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Thursday, September 25, 2014

The Moment of Everything by Shelly King

This happens every time I post a "This is What I'm Reading" blog.  I immediately turn around and find something to read that's not on my list.  This is one of the perils of working at a bookstore.  

School has been incredibly busy this month!  I am doggie paddling as fast as I can; it doesn't help that I want to sit and read fun stuff all day and I can't.  I have read two books in the past few weeks, but they are about my other interests:  forensics and death.  I didn't want to post reviews on those, cause I figure y'all want something fun to read!  So here's a fun book to read, and perfect for book lovers, librarians, and fans of bookstores.

The Moment of Everything by Shelly King is a sweet little novel about being at a point in your life where you think you should do one thing, but another is calling to you.  We've all been there...sometimes more than once.   Maggie Dupres is a former librarian who turned her library skills into mining for information at a Silicon Valley business she co-founded with her pal Dizzy.  Unfortunately, through acquisitions, board member stuff, and just bad luck, she's out of a job.  The only thing she knows for sure is that moving home to Mom and Dad is not an option. 

 She finds herself hanging out at Dragonfly Books, a used bookstore that is home to a quirky owner, a vicious cat, and lots of romance novels.  Maggie reluctantly becomes vested in the well-being of the shop when she finds a copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover that changes her life.  Inside the beat up, torn up novel are marginalia (the librarian in me is delighted to use that word) between Henry and Catherine that tell of their love story.  What is marginalia?  Scribbles, comments, and notes in the margins of books.  It's also a secret way to communicate between lovers.  Who are they?  Where are they?  Did they ever meet?  Maggie becomes obsessed with this tale, and it becomes a driving force in reinvigorating the business of Dragonfly books.  It also messes with Maggie's ideas of love and romance.  She thinks she's pretty immune to love, but finds out love pops up whether she's ready or not.  

This novel is full of great book references, the smell and feel of a bookstore, and reminds me of why I love books and reading.  I also got a kick out of reading about a librarian working at a bookstore--gee, that kinda sounds familiar....

Anyway.  Read this if you liked The Storied Life of AJ Fikry.  Or if you love books and bookstores.  And if you have a Dragonfly Books in your life, visit it.  

Rating:  7/10 for down to earth characters, a lovingly drawn-out bookstore, and a woman's story that is a bit messy but real.  

Available in paperback and e-book.

2 comments :

  1. thanks for book inspiration! :)

    www.mmargareta.blogspot.cz

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  2. I haven't seen any book bloggers talk about Frail. Supposively it's the next book series to hit movies. It's written by Taisha De Aza.

    ReplyDelete