Nina Redmond loves to match people to their perfect book. She's a literary matchmaker and librarian. That is, until her library is shut down and she loses her job, leaving her with a house full of books and no one to match them to. After some thought, she is determined to make a new life for herself with out giving up on the one thing she loves; matching people to the right books.
She decides to move to a sleepy village in Scotland after finding an ad listing a van for sale. Her plan is to use it as a bookmobile service, that as it turns out, is desperately needed by the local villagers. Her life changes as she meets two men; her grumpy landlord and a night train conductor. She finds out there's more to the Scotland Highlands than she ever imagined and that she is stronger than she ever thought possible.
There aren't many books that I finish within a week. Maybe it was being at the beach that made me do nothing but read, and finish The Bookshop on the Corner. However, it could be more that this story really spoke to me. The character of Nina reminded me so much of myself, it was like looking in a mirror. I was instantly lost inside the story.Nina's insecurity about where her life will go now that she's lost the only job she feels compelled to do felt very real. The courage she summons to start something new and completely change her life, spoke to me as well. It made me feel that I could do the same. That I had the power to do that in my own life.
Jenny Colgan writes Nina's character so well, she makes it seem so easy for someone like me, to go out, make friends in a new strange place, and become part of a community. I was routing for Nina all along and was glad to see her find a place and people she could feel connected to. The Bookshop on the Corner is a fantastic feelgood book that should be on everyone's to read list.