Popular fiction – 3 Up, 2 Across

A friend from my Scottish county dance group, who is also one of my library patrons, recommended this novel as a good light read. Light read or not, I was captivated from the very beginning. If you enjoy reading popular fiction and need a heartwarming book to read between The Goldfinch and All the Light We Cannot See, then The Bookshop on the Corner, by Jenny Colgan, just might be the right book for you.

Nina Redmond is a former librarian who needs a new situation, in more ways than one. After summoning a great deal of courage, and with a little prodding and encouragement, Nina sets off to realize a long-held dream. Whether it’s Nina’s bravery, creativity, her dreams, or her doubts, readers will not have trouble relating to Nina on a personal level. With her stacks of books on every surface and multiple editions of beloved novels, not to mention her efforts to rescue books from estate sales and abandoned libraries, Nina is a character after my own heart.

There was a universe inside every human being every bit as big as the universe outside them. Books were the best way Nina knew – apart from, sometimes, music – to breach the barrier, to connect the internal universe with the external, the words acting merely as a conduit between the two worlds.

Readers who like Jojo Moyes books and The Little Paris Bookshop, by Nina George, will enjoy this novel. If you have been wanting to try an audio book, this would be a good place to start; the narrator performs several very nice Scottish accents. As far as I’m concerned, any novel that can skillfully combine books, traveling, following your dreams, and Scottish country dancing is well worth a go.

If you are a crafty researcher, or just a book nerd like me, you might have noticed that this novel is also available under a different title, The Little Shop of Happily-Ever-After, which actually makes a lot more sense given the context.

Sit back with a cup of tea, and enjoy!

The Book of Speculation, by Erika Swyler, is a captivating novel about family, tradition, loss, the power of books, and fighting for the people you love. Simon Watson, a young librarian, lives in his family home on the Long Island shore. Over the course of the novel, the vitality of Simon’s home helps tell the story as Simon races against time to break a destructive family tradition.

Swyler’s debut novel introduces intriguing characters from multiple generations and weaves them together using an old book, a traveling circus, tarot cards, magic, and the sea. If you are fascinated by rare books, you will enjoy the description of Simon’s book. Though, in my opinion, the antiquarian book seller and his relationship with Simon are the weakest elements of this novel. The traveling circus characters are all fascinating, from the Wild Boy of the past to the present day man who can turn on light bulbs. Perhaps I enjoyed this novel because of the horseshoe crabs. Horseshoe crabs, which have been on earth for approximately 10,000 years, crop up many times throughout the novel and lend the story an air of mystique. Though magic is present, I would not classify this novel as a fantasy; the magic exists in the background, as aspects of the characters’ personalities.

If you loved The Night Circus, by Erin Morgensten, you will enjoy The Book of Speculation. The plot builds to an exciting climax, so you may find it difficult to put down towards the end. Expect a late night to finish the novel, or expect to take the long way home as your audio book comes to a close!

We carry our families like anchors, rooting us in storms, making sure we never drift from where and who we are. We carry our families within us the way we carry our breath underwater, keeping us afloat, keeping us alive.