100 years of public libraries in Hampshire

Oct 10 2024

Book covers for The Midnight Library, What You Are Looking For is in the Library, and The Book Shop

We are celebrating 100 years of public libraries in Hampshire. We’re overjoyed to have been a part of so many people’s lives and communities across the county. To celebrate, our library colleagues have curated a special centenary booklist. These novels are chosen by us and are inspired by the world of books. Discover the books in our collection below and find your next literary read.

The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald

The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald

In 1959, a hopeful widow named Florence Green opens the first a bookshop in a small seaside town. Unfortunately, it’s not all smooth sailing. The shop is rundown and maybe haunted. To make matters worse, the other shopkeepers resent her new venture. This charming novel follows Florence as she begins to learn that, despite her dreams, the town might not want a bookshop at all.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

In this fantastical novel, Matt Haig explores life, regret, and forgiveness. On Nora’s last day on Earth, she finds herself in the Midnight Library, where she has the chance to undo every one of her regrets. She jumps at the opportunity to change everything. After all, she is certain that she has let everyone in her life down, including herself.

Through the books she creates her dream life. But things aren’t what they seem, and soon she finds herself in grave danger. Suddenly, Nora’s quest to decide on the best way to live is the only thing that will save herself and the library before it’s too late.

What You Are Looking for is In the Library by Michiko Aoyama

What You Are Looking for is In the Library by Michiko Aoyama

Tokyo's most enigmatic librarian, Sayuri Komachi, can sense exactly what someone is looking for – not just in a book, but in life. She then can recommend the perfect book to help them. What You Are Looking for is In the Library follows five visitors on their visits to the library and Sayuri’s quest to help them to find exactly what they’re looking for.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Named after the temperature at which paper burns, Ray Radbury’s classic tells the tale of Guy’s life as a firefighter in a world where printed books are banned. Unquestioningly burning books, Guy never considers his life or his job until one day his eccentric neighbour, Clarisse, introduces him to the world of books. From that moment on, Guy’s life will never be the same again.

Yellowface by Rebecca F Kuang

Yellowface by Rebecca F Kuang

June Hayward has resentfully found herself in her best friend, Athena Liu’s literary shadow. So, when June witnesses Athena’s accidental death, she takes the opportunity to steal her manuscript. and send it to her own agent as her work. Hiding behind the pseudonym Juniper Song, June publishes Athena’s experimental novel about Chinese labourers in World War One and rockets to fame. But when the secret of her success (and her cultural appropriation) threatens to come to light, June finds herself struggling to keep the life she thinks she deserves.

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Echo

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

In 1327, Franciscans in a wealthy Italian abbey are suspected of heresy, and Brother William of Baskerville arrives to investigate. But when seven bizarre deaths happen, Brother William becomes a detective. Williams finds himself uncovering evidence, secret symbols and coded manuscripts and discovers that, under the cloak of night, the abbey is not what it seems.

The Binding by Bridget Collins

The Binding by Bridget Collins

Emmett Farmer works as a binder’s apprentice, crafting gorgeous books which each capture a memory. Whatever someone needs to forget, whether it’s a secret or a painful memory, can be trapped within a book’s pages. But when Emmet discovers one of the volumes on his mentor’s bookshelves has his name on it, his life is turned upside down.

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

Alice’s boring life is upended when she is swept off her feet by a wealthy and handsome American. They’re quickly married and Alice dreams that moving to America with her new husband will give her everything she has ever wanted. But when the life she craves fails to materialise, she responds to a call for volunteers to start a travelling library. There instead, surrounded by an unlikely group of women and books, the real adventure begins.

The Fraud by Zadie Smith

The Fraud by Zadie Smith

Eliza Touchet, a Victorian Scottish housekeeper and the cousin of failing author Harrison Ainsworth, watches a fascinating court case unfold. At the centre of the trial is a cockney butcher claiming to be the missing heir of the Tichborne baronetcy and his star witness, his former slave. Inspired by the real-life trial of the Tichborne Claimant in Victorian England, The Fraud is Zadie Smith’s first historical novel.

The Librarian by Sally Vickers

The Librarian by Salley Vickers

In 1958, Sylvia Blackwell moves to the market town of East Mole to become a children’s librarian. Armed with a mission to bring a love of reading to the children of the town, Sylvia quickly finds herself making friends and enemies alike. Soon, despite her best efforts, the prejudices of East Mole threaten the very existence of the library with dramatic consequences for them all.

What do you love most about your local library? Let us know on Facebook or Instagram or write a ‘love letter to libraries’ on your next visit. You can also browse the full centenary booklist on Borrowbox and sign up to our newsletter for more news.