Books of the week of Sept. 22

Title: “The Bookshop on the Corner” 

Author: Jenny Colgan 

Nina Redmond is a librarian without a library after she loses her job to Mediatech Services, an all-digital service that doesn’t do books.   

Nina decides to throw caution to the wind and follow her dreams of owning her own mobile bookstore in the back of a van.  She knows she has a talent for matching up the perfect book to a reader – if just given the opportunity. 

Unfortunately, she runs into one problem after another with permits and logistics of starting a business in Birmingham, England. Luckily, an opportunity comes open in Scotland – a place to not only park and sell from her van but also to rent a renovated barn to live in.   

Nina finds Scotland holds more adventure than she expected. When she isn’t in her van – that apparently has a death wish – or lounging on a dead tree branch, she is going to loud Highland parties and falling for the engineer of the train that comes through town at midnight.   

With all that’s going on, Nina might be caught up in a fantasy and miss the real romance that’s right in front of her.  

Title: Twice Shy 

Author: Sarah Hogel 

Reading Level: Adult 

Maybell Parrish is a secret dreamer.  

Whenever she has the chance, she daydreams she is at “Maybell’s Coffee Shop AU” – the coffee shop of her dreams. It’s full of red vinyl booths, blue tile floors and every baked good imaginable. However, reality comes calling in the form of a red rotary phone ringing, because in reality, Maybell works at a random chain hotel in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., and lives paycheck to paycheck.  

Suddenly, her great-aunt Violent dies and leaves Maybell her large estate. Maybell decides the estate will be her fresh start – but Aunt Violet had a plan. 

This book is the sophomore debut for Hogel. In this novel, she perfectly blends romance and comedy. The dynamic of the two characters is captivating and hilarious. This book is a must read for rom-com lovers!