I purchased this book for my own personal collection.
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Published: December 2014 (first published April 2014)
Summary:
A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. He lives alone, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. But when a mysterious package appears at the bookstore, its unexpected arrival gives Fikry the chance to make his life over — and see everything anew.
My thoughts:
I read this when it first came out back in 2014 and absolutely loved it! I had the chance to re-read it when we selected it for the book club I host at my local independent bookstore and can I tell you that I loved it even more the second time around…this book is definitely one of my favorites and as I looked over my original review, which you can read here, one thing definitely remains true – this is absolutely going to be a book I continue to recommend to everyone!
I loved the discussion that my book club had about this book. Everyone ended up loving this one in some way, connecting to it on some level and that’s all I can hope for as a book club leader. For me, having read this now after being so many more years entrenched in the book world, I had such a different appreciation for all the little nuances that the author wrote in pertaining to that – the way books cycle through, how e-readers had an impact on reading, and of course the importance of independent bookstores. How fortuitous that my book club takes place in an independent bookstore!
My copy of this book is all tabbed up with passages I loved and passages that spoke to me. This might be my second time reading this one but I know it won’t be the last. The characters have all made an impression on me and I know I won’t be forgetting them anytime soon. This would make the perfect gift if you ever need to buy someone a book and you aren’t sure what to buy someone but you know they are a book lover…if really is just such a delightful, charming read and I cannot recommend it enough!
My original review: Review: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin – Always With a Book
