Relationships | Book Chatter

The Lonely Hearts Book Club
By Lucy Gilmore
Sourcebooks Casablanca, 9781728256214, March 2023, 368 pp.

The Short of It:

Probably my favorite book of the year. Books featuring other books win me over every time.

The Rest of It:

Sloane is naturally curious by nature which makes her an excellent librarian. As excellent as she is, she likes to keep to herself. She’s engaged to a successful chiropractor and their plans for the future seem promising.

Enter Arthur McLachlan. An old, crotchety patron who finds Sloane to be terribly insipid and boring. He dismisses everyone he meets and sends all the other librarians running for cover. Sloane’s love of books and reading encourages her to spew forth with banter that is not at all welcome. Or is it?

When Arthur’s regular visits to the library stop, Sloane grows worried and seeks his whereabouts. This leads to the introduction of many, wonderful characters. I won’t name them because you must meet them yourselves. As these people gather around Arthur, they all realize that although they do okay on their own, they are really meant to do life together, in community so a book club is formed.

It’s SO MUCH MORE than a book club. These are wonderful, flawed characters, all searching for love and friendship. It’s a feel good read and we all need those these days. Highly recommend.

Do yourself a favor and read this book. Books about books get me every time. You can thank me later.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

Before the Coffee Gets Cold
By Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Hanover Square Press, 9781335430991, November 2020, 272 pp.

The Short of It:

Grab a coffee and enjoy.

The Rest of It:

Everyone has heard of this book and the books that follow it. I was SO late to the party with this one even though I’ve owned a copy for a very long time. I finally got to it late one night.

In a small, basement cafe, there is one seat that can transport you to the past or future, but only once and only if the strictest rules are followed.

This story consists of a very small cast of characters all in one setting, the cafe itself. The owners of the cafe do what they can to guide each person as they seek time travel, but they can’t really explain how it came about, only that it works from one specific seat and has to happen before their coffee gets cold.

That’s right. The entire process has to happen before their coffee gets cold. It’s just a brief moment to visit a specific time period and no matter what they do, it can never change the present. So why bother?

Each person who chooses to sit in that seat has their own reasons for doing so. Mostly for closure but even with the rules, they still hope to correct something in the present. Like saving someone from certain death.

It’s a bittersweet story. These characters long for their loved ones and feel the full weight of their decision to go back or forward.

I really enjoyed this simply told tale. I’ve already added the next book to my shelf. We could all use some feel good books right about now.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

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