Ryan DeJonghe - The Avid Reader

Shelly King has stolen my heart: books, love, and fantastic writing.

A few months ago a great book called THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY came out. It had everything I enjoy in a book; it was essentially a love letter to people who love books. The only faults may be that the story was straight-forward and a bit short. Predictable, if you will. Author Shelly King takes these premises and fills in any shortcoming in her newest book THE MOMENT OF EVERYTHING. Indeed, she has offered everything.

As a tech lover and fellow nerd, I found much to relate to within King’s writing. Her experiences working within Silicon Valley shine through, from everything from Farmville references, to beating tunes on Guitar Hero, to programming the latest iPHone app. King won me over with her written description of becoming “the mayor” of a local independent book store. Two wins: books and tech.

I couldn’t put this down. I know, I know, you’ve heard that cliché before. But seriously, King’s writing displays such a warmth and comfortable feeling that you’ll instantly connect. Go ahead, check out the first page of the preview: I bet you can’t resist turning to the second page. King taunts you, by telling you that books aren’t the magic elixir everyone says they are. And yet…

The plot. I had no idea where King was taking me. Sure, I read the description and even peeked at the end-of-book group discussion guide, but the story was wonderful (and as mentioned before…addictive). There are several levels of characters, both the ones we meet in the margins of a classic and heavily used book, and the ones frequenting the book store. Each one is relatable and recognizable to our everyday life.

Bottom line, this is a great story written incredibly well. This will be a big hit for anyone loving a good book, especially those appreciating books in used condition, and for anyone looking for an unexpected love story. Bravo, Shelly King.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for sending this to me for review.