Book Review: "Battle of the Bookstores" by Ali Brady

“For better or worse, my library has always grown faster than my social circle.” (Do you not feel that quote in your soul?)

Josie is the manager of a Boston bookstore that specializes in “serious” literature. She loves a good chunky book and loves recommending books to her customers.

Ryan manages a romance bookstore just down the street from Josie. He hates it when people denigrate romance as a genre or dismiss the books as frivolous.

Both bookstores are owned by the same person. Josie and Ryan are thrown when their boss tells them he wants to combine both of their stores into one—and only one of them will run the new store. He’ll decide after a three-month period in which the two stores will compete against each other for the highest sales.

The idea of competing with one another turns Ryan and Josie into enemies, and it seems as if neither can say anything to the other without sparking animosity. Of course, the chemistry between the two is so intense—but they’re too busy fighting one another to notice.

The more they get to know each other, they realize how good they are at running their stores and each has secret wounds they’re keeping from one another. Who will win the competition? Will enemies turn to lovers? Ali Brady knows how to weave a story with romance, steam, emotion, and humor. I absolutely loved this!!

Book Review: "The Bookstore Keepers" by Alice Hoffman

“…aloneness breeds loneliness, and loneliness will come between you and your beloved before you know it and drive you apart.”

I have been loving this series of stories Alice Hoffman has written! The first two stories, The Bookstore Sisters and The Bookstore Wedding, were packed with so much emotion and beauty, and the newest one is just as exceptional.

Sisters Isabel and Sophie run a bookstore together in their hometown of Brinkley’s Island, Maine. Both have weathered major upheavals in their lives and were apart for a number of years, only to find their way back to one another. And while their lives are intertwined, they each have carved out their own space.

One morning, Isabel’s husband Johnny awakens from a dream, crying. What he saw in the dream, and how it manifests itself in real life, has a significant impact on both him and Isabel. Sometimes, when the one you love is struggling, the best thing you can do for them is be a safe harbor when they need you.

Meanwhile, Sophie’s daughter Violet returns to the island after college, and everyone expects that she will take over the bookstore at some point. Yet she has dreams of her own, but how do you know if it’s the right time to live for yourself?

Hoffman’s writing is so beautifully poetic and full of heart. I love the way she creates a fully realized world in a short number of pages, and I’ve been carrying these characters in my heart. I always say that the mark of a good book is one that makes you wish you knew the characters in real life. That’s definitely the case here.

Book Review: "The In-Between Bookstore" by Edward Underhill

Darby moved to NYC to go to college and put some distance between him and Oak Falls, his small Illinois hometown. As a trans man, getting a fresh start was exactly what he needed, away from those who looked down on him.

Now, as he nears 30, he’s just lost his job, his rent is increasing, and he’s feeling rudderless. It feels like all of his best friends are making progress in their lives, while he’s not. When he learns that his mother is planning to sell his childhood home and move into a new condo, he decides to move back to Oak Falls.

So much has changed in Oak Falls since Darby left. But one thing hasn’t: In Between Books, the store where he worked in high school. In fact, when he goes into the store, the new releases and the newspapers are all from 2009. And the kid behind the counter seems so much like Darby at 16…could it be Darby?

As Darby tries to connect with his teenage self, he also tries to figure out where his life went off track, and how to fix it. He also encounters Michael, his best friend while growing up, whom he hasn’t seen since their friendship ended dramatically before Darby left Oak Falls.

I love time travel and time loops, and how characters learn from the past. But this book never really took off for me. I didn’t really feel like Darby learned much, and I felt like everything in the book was left fairly unresolved.

Edward Underhill has written three YA books that I’ve enjoyed, so I was looking forward to his adult debut. I like the way he writes, so hopefully his next book will have more of a spark for me.

