The Bookshop of Yesterdays - by Amy Meyerson (Paperback)

About the Book

"Miranda Brooks grew up in the stacks of her eccentric uncle Billy's bookstore, solving the inventive scavenger hunts he created just for her. On Miranda's twelfth birthday, Billy has a falling-out with her mother and disappears from Miranda's life. Sixteen years later she receives news that Billy has died and left her Prospero Books, which is teetering on bankruptcy-- and one final scavenger hunt. Home in Los Angeles, Miranda finds clues that Billy has hidden for her inside novels on the store's shelves, in locked drawers of his apartment upstairs, in the name of the store itself. She is drawn into a journey where she meets people whose stories reveal a history that Miranda's mother has kept hidden-- and the terrible secret that tore her family apart."-- Adapted from book jacket.

Book Synopsis

Look for Amy Meyerson's new novel The Imperfects, a captivating literary page-turner.

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

Best Books of Summer 2018 Selection by Philadelphia Inquirer and Library Journal

"Part mystery and part drama, Meyerson uses a complex family dynamic in The Bookshop of Yesterdays to spotlight the importance of truth and our need for forgiveness." --Associated Press

A woman inherits a beloved bookstore and sets forth on a journey of self-discovery in this poignant debut about family, forgiveness and a love of reading.

Miranda Brooks grew up in the stacks of her eccentric Uncle Billy's bookstore, solving the inventive scavenger hunts he created just for her. But on Miranda's twelfth birthday, Billy has a mysterious falling-out with her mother and suddenly disappears from Miranda's life. She doesn't hear from him again until sixteen years later when she receives unexpected news: Billy has died and left her Prospero Books, which is teetering on bankruptcy--and one final scavenger hunt.

When Miranda returns home to Los Angeles and to Prospero Books--now as its owner--she finds clues that Billy has hidden for her inside novels on the store's shelves, in locked drawers of his apartment upstairs, in the name of the store itself. Miranda becomes determined to save Prospero Books and to solve Billy's last scavenger hunt. She soon finds herself drawn into a journey where she meets people from Billy's past, people whose stories reveal a history that Miranda's mother has kept hidden--and the terrible secret that tore her family apart.

Bighearted and trenchantly observant, The Bookshop of Yesterdays is a lyrical story of family, love and the healing power of community. It's a love letter to reading and bookstores, and a testament to how our histories shape who we become.

Review Quotes

"[A] novel... you can lose yourself in." --Bustle

"Charming." --HelloGiggles

"Perfect for summer vacation." --Southern Living

"[A] great read." --Philadelphia Inquirer, Best Book of Summer 2018 selection

"Part mystery and part drama, Meyerson uses a complex family dynamic in The Bookshop of Yesterdays to spotlight the importance of truth and our need for forgiveness." --Associated Press

"[Readers] will be charmed by this tale of self-discovery and new beginnings." --Library Journal, Best Debut of Summer 2018 selection

"Meyerson writes beautifully... A lovely look at loss, family, and the comfort found in a good bookstore." --Kirkus Reviews

"[A] novel with an unalloyed sweetness at its heart." --Toronto Star

"Heartfelt.... Meyerson's evocative novel is a fun homage to book lovers and the eclectic spirit of L.A." --Publishers Weekly

"A charming family story for lovers of books and bookshops... [and] anyone who longs to get lost in a good book." --Bookreporter.com

"An incredible read... intimately interwoven with lessons and stories from classic and popular literature, and the bookstore setting is dreamy." --Manhattan Book Review

"Terrifically fun... Part riddle, part mystery, part family drama, part a bookstore lover's dream, and then more." --Aimee Bender, New York Times bestselling author of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

"[Meyerson's] affection for all things literary pours forth on every page and through a cast of characters every book lover will embrace." --Charlie Lovett, New York Times bestselling author of The Bookman's Tale

"This delightful, propulsive debut is part cozy literary mystery, part family drama, and 100% heart. [A] page-turner in the best sense." --J. Ryan Stradal, New York Times bestselling author of Kitchens of the Great Midwest

"I was hooked from the start.... An homage to books--to the pleasures they can bring, and the loving connections they can conjure." --Matthew Sullivan, author of Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore

"Captivates with its emotional honesty, fully realized characters, and precision of detail... Meyerson is a writer to watch." --Diane McKinney-Whetstone, bestselling author of Tumbling and Lazaretto

"A heartfelt triumph! This suspenseful scavenger hunt will keep the pages turning late at night." --Suzanne Rindell, author of Eagle & Crane and The Other Typist

"[A] charming novel, full of passion and suspense." --Judith Freeman, author of The Long Embrace: Raymond Chandler and the Woman He Loved

"The best kind of hybrid--part mystery, part romance, part family drama. I devoured it!" --Emily Jeanne Miller, author of The News from the End of the World

"Twisty, heartfelt and uplifting." --Deborah Lawrenson, author of 300 Days of Sun

"Lovely, charming, and full of heart." --Lindsey Lee Johnson, author of The Most Dangerous Place on Earth