This delightful book is all about books................................

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend
By Katarina Bivald (Chatto & Windus) - NZ$35.00

Sara is 28 and has never been outside Sweden – except in the (many) books she reads. When her elderly penfriend Amy invites her to come and visit her in Broken Wheel, Iowa, Sara decides it’s time. But when she arrives, there’s a twist waiting for her – Amy has died. Finding herself utterly alone in a dead woman’s house in the middle of nowhere was not the holiday Sara had in mind. 

Sara quickly realises that Broken Wheel is in desperate need of some adventure, a dose of self-help and perhaps a little romance, too. In short, this is a town in need of a bookshop.

I read this book in two long sittings and it absolutely delighted me. It is a book that should be read by every book lover - it's about the joy and pleasure of books, about learning from and escaping into them. 

I was therefore thrilled to read Nicky Pellegrino's review in the Herald on Sunday today and to see that she also greatly enjoyed it. 
Here is her review:

It seems the more they are digitalised, the more romantic we become about books and this completely charming debut novel from Swedish author Katarina Bivald is the latest love letter to them. Sara Lindqvist has been made redundant from her job in a bookshop so decides to spend some time staying with her American penfriend Amy Harris, with whom she has been corresponding about reading. Amy lives in a small Iowa town called Broken Wheel that is slowly dying. 
Unfortunately, when Sara arrives there it is to find that Amy, too, has died. With nowhere else to go she decides to stay in her house and continue with the break she had planned. Fortunately, the townspeople rally around her. They are a bunch of eccentric characters (with, of course, a handsome but brooding man in the mix) and Sara finds a novel way to thank them as well as pass on her and Amy's great love of fiction. 
None of this is especially plausible but it's a warm and witty book; and one I found myself longing to get back to. I felt like I was there, getting to know the people of Broken Wheel and hoping for a happy ending for them

About the author:

KATARINA BIVALD grew up working part-time in a bookshop. Today she lives in Älta, Sweden, with her sister and as many bookshelves as she can squeeze in. She has still not decided whether she prefers books or people. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend is her first novel.