Book Review: "Rough Pages" by Lev AC Rosen

This series, which began with Lavender House, is so excellent. The three books in the series are historical crime novels and mysteries, but they go so much deeper than that.⁣

⁣ In 1950s San Francisco, Andy is a gay former policeman who works as a PI ever since the discovery of his sexuality led to his being fired. Andy works out of and lives at The Ruby, a queer nightclub. Given that office location, most of his cases involve a queer person who has been wronged in some way.⁣

⁣ He is asked to look into the disappearance of Howard, the co-owner of a bookstore. The store has a secret book service that publishes and mails queer books to its customers, even though mailing them is illegal and dangerous. Howard said he was just about to publish a big bestseller, but then he disappeared, and so did the books.⁣

⁣ While Andy is concerned about the books and Howard being missing, he’s gravely concerned that the list of customers could have fallen into the wrong hands. That could mean blackmail, or worse, with his closest friends (including Elsie, his boss) being at risk.⁣

⁣ As Andy investigates, he crosses paths with his ex-boss, a determined reporter, even the Mob. Can he solve all of the mysteries before harm comes to him or those he cares about?⁣

⁣ This is such a great book, and although you should read the whole series from the beginning, you could read this one first. It’s amazingly ironic to be reading a book about the government’s desire to control what people read and publish on the eve of an election that could determine whether that control could exist again. I hope Rosen will continue this series, because I can’t get enough!⁣

Book Review: "The Bookstore Sisters" and "The Bookstore Wedding" by Alice Hoffman

I have been reading Alice Hoffman’s books for a long, long time, and so many of them have been real favorites of mine. These two stories are part of a three-story series called The Once Upon a Time Bookshop series. (The third one, "The Bookstore Keepers,” publishes 2/4/2025.)

So many of Hoffman’s books are about family and love, and many contain elements of magical realism. These two stories focused on Sophie and Isabel Gibson, sisters who grew up on Brinkley’s Island in Maine.

Growing up, the sisters were inseparable. They spent hours in their family’s bookstore, hiding in the marshes with their mother, and enjoying her amazing baking. But when their mother grew ill and died, Isabel couldn’t wait to get off the island and never come back, while Sophie took on the role of caring for her sister and grieving father.

In the first story, Isabel lives in New York City. She wanted to be an artist but never could succeed; now she’s a dog walker and a divorcee. One day she gets a letter from home that simply says, “Help.” Although it’s been years since she’s been home or talked to Sophie, she rushes home to find she was summoned by Sophie’s daughter Violet. Sophie broke her leg and needs someone to run the bookstore; Isabel stays and tries to mend things with Sophie, but everyone is waiting for her to run away again.

In the second story, Isabel is well-ensconced on the island again, and is engaged to marry Johnny, her friend since childhood. But every time they schedule their wedding, something happens to derail it. Isabel realizes that love is patient but at times life is not; she makes some sacrifices but her wishes do come true.

These were beautiful, poignant stories. Each made me tear up and made me smile, and once again I’m reminded of the way Hoffman’s writing makes me feel.

Book Review: "A Novel Summer" by Jamie Brenner

I have a number of authors I can count on to deliver feel-good books. Jamie Brenner is definitely one of those; her books are always full of smiles and tears, romance and fun. And her newest book is no exception.

Shelby, Hunter, and Colleen became best friends one summer, and during college, Shelby spent every summer with them in Provincetown, working at Colleen’s family’s bookstore. When they graduated, they went their separate ways. Shelby went to New York to become a writer, Hunter to Boston to work for a publisher, and Colleen stayed put to manage the bookstore.

Three years later, Shelby’s first novel, celebrating her love of Provincetown, is released and quickly becomes a bestseller. But when she returns to the island to celebrate, there are some people, including Hunter, who feel like Shelby used their lives and secrets to sell a book. Shelby can’t escape quickly enough.

But a few months later, Colleen calls Shelby and asks for a favor: can she run the bookstore for the summer? She ultimately agrees and tries to do all she can to keep the store afloat. At the same time, she tries rebuilding her relationship with Hunter, as well as her ex-boyfriend and his family, who weren’t happy with the way Shelby left so easily years before.

The road to success—and forgiveness—never runs smoothly. There are lots of obstacles to conquer on the store’s behalf, and Shelby must make a crucial decision about her second book. Can she write a book she loves and have the relationships she so cherishes?

There’s lots of drama and emotion in this book, but there’s also humor and heart. And much like Nantucket, Provincetown has become another literary setting I can’t get enough of.

