Found in a Bookshop: The perfect Autumn read - heart-warming and unforgettable

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This is a wonderful idea for a novel and the creation of a book pharmacy during the Covid pandemic works so well to introduce so many different characters, each with their stories and needs. Everything Stephanie Butland wrote about about that period was so relatable, even though the story was set in York - thank you. 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. Beautifully written and thought provoking, it has reminded me of books I had forgotten about but will certainly read again plus some that I am unfamiliar with but will look out for.

I loved this book, I really enjoyed the interwoven stories ranging from books and pandemics to escaping previous lives and relationships. There is a great deal of talking about, loss in all its forms and I was very upset at times during the book. All in all, I enjoyed the book and look forward to exploring the reading suggestions at the back of the book. I rarely get emotional reading but this book is so beautifully poignant and touching, speaking if a time when the world stopped, how we all feared how it would end and did the best we could for ourselves and those we love, a gentle hug of a story. While a tad informal, I thought the writing very good, as is the characterisation even with so many people.

One day a letter arrives from George and Rosemary enclosing a cheque and asking them to send them books they can read aloud to each other. Portobello Book Blog is not responsible for the republishing of the content found on this blog on other Web sites or media without its permission. Set during the dark days of Covid shutdowns and isolation, this chronicles how a myriad of ordinary people struggled through all of the challenges. Fell in love with the characters and their stories that happened in a time that I turned to books as well.

However this just left many underdeveloped characters, when she had written compelling main protagonists to begin with. While the world around us changes rapidly, the emotions remain the same: fear, loneliness, and a longing for connection. 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! As a book lover, nothing makes me happier than reading about people discovering books and finding joy and solace within the pages of books.At times there is humour although not as much as in the last book which is understandable given the serious nature of the times. 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. I come from Whitby and know York very well and there were countless mistakes regarding both places which really annoyed me and prevented me believing that’s where they were supposed to be.

If I have one criticism it is the number of characters introduced, which I found distracting, but I understand that the whole point of the story was about reaching out to the community during lockdown, so I tried to bear with this. 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 think a part of this was because the story is driven far more by the characters than by the plot and I'd be hard-pressed to define exactly what the plot is.

But it worked very well as a flight book - it’s an engaging story with people who got under my skin. But, these lockdowns were so different to the way my own country, New Zealand, experienced lockdowns that they didn't even seem like lockdowns.

I loved the concept of getting books as part of mental health and how they can help us through rough times. Though at times this was a bit real and hard to read about Covid pandemic times again, this was such a gorgeous read.The very real aspect of this being set through the pandemic made it quite challenging at times and brought back some of those very weird emotions I know a lot of people felt during such a weird time, but it also reminded me of how much I read at that time and how important books were to me then, when I had nothing else to do but sit and worry. A love letter to books, so many are mentioned and how they might help with various emotional states.