Over the weekend I finished reading the most beautiful book - it took me just under a week to read, but it felt like it had taken me much longer to read. The Little Paris Bookshop is a story about a Parisian man who owns a ‘literary apothecary’ or book barge on the Seine in Paris, and he doesn’t sell books based on if you want to read it, Jean Perdo, sells his books based on how they will help you. He ‘diagnoses’ each of his customers and sends them away with a book, or collection of books, that can cure whatever emotional toil they’re dealing with at the time. It’s just such a lovely idea - and while I was reading it had the thought, that you really only do read books when you’re ready to read them and when you’re able to allow the story impact you the way it’s meant to.

The reason why I say this is that I bought The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George late last year, but every time I picked it up I just wasn’t able to read it for some reason. So I read many other books before starting this last week - and after finishing it I sort of ‘understood’ why I wouldn’t have wanted to read this beautiful book - a book that makes you feel like you’re taking a very long and restful wander along the beach. Is that it’s a story about overcoming deep and painful heartache, allowing yourself the ‘hurting time’ to process what happened, but also to work through the transition into your new life. And only then coming out the other side willing to accept that you’re life changed (even if you didn’t plan it to) but knowing that it will be ok. Nina George’s beautiful book is just that, it’s beautiful makes you think and of course by the end of it you will have a huge urge to wander through Paris and Southern France to find yourself again. I don’t think I would have enjoyed this book nearly as much as I had if I had read it last year, but I’m so pleased to have read it before flying to Paris this week for three months. The Little Paris Bookshop truly is such a lovely book bursting with kind gentle wisdom, wonderful adventures around France, lists of new books to read and at the very end a collection of delicious recipes that were mentioned through out the book - and as Nina kindly says at the end of the book, “Books help me breath better - it’s that simple”. And I couldn’t agree more, enjoy every relaxing moment of this book. x