I'm a
sucker for books about books, for books about readers and writers, booksellers
and bookstores. I'm also making a concerted effort to read more recently
published books--I try to pick a book from each month's Book Page and read it
before too much time passes. This month's pick was The Storied Life of A.J.Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin.
I enjoyed this modern-day take on the Silas Marner story in which a crotchety, middle-aged widower is robbed of his treasure only to find love, happiness, and family in its wake. A.J. grew on me as the story progressed, and I enjoyed reading about the island town in Massachusetts where the story takes place and which is people by a host of interesting people. My favorite character was actually the police chief, Lambiase, who thinks he doesn't like to read but ends up hosting a book club at the bookstore by midway through the book.
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is a book for those of us who love to read--each chapter begins with a quote or two from A.J. about a book, and most of the dialogue has to doing with reading, writing, or selling books.
It's not a surprising book--I figured out most of the plot points a beat or two ahead of the story--but that's okay. It was a pleasant book, an interesting story about interesting people, and was a great armchair trip to coastal New England.
I enjoyed this modern-day take on the Silas Marner story in which a crotchety, middle-aged widower is robbed of his treasure only to find love, happiness, and family in its wake. A.J. grew on me as the story progressed, and I enjoyed reading about the island town in Massachusetts where the story takes place and which is people by a host of interesting people. My favorite character was actually the police chief, Lambiase, who thinks he doesn't like to read but ends up hosting a book club at the bookstore by midway through the book.
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is a book for those of us who love to read--each chapter begins with a quote or two from A.J. about a book, and most of the dialogue has to doing with reading, writing, or selling books.
It's not a surprising book--I figured out most of the plot points a beat or two ahead of the story--but that's okay. It was a pleasant book, an interesting story about interesting people, and was a great armchair trip to coastal New England.
"I'm a sucker for books about books, for books about readers and writers, booksellers and bookstores." Me, too. This one sounds very enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteI too love books that are about books. This one sounds charming.
ReplyDeleteReading something that is set or relates to a place one is traveling in is a really neat.
Glad that you had a chance to try this one Jane. I loved the audio experience.
ReplyDeleteChief Lambiase was my favorite, too!
ReplyDeleteI really want to read this at some point.
ReplyDeleteI am another sucker for books about books - and for books set in island towns. Yours is the second good review I've read, and I think I'll add my name to the library queue. I've also been thinking about a better balance in my reading, since I don't read that many new books either.
ReplyDeleteI had not heard this compared to Silas Marner before, which I adore. Will definitely have to pick this one up.
ReplyDelete