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A review by cjwitch
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
5.0
Bookshops and Bonedust is a cozy comfort novel bookended by a surprising amount of low-stakes action. There is a central mystery that runs through the book, but at its heart this story is about Viv and new friendships. It’s about caring, and letting yourself be cared for.
In this quiet town, forced into a peaceful stillness that chafes her at first, Viv is introduced to books and a love of reading in a way that will feel nostalgic for any bibliophile. But Viv isn’t one for idleness, and pushes to help Fern, the bookshop owner, breathe new life into her failing shop.
Between bits of mystery, renovation and decorating and marketing strategies, and so much bakery consumption, are carried out (I promise it’s more fun than that sounds!).
The characters are charming and intriguing (Pitts and Satchel were immediate favorites of mine). Every character is is a delight to read, even those Viv dislikes at the start. Despite knowing her time in Murk is limited, the friendships formed felt authentic and deeply touched Viv, culminating in a heartwarming though bittersweet twinge.
I loved this book. It took me a minute to get into, the first few chapters didn’t quite capture me. Maybe that’s because I read this book first, having not yet read Legends & Lattes. But it finally seemed to hook me at about the same time Viv latched onto her first novel and I devoured the remainder of the book in two evenings. I live in mourning now that I cannot visit Murk and visit all the new friends there. I have a feeling most (if not all) will not be returning in Legends & Lattes, but the epilogue here gives hope that maybe Viv will see her friends again someday, and that is enough to leave my heart happy.
In this quiet town, forced into a peaceful stillness that chafes her at first, Viv is introduced to books and a love of reading in a way that will feel nostalgic for any bibliophile. But Viv isn’t one for idleness, and pushes to help Fern, the bookshop owner, breathe new life into her failing shop.
Between bits of mystery, renovation and decorating and marketing strategies, and so much bakery consumption, are carried out (I promise it’s more fun than that sounds!).
The characters are charming and intriguing (Pitts and Satchel were immediate favorites of mine). Every character is is a delight to read, even those Viv dislikes at the start. Despite knowing her time in Murk is limited, the friendships formed felt authentic and deeply touched Viv, culminating in a heartwarming though bittersweet twinge.
I loved this book. It took me a minute to get into, the first few chapters didn’t quite capture me. Maybe that’s because I read this book first, having not yet read Legends & Lattes. But it finally seemed to hook me at about the same time Viv latched onto her first novel and I devoured the remainder of the book in two evenings. I live in mourning now that I cannot visit Murk and visit all the new friends there. I have a feeling most (if not all) will not be returning in Legends & Lattes, but the epilogue here gives hope that maybe Viv will see her friends again someday, and that is enough to leave my heart happy.