Calling all bibliophiles! It’s our day to celebrate! So, kick off your shoes, pull up a comfy chair, grab your favorite beverage, and let’s revel in our love of the written word. Whether you are a bookworm, book collector, love the smell of real books, or prefer to go high-tech and devour books on your e-reader, I am sure there is something here for you to lose yourself in.
An oldie but a goodie, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows is a novel to savor and cherish and be read over and over again. Written as a series of letters between a woman in post WWII London and the members of the Society….a group formed, out of necessity, to cover up their gathering after curfew on the German-occupied island of Guernsey. Character development is so rich, you will truly feel like you know these lovely bibliophiles.
I was first drawn to Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan because of the main character’s connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. After Clay loses his techie job, he ends up working in an ecclectic bookstore where customers don’t really seem to ever buy anything, opting instead to borrow an odd selection of books. This peaks Clay’s interest and he begins to track and study the comings and goings in this shop, unlocking secrets that will change not only Clay’s world view, but the reader’s as well.
I have lost count of how many copies of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin I have given as gifts to book-loving friends and family. Fikry is a solitary man, a crusty, bookstore owner whose world is turned upside down by the appearance of a baby on his doorstep. This book is about second chances, forgiveness, and, most of all, the love of literature.
Finally, if you are looking for the perfect gift for a bibliophile, grab a copy of Women Who Read Are Dangerous by Stefan Bollman. The author explores how enchanted many famous artists and photographers have been by women reading. It is important to remember, that women reading is of historical significance, for there was a time when women were not supposed to read; we were not to let our minds and imaginations wander. Nor were we to educate ourselves through the written word. Looking at the art in this book reminds us all of just how far women have come….and what is at stake if we stop reading and thinking for ourselves.
Julie Bond is a voracious reader with eclectic tastes running the gamut from YA lit, to psychological suspense, and anything dog-related, of course. You can find her haunting her favorite San Francisco Bay Area indie bookstores. Email her at ObsessiveBookFanatic@gmail.com
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