scijessreads

Over the last year or so, I’ve gotten back into reading, a lot. And as a result, I’m trying to actually write reviews when I add those books to my Goodreads account. Lately, it’s even extended into dipping my toes into the ARC waters… But the book here has been out for a while, and on my TBR for almost as long.

I finally read the book The Storied Life of AJ Fikry. I started with the audiobook and finished with the eBook (I can do audiobooks sometimes, but will always prefer reading at my own pace above all).

I love books about books. Books about stories and words and how life is lived and upended by the most unexpected of events. And even with all of that, while I did like this book, I didn’t quite love it. AJ Fikry is an interesting character, set in his ways, yet slowly molded into something new by his relationships with Maya and Amelia and even Lambiase. The world that Island Books opens up for the community and its people is comforting, always there but not obtrusive. This one is not so much about Fikry finding love and becoming a father (which are key points along the way), but more about the stories that surround his life and the lives of those around him. About how choices (whether leading to actions or inaction) can direct a narrative in a new direction. And how sometimes the ending is not always the most important part of the story.