The Bookshop of Yesterdays / Amy Meyerson / 364 pages

Miranda Brooks is a middle school history teacher in Philadelphia.  She grew up in Los Angeles where her parents are still living.  As a child she was close to her mother's brother, Billy, who owned a bookstore and would challenge her with clues on scavenger hunts.  Then on her twelfth birthday her mother and Uncle Billy had an argument and she did not see her uncle again.  Now sixteen years later she receives news that her uncle has died.  She returns home to attend his funeral, which her mother refuses to also attend.  Through Billy's lawyer Miranda learns that she has inherited the bookstore which is almost in bankruptcy.  While Miranda works to save the bookstore she is also working through the clues to Uncle Billy's final scavenger hunt for her.  This one will explain what really happened to lead up to that argument on her twelfth birthday that resulted in the disappearance of her Uncle Billy from her life.

Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend / Katarina Bivald / 394 pgs.

I just finished my ARC of this, and I do not see anyone else asking for it. Please let me know and I will be happy to send it your way. This was a cute story. It was one of those nice books that you want to read when you just need a happy ending. Swedish twenty-something Sara arrives in the tiny town of Broken Wheel, Iowa. She plans on staying with her pen pal, Amy, for two months only to find that Amy passed away from a long illness. Stranded and a stranger, Sara finds herself welcomed by the townspeople and realizes that the best way she can thank them is to start a bookstore in Amy's honor, sharing their mutual love of reading to the rest of the residents of Broken Wheel.

The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry/Gabrielle Zevin/270 pages

A. J. Fikry is a lonely bookstore owner on Alice Island. His lovely wife died a while ago, and she was the one who kept the business afloat. He's a young man with an old heart. When his prized possession is stolen, he feels there is nothing left for him. Then one day, someone leaves him a surprise, a gift really, in his store. That gift helps him to get out of his head and start living again.

This is our book club selection for the month. It's a sweet, moving story about the choices we make about our life. Each chapter is preceded with a lesson about a specific book or short story from Fikry's point of view. Some were familiar to me; many were not. Funny and entertaining.

THE STORIED LIFE OF A. J. FIKRY / Gabrielle Zevin / 258 Pages

Received an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) of this title from the publisher. Gabriell Zevin is known for her YA novels, including the science fiction 'Birthright' series. Her newest book, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is a heart-warming story of a despondent and self-destructive bookseller coming to terms with what live can offer when an unusual package is left in his store.

Loved the personalized shelf-talkers which introduce each chapter. Made it feel like I was wandering the aisles of a small but cozy bookstore and brought a number of stories to my attention as well. My personal reading will continue beyond Zevin's book ...  :-)

Fans of literary fiction and the world of books should enjoy this.