Book Chatter

The Music Shop
By Rachel Joyce
Random House, 9780812996685, January 2018, 320pp.

The Short of It:

If you like sweet, quirky characters and have an appreciation for music, you’ll love this story.

The Rest of It:

Frank owns a music shop and stocks only vinyl, which causes him a great deal of trouble when the vendors refuse to keep him stocked unless he agrees to also carry CDs. But Frank is not just a record seller, he knows exactly what you need to hear and when you need to hear it. His music “prescriptions” have made him a well-loved member of the community but his inability to move with the times threatens to ruin everything he has. One day, a strange, beautiful woman faints right outside his shop and his safe, predictable life is turned upside down.

I really enjoyed The Music Shop. It has a fabulous cast of characters. Do you remember the movie Notting Hill? Well, this story has a very similar group of characters who are really more of a family to Frank that just fellow business owners. They are quirky and lovable and well-meaning. Delightful, really.

As Frank learns more about Ilse, the woman who faints outside his shop, we also learn about Frank’s relationship with his mother and how he came to love music so much. As I was reading this story I compiled a Spotify playlist of all the songs mentioned, only to find out that the publisher already did it for me!

This story is sweet and funny and a real feel-good book. If you enjoyed her other book, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, you will not be disappointed with this one.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher via Library Thing.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Sunday Matters

The Girl has been in Hawaii all week with her choir and I have been a lady of leisure. No frantic trips back and forth across town. No worrying about what to make for dinner. No packing lunches, last minute laundry requests, or checking her volleyball bag to make sure that she does in fact have her knee pads and her dance shoes for later.

But, I miss her. I go into her room now and then and breathe in the cloud of VS Pink body spray she left behind. The Otter Pup gets asphyxiated if she stays in there too long.

Right Now:

Just sitting here gazing at my bookshelf that needs to be organized.

This Week:

I somehow managed to book two appointments this week. One trip to the orthodontist and a sports physical for The Girl so she can sign up for volleyball summer camp.

Reading:

I read and reviewed Hillbilly Elegy. What a book. My club had plenty to say about it. It’s a great book to discuss.

I am finishing up The Music Shop. What a sweet read. Rachel Joyce also wrote The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry which I loved so I was excited to finally pick this one up. My review should post this week.

Watching:

We saw A Quiet Place this weekend. So much suspense! It’s fun to see these kinds of movies in a full theatre.

I gave the Roseanne re-boot another try the other day. This week’s episode was slightly better but not great. It’s disappointing.

The Walking Dead has two more episodes and that’s it for the season. Hard to believe it went by so fast. It’s getting good again but I still question some of the choices being made.

Making:

I haven’t cooked a thing but I am craving seafood and steak.

Grateful for:

Music. As I’ve been reading The Music Shop, I’ve been adding all of the songs mentioned to a playlist I created on Spotify. Do you ever do this? As a whole, it’s a ragtag collection of songs but I love to listen to the song as the main character talks about it. I do this for Murakami books too because he always references music in his novels.

That’s it from me. What is new with you?

Chatting with friends about books and life…