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There are one million new books published each year. With so many books and so little time, where do you begin to find your next must-read? There’s the New York Times Bestseller list, the Goodreads app, the Cape Library’s Staff picks shelf and now Martin’s Must-Reads.Every Wednesday at 6:42 and 8:42 a.m., and Sunday at 8:18 a.m., Betty Martin recommends a must read based on her own personal biases for historical fiction, quirky characters and overall well-turned phrases. Her list includes WWII novels, biographies of trailblazers, novels with truly unique individuals and lots more. Reading close to 100 titles a year, Betty has plenty of titles to share.Local support for "Martin's Must Reads" comes from the Cape Girardeau Public Library and the Poplar Bluff Municipal Library.

Martin's Must-Reads: 'The Keeper of Lost Things'

The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan

Anthony Peardew has been collecting lost things for forty years, ever since he lost the St. Teresa medal that his wife-to-be gave him right before she died. Every day he goes for a walk, picks up lost items, brings them back to his study, and labels them.

I’m Betty Martin with "Martin’s Must Reads" and I love the basic idea of this novel The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan.  As the story begins, Anthony finds what appears to be someone’s ashes in a cookie tin on the subway.  When he returns home, he labels it and places it on a shelf with all the other things he has found over the years including a hair toggle and a blue button. Anthony collects these items with the idea that some day he may be able to connect them to their owners who may be missing them as much as he  misses the St. Teresa medal.

After his death, his assistant Laura is tasked with finding owners for the lost items. There are several other interesting characters in the story including a woman who works for a publisher and Sunshine, a 19-year-old Down Syndrome girl named for her wonderful outlook on life. All of the characters are connected but the reader doesn’t know how until the end of the book. Oh, and there’s a little magic to the story, too.

If you’ve every lost something valuable,  you must read The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan.

Betty Martin was born in Boston, Massachusetts to a Lutheran pastor and his organist wife. Betty’s love of books was inspired by her father who read to all four children each night.
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