Though at times this was a bit real and hard to read about Covid pandemic times again, this was such a gorgeous read. Fell in love with the characters and their stories that happened in a time that I turned to books as well. While a tad informal, I thought the writing very good, as is the characterisation even with so many people.

I suppose it’s ironic that I read this on my Kindle, since the emphasis is very much on reading real books - mostly second-hand, previously loved, with the different smells and feelings associated with different styles of book. On the whole I found this book to be an uplifting read but there were times I had to put it down and take a moment, thanks to a couple of heart-shattering moments. I was surprised at the number of books I’d already read, but even more delighted with the number of books I haven’t even heard of. I loved the concept of the book pharmacy - so much so that I am trying to figure out if there might be a way of putting into practice something similar in our local library! Kelly also comes up with the idea of a ‘book pharmacy’, prescribing books to help people as they deal with problems, whether or not related to the pandemic.It also brought into sharp clarity the ease with which it is possible to put someone in danger, quite unintentionally, because of naivety on our part. The intricate plot lines, the pandemic situation, the development of the characters - a great achievement.

All in all, I enjoyed the book and look forward to exploring the reading suggestions at the back of the book. It's really interesting to think of the role that books had in the pandemic to help people to cope and certainly I find that that's still true now. However, she introduced wayyy to many secondary characters that were not integral to the main plot and it just got distracting. Wasn’t sure how I’d go delving into the pandemic… yet it was a joy to read, as are all of Stephanie Butland’s magical books.There is a great deal of talking about, loss in all its forms and I was very upset at times during the book. Also in Jersey, although we had a lockdown and restrictions in 2020, and then small ones again later on, it was nothing like what the UK experienced. Yet again Stephanie Butland has hit upon a wonderful idea and has created some lovely characters in these vignettes, all of whom have a different issue.

Great books recommended and the list at the end is great which means more to add to my tbr pile and some I already have.It was heartbreaking to hear their stories, especially as I was pretty sure they would be based on true accounts. In het boek lees je over de boekverkopers, maar leer je ook alle klanten met hun specifieke boekverzoeken kennen.