While you wait for This Book Made Me Think of You

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page is a heartfelt exploration of grief and a testament to the power of books. You are sure to experience a wide range of emotions with this novel. 

When Tilly gets a call from a local bookshop, she is confused and certain the call isn’t meant for her. Tilly can’t remember the last time she went to the bookshop, let alone the last time she read a book for pleasure. The shop's owner, Alfie, reassures Tilly there is a book for her and he’ll explain what's happening when she arrives.  

At the shop Alfie tells Tilly her husband Joe ordered not just one book for Tilly, but 12. She can’t pick them up all at once. Instead she needs to stop by the shop to collect each month’s book over the course of the year. It’s an unexpected surprise that sends Tilly reeling with grief because Joe died five months ago.  

While you wait to learn more about Tilly’s story in This Book Made Me Think of You, the library has plenty of other books for you to check out. I have a few recommendations that explore grief and the ways people find themselves healing from the dark periods of their lives. 

The Year of Second Chances by Lara Avery  

Robin spent the last year grieving and pulling herself together after the death of her husband Gabe. It takes just one email to throw her off balance again.  

A last request from Gabe comes from the grave. Before passing, he signed Robin up for a yearlong dating app subscription set to start a year after his death. In an email, Gabe explains why he did it and encourages Robin to use the dating app and move on.

Robin isn’t so sure online dating in the 21st century is a thing she wants to experience. But she can’t bring herself to ignore Gabe’s last request. Preparing herself for the awkward encounters and stammering conversations to come, Robin steps forward into her new year-long journey. 

Both Page and Avery’s novels explore the intriguing idea of a spouse asking for one last thing from the grave. As each story develops they have their unique way of making your heart ache in all the best ways. The journey toward healing isn’t easy, but finding connection with others can help ease the pain.  

Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum  

Several books were mentioned in This Book Made Me Think of You and one that made the cut was Welcome to the Hyuman-dong Bookshop. This cozy novel will have you slowing down so you can really savor the story.  

Yeongju’s life isn’t what she was hoping it would be after following the expected path: go to school, marry a good man and work a respectable job. Feeling burnt out she decides to take a leap of faith and chase after her dream.  

Yeongju always wanted to open a bookshop and she finally does that in a Seoul neighborhood. What started as a simple bookshop quickly becomes a refuge for both Yeongju and the shop’s customers. Each one of them has a disappointing past, but with the help of the bookshop they begin to learn what it means to rest, heal and truly live for themselves.  

Like Page’s novel, Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop explores the power books have in helping people overcome troubling life circumstances. There's certainly something special about being able to wipe the slate clean and start over again. 

Passion Project by London Sperry 

This plays a little more into the romance element of the story than This Made Me Thing of You does, but the consideration of grief is just as powerful and sure to leave you feeling as many emotions.  

Bennet is feeling hopeless. She’s a temp worker in New York City and her life is not at all what she hoped. Bennet has no social circle, no direction and she’s still struggling with the death of her first love. 

When Bennet is set up on a date with Henry, she knows she’s not actually ready to date so she stands him up. As fate would have it, she crosses paths with Henry hours after they were supposed to meet. In a drunken state, Bennet confesses all her life worries to Henry, including that she hasn’t felt a passion for anything in years.  

Instead of turning away from Bennet for good, Henry decides to help her find her passion by trying something new together, only as friends, every Saturday. As their passion project takes off, secrets are revealed that force Bennet to decide what she really wants and if she’s finally ready to move on.  

The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander 

Jess’s simple life is quickly disrupted when her grandmother passes away and she loses her job at the local library. Jess isn’t going to let life keep her down for too long. She is determined to step forward to a new beginning.  

The first step toward Jess’s fresh start is moving away to a small cottage in the English countryside. She finds herself unable to part with her grandmother's books during the move and brings them along on her new journey. 

At the cottage, Jess finds an old red phone box left behind that sparks an idea. She can put her library knowledge to use and turn the phone box into a library with the help of her grandmother’s book collection.  

Soon Jess’s new community takes to the little phone box library and the books work to their magic to bring the community together and draw Jess’s grumpy neighbor out of his shell.  

This sweet and heartwarming story highlights how books can draw people together, allowing for friendships to blossom and healing to begin.