The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson

Not surprisingly, I follow a lot of book sites on my different social media platforms. About a year ago this book was being hyped as a new book to watch so it caught my eye. Then someone in my book club chose it as our selection for April so I finally had a chance to read it.

This is the story of Miranda, a young woman who receives a mysterious package from an uncle she hasn't seen in 16 years. When she was little, Uncle Billy used to create special scavenger hunts for her, so when receives this package she knows a new hunt is about to begin. But immediately following the arrival of the package comes the news that Uncle Billy has passed away. She leaves her home in Philadelphia to attend his funeral in Los Angeles and hopes to discover where this new scavenger hunt will take her.

Uncle Billy was the owner of Prospero Books, a charming bookstore where she loved to spend time as a child, and he has left the store to her. The store is struggling financially and may have to close. Miranda is a history teacher in Philadelphia, so what can she do with a struggling book store in Los Angeles?

The clues of the scavenger hunt take her through different books that Uncle Billy loved and lead her to people who were important in his life. What will she discover about why he disappeared from her life all those years ago? What made him stay away?

Anyone who loves books and books stores will enjoy this story. Everyone in our book club agreed that the mystery was fairly easy to guess, but it was still fun getting there. There are some interesting characters to meet along the way, although I was frustrated with Miranda's treatment of some of them, especially her boyfriend back in Philadelphia. She wasn't always a very thoughtful person.

Other than that it was an enjoyable read, and a great homage to independent book stores.