Central Brown Baggers had an uplifting discussion of “The Storied Life of AJ Fikry”  by Gabrielle Zevin on June 12th.  A charming read about a widowed bookstore owner (AJ) whose life is turned around (saved?) thanks to his adoption of Maya, a precocious toddler.  It’s a book (primarily set in a bookstore located on an island) about books, community, kindness and ultimately love.  

As opposed to last month’s The Madness of Crowds, our readers felt that all of the characters here were necessary; their stories dovetailed and each was strongly developed.

The layout of the book includes a reference to a short story before each chapter.  One reader who listened to the book, found that they missed this mechanism where AJ was creating a recommended short story list for Maya.

Our readers were unanimous in their enjoyment of the book.   Two of our readers made their own lists of all the books/authors/titles recommended in this novel. “The Storied Life of AJ Fikry” is recommended to anyone who loves books and who would agree that “A place is not really a place without a bookstore.”

Other books referenced:

• Literary references in The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
• A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
• “The Storied Life of AJ Fikry” film trailer (currently available on Netflix)
• Tomorrow, and tomorrow and tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin