Tag: books about books

Book Review | Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson

Posted January 3, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 11 Comments

Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson

Savannah Cade’s dreams are coming true. The Claire Donovan, editor-in-chief of the most successful romance imprint in the country, has requested to see the manuscript Savannah’s been secretly writing while working as an editor herself—except at her publishing house, the philosophy is only highbrow works are worth printing and commercial fiction, particularly romance, should be reserved for the lowest level of Dante’s inferno. But when Savannah drops her manuscript during a staff meeting and nearly exposes herself to the whole company—including William Pennington, new publisher and son of the romance-despising CEO herself—she races to hide her manuscript in the secret turret room of the old Victorian office.

When she returns, she’s dismayed to discover that someone has not only been in her hidden nook but has written notes in the margins—quite critical ones. But when Claire’s own reaction turns out to be nearly identical to the scribbled remarks, and worse, Claire announces that Savannah has six weeks to resubmit before she retires, Savannah finds herself forced to seek the help of the shadowy editor after all.

As their notes back and forth start to fill up the pages, however, Savannah finds him not just becoming pivotal to her work but her life. There’s no doubt about it. She’s falling for her mystery editor. If she only knew who he was.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 Bookish Books Challenge
2024 Audiobook Challenge
2024 Library Love Challenge

The Reason

Came across this one while browsing my library’s audiobook catalog, and it looked fun, and it’s bookish and about bookish people! I also loved the idea of communicating through notes in the margins, there’s just something old-fashioned and romantic about it, like exchanging love letters on actual paper, rather than texts nowadays. Not that texts can’t be romantic, but there’s something special about paper notes and love letters.

The Characters

Savannah and Will. I really like Savannah, and I love that she’s exactly as she describes herself in the book and in her book – she’s not special, she doesn’t stand out, she’s not the best at anything, she’s not the chosen one, she’s just your everyday, average person. She loves her job, she’s there for her friends, she loves her family, and she writes good stories. And I like her just the way she is. She’s perfect.

Will is mysterious, charming, capable, and I have a huge crush on him. I love that he’s able to do hard things. I love that he doesn’t stand down when it matters. I feel the chemistry sizzle every time he enters a scene with Savannah. I love them together!

The Quotes

“Waiting impatiently for something that will inevitably happen either way is a waste of time. Enjoy the journey, not just the destination.”

“And anyway, romance isn’t just about attraction. It’s about companionship. You don’t see old married couples who’ve been through two world wars and five babies together making out on a bench when they’re ninety and think to yourself, Now THAT’S what it’s all about. You see the way they hold hands, the way they serve each other scrambled eggs on plates they got on their wedding day, the way they shuffle through the paper in the mornings together without needing to fill the space with empty conversation. Because they are happy. Just happy. Together.”

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this story. I love the chemistry between Savannah and Will, and I love their banter, both in person and on paper. I love that they get vulnerable and real with each other, and I love that they have fun together too. I did not like the storyline with Ferris and Olivia – I don’t like Ferris, and I couldn’t understand why his relationship with Olivia was presented as normal at first, so I’m happy that Will called it out later in the book.

My Feels

This may be a mild spoiler, but I don’t think so because, duh, obviously Sam isn’t Savannah’s guy! I’m pretty sure no one who reads this book would think that Sam could be the guy. I just really needed Savannah to know it and I was so frustrated with her at that point! I also felt really uncomfortable with the Ferris and Olivia situation. But otherwise, I have only good feelings about Will and Savannah, and seriously, I love their chemistry. My love language is communication, so all those written notes and banter just gets me. I love that their relationship from start to finish is mature, non-dramatic, and respectful. I love that there wasn’t any big blow-ups, dramatic misunderstandings, words thrown about in anger, and stuff like that. I just love this representation of an adult love story.

My Rating

3/5 stars. I loved it for what it was, but it’s not the best romance I’ve ever read. I think what made it good for me was the notes and banter, because I’m not kidding, written notes, love letters, and communication is just my thing.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Top Ten Tuesday | Most Recent Books Borrowed from the Library

Posted December 25, 2023 by Haze in Top Ten Tuesday, Weekly Book Memes / 45 Comments

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly bookish meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl that features a different bookish topic every week.

Today’s topic is Most Recent Additions to my Bookshelf, but I didn’t buy or get a lot of books recently (I did get a couple of gift cards to the bookstore though!), so I’ll do the Most Recent Books I Borrowed from the Library instead. These are a mix of physical books, e-books, and audiobooks I currently have from the library. I have to say, I love my library and I love that we get such a wide catalog of books.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and got many of the books they wanted!

