The sentence by Louise Erdrich

Set in Minneapolis at the beginning of the pandemic, including the time when George Floyd was murdered, The Sentence is about Tookie, who discovered reading whilst in gaol, and came to work at a book shop after she was released. The shop’s most annoying customer has died, and begins to haunt Tookie and the shop, so Tookie and her colleagues have to find a way to move her on, while coping with all that life in Minneapolis in 2020 involves, particularly for First Nations people. It’s a funny, moving, and cathartic reminder of the importance of culture, strength, hope, and love. A whole star goes to the book shop setting (it’s a real shop, owned by the author who is also in the book!) and all the books mentioned – there are lists!

With love from London by Sarah Jio

This was such a heartwarming read. It is told through the alternating voices of Eloise and her daughter Valentina. Eloise had to leave Valentina when she was a child and it is only after Eloise’s death that Valentina can discover what happens. We are taken through Valentina’s healing journey as she takes over her mother’s bookshop in London. The love of community, friends and books shone through the story.

The ten thousand doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

In the early 20th century January Scaller lives in a great house full of treasures, a ward to Mr Locke for whom her father works. One day she finds a book that tells an extraordinary tale of other worlds, and January is drawn out of her sheltered life and into great danger and adventure. With a story within a story, it reminded me of The Starless Sea( though a little less convoluted and grown-up), and it had elements of Sorcerer to the Crown as well (though not as funny), both favourites of mine. It is beautifully atmospheric, gorgeously imaginative, and gently romantic, with strong female characters, loyal friends (including a dog) frightening villains, and and an intriguing mystery.

The dictionary of lost words by Pip Williams

I read The Surgeon of Crowthorne: a tale of murder, madness & the love of words, by Simon Winchester, many years ago and loved the true story of two of the men behind the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary. Pip Williams also read it, and wondered about the women who were involved, and whether women use words differently, and have their own words that were not included. This is a fictional account, with many characters from real life, about Esme, who spent her childhood in the Scriptorium amongst the dictionary work, and grew to love words, and collect the words and meanings specific to women. Set in Oxford from the late 1800s, it’s about women’s suffrage, the power of language, and deep human connection. It is atmospheric and lyrical, romantic and moving.

Balzac and the little Chinese seamstress by Dai Sijie

Set in China during the Cultural Revolution, we follow two teenaged boys sent to a remote mountain village for reeducation. Life there is made bearable by their infatuation with a young seamstress, and their discovery of some banned novels. It’s a vivid story about coming of age during the hardships of the Cultural Revolution, and the sustaining, transformative power of literature.

Weird things customers say in bookshops by Jen Campbell

A delightful little book; heartwarming and funny. Indeed, some of the weird things said make you despair for the future of humanity, but the very existence of bookshops (and libraries, of course) give hope! For fans of Shaun Bythell (this came first, and is less curmudgeonly) and all things bookish.

The little shop of happy ever after by Jenny Colgan

When they close Nina’s library in Birmingham (true story for many libraries in the UK), she is out of a job. On a whim, she goes to Scotland, buys a huge van, and turns it into a travelling bookshop. It’s a super light, fun, silly, romantic book about the power of reading, taking chances, and how lovely Scotland is.

Feel free by Zadie Smith

This collection of essays begins with one about libraries, a very good start indeed. I love Zadie Smith’s fiction, and very much enjoyed many of the essays, especially those about books I have read, or places I have been or long to go. There were quite a few essays about people I knew nothing of, and which did not capture my interest, and others which I felt simply not clever enough to appreciate. It is fascinating to hear the actual voice of a novelist, writing as herself, and come to know something of her life, how she thinks, and how she writes her novels.

The bookshop book by Jen Campbell

This is a love letter to bookshops, and a travel guide, taking us to the world’s most interesting and beautiful bookshops. This would be a wonderful guide were tourism a possibility at the moment, but also makes a lovely alternative while we cannot travel. As well as the details of about specific bookshops around the world, there are also historical details, bookish quotes and fact, and contributions from authors about their favourite bookshops.

The details by Tegan Bennett

I really loved this book of essays about a life, love, grief, friendship, and reading. Tegan Bennett Daylight writes so movingly about the power of reading, and how it has impacted her life. It helps that I have read many of the books she writes about, and that she quotes The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, my favourite of the Chronicles of Narnia, but the book is also about the connection between people, so I don’t think a lot of prior reading is necessary in order to enjoy it.