When I read a book/novel and one of its main plot points is a book or books in general or a bookstore, some weird thrill sparks inside me. It’s a strange sort of joyful feeling. Like something has really clicked.
I just love it.
Maybe it’s because I’m such a bibliophile myself, it’s a double-whammy of bookishness. It’s hard to explain and quantify, so hopefully you can relate (through another genre or trope) or you can pretend you understand.
Anyway, I want to share my favourite books about books and hopefully you’ll find a new favourite yourself or just something fun to read.
Bibliophile
Searching for perfect book lovers gifts? Rejoice! Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany, is a love letter to all things bookish. Author Jane Mount brings literary people, places, and things to life through her signature and vibrant illustrations. It’s a must-have for every book collection, and makes a wonderful literary gift for book lovers, writers, and more.
The title says it all really. It’s a book for bibliophiles and it’s all about books and bookstores and libraries. Like a bible for bookworms. It’s written and illustrated by the super talented Jane Mount.
My favourite part is the wonderful artwork, the illustrations of these book covers and spines. It’s like a whimsical illustrated encyclopedia of everything books.
There are stories about bookstores around the world (places to visit one day), and plenty of recommendations from fellow bookworms (as if I need MORE book suggestions). It’s just pure joy in book form.
The Little Paris Bookshop
Monsieur Perdu calls himself a literary apothecary. From his floating bookstore in a barge on the Seine, he prescribes novels for the hardships of life. Using his intuitive feel for the exact book a reader needs, Perdu mends broken hearts and souls. The only person he can’t seem to heal through literature is himself; he’s still haunted by heartbreak after his great love disappeared. She left him with only a letter, which he has never opened.
After Perdu is finally tempted to read the letter, he hauls anchor and departs on a mission to the south of France, hoping to make peace with his loss and discover the end of the story. Joined by a bestselling but blocked author and a lovelorn Italian chef, Perdu travels along the country’s rivers, dispensing his wisdom and his books, showing that the literary world can take the human soul on a journey to heal itself.
I first read/heard this book via Audible just last year, and I was so impressed by the story. A book barge? In Paris? A man who can prescribe books like medicine? Yes, please! There’s even a character who’s a struggling writer, which is a bonus for someone who’s also a writer.
Nina George knows how to write a really cozy book. I felt like I was really traveling through France on the waterways. As we’re journeying, reading and books remain an integral part of the story. As Perdu and his motley crew make their way to the south of France, they spread the love of reading wherever they go.
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore
The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco web-design drone, and serendipity, sheer curiosity and the ability to climb a ladder like a monkey have landed him a new gig working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days on the job, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything, instead “checking out” impossibly obscure volumes from strange corners of the store, all according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he has embarked on a complex analysis of the customers’ behaviour and roped his friends into helping him figure out just what’s going on. But once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, they discover the secrets extend far beyond the walls of the bookstore.
I think this is the first novel I read that gave me that “thrill” of reading a book about books. So, of course, it had to be featured on this list. The main characters works in this enigmatic bookstore and has a bookish adventure.
I actually haven’t read it in a while, so it might be time for a re-read.
I remember it was whimsical and slightly off-kilter, but in a really good way. I was constantly trying to figure out what was going on along with the characters. There are twists and turns and you end up in a place that is truly unexpected.
This book made me want to write about bookstores.
The Book Thief
It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.
Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.
I don’t want to say too much about the plot of this book, because it can easily be spoiled. The ending is MAJOR. But if you haven’t read The Book Thief yet, I highly recommend it.
It’s pretty obvious by the title that books are going to be important in this story. While it’s not as cozy or whimsical as the other books, it’s still an important read. Maybe more so because of the historical factor. In the historical context of a place where certain books were considered dangerous, the idea of literature as rebellion is important.
I hope you enjoyed this little list of my favourite book books! If there are others that you know of, please let me know. I always need more books to read.
Jenna Goldsmith 