The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry in Crazy Challenge Connection

Jun 22, 2014 Stacy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2014, favorites, five-stars

I loved this book. First of all, it's a book about books. How awesome is that?

It's also very funny and quirky. I feel like I need to go through it and mention some of the quotes in my review, but I don't want to steal those moments from anyone else!

Finally, it was about love. Love of books, love of a daughter, love of a book rep, love of an island town. Love, love, love. ...more

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Jul 24, 2018 Krissy rated it really liked it

Shelves: pgs-200-299, audiobook, cover-books

A little slow goin but I was 100% invested all the way to the end.

10 likes · Like · see review

Jan 14, 2016 AWBookGirl rated it it was amazing

Prepare yourself. I'm going to gush over this one. Gabrielle Zevin's The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is joining the ranks of books I love.

From the description:
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- ...more

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Jan 01, 2015 Nancy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, books-about-books

There has been a lot said about how good this book is, and it is lovely. It has the kind of emotional roller coaster and feel-good sense of delight that you would expect and, of course, that is made all the better because of it being mainly about books. For me, though I did really enjoy it, it was a bit too feel-good. It reminded me of a really yummy Chinese meal. You thoroughly enjoy it while you're having it, but within an hour it's as if you haven't eaten at all. ...more

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Mar 13, 2015 Catsalive rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015

I read The Collected Works of A.J. Fikry , which makes more sense than The Storied Life..., considering A.J.'s analogy: 'We are not quite novels. We are not quite short stories. In the end, we are collected works.'

A lovely, little book. Very easy & quick to read. What a lucky man to own & run a bookshop in a small town - my daydreams can consist of such a thing. A.J. is a cranky, crusty, cynical, middle-aged man, with very particular ideas of the type of books he wants in his shop:

'... How ab I read The Collected Works of A.J. Fikry , which makes more sense than The Storied Life..., considering A.J.'s analogy: 'We are not quite novels. We are not quite short stories. In the end, we are collected works.'

A lovely, little book. Very easy & quick to read. What a lucky man to own & run a bookshop in a small town - my daydreams can consist of such a thing. A.J. is a cranky, crusty, cynical, middle-aged man, with very particular ideas of the type of books he wants in his shop:

'... How about I tell you what I don't like? I don't like postmodernism, post-apocalyptic settings, post-mortem narrators or magic realism. I rarely respons to supposedly clever formal devices, multiple fonts, pictures where they shouldn't be - basically gimmicks of any kind. I find literary fiction about the Holocaust or any other major world tragedy to be distasteful - non-fiction only, please. I do not like genre mash-ups a la the literary detective novel or the literary fantasy. Literary should be literary, and genre should be genre, and crossbreeding rarely results in anything satisfying. I do not like children's books, especially ones with orphans, and I prefer not to clutter my shelves with young adult. I do not like anything over four hundred pages or under one hundred fifty pages. I am repulsed by ghostwritten novels by reality television stars, celebrity picture books, sports memoirs, movie tie-in editions, novelty items and - I imagine this goes without saying - vampires. I rarely stock debuts, chick lit, poetry or translations. I would prefer not to stock series, but the demands of my pocketbook require me to. For your part, you needn't tell me about the "next big series" until it is ensconced on the New York Times Best Sellers list. Above all, Ms Loman, I find slim literary memoirs about little old men whose little old wives have died from cancer to be absolutely intolerable. No matter how well written the sales rep claims they are...'

His wife was the people-person, & A.J. finds it difficult to relate to people at all until he is forced to by the circumstances of a major change in his life - the arrival of a two-year-old girl left in his shop. The book becomes a romance - love for his new daughter & love for his new wife, as well as love for books & a well-told tale. I found A.J. more interesting when he was a crank.

It's such a very nice story that I'm sorry that it was interrupted by the melodrama of glioblastoma multiforme. This bit of soap opera brought my rating down, although it was still a very pleasant way to while away the afternoon.

I agree with A.J. on 'the necessity of encountering stories at precisely the right time in our lives', as there are books I can now read that I couldn't when younger & others I can no longer read.

I don't know why Zevin went with the name Lambiase - I kept calling him lambaste in my head & picturing in my mind someone being criticsed whilst basting a leg of lamb. It must have been the use of Lamb to the Slaughter on the first page that put the roast in my head... and now I'm hungry.

...more

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Nov 14, 2014 Liz rated it it was ok

Shelves: ni-group-read, 2015-book-list

I've read as much as I can. It's just not keeping my interest, & after almost finishing, I just can't get to the end. ...more

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Jul 15, 2014 Annika rated it really liked it

4 1/2 stars. What a delightful book!

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Sep 09, 2014 Rachel N. rated it really liked it

A.J. Fikry owns the only bookstore on Angel Island. He is grieving and depressed after the death of his wife in an auto accident when someone leaves him a gift in his store that changes his life. I loved the characters and the descriptions of books and bookselling. I found some parts near the end of the book really took away from the main story for me so that's why it's not a 5 star read in my case. I still highly recommend the book. ...more

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Jul 24, 2025 Marla rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: with-reservations, adult, celebrate-engagement, book-about-books, celebrate-life, romance, 2025, celebrate-christmas, award-winner, library-ebook

Wonderful story about love and books. Grieving man's life is changed by a child abandoned in his bookstore. Enjoyed setting on isolated Angel Island and in a small privately owned bookstore.

With-reservation:
infidelity, death, grief, drinking problem, money problems, thief, lying, orphan (view spoiler) ...more

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