"Bookstores attract the right kind of folk. Good people like A.J. and Amelia. And I like talking about books with people who like talking about books. I like paper. I like how it feels, and I like the feel of a book in my back pocket. I like how a new book smells, too."
We are all a collection of the stories of our lives. This is the message at the heart of Gabrielle Zevin's The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. Zevin writes a beautiful exploration into why we read the stories we read and how that both defines and creates the lives we lead. A.J. Fikry's wife has died, his bookstore is facing a downward spiral and his most valuable item, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Fikry begins to isolate himself from everyone, until a mysterious package arrives at his door and his life is forever changed.
