Chapter 18 - The Bookshop on the Corner

Many of us are sad that we can't get to our favorite bookstores yet. There is a special, dare I say, sacredness to a bookstore. People seem to be nicer and quieter when they are in a bookstore. Bookstores, new or some used, smell good, rich with the scent of paper and ink. There is also the excitement of finding a book you've been looking for - the next in a series, a new book that just came out, or an older book that you read years ago and lost.

I love to read books about bookstores, I guess this is hazard of the trade. So, if you can't get out and visit your favorite independent bookstore, here are some books that will help to put you in that special space.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikery by Gabrielle Zevin - A.J.Fikery owns a bookstore, one that is struggling to survive. His pride and joy is an early copy of an Edgar Allen Poe book. On the same day it disappears, a baby is left in his shop. A beautiful story about finding family wherever you can.

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan - Colgan writes about Scotland so this wonderful book takes place there. Nina, a literary matchmaker, loses her job as a librarian and decides to move to a little village in Scotland. She buys a van and turns it into a mobile bookshop.

The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay - Madeline's Aunt Maddie leaves her a bookstore and a pile of debt. Can attorney Maddie, make heads or tails of the store or her employees? Most of all, can she save the store?

Shakespeare and Company by Sylvia Beach - This non-fiction book by the owner of the famous Paris bookstore Shakespeare and Company gives wonderful insight to some of the iconic writers of the Lost Generation. The book is a loving tribute to some of the authors Beach knew best.

Bookends by Jane Green - Cath Warner has decided to leave her very unfulfilling job in advertising and open her own bookstore. With a cast of characters who resemble a British rom-com movie, this enchanting book is a really good read.

Do you have any favorite books about bookstores? Let me know.