The Storied Life of A J Fikry (The Collected Works of A J Fikry)

On the faded Island Books sign hanging over the porch of the Victorian cottage is the motto "No Man Is an Island; Every Book Is a World." A. J. Fikry, the irascible owner, is about to discover just what that truly means.A. J. Fikry's life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island-from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who's always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay, his sister-in-law who is hell-bent on saving him from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who keeps on taking the ferry over to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.'s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, A.J. can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly.And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It's a small package, but large in weight. It's that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn't take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J.; or for that determined sales rep, Amelia, to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light; or for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.'s world; or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn't see coming. As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love. A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER BY THE AUTHOR OF TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING LUCY HALE & KUNNAL NAYAR “A fun, page-turning delight.” — Minneapolis Star-Tribune “Funny, tender, and moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry reminds us all exactly why we read and why we love.” — Library Journal (starred review) A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. He lives alone, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. But when a mysterious package appears at the bookstore, its unexpected arrival gives Fikry the chance to make his life over—and see everything anew. “This novel has humor, romance, a touch of suspense, but most of all love—love of books and bookish people and, really, all of humanity in its imperfect glory.” —Eowyn Ivey, author of The Snow Child “Marvelously optimistic about the future of books and bookstores and the people who love both.”— The Washington Post “You won’t want it to end.” — Family Circle “A natural for book groups.” — Richmond Times-Dispatch “A reader’s paradise of the first order.” — The Buffalo News “Captures the joy of connecting people and books . . . Irresistible.” — Booklist “A wonderful, moving, endearing story of redemption and transformation that will sing in your heart for a very, very long time.” —Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain “Readers who delighted in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and Letters from Skye will be equally captivated by this novel.” — Library Journal, starred review A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER BY THE AUTHOR OF TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING LUCY HALE & KUNAL NAYYAR“A fun, page-turning delight.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune“Funny, tender, and moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry reminds us all exactly why we read and why we love.” —Library Journal (starred review)A. J. Fikry's life is not at all what he expected it to be. He lives alone, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. But when a mysterious package appears at the bookstore, its unexpected arrival gives Fikry the chance to make his life over—and see everything anew. “This novel has humor, romance, a touch of suspense, but most of all love--love of books and bookish people and, really, all of humanity in its imperfect glory.” —Eowyn Ivey, author of The Snow Child “Marvelously optimistic about the future of books and bookstores and the people who love both.”—The Washington Post “You won't want it to end.” —Family Circle “A natural for book groups.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch “A reader's paradise of the first order.” —The Buffalo News “Captures the joy of connecting people and books... Irresistible.” —Booklist “A wonderful, moving, endearing story of redemption and transformation that will sing in your heart for a very, very long time.” —Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain “Readers who delighted in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and Letters from Skye will be equally captivated by this novel.” —Library Journal, starred review SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE A New York Times Bestseller “Funny, tender, and moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry reminds us all exactly why we read and why we love.” —Library Journal, starred review A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. He lives alone, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. But when a mysterious package appears at the bookstore, its unexpected arrival gives Fikry the chance to make his life over--and see everything anew. “This novel has humor, romance, a touch of suspense, but most of all love--love of books and bookish people and, really, all of humanity in its imperfect glory.” —Eowyn Ivey, author of The Snow Child “Marvelously optimistic about the future of books and bookstores and the people who love both.”—The Washington Post “You won’t want it to end.” —Family Circle “A natural for book groups.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch “A reader’s paradise of the first order.” —The Buffalo News “A fun, page-turning delight.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune “Captures the joy of connecting people and books . . . Irresistible.” —Booklist “A wonderful, moving, endearing story of redemption and transformation that will sing in your heart for a very, very long time.” —Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain “Readers who delighted in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and Letters from Skye will be equally captivated by this novel.” —Library Journal, starred review NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE A New York Times Bestseller "Funny, tender, and moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry reminds us all exactly why we read and why we love." -Library Journal, starred review A. J. Fikry's life is not at all what he expected it to be. He lives alone, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. But when a mysterious package appears at the bookstore, its unexpected arrival gives Fikry the chance to make his life over--and see everything anew. "This novel has humor, romance, a touch of suspense, but most of all love--love of books and bookish people and, really, all of humanity in its imperfect glory." -Eowyn Ivey, author of The Snow Child "Marvelously optimistic about the future of books and bookstores and the people who love both."