Books About Bookstores for Book Lovers
By Ali Matthews
It’s Independent Bookstore Week! These are the books that capture that just-stepped-into-my-dreamscape feeling.
Adult Fiction
The Little Paris Bookshop, Nina George
This bookshop floats along the Seine, and its shopkeeper, Monsieur Perdu prides himself on having just the right recommendation for every lonely, forlorn customer. Perfect for the francophiles and romantics.
Last Chance Books, Kelsey Rodkey
This is a younger, updated You’ve Got Mail. Girl takes over quaint family-owned bookstore. Girl goes toe-to-toe with boy. Boy works at the neighboring chain bookstore. Rivals become lovers. Perfect for rom-com devotees.
The Last Days of Terranova, Manuel Rivas
An older gentleman is on the brink of losing his beloved bookstore to realtors. In this, we spend the last days of that storefront with him, jumping through time, revisiting memories. Quiet and contemplative, this one is for those prone to nostalgia.
A Novel Obsession, Caitlin Barasch
Naomi Ackerman is an aspiring novelist toiling away behind checkout counter in an NYC bookstore. She falls for a guy, and in cyberstalking him—as one does—she finds herself fixated on his ex. Rosemary, it turns out, might just be the inspiration Naomi needs to write her masterpiece.
This is for social climbers and bad friends.
Middle Grade
The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams, Mindy Thompson
It’s 1944 and the war over seas rages on. In Sutton, New York, Poppy and her family are busy running their bookshop, Rhyme and Reason. Poppy suffers losses, surrounds herself with magic and makes the most out of a devastating situation. It’s tender, whimsical middle grade, perfect for anyone who reads as a balm over hard times.
The Magical Bookshop, Katja Frixe
Why didn’t I get to read this when I was 8 or 9? When Clara’s best friend moves away, she spends all of her time between the shelves of her favorite bookstore. Like The Bookshop of Dust and Dreams, this place holds some remarkable magic. The cover is fabulous! Style and color are perfect for the reader who misses their flip phone.
The Bookwanderers, Anna James
Tilly Pages is on the trail to figure out the truth behind her mother’s disappearance. The backdrop is her grandparents bookstore. With her fantastic ability to ‘bookwander’ through her favorite stories, sipping tea with Alice and following Anne of Green Gables on her adventures, Tilly is determined to solve the mystery. Fans of the classics are going to wish they had Tilly’s power!
Picture Books
Good Night, Little Bookstore, Amy Cherrix
This is a bedtime story for sleepyheads!
The I Wonder Bookstore, Shinsuke Yoshitake
Another hilarious offering from Shinsuke Yoshitake. To be a bookseller, one must be able to think on their feet, to answer impossible questions. The I Wonder Bookstore is the home of many curious inquiries, written for the inquisitive kid!
The Book Itch, Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
In Harlem there was a bookstore, that housed works from the greatest minds of the literary world, visited by some of our literary heroes—Malcolm X and Langston Hughes among them. This book tells the story of just how special such a place was. It’s for every reader.