Book Review: "The Paris Novel" by Ruth Reichl

It should come as no surprise that a book written by Ruth Reichl, former editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine (which I miss so much), has some of the most vivid and sumptuous descriptions of food I’ve ever seen. And while my stomach was growling quite a bit, it was balanced by some mentions of food I’d definitely never eat, so no calories were consumed!

In 1983, Stella’s mother Celia passed away. They rarely saw each other, because Celia lived life elaborately and reinvented anything (or anyone) she didn’t like, while Stella felt lost without specific plans or routines. So imagine Stella’s surprise when she learned that Celia left her some money with the stipulation it be used for a trip to Paris.

She doesn’t quite understand why Celia would send her to Paris, but she quickly fell in love with the city. One day she comes upon a vintage dress shop and tries on an exquisite Dior dress. The shop owner urges Stella to buy it, saying it was made for her, so Stella does something impulsive for the first time in her life.

The shop owner tells her to go to a brasserie and order oysters, and Stella is dazzled by their taste. It is there she meets Jules, a wealthy art consultant in his 80s, who takes a liking to her. It’s not long before he’s introducing her to some of the finest French restaurants, indulging her love of art, and involving her in some of his schemes.

While in Paris, she becomes part of a community at the famed Shakespeare and Company bookstore and becomes obsessed with solving a mystery about a female artist from a time where women were not treated equally in France. She also discovers an absolute passion for food, which may be something she came by naturally.

Paris is such a wonderful setting for a book, and I thought this was lots of fun. I did think the subplot about the female artist dragged the rest of the story down a bit, but I still couldn’t get enough of the characters and their larger-than-life personalities. Il est bien fait! (Bravo!)

Book Review: "Bookish People" by Susan Coll

Bookish People chronicles a wacky week in the life of a bookstore owner.

Boy, this one had such promise and some wonderful moments, but overall, it just didn’t work for me.

It’s the summer of 2017, and Sophie is in a bad place. Her husband has died, the increasing antisemitic and racist rhetoric in the country is upsetting her, and she’s finding it harder and harder to care about the bookstore she owns. To top it off, Jamal, her favorite manager, is leaving for law school. Should she just give in to the calls from the developer who’d like to buy the property?

As the world becomes increasingly unsteady, Sophie becomes more obsessed with going into hiding in a secret book in the back of her store.

But she also has multiple crises brewing around the store. A famous poet has just released a new collection but he’s dogged by rumors that he caused his wife’s suicide, so many bookstores have canceled his appearances. Sophie starts to fear that her customers might object, so she tasks an employee with canceling. And then hijinks ensue…

I’m a sucker for books about bookstores, booksellers, and libraries. I felt like this had some really great elements but as a whole it wasn’t sure what tone to take, which made it a muddle.

Book Review: "The Christmas Bookshop" by Jenny Colgan

Jenny Colgan's The Christmas Bookshop proves I’m all about the books about bookshops this season, but how can you resist?

Carmen’s life is falling apart—again. When she’s laid off from her department store job, her mother wants her to spend Christmas with her sister Sofia, but Carmen wants no part of it.

Sofia has her life together. She’s a successful attorney, has a beautiful house, a solid marriage, and three gorgeous children (with one on the way). She’s tired of bailing her sister out, but she can’t stand to hear their mother beg, so she gets Carmen a job helping a client with his struggling bookshop.

For the first time, Carmen feels a sense of purpose at Mr. McCredie’s bookshop. As she tries to help him get the store ready for perhaps its last Christmas season, she realizes how much she loves the store and the charm of historic Edinburgh. She also gets a chance for romance, but is torn between two men, although there really is only one right decision.

Colgan’s books are so charming. I love her protagonists and the way they fall in love with their surroundings. Edinburgh is on my bucket list (Scottish accents make me melt) so this book definitely made me want to travel there even more.

Is it predictable? Sure. Did I care? Not at all. The Christmas Bookshop was just a sweet, fun read for the holidays or anytime! Thanks to William Morrow Books for the complimentary advance copy of the book!!

Book Review: "How to Find Love in a Bookshop" by Veronica Henry

When the owner of a beloved English bookshop dies, his daughter and his customers must find a way to carry on, in Veronica Henry's How to Find Love in a Bookshop.

