The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry / Gabrielle Zevin / 260 pgs

This is a sweet, sad, uplifting story that proves what we all know....books can transform.  It is about a man who has lost his wife and his connection to humanity.  Only his love for books keep him going, but not without lapses into the bottle.  He has a prized copy of "Tamerlane" that he keeps in a locked case to be used for his retirement in the future.  The book is stolen and soon there after a child is left in his bookstore with a note from her mother requesting that he raise her.  The other characters are a sales rep from a publishing house that he initially rebukes; a police detective that he seeks out for the stolen book and abandoned child and his long suffering sister-in-law married to an author who pays her little attention and is not sympathetic to her child bearing woes.  This unlikely group forge friendships and transform A.J. into an attentive father figure, husband and valued member of the community. The rest of the story is waiting for you to read.  Good book.