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How to pronounce Freya Sampson: FRAY-uh
Freya Sampson is the USA Today bestselling author of The Last Chance Library, The Lost Ticket (aka The Girl on the 88 Bus), Nosy Neighbors and The Busbody Book Club. Before writing full-time, Freya worked in television as an executive producer, making documentaries about everything from the British royal family to neighbours from hell. She lives in London with her husband, children and cats. Most Ardently Yours is her fifth novel.
Freya Sampson's website
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Dear Reader,
I've always loved libraries. As a young child, I would go to my local library every week to borrow books, and as a student I spent many late nights squirreled away in the university library trying to hit an essay deadline. But it wasn't until my early thirties, and the birth of my first child, that I began to appreciate just how important libraries really are.
Despite living in a bustling city, I found the early months of motherhood isolating. I didn't know many other people in the area with babies, and I was too nervous to go to cafes in case my colicky baby started to cry, disturbing paying customers. When I finally plucked up the courage to leave the house with my daughter on our own, the first place I went to was my local library. There was a children's nursery rhyme session on, and as I sat surrounded by parents and carers from all walks of life, small children running around the place, I felt welcome and unjudged.
The more time I spent in the library, the more I began to recognize the same faces that visited regularly. One particular older gentleman came in to read the newspaper. He would often try and start conversations with other people, but most avoided eye contact and ignored him. One day, I ...
Stephanie Butland lives with her family near the sea in the North East of England. She writes in a studio at the bottom of her garden, and when she's not writing, she trains people to think more creatively. For fun, she reads... (more)
If you enjoyed:
The Last Chance Library
Try:
The Lost for Words Bookshop
by Stephanie Butland
Karen Joy Fowler is the New York Times bestselling author of six novels and three short story collections. Her 2004 novel, The Jane Austen Book Club, spent thirteen weeks on the New York Times bestsellers list and was a New ... (more)
If you enjoyed:
The Last Chance Library
Try:
The Jane Austen Book Club
by Karen Joy Fowler
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