-The Washington Post "You won't want it to end." -Family Circle "A natural for book groups." -Richmond Times-Dispatch "A reader's paradise of the first order." -The Buffalo News "A fun, page-turning delight." -Minneapolis Star Tribune "Captures the joy of connecting people and books . . . Irresistible." -Booklist "A wonderful, moving, endearing story of redemption and transformation that will sing in your heart for a very, very long time." -Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain "Readers who delighted in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and Letters from Skye will be equally captivated by this novel." -Library Journal, starred review ?Funny, tender, and moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry reminds us all exactly why we read and why we love.?* A. J. Fikry{u2019}s life is not at all what he expected it to be. He lives alone, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. But when a mysterious package appears at the bookstore, its unexpected arrival gives Fikry the chance to make his life over--and see everything anew. ?This novel has humor, romance, a touch of suspense, but most of all love--love of books and bookish people and, really, all of humanity in its imperfect glory.? {u2014}Eowyn Ivey, author of The Snow Child ?Marvelously optimistic about the future of books and bookstores and the people who love both.? {u2014}The Washington Post ?You won{u2019}t want it to end.? {u2014}Family Circle ?A natural for book groups.? {u2014}Richmond Times-Dispatch ?A reader{u2019}s paradise of the first order.? {u2014}The Buffalo News ?A fun, page-turning delight.? {u2014}Minneapolis Star Tribune ?Captures the joy of connecting people and books . . . Irresistible.? {u2014}Booklist ?A wonderful, moving, endearing story of redemption and transformation that will sing in your heart for a very, very long time.? {u2014}Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain ?Readers who delighted in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and Letters from Skye will be equally captivated by this novel.? {u2014}*Library Journal, starred review Marvelously optimistic about the future of books and bookstores and the people who love both. The Washington Post A. J. Fikrys life is not at all what he expected it to be. He lives alone, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. But when a mysterious package appears at the bookstore, its unexpected arrival gives Fikry the chance to make his life over--and see everything anew.#160; #160; This novel has humor, romance, a touch of suspense, but most of all love--love of books and bookish people and, really, all of humanity in its imperfect glory. Eowyn Ivey, author of The Snow Child You wont want it to end. Family Circle A natural for book groups. Richmond Times-Dispatch A readers paradise of the first order. The Buffalo News A fun, page-turning delight. Minneapolis Star Tribune Captures the joy of connecting people and books . . . Irresistible. Booklist A wonderful, moving, endearing story of redemption and transformation that will sing in your heart for a very, very long time. Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain Readers who delighted in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, #160; The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and Letters from Skye will be equally#160; captivated by this novel. * Library Journal, starred review The irascible A.J. Fikry, owner of Island Books, the only bookstore on Alice Island, has already lost his wife. Now a rare book has been stolen from right under his nose in the most embarrassing of circumstances. The store itself, it seems, will be next to go. One night upon closing, he discovers a toddler in his children's section with a note from her mother pinned to her Elmo doll: "I want Maya to grow up in a place with books and among people who care about such kinds of things. I love her very much, but I can no longer take care of her." A search for Maya's mother, A.J.'s rare book, and good childcare advice ensues, but it doesn't take long for the locals to notice the transformation of both bookstore and owner, something of particular interest to the lovely yet eccentric Knightley Press sales rep, Amelia Loman, who makes the arduous journey to Alice Isla'd thrice each year to pitch her books to the cranky owner A #1 Indie Next Pick and a #1 LibraryReads Selection "This novel has humor, romance, a touch of suspense, but most of all love—love of books and bookish people and, really, all of humanity in its imperfect glory." —Eowyn Ivey, author of The Snow Child A.J. Fikry, the irascible owner of Island Books, has recently endured some tough years: his wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and his prized possession—a rare edition of Poe poems—has been stolen. Over time, he has given up on people, and even the books in his store, instead of offering solace, are yet another reminder of a world that is changing too rapidly. Until a most unexpected occurrence gives him the chance to make his life over and see things anew. Gabrielle Zevin's enchanting novel is a love letter to the world of books—an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love. "Readers who delighted in Mary... A.J. Fikry's life is not what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is failing, and his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. He is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island and from Amelia, the Knightley Press sales rep who refuses to be deterred by A.J.'s bad attitude. And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore that gives A.J. the ability to see everything anew. It doesn't take long for the locals to notice the change; or for that determined sales rep, Amelia, to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light; or for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.'s world. The irascible A. J. Fikry, owner of Island Books, has already lost his wife. Now his most prized possession, a rare book, has been stolen from right under his nose. One night upon closing, he discovers a toddler in his children's section with a note from her mother saying she can no longer raise her. It doesn't take long for the locals to notice the transformation of both bookstore and owner, especially to the lovely yet eccentric sales rep, Amelia Loman