Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

The provocative and hilarious summer read that will have book lovers cheering and everyone talking! Kirsten Miller,  brings us a bracing, wildly entertaining satire about a small Southern town, a pitched battle over banned books, and a little lending library that changes everything.

Beverly Underwood and her arch enemy, Lula Dean, live in the tiny town of Troy, Georgia, where they were born and raised. Now Beverly is on the school board, and Lula has become a local celebrity by embarking on mission to rid the public libraries of all inappropriate books—none of which she’s actually read. To replace the “pornographic” books she’s challenged at the local public library, Lula starts her own lending library in front of her home: a cute wooden hutch with glass doors and neat rows of the worthy literature that she’s sure the town’s readers need.

But Beverly’s daughter Lindsay sneaks in by night and secretly fills Lula Dean’s little free library with banned books wrapped in “wholesome” dust jackets. The Girl’s Guide to the Revolution is wrapped in the cover of The Southern Belle’s Guide to Etiquette. A jacket that belongs to Our Confederate Heroes ends up on Beloved. One by one, neighbors who borrow books from Lula Dean’s library find their lives changed in unexpected ways. Finally, one of Lula Dean’s enemies discovers the library and decides to turn the tables on her, just as Lula and Beverly are running against each other to replace the town’s disgraced mayor.

That’s when all the townspeople who’ve been borrowing from Lula’s library begin to reveal themselves. It’s a diverse and surprising bunch—including the local postman, the prom queen, housewives, a farmer, and the former DA—all of whom have been changed by what they’ve read. When Lindsay is forced to own up to what she’s done, the showdown that’s been brewing between Beverly and Lula will roil the whole town...and change it forever.

Paperback, 304 pages

Published June 18, 2024

 by William Morrow Paperbacks

3.5/5 stars

I picked this one up because I loved Kirsten Miller's previous book, The Change , when I saw what she had coming next I didn't hesitate. A book about books? I'm always in.

The premise is wonderfully clever - what starts as a seemingly innocent joke takes on a life of its own. As the struggle over banned books ripples through the community, it brings out the best and worst in the people who live there. There are many layers to this story and a large cast of characters to keep track of, but Miller weaves it all together with sharp wit and a lot of heart.

I read this back in April and here we are in mid August and I can still remember it clearly. That's not nothing.

 

This book was part of my 2026 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge. #19

The Change by Kirsten Miller

Big Little Lies meets The Witches of Eastwick—a gloriously entertaining and knife-sharp feminist revenge fantasy about three women whose midlife crisis brings unexpected new powers—putting them on a collision course with the evil that lurks in their wealthy beach town.

In the Long Island oceanfront community of Mattauk, three different women discover that midlife changes bring a whole new type of empowerment…

After Nessa James’s husband dies and her twin daughters leave for college, she’s left all alone in a trim white house not far from the ocean. In the quiet of her late forties, the former nurse begins to hear voices. It doesn’t take long for Nessa to realize that the voices calling out to her belong to the dead—a gift she’s inherited from her grandmother, which comes with special responsibilities.

On the cusp of 50, suave advertising director Harriett Osborne has just witnessed the implosion of her lucrative career and her marriage. She hasn’t left her house in months, and from the outside, it appears as if she and her garden have both gone to seed. But Harriet’s life is far from over—in fact, she’s undergone a stunning and very welcome metamorphosis.

Ambitious former executive Jo Levison has spent thirty long years at war with her body. The free-floating rage and hot flashes that arrive with the beginning of menopause feel like the very last straw—until she realizes she has the ability to channel them, and finally comes into her power.

Guided by voices only Nessa can hear, the trio of women discover a teenage girl whose body was abandoned beside a remote beach. The police have written the victim off as a drug-addicted sex worker, but the women refuse to buy into the official narrative. Their investigation into the girl’s murder leads to more bodies, and to the town’s most exclusive and isolated enclave, a world of stupendous wealth where the rules don’t apply. With their newfound powers, Jo, Nessa, and Harriet will take matters into their own hands…

Paperback, 470 pages

Published May 3rd 2022

by William Morrow Books

5/5 stars

It was a real treat to finish the year 2022 with this fantastic read. I hadn't heard any negative feedback about The Change, so my expectations were quite high. This book had everything I could have wanted in a novel, all neatly packaged in the stories of three remarkable women.

The blurb gave enough information about these three women and didn't bear repeating. But what I can say is that I already miss Nessa, Harriett, and Jo. I was captivated by the strong friendship that developed between them and how they were always there for each other.

The writing grabbed me from the very first few pages. This was my first time reading a Kirsten Miller book, and I was absolutely blown away. The plot was intricately woven, all the puzzle pieces fit neatly into place, and the story was so addicting that I couldn't put it down.

The Change is the story of women empowering women, of friendship and taking a stand that enough is enough. It's definitely a book I will be recommending to everyone I know.

My gut instinct told me to purchase this book, and I'm so glad I finally listened. I'm mad at myself for waiting so long to read it.

This book was part of my 2022 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge, and it was the perfect way to end the year.