I cannot begin to tell you how much I needed a good book. I felt that the last few I read were serious and/or deep. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up “Bookish People” at the library, but It was just what I needed.
Here is the Goodreads synopsis:
A perfect storm of comedic proportions erupts in a DC bookstore over the course of one soggy summer week—narrated by two very different women and punctuated by political turmoil, a celestial event, and a perpetually broken vacuum cleaner.
Independent bookstore owner Sophie Bernstein is burned out on books. Mourning the death of her husband, the loss of her favorite manager, her only child’s lack of aspiration, and the grim state of the world, she fantasizes about going into hiding in the secret back room of her store.
Meanwhile, renowned poet Raymond Chaucer has published a new collection, and rumors that he’s to blame for his wife’s suicide have led to national cancellations of his publicity tour. He intends to set the record straight—with an ultra-fine-point Sharpie—but only one shop still plans to host – Sophie’s.
Fearful of potential repercussions from angry customers, Sophie asks Clemi—bookstore events coordinator, aspiring novelist, and daughter of a famed literary agent—to cancel Raymond’s appearance. But Clemi suspects Raymond might be her biological father, and she can’t say no to the chance of finding out for sure.
This big-hearted screwball comedy features an intergenerational cast of oblivious authors and over-qualified booksellers—as well as a Russian tortoise named Kurt Vonnegut Jr.—and captures the endearing quirks of some of the best kinds of the ones who love good books.
I laughed out loud more than once at this book. At times, it is plain absurd, while at other times it is heartfelt. I loved the way chaos builds throughout each day and culminates at the end of the book. I found myself identifying radio listeners or sleep patients who were just like some of the secondary characters in the book. No doubt, you can do the same with people you know.
It was light and funny enough that it cleared my reading palate. It was a really funny book that I think you might enjoy.
4.5 out of 5 stars
