by Jenny Colgan

“The problem with good things that happen is that very often they disguise themselves as awful things. It would be lovely, wouldn’t it, whenever you’re going through something difficult, if someone could just tap you on the shoulder and say, “Don’t worry, it’s completely worth it. It seems like absolutely horrible crap now, but I promise it will all come good in the end,” and you could say, “Thank you, Fairy Godmother.”

This was a very sweet romantic story. Almost a fairytale. A shy and timid librarian, Nina, loses her position in Birmingham. Through a series of small steps, one thing leads to another, and she ends up in a small town in Scotland establishing a mobile bookshop and comes into her own. Why the title is The Bookshop on the Corner I don’t know. The U.K. title was more apropos. also the cover art has nothing to do with Nina’s bookmobile. In the process, she attracts the attention of one romantical nice man and one grumpy man who become potential love interests. There were some happenstances that were just too good to be true. although she does have challenges to overcome (easily) good fortune just seems to fall into her lap time after time. But I was fine with that. It was a valentine to rural Scotland, and books, and people who love to read. The narrator was excellent and really captured Nina’s personality which I wasn’t always enthralled with, it must be said.

Oh and a word of warning. Don’t go trying to buy the series of books that play a part in the plot, Up on the Rooftops. It doesn’t really exist, Unfortunately.

July 17, 2020