Books are my life. I work with them. I read them. I listen to them. I watch movies based on them. Is it too meta to read books about books? I don’t think so, and to that end, here are some of my fave finds in the fiction books about books category.

In terms of dream jobs, owning a bookshop on the beach in California sounds pretty good. Not to mention sharing the building with your best friends who own their own bakery and gift shop. Muffins and cupcakes for everyone please! Sounds like the perfect life. Except - and isn’t there always an except? - their love lives are circling the drain. Ashley’s got a great guy, but he doesn’t want to marry her. Bree just doesn’t do feelings. Like at all. And Mickie has two guys falling at her feet. What’s a girl to do? I really enjoyed this one. It’s not just a sappy romance. There was some real character development here. Excellent on audio, but I’m sure the print would be good too.

For some unexplained reason, I am intrigued by the Mitford sisters. Two of the sisters married Nazi’s and spent time with Hitler, but all were famous for their somewhat wild and crazy lifestyles on the edge of the second world war. Nancy Mitford became famous in her own right as an author. This novel dramatizes the time she spent working at the Heywood Hill Bookshop in Mayfair. It entwines the past with the present. Current day book curator Lucy is overjoyed when she lands her dream job, also working at the Heywood Hill Bookshop. It was fascinating how the author wove the two stories together.
 

This book is a little different than the typical HEA romance I usually read. Rare-book dealer Ashlyn Greer loves old books. When a matched set of apparently self-bound books arrive in her shop, she is curious. Each book tells a different side of a doomed romance and she is intrigued by the mystery. Who were these people? What happened? And she pulls the reader into it as well. I enjoyed reading this one because it wasn’t quite as formulaic as romances can sometimes be. I was fully prepared to accept a not-happily-ever-after ending, but then the book twisted in few ways I didn’t see coming. I’m not going to spoil it for you. Admittedly, this one took me a little bit to get into the story, but once I did, I didn’t want to put it down.

Having recently finished the previous book, this one started out down the same path. Chloe works at the public library and as she’s cleaning out the basement annex, she comes across an old book with writings all over the margins. It seems to be a conversation between a couple, so she smuggles it out of the library to explore it further. As the two writers progress through other books, Chloe can’t wait to find out more about them, but she doesn’t have much time taking care of siblings and dealing with her grumpy next door neighbor. This book was reminiscent of A Man Called Ove, and I would say if you liked that one, this would be a good read for you. (Also, I have to admit that I partially checked this one out because the author’s name was Gilmore and I love the Gilmore Girls. This is not that at all, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.)

So those are my picks. I hope you’re like me and enjoy reading books about books. If not, maybe some of these will change your mind.

Happy booking it…
:) Amanda