Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin

Alice Grace Ripley, a librarian in Illinois, loses her job because of cutbacks during the Great Depression. She loves to read but her boyfriend breaks up with her, accusing her of living in a dream world of books, even reading a book during a funeral. Alice flees to the Kentucky mountains to deliver boxes of donated books she has been collecting to a library. She plans to stay just a short time until relatives pick her up but ends up left in this town. Lillie, a 100 year old past slave and Mack, the librarian, add a lot of humor to the story. In the town of Alcorn times are rough with no running water or electricity and a long-time family feud. She delivers books in the mountains by horseback to people in need. Dangers exist in this town; there is a fake death and questions concerning a past coal mining accident. Alice finds many real life adventures in these mountains and a little romance too.