GOAL!

Let me tell you this… I don’t know the first thing about soccer. This whole World Cup business just goes right over my head! But I know A LOT about goals. My profession requires that I write short term and long term goals for every patient upon each encounter, and document their progress. And for myself, I’ve learned the value of setting personal goals, and the satisfaction in meeting them. Most of my goals have been financial; I wanted to pay off all credit card debt before I turned 30, I wanted to pay off my car a year early, I wanted to buy a house before I was 32. I have accomplished all of those goals! And now, I have reached another goal, my 31st book review of the year! That was the goal when starting my blog last September. 31 reviews after turning 31. And I’m a few months ahead of my deadline, which means plenty of time for more reading!

Book #31- The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, By Gabrielle Zevin 

 Rating: 4– Would recommend to a friend

Synopsis: A.J. Fikry is the owner of Island Books. He is  a particular man with particular tastes in literature. He is not great with the customers in his store; his wife was always better at that, but she died in an accident and A.J. can’t seem to move on from her memory. His sister-in-law, Ismay, is a big help when it comes to keeping his head above water. She is married to Daniel, an author with a wandering eye. This is A.J.’s worlds until a series of strange events occurs, leading to a toddler abandoned in the bookstore. A.J. sees this as a sign to turn his life around and adopts the girl. Maya becomes a staple in the store and changes A.J.’s life in every way.

My Impressions: The perfect way to reach my goal was a book about books! The style of story telling that carries the plot along is for each part to begin with a book description. It is as if A.J. is telling the story of his life and his memories through the books that he has read. He is sharing his literary legacy with his daughter, Maya. I found it a little hard to connect with A.J. as a character in the first few chapters. His voice is stiff, but I think that is an intentional trait. As Maya becomes a bigger part of his life and he opens up to the community more, he becomes a much more relatable, likable character.

The character of Maya is delightful from the start. The inner thoughts expressed for her are perfect at every age and her charm comes through every word. It’s very easy to see how she was able to soften A.J. and basically wrap the town around her finger. The other secondary characters are well written, but poorly described early on, so the way I imagined them was negated later as more details were revealed.

Why you should read it: It was a sweet story with a different set a twists that were unexpected and intriguing. It was a quick read and would be a great way to kick off your summer reading list!

Read if you liked: Mr Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore (Robin Sloan), Matilda (Roald Dahl), Inkheart (Cornelia Funke)

Book #31 in the bag! Goal= Met!

“Books are the perfect entertainment: no commercials, no batteries, hours of enjoyment for each dollar spent. What I wonder is why everybody doesn’t carry a book around for those inevitable dead spots in life.” ― Stephen King