As bookish people, there is one place we all feel at home: the bookshop. The outside world doesn’t even matter anymore as long as we are surrounded by our favourite books and stories yet to be discovered. Most of us use the bookshop as far more than just a place to meet our needs, which is to get new reading material. We see it as a place to meet our friends, a place of comfort full of like-minded people and yes, even a place to reward or console ourselves after an accomplishment or an especially hard day (on that subject, check out fellow Nerd Daily contributor Tracy’s article on impulse book buying here).
Now, you’re probably wondering why I just told you all of that when these are facts you know perfectly well yourself. I simply want you to be reminded of how you feel when entering a bookshop; either on a planned trip on a spontaneous visit to your favourite store. I get the exact same feeling whenever I read a story set in a bookshop, don’t you?
Luckily for us, a lot of authors choose to set their stories in a bookshop. These stories exist in every genre and for every age group and are like the comfort of a bookshop you can carry around with you and take home.
Surely, you’ve already read some stories which involve our favourite place to shop and you might even have a favourite fictional bookshop (Flourish and Blotts, anyone?) but just in case you haven’t or you’re in need of new reading material, here are five of my favourite fictional bookshops:
The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
For some reason, this romance novel has two titles. The American version, as it is listed here and the original British title, which is The Little Shop of Happy Ever After. This is a story about a young woman breaking free of (some) social conventions, relocating from the bustling city of Birmingham to the countryside of Scotland and falling in love. And she does all of this by impulsively buying a van and turning it into a bookshop on wheels.
If you are looking for a love story in which the protagonist not only falls in love with a man but with life, books, and most importantly herself, then this is the book for you.
The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
A. J. Fikry is a bookshop owner who has seen better days. In fact, both he and the bookshop have. He starts isolating himself from everyone he knows and even withdraws from what has been giving him pleasure throughout his life so far: his books. That is until a small package arrives at the shop and changes everything.
This is a story for you if you like contemporary fiction full of emotion because this book is a whirlwind of feelings of every kind.
Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
In this cute YA novel, Dash and Lily meet through dares which Lily has left in a notebook at her favourite bookshop in order to find the right guy for her. They keep talking via the cleverly hidden notebook before starting to wonder whether they would get on just as well in real life as they do on paper.
Rachel Cohn and David Levithan are a dream pairing when it comes to writing romances. Some of you might remember Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist – either the book or the film version starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings. Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares is an absolute delight for everyone who loves bookshops, an identity reveal and YA.
You by Caroline Kepnes
In this thriller, a bookseller Googles a customer’s name and starts cyberstalking her, before taking his stalking to an ‘IRL’ level. He slowly sneaks into her life and tries to eliminate every obstacle between them and their happy ever after, even if he crosses some lines.
You is an exploration of manipulation and trust (or lack of it) in our digital age, especially considering the power of social media and the enticing promise of ‘likes’. Many of you will probably already know the Netflix adaption starring Penn Badgley, but even so, the book is definitely worth a read as the story is so intense, the pages practically turn themselves!
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
The world is about to end. However, the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley have been living on earth since the very beginning (separately of course, except for when they run into each other which is bound to turn into lunch). They are too comfortable enjoying everything they are offered on this planet to look forward to the apocalypse. And then somehow, they lose sight of the Anti-Christ, which is a whole new level of dilemma…
This heartfelt and funny fantasy adventure is a true masterpiece. As for the bookshop setting, Aziraphale lives in a bookshop which serves as a meeting point for the angel and the demon on multiple occasions.
Here we have yet another book that has been adapted for the screen. What can I say; there is a reason that people want more of these stories after reading them. The Amazon Prime adaption of Good Omens has many beloved British actors in it, including David Tennant starring as Crowley and Michael Sheen as Aziraphale. If you love the show already, perfect, you will love the book just as much. If you haven’t consumed either, you’re in luck as both a perfect book and a perfect series await!
These are only five examples from a big pond of bookshop fiction and I hope that these examples can be an incentive for you to dive right in and to find as much comfort in fictional bookshops as I am assuming you do in your favourite real-life shop.
Now we would like to hear from you! What are your favourite fictional bookshops? Let us know in the comments below!
