Top 21 Books About Bookstores Updated 04 /2024

Is there any better book for someone who owns a book store? But these books don't just appeal to people who have a lot of books around them all the time. (Yes. Real books with real pages!

The books that are set in bookstores have a wide range of themes and stories. Some of them are set in a small, independent bookstore, a used bookstore, or a neighborhood bookstore that's being taken over by a big-box store (think "You've Got Mail"). Then there are love stories about people who love books and find that they love each other, too.

Every book on this list fits into at least one of the following groups.

Many of these books talk about how books can help us through hard times, make us more understanding of other people, or make us feel better about ourselves. In a bookstore, the booksellers often do their best to match the book to the right person. This is one of the best things about owning a bookstore!

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

He owns a floating bookstore called the Literary Apothecary, and he wants to help people with broken hearts and souls by reading books. His own can't be fixed. She went away for good 20 years ago, leaving him with only a letter. He never read it. It is only when he is forced to read it that he launches his floating bookstore in search of more answers.

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore By Robin Sloan

Clay Jannon loses his job as a tech worker in Silicon Valley and takes a job at Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Books. It turns out that the store is even weirder than its name. Clay wants to find out what the store is all about. 500-year-old secret society. He also finds friendship and adventure. The reason a bookstore can be so exciting is because you can go in and stay there for hours and never want to leave.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

:) I love this book :) A.J. Fikry owns a failing bookstore on an island off the coast of New England. He still can't come to terms with the death of his wife, who he loved very much. One day, his prized Edgar Allan Poe book is stolen, and a mysterious package is delivered to his bookstore door by mail. This is what happened in a few days. He now has a reason to live, and his bookstore starts to do well again with a group of people who talk to him and read his books.

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

This book is based on a true story about a 15th century Hebrew manuscript that went through a lot of different places. Hanna Heath, a rare-book expert, is hired to keep this priceless work safe. She finds herself unraveling its mysteries and the machinations of fine art forgers and ultra-nationalist fanatics who want to keep the work safe.

The Bookman’s Tale by Charlie Lovett

People in North Carolina author Charlie Lovett can write a mystery book about old books and booksellers because he has a lot of experience. He leaves North Carolina and moves to the English countryside because he is still hurting from the death of his wife in this short story. He wants to cover up his sadness with the happiness he felt when he bought and restored rare books. It turns out that when he finds an eighteenth-century study of Shakespeare forgeries, there is also a Victorian watercolor that looks very much like his dead wife. He finds himself on a journey to find out where the painting came from and, at the same time, to put an end to the questions about Shakespeare's writing.

Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley

This is Morley's first book. It was written in 1917. It's a traveling bookstore called Parnassus on Wheels that is owned by Roger Mifflin. He sells the business to Helen McGill, and she runs the store herself. Because she doesn't like having to take care of her brother, she buys it so that he won't buy it. So, this delightfully funny book about books, love, and adventure starts. Roger Mifflin: "When you sell a man a book, you don't just sell him twelve ounces of paper, ink, and glue. You sell him a whole new life."

The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain

For some reason, Laurent Letellier wants to return a lost bag to the person who lost it. He found it on a street in Paris. Besides, there isn't anything in the purse that will lead him to her, except a red notebook with some of her writings in it. His goal is to find the owner and return her bag. But how do you find one woman in a city with so many?

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan

Nina Redman, a librarian, is a matchmaker. She helps people find the right book for them. However, when she is fired from her job that she loved, she has to start over again. For her new job, she buys a van and turns it into an on-the-go bookstore. She moves to a sleepy village many miles away. With her skills at matching people with books, she goes from neighborhood to neighborhood, bringing the power and love of a good story to help change one person's life at a time. Afterwards, can she do the same thing for herself?

The Book on the Book Shelf By Henry Petroski

Did you know that it wasn't until the 16th century or later that books were put on library shelves vertically instead of horizontally? This book isn't about bookstores, but it's a lot of fun to read about that thing you see in every bookstore and library. It'll keep you entertained and well-informed. As the author says, "as simple as the bookshelf might seem to be, the story of its development, which is linked to that of the book itself, is interesting, mysterious, and fun." We can't agree more.

The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe

There is no denying that the title of this book first caught my eye. It made me a little sad and made me a little wary. Anything but that. Was there a book she was reading when Will Schwalbe's mother was waiting for chemo? When they go to the hospital, they always read the same books so they can talk about them while they wait. They have a wide range of choices, from popular books to classics. People who read are reminded that books can be fun, teach us, make us feel better and help us understand our world. In this book, you will learn a lot about caring for someone who is ill, love, and how to deal with grief.

Books for Living by Will Schwalbe

I didn't want to end my list of books with "The End of Your Life Book Club" because it seemed like it was the end. Is there a new book by Will Schwalbe called "Books for Living"? This looks like a great follow-up to his last book. He thinks reading is not only a way to have fun, but also a way to make sense of the world and figure out how to live your life. Each chapter is about a different book, and he talks about how it relates to these issues that we all have in our daily lives. And he reads a lot of different kinds of books to help us think about these things, like classics, spiritual, mysteries, and science fiction. Schwalbe shows you how much these books have changed your life.

My favorite thing about bookstores is that they make me happy. You'll love them, too, if you read one of these books.

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