The Bookshop of Yesterdays (Amy Meyerson)

I have always loved books about bookshops. There's just something so cozy about curling up with one and settling into the story (see Veronica Henry's fabulous How to Find Love in a Bookshop for a great example in this sub-genre). Amy Meyerson's The Bookshop of Yesterdays does not quite give off that cozy feel. There's too much mystery and drama for that, and not all of it fits in well with the story.

Miranda Brooks is a history teacher in Philadelphia living with her boyfriend. But she grew up in California, where she spent a large amount of time in her Uncle Billy's bookshop, Prospero Books. When Miranda turns twelve, Uncle Billy has a fight with Miranda's mother, and Miranda never hears from him again. But when Billy dies many years later, he unexpectedly leaves Miranda the now-almost-bankrupt bookshop, along with a literary scavenger hunt to tell her his secrets.

Throughout the book, I didn't think the characters were fleshed out as much as I would have liked them to be (with the exception of Miranda and her mother). The ending also felt a little flat and unrealistic. And as I said, when I read a book about a bookshop, I love to get that cozy feeling, and I didn't really get that with The Bookshop of Yesterdays. However, if you like your bookshop books to have a little mystery and drama in them, you may just enjoy this one.

MY RATING - 3.5

How to Find Love in a Bookshop (Veronica Henry)

When you pick up a novel titled How to Find Love in a Bookshop, you pretty much know you're not going to get elements like crime and suspense.  But that doesn't make Veronica Henry's book any less important than the Erik Larson and Stephen King titles out there.  Because in this day and age, sometimes all it takes to make you feel better is a few hours spent in an enchanting bookshop.

Julius Nightingale is the beloved owner of Nightingale Books, a place where one is always welcome to peruse for hours and the right book will almost certainly make it into your hands.  Julius passes away with a few secrets, including the fact that the bookshop is in trouble.  It's up to his daughter, Emilia, to save the store if she wishes.  In addition to this main arc, the reader is introduced to a whole other cast of characters, but all of them are tied nicely into Nightingale Books.

I simply loved this novel -- there, I said it.  You could almost say that Nightingale Books itself was the main character, and I know I'm not giving anything away (because why would you pick this book up if you didn't know this?) by saying that everyone's storyline comes to a lovely resolution.  How to Find Love in a Bookshop is the novel that people need right now...period.

MY RATING - 4