Martha Storm works in her local towns library. She liked to help people by twking in their laundry, mending items etc. But it's clear, people take advantage of her good nature and low esteem. Then one night, she finds a book outside the library that's addressed to her. The book is full of fairy tales and was written by Martha and her sister Lillian's grandmother. But the dedication inside the book states that it was written three years after Zelda (Martha's grandmother) had died. Martha needs to find out the truth behind Zelda's death but Lillian is reluctant to help her. So Martha goes alone, seeking out the truth behind what really happened to her grandmother.

I love these books by Phaedra Patrick. They are so easy to read and give you that feel good factor after reading them. I loved all the characters that we met along the way, each for different reasons. Martha has let life pass her by but now with new developments in her life, hopefully this will change. I loved this story from beginning to end. I do recommend this book.

In my experience, if you ever volunteer to do things or work voluntarily for a charity, or in Martha's case a Library, then you are less appreciated than if you were being paid. You are put on, expected to do things that paid staff don't want to do. It can certainly be very cathartic to put you pen down, stand up and say, I'm off and walk out. What can they do? They can't fire you!
And Martha was certainly put upon, even more so because doing all those extra things, that she a single person without children/parents to look after, has the time to do. It made her feel that she had some worth.
Martha felt that she was never good enough for her father, she always came second best to her sister. Her mother said, Lillian has a special bond with her father, well she did didn't she.
Martha suddenly found the power to say no when she started to investigate the book left for her at the library. Her beloved Nana had left an inscription in it for her, but three years after she had supposedly died.
Of all the characters in the book, I most like Suki with her malapropisms, she was someone else who liked to help people out, but who could stand up for herself at times. The errant boyfriend who she gave him is culmination and not before time.
A sad story, not riveting, but real enough and well written.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Librarian Martha Storm finds a book containing a dedication from her grandmother. But the dedication is dated several years after her grandmother supposedly died. The book sets Martha out on a quest that will rock her safe, predictable life and remind her of who she really is. A hugely enjoyable, warm hug of a book.

A really lovely story - I liked the characters and it had a really positive feel. There's some wonderful short fairytales scattered throughout and they add something very special to the whole experience.

I really enjoyed this book. It keeps the reader interested from beginning to end and really makes you root for Martha and sympathise with her for the ways some of the characters have treated her.

Martha likes to help people. Her job at the library is voluntary (though she'd very much like a permanent paid for position), she's in her early fifties, never been married and has spent 15 years looking after her Mother and Father who have now both died. She has a sister Lilian who like everyone else in Martha's life has little time for her until she needs something from her, or wants her to look after her two children.

One evening Martha pushes her faithful shopping trolley loaded up with cakes and goodies for an author evening at the library organised for the book club that she runs. As is the norm for poor old Martha, she arrives at the library only to find it closed and a notice in the window announcing the event has been cancelled but nobody thought to tell Martha. Just as she's leaving she finds a package wrapped up and addressed to her dropped off in the doorway. On arriving home she unwraps it to find a book of short stories, curiously some of which she recalls writing herself as a child. The book has a dedication to Martha from her Grandmother but seems to be dated after her grandmothers death.

Finding the book eventually leads to Martha finding her grandmother very much alive and kicking, much to the consternation of Martha's sister who tells her to leave well alone. From here grows a story of Martha and her sisters lives as children, Martha's love of books and writing encouraged throughout her childhood by her nana Zelda.

Slowly mysteries are resolved, and encouraged by her friendship with a work colleague Suki, Martha starts to turn her life around. She is helped to realise that it's time she stood up for herself and stopped pandering to the whims of everyone else.

It is a lovely story, often touching and heartfelt but with humour in there too. There are twists and turns along the way, always something new revealed to keep the reader interested. It is backed up with a rich cast of characters who all add their own bit to the story. It is interspersed with some of the tales from the book that Martha has found, most of which have a moral to the tale.

It all culminates in a breathtaking ending, real heart in your mouth suspense. It's an absolute gem of a book and I really dragged it out towards the end not wanting it to finish. I would love to know what happens to Martha next.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the book which I have enjoyed reading.
The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick is a delightful family saga which is a really enjoyable read. It is sheer escapism for a few hours.
Highly recommended.

Martha has spent her life trying to please others, first of all her parents then the various people she knows through her work at the local library. She is taken by surprise one day when a package arrives for her, a package containing a book of fairy-tales she wrote herself when she was a little girl. Even more mysteriously, it is signed by her beloved grandmother Zelda, three years after Martha believes she died. She sets out on a mission to find out exactly where the book came from and what happened to Zelda. The book is mostly set in the present but we do get glimpses of the past which sheds light on the family dynamics in Martha's family when she was a child which also revealed a lot about her parents' lives.

