The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry

Widowed bookseller on a tiny island off the coast of Massachusetts. I want to call him curmudgeonly and old but when we're first introduced he's younger than I am. Depressed, alone, bitter and often drunk. A bit of a book snob, one we're all familiar with, if not outright identical to. Fikry is “repulsed by ghostwritten novels by reality television stars, celebrity picture books, sports memoirs, movie tie-in editions, novelty items, and — I imagine this goes without saying — vampires.” He hates e-readers as well.

It's a book for bibliophiles. A light bit of confection. Zevin glides you through the story serving up brief glimpses but never lingering on details, much like the shelf talkers that precede every chapter. A bookseller, a baby, and a story about second chances. I should be more critical, but it was just what I needed.