Books Unlocked February

Next week sees the start of the Books Unlocked February Campaign which is the 6 Read Challenge. Its also known as the 6 book challenge. To engage with all reading media Learning Resources decided to expand the challenge to include books, a poem, magazines, web pages, blogs....
Can you read 6 things for pleasure outside your Uni research in February? If yes - or if you can read ANYTHING outside your assignment materials - email your list to libraryideas@beds.ac.uk with a brief comment of whether it was good bad or indifferent.
Look out for the displays at Bedford Library and Luton LRC.

Mood Boosting Books: The Miniaturist

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton. Reviewed by LR staff member

Seduced by the Title and the ‘Blurb’, this book  immediately attracted my attention. Set in 17^th Amsterdam, full of rich description it quickly transported my mind to a different Era.

The main character Nella Oortman, a beautiful 18 year old girl marries a much older but wealthy merchant. Although pensive about her new life and not entirely made welcome by her spinster sister-in-law, she feels ready to encompass married life. However both her new husband and Sister-in-law remain distant. The marriage remains unconsummated. Instead her husband presents her with a resplendent gift of a miniature version of her new house.

To fill her time Nella orders some furniture pieces from the ‘Miniaturist’, who not only supplies her with her order but other items which have a more curious symbolism. The relevance of the latter pieces only becomes obvious later as the story unfolds. Nella determined to become more involved with her husband’s life then makes a shocking discovery, from which there is no escape. With this intense situation unfolding Marin the sister-in-law reveals her own secret, the denoument unfurls with some devastating consequences. Nella unable to seek out the Miniaturist for direction takes control of events herself to start a completely new life.

An intriguing read, although the role of the Miniaturist becomes slightly disappointing in the end.