Found in a Bookshop
I’m delighted to be asked by Headline to take part in the blog tour for Found in a Bookshop by Stephanie Butland.
I absolutely loved Stephanie’s first book, Lost for Words (which I found when looking for books set in bookshops). It was so good that I did something unusual and wrote about it in a blog.
Found in a Bookshop is the second emotional visit to Loveday Cardew’s Lost for Words bookshop in York and I couldn’t wait to read it.
The Blurb
Loveday Cardew’s beloved Lost for Words bookshop, along with the rest of York, has fallen quiet. At the very time when people most need books to widen their horizons, or escape from their fears, or enhance their lives, the doors are closed. Then the first letter comes.
Rosemary and George have been married for fifty years. Now their time is running out. They have decided to set out on their last journey together, without ever leaving the bench at the bottom of their garden in Whitby. All they need is someone who shares their love of books.
Suddenly it’s clear to Loveday that she and her team can do something useful in a crisis. They can recommend books to help with the situations their customers find themselves in: fear, boredom, loneliness, the desire for laughter and escape.
And so it begins.
What people are saying about the book
‘A delightful and original concept about how a second hand bookshop can heal a community’ Katie Fforde
‘The perfect book to curl up with . . . It’s heartwarming, emotional and full of kindness. A lovely and life-affirming novel’ Sara Nisha Adams
‘What a lovely book – so assured and gentle, full of compassion and replete with astute observations of human nature and behaviour’ Carys Bray
‘A really moving read – with great book recommendations included, too!’ My Weekly
My Review
I absolutely loved Lost for Words, the first book about the “Lost for Words” bookshop in York and was thrilled to join the blogtour for Stephanie Butland’s second outing there.
“Found in a Bookshop” takes place during the pandemic. Loveday doesn’t know if her beloved bookshop will survive, Kelly, who works for her, is worried about her job and the safe space, upstairs, is no longer available for those in trouble.
Things begin to change when Rosemary – whose husband’s visit to the hospital has left them both anxious – sends some money to Lost for Books, asking Loveday to send her some books for them to read to one another as they did when they were first married.
This sparks the idea of the Bookshop Pharmacy – and Found in a Bookshop is full of the emotional stories of the people who make their way to the shop in moments of fear, desperation and crisis.
In some places, the writers herself is talking about what books do for people: –
“Books can have such a profound effect on your emotion that they can change the course of your life. How many lawyers have been made by To Kill a Mocking Bird, how many vets by the James Herriot books, how many teachers by Roald Dahl’s Matilda?”
There is loss in this book but there is hope too, and love. So much love and kindness. It is an emotional rollercoaster and – as one who can weep at a television advert – I should warn you, this was a five handkerchief weepie for me.
I loved the characters, the writing is a joy and it’s definitely 5 ***** from me.
You can buy it for yourself by clicking here.
Stephanie Butland lives in the north-east of England, near the coast and writes in a studio in her garde. A novelist, an avid reader and a friend to writers, in her world, there can never be too many books.
You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
My copy was provided by Headline at Netgalley but the opinions and review are genuine expressions of my love for this book.
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