Hi everyone, this week I thought I’d geek out a little bit over my love of bookshops and give you a trio of bookshop books!! Oh, my heart flutters at the alliteration there and even imagines the smell of new books! Don’t judge, it’s almost as intoxicating as a slice of chocolate cake!! Press below to see more please…
This first one takes us on a journey through to England during the Second World War era.
The Mayfair Bookshop by Eliza Knight (William Morrow, 2022) is one of those historical reads with a dual timeline, narrated by two women who seem to have quite similar lives. Nancy Mitford, in 1938, was one of the six sparkling Mitford sisters, known for her stinging quips, stylish dress, and bright green eyes. But Nancy Mitford’s seemingly dazzling life was really one of turmoil: with a perpetually unfaithful and broke husband, two Nazi-sympathisizer sisters, and her hopes of motherhood dashed forever. Nancy finds respite by taking a job at the Heywood Hill bookshop in Mayfair, hoping to make ends meet, and discovers a new life. In the present day, book curator Lucy St. Clair lands a gig working at Heywood Hill. Not only can she start the healing process from the loss of her mother, but it’s a dream come true to set foot in the legendary store. Doubly exciting: she brings with her a first edition of Nancy’s work, one that has a somewhat mysterious inscription from the author. Soon she discovers her life and Nancy’s are intertwined, and it all comes back to the little London bookshop – a place that changes the lives of two women from different eras in the most surprising ways.
My review: A lovely, moving tale of books and the women that create the majority of them!! Sadly, my knowledge of the Mitford sisters were fairly lacking to begin with, so that was a fair bit educational too. What struck me was Lucy’s job as a special library curator!! I found myself learning quite a bit about what it meant to work in this avenue. Those Second World War scenes and plot lines were gripping and kept me captivated long into the night. I really loved the mystery that unraveled towards the end of both Lucy and Nancy’s stories!!
Taking us across to the States, The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shanna Robinson (Sourcebooks Landmark, 2022) takes us to a small rural town where we meet Maggie Banks as she agrees to run her best friend’s struggling bookstore in Bell River. She expects to sell bestsellers to her small-town clientele, but running a bookstore in a town with a famously bookish history isn’t easy. Bell River’s literary society insists on keeping the bookstore stuck in the past, and Maggie is banned from selling anything written this century. So when a series of mishaps suddenly tip the bookstore toward ruin, Maggie has to get creative to keep the shop afloat. To help save the store, Maggie starts an underground book club, running a series of events celebrating the books readers actually love. However, keeping it all quiet, selling forbidden books, and dodging the literary society is nearly impossible. Especially when Maggie unearths a town secret that could upend everything. Maggie will have to decide what’s more important: the books that formed a small town’s history or the stories poised to change it all.
My review: Bookish rom-coms are slowly becoming one of my favourite go-to’s now!! Bookstores and banned books in equal parts always get my heart racing with a sizzle of romance!! Maggie and her friends are so awesome in this book!! I think this was one of those that offered a light-hearted story mixed in with some sweet romance and a dash of bookish elements to keep us bibliophiles happy!!
This last story is one that I found equally fascinating and magical!! We’re taken to a small bookshop somewhere in Seoul in this read. Translated into English by Shanna Tan, Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2023) is a story that will leave an imprint in your soul. We meet Yeonju who had done everything she was supposed to: go to university, marry a decent man, get a respectable job. Then it all fell apart. Burned out, Yeogju abandons her old life, quits her high-flying career, and follows her dream. She opens a bookshop. In a quaint neighbourhood in Seoul, surrounded by books, Yeongju and her customers take refuge. From the lonely barista to the unhappily married coffee roaster – and the writer who sees something special in Yeongju – they all have disappointments in their past. The Hyunam-Dong bookshop becomes the place where they all learn how to truly live. A heartwarming story about finding comfort and acceptance in your life – and the healing power of books.
My review: I couldn’t believe this was a debut novel!! The depth and clarity of writing is phenomenal and I… wanted to be as brave as Yeongju was. Not start a bookshop, but to allow myself to follow my dream and allow myself to breathe a bit, relax and be true to who I truly am. I guess, deep down, that’s what everyone needs. While reading this, I felt as though I’d been sucked into a real-life K-drama, one with real people and real lives. I think both Yeongjun and Minjin coming together in the bookshop and the others that connect with them make a more real expression of life in Seoul. Inspirational reads at its finest. The inclusion of book titles and extracts that people read out aloud in the book club was something I truly enjoyed. Exceptional writing from a debut novelist!!
I hope you enjoyed this trio of bookish reads! I’m always on the hunt for ‘bookshop’ reads, so if you’ve read something similar please let me know.
Stay safe and keep reading
Miss Mahee
Miss Mahee's Library of Reads 