THE LOST FOR WORDS BOOKSHOP


The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland is a compelling, irresistible, and heart-rending novel, perfect for all book lovers.

Loveday Cardew prefers books to people. If you look carefully, you might glimpse the first lines of the novels she loves most tattooed on her skin. But there are some things Loveday will never, ever show you.

Into her hiding place—the bookstore where she works—come a poet, a lover, and three suspicious deliveries.

Someone has found out about her mysterious past. Will Loveday survive her own heartbreaking secrets?

more …

The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland is a compelling, irresistible, and heart-rending novel, perfect for all book lovers.

Loveday Cardew prefers books to people. If you look carefully, you might glimpse the first lines of the novels she loves most tattooed on her skin. But there are some things Loveday will never, ever show you.

Into her hiding place—the bookstore where she works—come a poet, a lover, and three suspicious deliveries.

Someone has found out about her mysterious past. Will Loveday survive her own heartbreaking secrets?

less …
  • St. Martin's Press
  • Hardcover
  • June 2018
  • 368 Pages
  • 9781250124531

Buy the Book

$26.99

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About Stephanie Butland

Stephanie Butland lives with her family near the sea in the North East of England. She writes in a studio at the bottom of her garden, and when she’s not writing, she trains people to think more creatively. For fun, she reads, knits, sews, bakes, and spins. She is an occasional performance poet. Stephanie is the author of The Lost for Words Bookshop, The Secrets We Keep, and Letters to My Husband.

Author Website

Praise

“In The Lost for Words Bookshop, Stephanie Butland has created a bibliophile’s delight. Witty and irreverent, funny and sad, this is a charming tribute to stories on the page and in our lives—and the powers they can hold over us.”—Matthew Sullivan author of Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore

“Filled with mystery and intrigue…Lovers of literature will enjoy this mix of contemporary women’s fiction and mystery.”Library Journal (boxed)

“Truly a book for book lovers. Readers who want to get lost in a world of literature, love, and companionship in a story about breaking out of the past to create a new life will fall in love.”Booklist

“Rich characterizations, a vibrant bookstore setting, and several poignant Wednesday poetry nights will have readers hoping for a sequel.”Publishers Weekly

 

Discussion Questions

1. How important are books to Loveday? Does she have to work in a bookshop, or would another kind of shop serve her just as well?

2. If you were going to have a line from a book tattooed on your skin, which line would you choose?

3. Why does Loveday choose poetry to get her message across?

4. Do you have any sympathy for Rob?

5. What does this book tell us about mothers and daughters?

6. Loveday is not a fan of people in general, and men in particular. Is she justified in this?

7. How important are the settings of this novel?

8. Loveday collects things—books, shells, tattoos. Why does she do this? How can collections help us to make sense of our lives?

9. Can you pinpoint the moment that Loveday’s life goes wrong?

10. Who would play Archie in a movie of this book?