“…a town without a bookshop was a town without a heart.”

Nightingale Books was truly a fixture in its small English town, and its owner, Julius, was a friend, confidante, and counselor (and sometimes more) for his customers. When he dies, his daughter Emilia as well as his customers are at a loss.

The shop has been a part of Emilia's life since she was an infant. How can she fill her father’s shoes? And with the shop in financial peril and developers becoming more aggressive with their offers to buy the store, how can she keep the promise she made to her father to keep the bookshop open?

Emilia’s story is juxtaposed with those of a few of the shop’s customers who looked to Julius for more than book recommendations, and need to figure out how to get on with their lives.

Parts of this book made my heart full and made me tear up, but at times the book got bogged down in more stereotypical plot lines. I could’ve done without the evil developers and the love triangle pitting rich against poor. Those side stories were what kept me from truly loving this book, which I so wanted to do.

Still, give me a book about bookshops and how reading can heal us and I’m here for all of it!!

Book Review: "An Unexpected Kind of Love" by Hayden Stone

Hayden Stone's An Unexpected Kind of Love is a sweet, romantic, steamy love story that kind of undid me.

Most of Aubrey’s life is focused on running his small London bookshop. The stresses of keeping his family’s struggling business alive are overwhelming, but it gives him less time to dwell on his loneliness since his long-term relationship with his boyfriend ended.

When Blake, an American actor filming in London, comes into the shop, Aubrey is flustered, both by his handsomeness and Blake’s desire to return a poetry book because of the poet’s antics online. Their next unexpected encounter, in a trailer on the film set, ignites a fire in both of them.

When the film crew asks to use Aubrey’s shop as a location for the film, at first he wants nothing to do with it. But when it means he'll be paid money he so desperately needs, and give him the chance to be around Blake, he reluctantly agrees. The two begin falling hard for each other, even though they know ultimately, Blake will need to return to America.

Despite their obvious connection, Aubrey can’t seem to believe he’s worthy of Blake, and Blake isn’t quite ready to be publicly out, due to how it might affect his career and his relationship with his family. Will they have a chance at happiness or will obstacles doom it?

This reminded me a tiny bit of Notting Hill (I may have uttered Julia Roberts’ “I’m just a girl…” speech a few times) but it has a charm and a spark all its own. I loved the chemistry between Blake and Aubrey, I loved the banter with the supporting characters, and I was there for all of the steam!!

An Unexpected Kind of Love was my monthly buddy read with my friend Louis, and we both loved it—and it made both of us cry!!

Book Review: "Much Ado About You" by Samantha Young

Samantha Young's Much Ado About You is a steamy, emotional rom-com that confronts lots of issues, plus it features a book-loving protagonist, so how can you lose?

After one last attempt at dating fails and she gets a disappointment on the job front, Evie Starling has had it. She needs to get away from Chicago for a while. And she finds the perfect escape—she can run a bookshop in the English countryside for four weeks and rent the owner’s flat. For a voracious reader, this is a dream come true. (It would be for me, too!)

She heads across the pond, ready to recharge herself and avoid dating for a month. And wouldn’t you know she has a run-in with gorgeous country farmer Roane Robson within a day of arriving? After she saves his dog, Roane is totally smitten, and as much as Evie feels herself falling for him, she is determined that they just stay friends.

But as Evie’s time flies by, she quickly gets acclimated to life in the small village and can’t really imagine going back to Chicago, despite friends and family being there. As she fights her growing attraction to Roane, and starts getting involved in helping (or meddling) some neighbors with their problems, has she found home? And can she let her guard down enough to trust her heart?

Much Ado About You is a sweet, fun, sexy book with lots of steam, and it takes some inspiration from Much Ado About Nothing, but it isn’t a retelling by any means. Along with being a rom-com the book also confronts serious issues like racism, sexuality, abusive relationships, and being the child of an alcoholic, so there’s definitely some poignancy and emotional weight thrown in.

This is definitely another good rom-com to add to your list!!

Book Review: "The Summer of Everything" by Julian Winters

When nothing in your life is going the way you want to, how do you find the courage to fight for it? Wesley Hudson needs to figure that out in Julian Winters' new YA novel, The Summer of Everything.

