The Lost for Words Bookshop

The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland  368 pages

I have a weak spot for books and bookstores, or perhaps I should say a bookshop since the setting of this novel is England.  But my love of books is why I picked up Butland’s novel. And I loved the second sentence on the dust jacket: “If you look carefully, you might glimpse the first lines of the novels [Loveday] loves most tattooed on her skin.”

“What a quirky character this Loveday must be,” I remember thinking. “I’m gonna love this book!”  Ah, but once again, I was wrong, so very wrong.  I’ve tried several times to read what others are referring to as “a gem of a novel,” but honestly, I don’t get it.

Loveday has been working at the bookshop for ten tears, since she was fifteen and a product of the foster-care system. She loves books all as much as I do, and like me, prefers books over people. There is a childhood tragedy that she wants to remain hidden from the few people in her life. When trying to find the owner of a lost book, she meets magician/poet Nathan. He saves her from an awkward encounter with her ex-boyfriend, which, to me, seems to really go against the notion that she prefers books to people.

Unwelcome emotions begin to rear when Loveday’s mother’s old books begin mysteriously showing up in the bookshop, and she is forced to confront her past.

I found “The Lost for Words Bookshop” boring and predictable and that is why it receives 2 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

How to Find Love in a Bookshop

How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry    352 pages

This light romantic comedy is perfect for curling up on the couch, especially now that Daylight Savings Time is over.

In this charming story, Emilia Nightingale has returned home from Hong Kong to be with her beloved father, Julius, at his end. Julius owned and operated Nightingale Books, “a cozy haven and welcoming getaway for the literary-minded locals,” of whom there are plenty

Emilia loves the bookshop as much as the readers in the quaint English village an hour or so outside of London. She knew her father was having a hard time making ends, but she had no idea how bad his finances were or what a mess they were.

As she struggles to decide whether or not to sell, the lovable cast of character bring her their own unique reasons why the bookshop should stay open. 

“There's Sarah, owner of the stately Peasebrook Manor, who has used the bookshop as an escape in the past few years, but it now seems there’s a very specific reason for all those frequent visits. Next is roguish Jackson, who, after making a complete mess of his marriage, now looks to Emilia for advice on books for the son he misses so much. And the forever shy Thomasina, who runs a pop-up restaurant for two in her tiny cottage—she has a crush on a man she met in the cookbook section, but can hardly dream of working up the courage to admit her true feelings.”

I couldn’t put this one down. How to Find Love in a Bookshop gets 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.