City of Books, Nicole Meier
City of Books, Nicole Meier
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City of Books

Author: Nicole Meier

Narrator: Cindy Kay

Unabridged: 8 hr 46 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/28/2024


Synopsis

Inspired by the temporary shuttering of Powell’s Books in Portland, Oregon, City of Books explores a bibliophile’s fantasy: moving into a bookstore to stop it from closing. Jo Waterstone knows what you should read next. She’s honed the skill of sizing up a person and recommending their next book in the decades she’s worked at Bruebaker’s Books. Her life has been shaped by the store, the bustle of customers exploring the stacks, and managing the eager staff. She can honestly say it’s the best job she’s ever had.Then the store’s elderly owner, Mr. Bruebaker, suffers a stroke, and just like that Jo’s perfect job is on the chopping block. Mr. B’s daughters and the bookstore’s icy CEO think the time is right to close for good, and they order Jo to lock up. But she doesn’t know what she would be without Bruebaker’s—and besides, the place is an institution. So instead of following orders, she decides to take a stand: along with a few brave team members, she barricades herself in the store, trying to buy time until Mr. Bruebaker recovers and can speak for himself. Living in a bookstore has a certain magic to it, but the quiet hours among the books throw the choices Jo has made in her life into sharp relief. As supporters (and detractors) start to voice their opinions about her actions, Jo will have to decide what, exactly, is worth saving.

About Nicole Meier

Nicole Meier is an author and certified book coach. Her novels include The House of Bradbury, The Girl Made of Clay, and The Second Chance Supper Club. You can visit her website at www.nicolemeier.com or find her on Instagram: @nicolemeierwrites. She lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest in Bend, Oregon.

About Cindy Kay

Cindy Kay is a Chinese-Thai-American narrator and educator whose work has been described as listening to a "cozy best friend." She narrates fiction and nonfiction and has studied Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, and Japanese. Raised in the California Bay Area, she currently lives in the Rockies.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Krystal on May 29, 2024

Narrated by: Cindy Kay Presented by: Dreamscape Media A disappointingly mediocre story, I'm afraid. A misleading title, City of Books is set in a bookstore that is threatened by the decline in health of its owner. Jo, manager of the store, holes up with the employees in an effort to prevent the family......more

Goodreads review by Christine on June 21, 2024

Jo Waterstone loves helping people pick their next book while working at Bruebaker’s Books. She has has build relationships with their customers and manages the staff. One day, the stores owner, Mr. Bruebaker suffers a stroke and his family wants the Bruebaker’s sold. How can Jo let the staff and cus......more

Goodreads review by Linda on May 01, 2024

I loved everything about “City of Books” by Author Nicole Meier. Nicole Meier is a master storyteller and in this well written novel, I can only picture myself visiting a bookstore for a few days! Can you imagine the treasure of literature, the smell of books and selection? In this captivating, thou......more

Goodreads review by Brianna Hart on June 13, 2024

A book shop manager and her troop of employees holing up to save their bookstore? Yes please! I think we all feel the same way about our bookstores- save them at all costs. I love the things the MC went through and how everything changed for her that day but not in the bad way that she expected. Som......more

Goodreads review by mrsboomreads on April 24, 2024

This novel is the sweetest gem and as instant a serotonin boost as stepping into a favorite indie bookstore! I loved Jo, and how she steadfastly held to her convictions. Along with a strong sense of place, chosen family, and a touch of romance, City of Books is a love letter to booksellers and bibli......more


Quotes

"In this love letter to bookstores, narrated by Cindy Kay, employees fight to keep their store from closing. Kay’s expressive voice helps listeners feel Jo’s myriad emotions about her choices in life as she finds herself essentially living in the store. Kay’s nuanced delivery of the secondary characters’ personalities, such as the clipped tones of the store’s CEO, gives them depth." - Audiofile Magazine