There’s one month left until Wes starts college. He needs to figure out what he wants to do with his life, because his father keeps suggesting potential college majors. But more than that, Wes is determined this will be the time he finally admits his feelings for his best friend, Nico. They have a month until Nico goes to Stanford and Wes goes to UCLA.

Wes can’t seem to find the courage to tell Nico how he feels, no matter how hard he tries. He's not even sure if Nico feels the same way about him anyway, so is it worth risking their friendship? To make matters worse, Wes’ beloved bookstore is on the verge of closing, and his older brother is getting married and his fiancé is hoping that the brothers can put their animosity aside. It's a lot of uncertainty and chaos for Wes to deal with, at a particularly stressful time.

As he tries to figure out how to save the bookstore with help of the motley crew of friends who work there, he needs to try and take action on everything else in his life, too. Will he succeed?

I was really hooked on this story. So many of us have had that crush on someone we care about and have felt totally paralyzed when it comes to expressing our feelings. Winters really captured those emotions, as you struggle to figure out whether what your heart wants and what your head tells you can mesh.

Winters creates such great, diverse characters you can see in your mind’s eye, and you root for them all the way. There was a lot going on in this book, and the truth is, I could have done without the brother storyline, but it helped show another dimension to Wes. But overall, this was such a good story, and I also recommend Winters' previous books, How to Be Remy Cameron and Running with Lions.

I was fortunate to be part of the blog tour for this book. Interlude Press and Storygram Tours provided me a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!

Book Review: "Meet Cute Club" by Jack Harbon

Could Meet Cute Club, Jack Harbon's new book, BE any more adorable?

Jordan believes in happy endings. Inspired by his grandmother, he loves romance novels of all kinds. He puts his heart and soul into ensuring that the Meet Cute Club, his romance-book book club, runs smoothly, the way his grandmother's book club used to when he was younger.

"It was about more than the books. It was about the community surrounding them, and the interpersonal relationships that were built all because of a mutual love of stories."

When the new cashier at the bookstore where he buys most of his romance books mocks them as stuff grandmas would read, it gets under Jordan’s skin. But that’s precisely why Rex said those words, because he could tell how much the books meant to Jordan and he wanted to ruffle him a little bit.

When Rex asks to join the Meet Cute Club, at first Jordan thinks he’s doing it as a joke, but Rex says the books—and Jordan—really interest him. Since Jordan is worried about the group losing members, he lets Rex join, and is surprised to see he actually starts enjoying the books he once mocked.

Little by little, both let their guards down and their feelings for each other intensify. But life—and love—aren’t as easy as they are in books, and sometimes, a happy ending might take more work and cause more pain in real life than they do on the page.

This was the perfect change of pace for me after I had read a bunch of heavier books. At first I thought the characters were going to be clichés, but there was a lot more depth to them than I expected.

Meet Cute Club was fun and steamy (just two scenes, so those who are averse to steam can skim), and the M/M rom-com is a variation on the genre I’ve not read much of yet. Maybe there was something in my eye, or perhaps I’ll admit the darned book might have made me tear up as well.

Book Review: "The Library of Lost Things" by Laura Taylor Namey

Sometimes in order to write our own story we need to find ourselves first.

Darcy Jane Wells lives a life immersed in stories and books. Other than her best friend Marisol, books have been her closest companions since childhood, because she finds that other people’s stories are better than the story of her own life. She goes everywhere with at least one book in her possession, even to parties and other social events. (Sound at all familiar?)

Her mother is a hoarder. She’s a perfectly functioning adult with a real job and everything, but she cannot stop buying things to fill the void Darcy’s father left when he abandoned them before she was born.

Darcy has always stood guard to ensure her mother’s compulsion, preventing friends from visiting, running interference with the building manager, handling necessary repairs in secret. But a new building manager looking to make changes, dwindling money, an ultimatum from her grandmother, and the arrival of a shocking surprise leave her struggling.

When Darcy meets Asher, a former aspiring pilot whose dreams were dashed by injury, suddenly she is tired of hiding her story and her feelings. She’s tired of romance only between the pages of her books. But it will take courage and self-discovery, and much more.

