I recently posted a list of books that are about unusual libraries and it got me thinking about books that take place in unusual bookshops so that is what this list is about. Books that are based around bookshops that are either unusual in and of themselves or bookshops where unusual things happen. Here is the list for this month and I hope you find something to enjoy from it.
- The Cat Who Saved Books
My first pick is the first book in a two part series and is titled The Cat who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa. It is based in Japan and is translated, though still really good. The story takes place in a small book shop where a teenager, Rintaro, is deciding what to do with the shop he just inherited from his grandfather. It only gets unusual when a cat who is named Tiger the tabby shows up in the back of the store and basically tells Rintaro that he needs his help to save books. Working together they travel to alternate dimensions where they confront various people about their love of books in an attempt to save books from various problems. I don’t know about you but a talking cat showing up in your bookstore who recruits you to save books by traveling to alternate dimensions definitely qualifies as weird or unusual in my book. It definitely was a good fit for my list even if it has a different feel than my other two picks for this one. I greatly enjoyed reading it though and it really helped me think about why I liked reading.
2. The Lost Bookshop
My next pick is a bit more unusual in many ways though still a good read. The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods is about a small bookshop in Dublin that seems to disappear and reappear with no logical reasoning behind when it happens. It also has dual timelines that show what is happening now and the history of the bookshop. In many ways a disappearing bookshop is not really unusual but there are other minor fantasy elements that really helped build up the fantasy atmosphere. I would consider this to be a bookshop that is weird or unusual instead of a bookshop where weird or unusual things happen but it still qualifies for the list. It heavily focuses on the search for the missing bookshop and its original proprietor instead of actually taking place within the bookshop though some of the scenes in the past timeline do take place in a bookshop. While this does fit my list it probably only barely fits my requirements but I greatly enjoyed this story so I decided to include it anyway.
3. The Midnight Bookshop
My last one is a book that actually fits both requirements as it is about an unusual bookshop where unusual things also happen. It is The Midnight Bookshop by Amanda James. I say that it fits both requirements because it really seems to. The bookshop itself can only be found either at midnight or by somebody who has already been there which sounds weird in and of itself. Then there are hints sprinkled throughout the book of some other unusual properties associated with the bookstore though I don’t want to provide any specific spoilers. On top of that inside the bookshop plenty of unusual things happen such as disappearing doors, statues coming to life and a few other interesting things. The owner of the shop is also just as unusual and interesting as the shop itself which helps add to the mystique associated with this particular shop. In many ways this book and the bookshop it is about is probably the epitome of what I was aiming for with this list. It definitely really grabbed my attention and wouldn’t let go. Honestly, I know there are probably plenty of other books that would have also fit this list and hopefully I will probably get around to reading some of them. However, if you happen to know a book that would have also fit this list feel free to suggest them in the comments.