This book is full of endearing and quirky characters, although there is one character who is particularly unpleasant! Zelda was a standout character, a warm and vivacious person. Although she recognised she had made mistakes in the past, she was determined to live life the way she wanted and to encourage others to be brave and do the same. I did love Suki too with her constant mistakes with words, some of which were hilariously inappropriate! Martha is someone who you can see felt trapped and unhappy but didn't quite know how to make the changes to start living for herself. The book of fairy-tales is the catalyst to incidents and revelations which change everything she thought she knew about herself and her family. But these revelations ultimately make her a stronger person. Books are of huge importance to Martha, first as a child, then as an adult reader and of course for her work and of course the special book of fairy stories she is given is so significant. I loved that she felt "the library had been her Narnia, and it still was." I think all readers have that sense of books being a gateway to another world, a world of adventure and excitement where anything can happen.

The Library of Lost and Found is a book about finding your true identity and living life to the full. It also shows the power of storytelling to make sense of life and tell truths that are difficult to face otherwise. The Library of Lost and Found is a truly charming story, a poignant yet uplifting book.

What an amazing book, so much heart and yet so much sadness too. Martha is a people pleaser yet her own happiness is not even a consideration on her to-do list. Her life turns on its head with the appearance of a book that appears to be a gift for her from from her deceased grandmother Zelda many years ago causing her to evaluate everything she knows, the life she lives and her past. Martha is downtrodden and take for granted unlike Zelda who is a wonderful character, determined to add some positivity to her family, very much a glass half full person and full of warmth. The flashbacks to parts of her childhood (told from her mothers perspective) are bleak and the fairy tales are just fantastic, so inspired and perceptive. I’m struggling to find something I disliked about this book I enjoyed it so much, I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Martha spends her life helping others out, leaving very little time for herself.

When she receives a book written by her Grandmother 3 years after she died, Martha sets out to uncover what happened

Interesting read.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary and honest review.

Martha is a helpful person, doing washing for one person, repairing trousers for her sister and looking after someone’s fish. She looked after her parents when they became infirm. She has a system, she likes to tick things off her lists and a routine daily walk.

Martha’s life is turned on it’s head when a book with a dedication to her from her deceased grandmother is left on the library steps. The date written in the book however is after her death. This leads Martha on a trip to try and find out more about her grandmother. What really happened to her? Why did she disappear all those years ago? Along the way she discovers a little about her self too.

A lovely story, this reminded me in feel of The Forgotten Guide to Happiness by Sophie Jenkins, The Memory Collector by Fiona Harper and Ruth Hogan’s books.

Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for the arc of this book and the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

I have read The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, and enjoyed it a lot.
The Library of Lost and found is by the same author, and I was pleased to receive an early copy from Netgalley.
I loved the eccentric characters in this book, they cover a wide range of different types of people, and all of them were relatable.
Martha Storm works as a volunteer in her local library. She also makes endless lists, and takes on more and more tasks for other people, who never even thank her. Martha has always loved books, however, she never gets the time to read, or the opportunity to do anything for herself, as she is taken advantage of by everyone that she knows. She can never say No.
A mystery book appears on the library doorstep, dedicated to her. As she tries to find out more about it, she discovers that there are huge family secrets, that the rest of her family hid from her. As she finds out more about her past, she questions her existence and learns to put herself first.
I really liked this book. It has a lot of charm, and I found myself rooting for Marsha to stick up for herself. It was quirky and enjoyable.

I loved the book. I can imagine Martha sitting reading and debating what tasks she should(n’t) prioritise.

I would love to think that a book can come to you in the way Martha’s did and lead to such a wonderful adventure.

What a life lesson to learn to prioritise “me first” after such adversity but in parallel look out for others more.

I could not put this book down, It was heart warming.

Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This deals with family issues, self confidence, a mystery concerning a book of fairy tales and past secrets. What’s not to like?

Martha, our protagonist is relatable. She leads a small life as a librarian and having had to take care of her aging parents, lost opportunities that led to the emptiness she feels.

She is quite frankly, a push over which really annoyed me in the beginning but there is good character development throughout when she finds this mystery book that leads to discovering secrets from the past.

Books and granting people favours are what make up her life but you see her start to grow a backbone and developing relationships and dealing with past hurts.

Highly recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and of course the author for this digital ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

I love reading books about books and while this is not my favourite genre I gave this a go and I was pleasantly surprised.

I did not for something a little more magical I thought were going to have a whimsical magic tale but this was more a family mystery.

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When librarian Martha Storm finds a book of fairy tales on her doorstep, her life begins to change.