"But I spent so much time battling the clutter scaffolding my life, so much time hiding. Dreams came, settling inside me. When they did, I lived in a new house, clean and free. I kissed the prince and danced with the hero, maybe even one like Asher Fleet. But I had to move those dreams out, every time. Evicted. How could I hold real love inside an invisible heart?"

I really enjoyed this! I thought the book was poignant and emotional, full of lovely and special moments. Namey’s characters are so appealing as well and added depth to this story. Plus, any book that celebrates the love of reading and the power of stories is all right by me!!

Book Review: "Twenty-one Truths about Love" by Matthew Dicks

Things I enjoyed about this book:

1. The fact the book was written entirely in lists was really creative.
2. Amidst everything that went on in the book, it’s really a story about love, fear, and family.
3. Many of Dan’s thoughts are surprisingly on par with mine.

Things I didn’t enjoy about this book:

1. The list format started to wear me down.
2. There was one particular plotline that I found really irksome.
3. Darned book made me cry...

Dan left his teaching job to run a bookstore. It wasn’t as easy or profitable as he thought it would be. (Of course, he thought teaching would be easy, too, but...) He's afraid to reveal the extent of his financial struggles to his wife, Jill.

Much of Dan’s life is characterized by running away from his problems. He’s the master of not saying what needs to be said. He has feelings about his father, who is suddenly trying to reconnect with him after years of estrangement. He has feelings about the specter of Jill's first husband, who died, hanging over their heads.

When Jill gets pregnant he knows he must do something to get money or he’ll lose her—but his idea is a desperate one. He struggles with the reality of the situation and every possible solution, but he keeps coming back to the least-certain and riskiest one. And he knows the ramifications of his actions may be worse than his current situation.

Twenty-one Truths about Love is a poignant, sometimes scattered, sometimes disturbing look into the mind of a man who is struggling in so many ways. While some of the lists in the book illustrate where Dan's heart and mind are, some are a little quirky and bizarre. And some are downright funny.

Matthew Dicks is a great writer (his Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend still haunts me). I loved the concept and the heart of this story. It’s just, the list thing dragged the story down a bit, to the point where I skimmed through the lists when the subject seemed extraneous. (Some of the lists ran way too long, too.)

Despite my ultimate weariness with the lasting power of this concept, this was a really creative twist in storytelling and I’ll think of this book for a long while.

NetGalley and St. Martins Press gave me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

The book will publish on November 19.

Book Review: "The Bookish Life of Nina Hill" by Abbi Waxman

It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me or follows me on any of my social media feeds that reading is one of the most immense joys of my life. Whenever I am asked by someone how I read so many books, I explain in part that reading helps me decompress—days when I don't get the chance to read even for a few moments leave me feeling out-of-sorts and much more tense.

Perhaps that love for reading is one of the many reasons I was utterly charmed by Nina Hill, the title character of Abbi Waxman's wonderful, thought-provoking new novel, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. At times the book—and Nina herself—are almost too quirky for words, but her story captured my heart from the first few sentences, and I don't think it will leave me anytime soon.

"Nina had looked around and realized she would never run out of things to read, and that certainty filled her with peace and satisfaction. It didn't matter what hit the fan; as long as there were unread books in the world, she would be fine. Being surrounded by books was the closest she'd ever gotten to feeling like the member of a gang. The books had her back, and the nonfiction, at least, was ready to fight if necessary."

Nina lives a life that leaves her content. She loves her job in a bookstore, she enjoys competing on her tremendously successful trivia team (even though they keep getting banned from different bars), and she keeps her life meticulously planned, even though she's happy to make any excuse to miss yoga and just read instead. Her life may be reasonably solitary, and she may have trouble at times dealing with anxiety (which has plagued her since she was a child), but even when she wonders if there is more she should want from life, she just picks up another book.

The only child of a single mother who left the nanny to raise her, Nina learns one day that the father she never knew existed (beyond the fact that she wasn't immaculately conceived) knew she existed, and has recently died, leaving her a beneficiary in his will. Beyond that, however, she suddenly finds that she has brothers and sisters of all ages (her father was married three times), not to mention nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews (some of whom are actually older than she is). Most of them are thrilled to discover a new relative, and Nina is shocked to find how much she enjoys being part of a family.

