Meow meow! I'm Stan Lee, the (retired and very smart) shop cat at the bookstore. Here are 3 books I couldn't keep my paws off of. (Note from the humans: we have a sale going on right now. Get 25% off your order through Wednesday if you use promo code Beach read at checkout on our website.)
1. House of Gold, by Natasha Solomons
House of Gold is historical fiction about the tensions between what's right for yourself and what's right for your family. It starts in Vienna in 1911, where we meet 21-year-old Greta Goldbaum, who has always wanted what's forbidden to her, things like secret university lectures and trumpet lessons. Her family, on the other hand, has other expectations: marry a distant cousin named Albert and move to England. Goldbaum men control Europe's biggest bank, and Goldbaum women do their part by marrying Goldbaum men to produce Goldbaum heirs.
I liked House of Gold because I identified with Greta. Like me, Greta is smart. (Mom says I'm very smart.) Used, $11.99. Buy it here.
2. The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks, by Shauna Robinson
Maggie comes to Bell River, Maryland to run Cobblestone Books at the behest of her best friend, Rachel, who is about to go on maternity leave. She arrives thinking she'll be selling bestsellers to small town clientele and tourists. However, her expectations are shattered, as running a bookstore in a famously bookish town isn't easy. Rachel co-owns the bookstore with Ralph, the grandson of a local writer, and Ralph is also the executive director of the Bell Society, which owns a bunch of local businesses. The Bell Society has lots of rules for Cobblestone Books and Bell Society businesses. Maggie proceeds to break most of those rules, because she thinks they're holding the bookstore back and preventing it from being successful.
I liked The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks because I identified with it. Mom says that Maggie is outgoing like me, although she thinks Maggie is a bit more outgoing than me. (Yes, I'm laying on it in the picture below.) Used, $8.49. Buy it here.
3. Turning the Page, by Georgia Beers
Melanie is a successful business executive who shocks herself by quitting her job after her business is bought out and relocates. Melanie decides to move to Rochester, New York at the urging of her uncle to stay with her cousin Samantha. Melanie hopes to help her cousin with her bookstore. While staying with Samantha, Melanie meets the family that owns the property where Melanie lives and becomes close with them. This includes Benjamin Rhodes and his intriguing and beautiful daughter, Taylor.
I liked Turning the Page because bookstores and cats go together like cats and catnip. Or cats and tuna. Or peanut butter and jelly. Used, $6.99. Buy it here.
