The Bookshop on the Corner: A Charming Journey into the Heart of a Lost Bookworm

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Never have I fallen so completely in love with a book from the moment the dedication began. When I started thumbing through the opening pages, I found a charming and delightful list of the best places to read. Immediately I knew: this is not just for readers. This is for readers like me.

Jenny Colgan's The Bookshop on the Corner is a love letter to all of us who love books, but perhaps a little more to those of us who had forgotten how to lose ourselves in them. It follows the journey of Nina Redmond, a librarian who has just the right knack for pairing up readers with the book they absolutely need. It was as if Chocolat had a literary twist and, for me, this book WAS what I needed. It was as if Nina herself had placed it in my hands and said, "Lose yourself. You have my permission, and you deserve to relax."

I have not found the time to read for pure enjoyment in almost a decade. Life simply got in the way, and I slipped out of the habit of falling asleep with a dragon-filled fantasy, or sinking into a bubble bath with a cozy romance. It wasn't until I started reading this gem that I realized how much I had missed it. And, on more than one occasion, that revelation drove me to tears. Nina's view of the world through page-colored glasses so reminded me of myself when I was younger, and every description of Scottish countryside or Midsummer sunset made me ache to feel that bookish thrill again like I used to. I found myself staying awake until 4 AM reading, something I haven't done since college. Everything about this book was, for me, a glorious and nostalgic reminder of what it is to love books. And that broke my heart.

It is a painful thing to realize you've lost something you love, and you didn't even notice it fading away. Every time I was hit by just how charming and delightful this book was (those moments often driving me to giggle out loud and risk waking the roommates, or squirm with joyous anticipation at the promise of blossoming romance within its pages) I was reminded just how much I love losing myself in a good book. I found myself, for the first time in countless years, returning to it simply for myself, and not because I felt like I had to.

And so, fellow bookworms who may have lost touch with the joy of reading, I gift you with this recommendation. Any flaws it may have had vanished into the haze of bookish joy. Because, at the end of the day, any book that keeps you going back, and brings you the escape you need is, in my opinion, perfect.

View all my reviews