[Bookworm_Girl]

My discovery process for the color theme led me to some interesting books too.

I really, really loved A Green and Ancient Light by Frederic S. Durbin. The same month was young adult fiction in the literary club. It was too new and not available in some countries to nominate for either club, but I want to share this book with others. The mystery of the statue garden in the woods, which is at the center of the novel's plot, was inspired by the Gardens of Bomarzo in Italy. I want to travel here - very whimsical! That led me to further increase my TBR by searching for other books about these gardens.

A gorgeous fantasy in the spirit of Pan’s Labyrinth and John Connolly’s The Book of Lost Things. Set in a world similar to our own, during a war that parallels World War II, A Green and Ancient Light is the stunning story of a boy who is sent to stay with his grandmother for the summer in a serene fishing village. Their tranquility is shattered by the crash of a bullet-riddled enemy plane, the arrival of grandmother’s friend Mr. Girandole—a man who knows the true story of Cinderella’s slipper—and the discovery of a riddle in the sacred grove of ruins behind grandmother’s house. In a sumptuous idyllic setting and overshadowed by the threat of war, four unlikely allies learn the values of courage and sacrifice.

I also read The Little Red Chairs by Edna O'Brien. It's not quite an historical fiction novel, even though one of the main characters is a Bosnian Serb war criminal (modelled on Radovan Karadžić) who has absconded to an obscure Irish village. It's a very wrenching, human story. Warning: it does contain some graphic and disturbing content due to its subject matter. I think it's important to explain the significance of the title.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarajevo_Red_Line

A fiercely beautiful novel about one woman's struggle to reclaim a life shattered by betrayal, from one of the greatest storytellers of our time. One night, in the dead of winter, a mysterious stranger arrives in the small Irish town of Cloonoila. Broodingly handsome, worldly, and charismatic, Dr. Vladimir Dragan is a poet, a self-proclaimed holistic healer, and a welcome disruption to the monotony of village life. Before long, the beautiful black-haired Fidelma McBride falls under his spell and, defying the shackles of wedlock and convention, turns to him to cure her of her deepest pains.

Then, one morning, the illusion is abruptly shattered. While en route to pay tribute at Yeats's grave, Dr. Vlad is arrested and revealed to be a notorious war criminal and mass murderer. The Cloonoila community is devastated by this revelation, and no one more than Fidelma, who is made to pay for her deviance and desire. In disgrace and utterly alone, she embarks on a journey that will bring both profound hardship and, ultimately, the prospect of redemption.

Moving from Ireland to London and then to The Hague, THE LITTLE RED CHAIRS is Edna O'Brien's first novel in ten years -- a vivid and unflinching exploration of humanity's capacity for evil and artifice as well as the bravest kind of love.

Lastly, I listened to the audiobook of Turtles All the Way Down by John Green, a popular young adult novelist. It was an authentic portrayal of anxiety and compulsive disorders which are very real and personal struggles for the author. The book was set in Indianapolis where John Green also lives.

It all begins with a fugitive billionaire and the promise of a cash reward. Turtles All the Way Down is about lifelong friendship, the intimacy of an unexpected reunion, Star Wars fan fiction, and tuatara. But at its heart is Aza Holmes, a young woman navigating daily existence within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts. In his long-awaited return, John Green shares Aza's story with shattering, unflinching clarity.