The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Storied life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

Cover Wars So*Many*Covers!
(believe it or not, there are actually a few more)

Hardcover

Kindle

Paperback (Algonquin)

Paperback (Abacus)

Italian

Which one is your favorite? I'm leaning towards the third, standing on the open book. I don't care for the first two and the forth one is too cutsie which usually means the story is fluffy. Although it looks like a store a would actually want to wonder into.
Oh, but wait... there's an Italian version for the WIN! 💕

G👀dreads

On the faded Island Books sign hanging over the porch of the Victorian cottage is the motto “No Man Is an Island; Every Book Is a World.” A. J. Fikry, the irascible owner, is about to discover just what that truly means.

A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island—from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who’s always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay, his sister-in-law who is hell-bent on saving him from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who keeps on taking the ferry over to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.’s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, A.J. can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly.

And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It’s a small package, but large in weight. It’s that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn’t take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J.; or for that determined sales rep, Amelia, to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light; or for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.’s world; or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn’t see coming. As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love.

Genre: Literary Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Books About Books

The How/Why: Influenced by influencers and bookish friends on SM. This book was published in 2014 and they are still raving about it! 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

🎉 Overall Enjoyment? 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

🎣 Did it grab and keep my attention? 🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣

🗣️Would I recommend it to anyone? Yes ➕EVERYONE

 🕮 Would I want a sequel? No ➖ Not necessary.

📚 Would I want to read more books by this author? Yes ➕

💣💥 📢 Content Warnings? Google says DɇaṪh and Griɇf

🌶 Spice? No

🌪 Plot Twist? A little twisted

👟 Pace? Very good

💻 Tidbits ~ *I*L-O-V-E-D*This*Book*. I don't know why it wasn't on my radar sooner.  Please let me know if there are other treasures I may have missed, being a "late bloomer" myself and not starting my Book Life until I retired a little over a year ago! 

It starts off with A.J. being probably the youngest curmudgeon ever at only 39, or at least a curmudgeon before his time. He's a widow, his bookstore is not doing well, he's trying to drink his troubles away.
Amelia, the new book rep shows up and he's angry nobody told him his old rep had died. Not that they were friends, but he's still grouchy about it. He's not interested in anything she has to say or upcoming book releases and proceeds to tell him he pretty much detest any books that aren't non-fiction/literature. No postmodernist, post-apocalyptic, magic realism, postmortem narrators, celebrity, sports memoirs, target audiences, gimmicks, and absolutely no vampires! 
After passing out one night he wakes to find his prized possession, a rare find of Tamerlane and Other Poems by Edgar Allan Poe, has been STOLEN! About to hit rock bottom, he hears crying and discovers a little bundle of joy has been left in the sparce children's book section. Maya is 2 and has a note from her mother that she can't raise her and wants him to so she can grow up around books. 
Straight to the PD he finds out CPS won't be able to get there until after the weekend so he agrees to keep her a couple of days. Googles: how to change a diaper, what do babies eat, how to bathe a toddler without looking like a child prɇdɐt0r!
After the weekend he can't bare to hand her over to a stranger from CPS to another stranger in foster so he discovers that with the note of the biological mother's wishes, he can apply to keep her. The community jumps in to help.

From there it unfolds into much love as this Father/Daughter relationship flourishes over the years. 

SIDE NOTE: Gabrielle Zevin owes us a book! A lot of mention of The Late Bloomer by Leon Friedman. Elderly bachelor gets married at 78 and his bride dies of cancer two years later. The octogenarian writes a book. EVERYONE loves it and can relate. It was an ice break between AJ and Amelia when they first met. There is even an author's event with Leon Friedman where a BIG secret is revealed. IN REAL LIFE, it's not a real book! I'm not the only one who looked it up as if it was real and I'm not apologizing for it! There was a lot of reference to real books/real authors throughout the book. There is even a fake book title The Late Bloomer by Leon Friedman on GR. Of course there are other books with the title by other authors, not the same story. Wonders off pouting... 

🎧 Narrator: Scott Brick (added bonus, he was the Dear Debbie guy). I admit I had to bump up the speed because he's kind of sultry but he's very good. Like :swoon: worthy.  

🎧7.0 hours 🕮 273 pages