Nina is also a little thrown when she realizes she has feelings for Tom, a member of her trivia team's fiercest rival. He's handsome, seems to have a terrific personality, and he knows a lot about sports, which is a subject she's woefully weak on. To top it off, Tom is interested in getting to know her better. But Nina isn't sure she has room in her life for a relationship, what with her job, her new family, and the time she sets aside for reading every day. Plus, the more she realizes how strongly she feels for him, the more afraid she gets, which doesn't feel good at all.

When a crisis arises that threatens the job she loves and frictions in her newfound family intensify, Nina wants to do what she's always done in the face of trouble: retreat into solitude. She isn't sure if she is able to open her life up to Tom the way he wants her to, and she's not even sure she's ready for the myriad challenges that family can bring.

Can we change the habits that bring us comfort and security if it means opening our lives up to someone else? How do we allow ourselves to trust someone else when we've always been independent and self-reliant? And, more importantly, can a voracious reader truly find happiness with someone who barely reads?

There's so much to enjoy about The Bookish Life of Nina Hill. Nina is definitely a unique character who is sometimes difficult to sympathize with, but how can a bookworm like me not love someone like her? This is a story about connection, about opening yourself up to trust and care about others, about family and friendship and finding community, and about a healthy obsession with trivia. But of course, it's also a book about the immense joy of books and reading, and the wonderful feeling of sharing that joy with others.

"It was the same way with everything Nina experienced; fictional characters were as real to her as the people she met and touched every day."

I found this book so wonderful, and even if I was occasionally irritated by the quirkiness of it all, Waxman's humor, her heart, and the beautiful characters she created snapped me back to reality pretty quickly. This definitely goes on my list of memorable books about reading and bookstores, and I know it's one I won't forget anytime soon.

Book Review: "The Printed Letter Bookshop" by Katherine Reay

"...it often isn't the events that haunt us, though those hold power and can harm us, it is the choices we make within those events we carry all our days."

Madeline Cullen's aunt Maddie was the owner of the Printed Letter Bookshop in Winsome, a small town outside of Chicago. One of Madeline's fondest memories was spending a few weeks working with her aunt and uncle in the quaint, beloved store, until a family incident caused a seemingly irreversible rift.

Almost 20 years later, Madeline is shocked to learn that her aunt left her the store, her house, and all of her possessions. Even more of a surprise, however, is that the store is in serious debt—while her aunt was fantastic to her customers, she wasn't much of a businesswoman. When Madeline leaves her prestigious law firm, she makes the decision to try and get the store back on a more solid financial footing to make it more attractive for purchase.

"That's what books do, Maddie used to say; they are a conversation, and introduce us to ourselves and to others."

Madeline isn't counting on the fierce loyalty of the store's two employees, Janet and Claire. Both are dealing with issues of their own, not to mention their grief over losing their friend, and they aren't eager to see Maddie's legacy sold to the highest bidder. For her part, Madeline is surprised by how much she comes to love the store, and even as it continues to struggle financially, she starts to hope for a miracle to turn things around.

The more time Madeline spends in the bookstore, the more she realizes that her assumptions about her aunt were drastically incorrect. She's more determined than ever to try and make things work, but setback after setback make that possibility even less of a reality. But where does she belong? What path should she follow for the rest of her life? And what would the end of the bookshop mean for Janet and Claire?

I love books about bookstores almost as much as I love bookstores themselves. Katherine Reay's The Printed Letter Bookshop is a terrific new addition to that genre. But in addition to the story about the special relationship between bookseller and customer, and how bookstores often are the heart of communities, this is a book about second chances and the choices we make based on misconceptions.

Beyond that, this is a book about friendship, love, and hope. The plot is a little predictable, but I was charmed from the start, and I couldn't put this down. I really enjoyed the characters Reay created, and how she wasn't afraid to give each flaws which made them more realistic and more interesting.

Thanks (I guess) to a case of insomnia, I read this in just a few hours. I went to sleep with a smile on my face, wishing there was a place like The Printed Letter Bookshop in my town. But at least I got to read about it.

NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction provided me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!