Inside there is a dedication to her from her much-loved deceased Grandmother, Zelda. But mysteriously the date on the dedication doesn’t add up with Zelda’s death and Martha begins to believe she may still be alive.

With help from Owen, a local bookseller, Martha begins to delve deeper into Zelda’s and the Storm family’s past. But will she reveal a secret that will change her life forever?

This is the first book I have read by Patrick, but it certainly won’t be the last. Although a fairly light read it was full of mystery and a little magic.

Martha is a complex character, created by circumstance and the people around her. She strives to help everyone, which people take for granted, but she never seems to have the time to complete any of her chores. When she began to realise this, I felt myself really rooting for her to change, and I thought her character development was enjoyable and realistic.

This story was a real page turner and I found myself staying up far too late to read “just one more chapter”. The chapters are interwoven with stories extracted from the book of fairy tales. These highlight key thoughts and feelings of the characters and link in nicely with the theme, especially the very poignant “The Woodcutter and the Nightingale” near the end.

I didn’t seem to find the twists and turns particularly shocking like other readers have, in fact I had the main secret pegged from around Chapter 3. So, for those of you who like to be filled with suspense throughout, this may not be the book for you. However, I just took every page in my stride and relished this highly immersive, delightfully descriptive story.

From the author of The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper comes a new read. I loved this book and sped through it in just a couple of days.

Martha volunteers in a library and is on hand to help anyone with anything and everything; the home where she put her life on hold to care for her ailing parents is crammed with boxes of things to do for others.

One day, a book comes Martha’s way, enscribed to her from her grandmother, yet dated 3 years after her grandmother’s death… and so begins Martha’s journey, the discovery for her own desires and the discovery of fun, of her past and of new relationships.

So many interesting characters to genuinely care for, who populate a beautifully written and touching story. Better than Arthur Pepper in my opinion!

I love a book about books and this is no exception. This book is also about so much more, family, secrets, longing, regret and the power of fairy tales.

Martha Storm is a librarian who spends her time helping others. One night she is left a copy of a mysterious book and this leads her to delve into where the book came from and discover more of her own story.

I couldn’t put this book down, I found the characters likeable and I was really rooting for them. The description of the bond between Martha and her grandmother and their shared love of books really resonated with me and made me recollect my own love of reading and libraries as a child.

I would most definitely recommend this book and will look out for more of the authors work.

#TheLibraryOfLostAndFound #NetGalley A delightful book filled with both humour and sadness. I loved this authors previous book "The curious charms of Arthur Pepper" and this book was written in the same easy to read style. The characters are well developed even if not always likeable - at first I wanted to shake Marta to tell her to stand up for herself and not be bullied, but gradually she found her courage to become her own person. I liked the flashbacks which gave more background to the story surrounding Zelda, Betty, Thomas and Martha. Overall a lovely read.

I have read both of Pheadra Patrick’s previous books: The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper which I loved and Wishes under The Willow Tree which was good.

This book it had some nice moments but I think It’s in the not bad and decent but not amazing read category. It felt slightly disjointed and too much tackled without conclusion in each section.

Volunteer librarian Martha Storm is always doing favours and tasks for the people in her life but not really getting anything back in return as they expect her to do things for them – for free. One day she goes to the library after hours and a book has been left outside. She takes the book home and inside is a dedication written inside by her grandmother, Zelda. The strange thing is that it is dated three years after she died. Martha is them curious to find out about the book and her Grandmother.
There are always secrets to be uncovered and issues to address within families.

Martha was a character you could root for and have empathy for when you read about her family and other relationships. The the flashbacks of Martha's childhood let us see how she had come to this point in her life and why she was the way she was. But she slowly starts to change and take control of her life in a new way.
Family dynamics were an interesting part of the story and there were some good emotional moments particularly towards the end of the story.

All in all, a good read that for me just needed a bit more.

What a great read! I just couldn’t put it down. Thank you to netgalley and HarperCollins for an electronic arc.
Martha Storm, middle-aged librarian has always put others happiness over her own. Consequently she is treated as a doormat. She is taken advantage of at work, by her sister, and by library patrons. Without any help from her sister, she had cared for her ailing parents until they died. She has forged a life of service to others and in the process has lost herself. Mysteriously she is given a badly worn book that has been inscribed to her by her grandmother. As she reads through the book, she discovers it is a collection of stories that Martha wrote as a child. Martha is intrigued as the inscription is dated three years after her grandmothers death. The story is a journey to find out the truth about her grandmother and the creation of the book. Along the way Martha gains the courage to start standing up for herself and to stop being indispensable to those who do not appreciate her.
The coastal setting is an important part of the story, and the characters are very well developed. I highly recommend this book.