The Bookstore by Deborah Meyler

This book was brought to my attention on a blog post that provided a list of books set in bookstores. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book about books, so I decided to finally read it.

Published: 2013

Genre: fiction

Length: 334 pages

Setting: New York City, present day

Summary: Short version: Esme’s life doesn’t go quite as planned.

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What I Will Be Reading #31: from the Modern Mrs. Darcy

Between listening to What Should I Read Next and reading Modern Mrs. Darcy’s blog, I could keep my to-be-read list in an ever-growing state of wishing for more time. I’ll share a few of the books I’ve recently been interested in from her site.

I try not to add every book I hear Anne describe on her podcast, but she’s great at making books sound interesting. For the one-year anniversary (episode 62), Anne gathered suggestions from the listeners of what she should read next. I thought several of the books sounded good, including:

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

I’m not sure exactly where I heard about this book, but I know I put it on my list because it’s about a bookstore. Books about books or bookstores are one of my favorite subgenres.

Published: 2012

Genre: fiction

Length: 288 pages

Setting: mostly San Fransisco and New York City, present day

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

I was interested in reading this book for several reasons. My aunt had given me the book (after she finished it) a year or so ago, and it’s sat on my bookshelf, entreating me to read it ever since. I didn’t even know what the book was about, until I saw it on a list of books set in bookstores. As an added bonus, the author’s name starts with Z, which fill a hole in my Alphabet Challenge (which is how I’m picking lots of my books as the year ends).

Published: 2001 in Spanish, 2004 in the U.S.

Genre: fiction

Length: 487 pages

Setting: Barcelona, Spain, 1945-1966

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

Time for the first book review of the year – and I got lucky and picked a really good book with which to start off the year!

Published: 2013 in Germany, 2015 in English translation

Genre: fiction

Length: 370 pages of story, 392 pages total

Setting: France, present day

Interest: It was recommended by the She Reads blog as a book to make you happy. I put it on my reading list because it’s a book about a bookseller, which is an oddly specific genre that I happen to love. I picked it up because it happened to be on the endcap at the library when I was wandering about looking for books.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

Published: 2014

Genre: fiction

Length: 258 pages

Setting: the fictional Alice Island, in the Cape Cod area of Massachusetts, present day

Interest: The Modern Mrs. Darcy had a post on recommended books for your Myer’s Briggs personality type. This was my type’s recommendation.