A.J. Fikry lives alone and owns a failing bookstore on a small island. Since his wife's untimely death, he has eschewed having relationships with most people, preferring to keep to himself. His prized possession, and the key to his retirement, is stolen, sending him into more of a depression. Just when things couldn't get worse, he comes upon something that gives him the chance to start living again.

To say I loved this book is an understatement. An ode to books, bookstores and booksellers, it also explores how the people in our lives matter and how we can reinvent life as it comes. The unlikely pairing of solitude in books and the joys of human connection shouldn't really work, but in this book it absolutely does.

I didn't expect to love this book so much, given my deference to another read from the author. I'm so glad I gave this a chance and would recommend to anyone!