Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #61

It's Friday . . . time to share excerpts from a current or upcoming read with:

• Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.  
• The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice, where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an ebook), find one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.

Today I'm featuring a library book I finished this week:

 

   

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

by Gabrielle Zevin

Beginning:

On the ferry from Hyannis to Alice Island, Amelia Loman paints her nails yellow and, while waiting for them to dry, skims her predecessor's notes.  "Island Books, approximately $350,000.00 per annum in sales, the better portion of that in the summer months to folks on holiday," Harvey Rhodes reports.  "Six hundred square feet of selling space.   No full-time employees other than owner.  Very small children's section.  Fledgling online presence.  Poor community outreach.  Inventory emphasizes the literary, which is good for us, but Fikry's tastes are very specific, and without Nic, he can't be counted on to hand-sell.  Luckily for him, Island's the only game in town."  Amelia yawns--she's nursing a slight hangover--and wonders if one persnickety little bookstore will be worth such a long trip.

 

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Page 56:  "Aside from her husband, she believes her brother-in-law to be one of the most selfish and self-centered men she has ever met."

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My thoughts:  

This touching tale of love, loss, and new beginnings set in a small New England bookstore is one of the best books I have read this year.  It is a true circle of life story, with characters and situations that speak to the generosity and resilience of the human spirit, as well as the power and importance of community.  The references to real-life books and authors sprinkled throughout adds another level of significance and delight.  I highly recommend this book in both print and audio format.

 

 

Which book are you reading now or about to start?
 

Friday Focus: The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings #61 was originally published by Catherine for bookclublibrarian.com. This post cannot be republished without attribution.