The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs

Hello!  Thank you for dropping by today.  Murder with Honey Ham Biscuits by A.L. Herbert will be out on July 28 along with Witches and Wedding Cake by Bailey Cates, Morning Star by Charlotte Hubbard, and Piece by Piece by Laura Bradford.  Love in Unlikely Places by Linda Byler releases August 4 and so does Piecing It All Together by Leslie Gould.  This is a great time to catch up on your reading.  

The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs has Natalie Harper suffering a devastating tragedy.  Natalie was expecting her mother and boyfriend at a company party celebrating her promotion and a significant deal that she completed.  Natalie soon learns that they both died in a plane crash which has her rushing to San Francisco to be by her grandfather’s side.  Her grandfather, Andrew and her mother, Blythe started the Lost and Found Bookshop after she completed college and came home pregnant with Natalie.  Her mother loved the bookshop where she had a knack for helping customers find just the right book.  Natalie is checking out the financials after her mother’s memorial and learns that there is a significant amount of debt.  With her grandfather’s failing health and mental state, Natalie wishes to sell the historic building.  She learns that the building is owned solely by her grandfather who refuses to sell.  Natalie moves into the apartment above the shop where she grew up and works with Peach Gallagher to make repairs to the building. Peach’s daughter, Dorothy is a regular customer and Grandy, as Natalie calls her grandfather, enjoys the little girl’s company.   As Peach makes repairs, he makes unusual discoveries.  Natalie begins reading her ancestor’s diaries.  They learn more about their family and the history of the building.  This helps Natalie learn to let go of worries and live more freely.  Will Natalie be able to save the bookshop and open her heart to love?

The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs takes readers to San Francisco, California where the Harper family has the Lost and Found Bookshop in a historic building called the Sunrose Building.  Natalie Harper is stunned when she learns that her mother and boyfriend died in a plane crash.  She is now responsible for her mother’s beloved bookshop and her aging grandfather.  I thought contained good writing and vivid descriptions.  I enjoyed the word imagery of the bookshop, he beautiful historic building, and San Francisco.  Bookshops are a magical place.  I thought the characters were developed with my favorites being Grandy, Natalie’s grandfather, and Dorothy Gallagher, Peach’s adorable little girl.  I enjoyed the relationship Natalie had with Grandy.  He has the beginnings of dementia where he confuses Natalie with his deceased daughter, Blythe.  Grandy’s memories are slipping away which bothers him.  He wants to finish out his days in the building where he has lived his whole life.  I liked Grandy’s compassion and wisdom.  There are some great book references throughout the story.  Love, devotion, letting go, and living life to the fullest are themes in the book.  We get to see Grandy and Natalie move forward slowly after the death of Blythe.  As we got to know Blythe from Grandy and Natalie’s reminisces, she seemed a woman who was full of life.  Blythe was a happy person who thoroughly enjoyed the bookshop.  I was not a fan of the foul language in the book and repetition (I got it the first time).  I did feel that the ending felt rushed and I did not like that they had two of the characters smoking weed (it came out of nowhere).  My favorite phrase from The Lost and Found Bookshop was “You’re never alone when you’re reading a book.”  It was fascinating the items found within the walls of the shop and how the Harpers dealt with the objects.  Grandy was a good man with strong convictions and values.  I appreciated the epilogue which nicely wrapped up the book. The Lost and Found Bookshop is an easy-going story that is just the right type of book to read during the summer months.   The Lost and Found Bookshop is a charming story with financial misfortunes, uncovered objects, a hurt heart, a grieving grandfather, dementia dilemma, and beloved books.

The Lost and Found Bookshop is available from Amazon* as well as other major booksellers.  You can find more books by Susan Wiggs here.  Thank you for reading my review today.  I will be back tomorrow with A Walk along the Beach by Debbie Macomber.  I am off to sort through a closet.  My mother and I are trying to get rid of things we no longer use.  I found parts to a sweeper we have not owned in ten years in the back of one closet.  We have one item that we cannot figure out what it is.  I hope you have a sunny day.   Take care, stay safe, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

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