Top Ten Most Recent Books I Borrowed from the Library

Top-Bottom, Left-Right:

  1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy – I actually think I played myself with borrowing both this one and the next one. They are both thick books and I didn’t know they’d be ready at the same time! It’s very likely that I’ll have to return one or the other unfinished and have to go back on the waitlist.
  2. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy – See above!
  3. The Dance of Anger by Harriet Lerner, Ph.D. – This has been on my TBR for a while. I don’t remember exactly, but I think it got on my radar because of a conversation I had with someone about how men are shamed for crying and women are shamed for showing anger. I could be remembering wrong, but I’m curious to read the book anyway.
  4. Lighter by Yung Pueblo – I flipped through a copy of Yung Pueblo’s newest book, The Way Forward, and loved the few pages I read, so I placed a hold on all his books from the library. This was just the one that became available first.
  5. Accountable by Dashka Slater – A fellow book blogger, Anne @ Head Full of Books, featured this book on her blog and I was intrigued!
  6. The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin – I recently read Madeline Martin’s The Last Bookshop in London, and I loved it, so of course I have to read her other books too!
  7. Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson – This book has also been on my TBR for a while, but it took another fellow blogger recommending this book because we both loved Allie Brosh’s Hyperbole and a Half, to move it up my list.
  8. The Second Mrs. Astor by Shana Abe – I came across this book purely by accident while browsing my library’s audiobook catalog. It’s a historical fiction set on the Titanic, so of course I was interested!
  9. Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson – Another book I came across while browsing my library’s catalog. Books about books, I have to read it!
  10. The Forbidden City series by Melissa Addey – The edition I have from the library is a 4-in-1, and I found it browsing the physical shelves. I’ve always been fascinated by stories of Imperial China, so I’m very interested in reading this.

I am very much looking forward to these books! Have you read any of them? I’d love to hear your thoughts. What books are on your bookshelf?

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The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin | Book Review

Posted December 4, 2023 by Haze in Book Reviews / 4 Comments

The Last Bookshop In London by Madeline Martin

Inspired by the true World War II history of the few bookshops to survive the Blitz, The Last Bookshop in London is a timeless story of wartime loss, love and the enduring power of literature.

August 1939: London prepares for war as Hitler’s forces sweep across Europe. Grace Bennett has always dreamed of moving to the city, but the bunkers and blackout curtains that she finds on her arrival were not what she expected. And she certainly never imagined she’d wind up working at Primrose Hill, a dusty old bookshop nestled in the heart of London.

Through blackouts and air raids as the Blitz intensifies, Grace discovers the power of storytelling to unite her community in ways she never dreamed—a force that triumphs over even the darkest nights of the war.

The Reason

Well, you know, I can’t resist books about books and bookshops, so of course I had to borrow it when I saw it on Libby.

The Quotes

“Books are what have brought us together. A love of the stories within, the adventures they take us on, their glorious distraction in a time of strife.”

“You can’t save the world, but keep trying in any small way you can.”

“There was a special scent to paper and ink, indescribable and unknown to anyone but a true reader. She brought the book to her face, closed her eyes and breathed in that wonderful smell.”

“No one told her finishing the book would leave her so bereft. It was as though she’d said goodbye for the last time to a close friend.”

The Characters

Grace Bennett is the main character but I found myself loving all the other characters very much as well. Even the side characters came very much to life for me. Madeline Martin has such a way of writing the characters that makes each and every one of them stand out distinctly and individually. And yes, there is also a cat! I love it!

My Thoughts

This book gives me so much Anne of Green Gables vibes, which might sound weird because it’s definitely a lot darker. But it has that feel-good thing going on for it, even in the face of horror, death, and disaster, with the war going on. Grace, her friends, and their community face so much loss and grief, but through it all, they come together through the love of books and stories. There were some parts where the author writes about the feelings of guilt for doing well or having fun while others weren’t, and always wanting to do more to help but feeling like it’s never enough. The characters also talk about the importance of preserving books and stories, and making sure that all stories are told, not just the ones the people in power want to be told. So many powerful messages in this book delivered so beautifully.

My Feels

This book totally punched me in the feels. I sobbed so much near the end because it was such a testament to the power of community and people coming together, supporting one another, through hardship and suffering. I see them all at different parts of the book, taking turns being the ones to support others and then needing support from others, and I thought that was so beautifully written and shown, about the power of community. I also love how the bookshop was such an important part of that support system. I have always felt for myself that books and stories have been crucial to my growth and development as a human being living in this world, and sometimes crucial to my survival. I feel that sentiment illustrated so well in this book and I am just completely in love with everything this book has to offer.

My Rating

5/5 stars. No question. In fact, I feel like this may be one of the books I come back to over and over again. I highly recommend it to any and all book lovers, and anyone who believes in the power of community and the resilience of people. This book is a testament that even in the face of the darkest of times, there is still hope and love and magic to be found. It is an absolutely beautiful book.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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