We all love a good bookshop. 

And reading is for sure at the top of our priority list!

So what is better than combining the two in our top 7 books about Bookshops!

It’s been a tough year for Independent Bookshops: Covid restrictions and Lockdown temporarily meant that our shelves were alone, the books sat on the shelves looking sad and we all missed that new book smell that you can only get in a bookshop! 

But now we’re all back and excited to give recommendations to our customers once again!

Independent Bookshop Week starts on the 19th of June and we are celebrating all week-long, with author talks (online only this year) and children's activities, including a Harry Potter Picture Hunt in Ware High Street. 

We’re listing our favourite 7 books about bookshops for every day of the week!

1. 84, Charing Cross Road

"If you happen to pass by 84 Charing Cross Road, kiss it for me? I owe it so much."

Reading really does pull us all closer together, and the places we associate with reading draw us closer too. 84, Charing Cross Road is a love letter (quite literally) to nostalgic spaces and sentimental books.

Hellene Hanffe’s beautiful modern classic paints a portrait of a blossoming friendship between a freelance writer and a second-hand book dealer as their correspondence sails across the Atlantic. Although they’re separated by a sea, by culture, and by time – they come together for a love of literature. Their letters are heart-warming and earnest; their love for books, palpable. 84 Charing Cross Road will remind you why you love reading. 

2. The Bookseller of Kabul

'First the Communists burnt my books, then the Mujahedeen looted and pillaged, finally the Taliban burnt them all over again.'

This stunning true story will make sure you never take reading for granted again. Sultan Khan welcomed journalist Asne Seierstad into his home just after the fall of the Taliban and from this, sprung a beautiful and honest portrayal of a family’s external struggle to keep their bookshop going internal struggle to pull through it all. 

The Bookseller of Kabul is the story of one family's fight between modernity and tradition, between freedom and tyranny, and above all: the fight to share literature with the people of Kabul.

3. The Bookshop

What could go wrong when you open a bookshop? For Florence Green, the answer is everything. The local shopkeepers hate her. The art snobs want her gone. The floor leaks. There’s a poltergeist in the shop. And so the list goes on.

The Bookshop is a story about one widow’s defiance of doing as she is told, her creation of a successful business despite the challenges she faces. With seemingly unending optimism, Green’s unobjectionable kindness will be sure to brighten your day.

4. The Bookshop Cat

It’s no secret that here at the Book Nook we’re a bit cat crazy. The Bookshop Cat wonderfully combines the two things we love so dearly: bookshops and cats!

When disaster strikes at the bookshop, the Bookshop Cat must work to save the place he loves so much so he can get back to doing what he loves the most: reading and recommending books (this is sounding a bit familiar!). The story of this determined Kitty's mission to save the bookshop is hilarious and sure to have your kids howling with laughter.

If you like cats, Meet our Bookshop Cat, Bilbo Baggins, Here!

5. Diary of a Bookseller

If you’ve ever wondered where all your old books end up, then this one is for you.

Meet Shaun Bythell. He’s the man in charge of Scotland’s largest second-hand bookshop and he sure knows a thing or two about books. With over 10,000 books in his care, Shaun can give insight like no other into the trials and tribulations of the book trade. The ups, the downs, the quirky customers. This tell-all diary is as hilarious as it is insightful and a must-read if you love books as much as we do!

6. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

Brace yourselves, this one’s a tear-jerker.

A.J. Fikry owns a failing bookstore, his wife has passed away and his rare collection of poetry has just been stolen. But with the help of a mysterious parcel, Fikry finds himself starting to live again, starting to feel far better about himself.

This is a novel about how we love and why we read, about the books that we find just at the right time and the borrowed words we use when we can’t find our own. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is a beautiful lamentation on loss and moving through grief. A sure favourite here at the Book Nook.

7. The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.

We can all agree that a good book can come to life, and for Morris Lessmore, this couldn’t be more true. At the Fantastic Flying Bookstore, the tragedies have to be cheered up by the comedies and the encyclopaedias have to go and relax with the comic books. There is magic in a good book and we can safely say that this is a good book about magic!

If you’re a child or a parent, you will be sure to get something out of this beautiful picture book.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore is an award-winning short film that you can watch here