainous community filled with interesting people and their secret pasts. She and Emmett, a young man she met in college, end up in his hometown working together in the the program delivering reading materials to households in rural Kentucky via horseback. Addie tries to earn the trust of members of the isolated community, and learns more about trusting God to direct her future. Emmett loves his family and works hard to earn his father's respect for his career choice, while trying to avoid Bettina, a young woman with a troubled past, who is intent on "marryin" him.

The details of harsh living conditions in rural Depression Era life in Kentucky, combined with difficult family situations and local tension between families provide depth to the story. I felt the novel got off to a slower start, but I was drawn into the story and thought it came to a stop too soon. I felt I learned a lot about Addie, but did feel that the character of Emmett could have been stronger. Throughout, I kept remembering the title "Wonderland Creek" by Lynn Austin, who also had a novel about packhorse librarians. In the end, a great read and I would recommend this Kim Vogel Sawyer novel.

Addie Cowherd is desperate for a job to help her parents who have lost their home during the Depression while she was away at college, so when she is offered a WPA post delivering books to the hill people of Kentucky, she eagerly accepts. Addie quickly comes to care for her new community, even though the job is far more challenging than she had imagined, but will the people of Boone's Hollow ever accept her? Prejudice, suspicion, and hidden abuse create a charged atmosphere. When the truth is finally known, only grace and forgiveness can pave the way toward healing.

My Thoughts:
What a delightful novel! I picked this one up, excited to see another take on the horseback librarians. And it was a wonderful ride. Sawyer did a great job bringing the setting to life. The story evolved with ease. There was a surprising 3rd point of view character who stole my heart and gave the story a sense of depth and complexity. But I think Sawyer shines even greater with her well-thought-out gospel presentation. The spiritual content was nestled into the novel perfectly and didn't feel out of place or tacked on.

Rating and Recommendations: I'm giving The Librarian of Boone's Hollow 5 stars and recommending it to those who enjoy horseback librarians or Christian historical fiction.

~ I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All thoughts are my own. I was not compensated for this review or required to give a favorable one.

I had the distinct pleasure of receiving an advanced copy of Kim Vogel Sawyer's new book, The Librarian of Boone's Hollow that will release on September 15th. When I read that this book was about a traveling librarian in a coal mining town in Kentucky, I was intrigued.

What I found was a delightful story I didn't want to put down and was sad to see come to an end. I love the way the author captured the vernacular, the feel of the area as well as the time period. It's a book you'll definitely want to read. Be sure to pick up a copy when it releases.

~ While I received a free copy, I was under no obligation to write a favorable review. (2020)