The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry (by Gabrielle Zevin)

A very humane and lovely little book that also serves as a love letter to books and reading. It's interesting how my library usage has started impacting my reading -- in this case, I checked all four of my libraries (I may have a problem) to see what was expiring soon, saw that this expired in 19 hours, and decided to try and finish it. It's a short book so I finished it in an evening.

A.J. Fikry is an unhappy bookshop owner on Alice Island. His wife has recently died, and he's not coping super well. But when a baby is left in his store, his heart starts cracking open, letting in characters like the town's police chief, a publishing representative, and the aforementioned baby. It follows the next decade or so of his life and is ultimately heartwarming, a bit melancholy, and sweet.

Reminded me a bit of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society in terms of the small town feel and flavor. Thank you Miriam for the recommendation!