The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman Published by Penguin on July 9, 2019
Genres: Fiction / Family Life / General, Fiction / Humorous / General, Fiction / Women
Pages: 352
Format: Audiobook
Source: Chirp
Instant USA Today bestseller!
“Abbi Waxman is both irreverent and thoughtful.”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Giffin
“Meet our bookish millennial heroine—a modern-day Elizabeth Bennet, if you will… Waxman’s wit and wry humor stand out. She is funny and imaginative, and “Bookish” lands a step above run-of-the-mill romantic comedy fare.”—The Washington Post
“Abbi Waxman offers up a quirky, eccentric romance that will charm any bookworm…. For anyone who’s ever wondered if their greatest romance might come between the pages of books they read, Waxman offers a heartwarming tribute to that possibility.”--Entertainment Weekly
The author of Other People’s Houses and The Garden of Small Beginnings delivers a quirky and charming novel chronicling the life of confirmed introvert Nina Hill as she does her best to fly under everyone's radar.
Meet Nina Hill: A young woman supremely confident in her own...shell.
The only child of a single mother, Nina has her life just as she wants it: a job in a bookstore, a kick-butt trivia team, a world-class planner and a cat named Phil. If she sometimes suspects there might be more to life than reading, she just shrugs and picks up a new book.
When the father Nina never knew existed suddenly dies, leaving behind innumerable sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews, Nina is horrified. They all live close by! They're all—or mostly all—excited to meet her! She'll have to Speak. To. Strangers. It's a disaster! And as if that wasn't enough, Tom, her trivia nemesis, has turned out to be cute, funny, and deeply interested in getting to know her. Doesn't he realize what a terrible idea that is?
Nina considers her options.
1. Completely change her name and appearance. (Too drastic, plus she likes her hair.)
2. Flee to a deserted island. (Hard pass, see: coffee).
3. Hide in a corner of her apartment and rock back and forth. (Already doing it.)
It's time for Nina to come out of her comfortable shell, but she isn't convinced real life could ever live up to fiction. It's going to take a brand-new family, a persistent suitor, and the combined effects of ice cream and trivia to make her turn her own fresh page.
My Review
I discovered this book back in January because I joined Debbie Macomber’s book club on Chirp and this was the January pick. I am so happy that it was because I found this book to be an absolute delight. I found that I was able to relate to Nina on so many different things which I found to be nice.
Can you imagine living your whole life thinking that you did not have a family beyond your mother who is consistently in and out of your life or that the person you have come to count on and view as a mom is your Nanny? This is what poor Nina’s life was like until she was contacted by a lawyer about the reading of her father’s last will and testament. Wait. Hold Up. What?
This is the story of Nina a woman who suffers from what I would peg as OCD and also a good case of anxiety who does not like surprises and plans her life down to the minute, literally in her planner. She is a twenty-nine-year-old bookworm who works in a bookstore and is completely introverted (no shame I’m introverted too). Her life consists of her cat Phil, work, her trivia team, book clubs, and a weekly exercise class. She keeps her select friends close and does not date often.
When the news of her father (whom she never knew) comes into her life through his will Nina discovers that she has a whole family of siblings, cousins, nieces, and nephews right down the road from her, and Nina’s world is flipped upside down. Remember she does not like surprises and she suffers from anxiety along with OCD. This is frankly a nightmare come true for her and honestly such a great opportunity for self-discovery. As a reader, you will follow along with how Nina navigates her way through this new found knowledge. Along with how she adapts and discovers that maybe just maybe being a part of something bigger than herself isn’t so bad after all.
If you are looking for a fun light-hearted humourous book then give this one a go. I very much enjoyed listening to this book on Chirp. I loved getting to know Nina Hill and found that I could relate to her in a lot of ways. I also really loved the way she narrated for her cat Phil especially since I am guilty of doing the same thing with my dog Dexter.