Disclaimer: May contains spoilers. 

I cannot remember for the life of me where I first got to know this book, The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George, a novel originally written in German. All I know is that it has such a cute cover and an even more adorable premise. 

Picture this: a middle-aged Parisian man called Jean Perdu claims to be a literary apothecary; because some emotions are not high enough to be cured by therapy and are not subtle enough to only be put to sleep. Where are this 'medicinal books' stored? On a canal barge on the river Seine. Perdu is described as a very knowledgeable man, precisely observing his customer, asking personality gauging question before producing the title of the book he thinks suits the client's current state. 

Naturally, people devoting their life to helping others, potentially neglect their need of their expertise: Perdu cannot find his find his own 'medicine' to heal a lost love. He fell in love with a woman in 1992, a woman named Manon, a traveller from Provence. One day Manon left with just a letter. Heartbroken, Perdu didn't open the letter for years. Perdu's life now is mostly helping people find their purpose, and also getting friendly with a neighbor Catherine, who accidently found the letter. The letter brought Perdu and a young author with a writer's block, Max Jordan to a journey along the waters of France to where Perdu hopes to find solitude. 

The book is written beautifully to a point where you feel for Perdu and his story, even with Jordan's silliness (and later his loyalty to Perdu). It is draggy in the middle but the journey was spiced with more company with more interesting characters to explore. It is a simple story about redemption and falling in love again. Plus, the book ending comes with a list of recipes and recommended titles. 

Also, it was such a burst of imagination playing in my head. I'd imagine the grayish Paris architecture and this barge on the canal, with two cats named Kafka and Lindgren (sounds familiar?). With every page, I wish this book gets to be filmed. It would be such a feast for the eyes, especially because it takes you on a journey through France by water, stopping at every few towns to get food and earn money. Oh, it must be so beautiful, the French countryside. I'd imagine Wes Anderson, with his distinctive style, making this story edgy and quirky.

Pick up the book!