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Bookstories
"Every book lover says it at one time or another, don't they? That they want to read 'all the books'?"
In 1960, junior editor Dottie Barber is up to her elbows in the slush pile of a New York publishing house. All of Dottie's friends and colleagues know her to be a book lover through and through, but what they don't know is that she has a special intuitive ability to understand pieces of a writer's life just by reading their words.
Only one writer has ever baffled Dottie's empathic understanding: the mysterious author of brilliant stories submitted to the publishing house with no endings and no name. Every day, Dottie looks for a new envelope from the author, but each submission only adds to her bittersweet frustration.
Nearly sixty years later, the mystery remains unsolved. Dottie's career in publishing has amassed her a wealth of bookish friends, part ownership in a bookstore, and an enormous private library full of treasures and secrets, yet she still yearns to uncover the identity of the unknown author. She's well into retirement when she meets Jim, a young playwright living in the basement apartment of her building. Despite being at opposite ends of their respective stories, the two become fast friends. Together, they search for the perfect reader-one who can help them finally decipher the author's identity.
A braided narrative of interconnected lives and stories, Bookstories is an ode to the authors, editors, publishers, librarians, booksellers, and countless others who make up the ecosystem of books. After all, it takes a world of people to bring about a world of books.
In 1960, junior editor Dottie Barber is up to her elbows in the slush pile of a New York publishing house. All of Dottie's friends and colleagues know her to be a book lover through and through, but what they don't know is that she has a special intuitive ability to understand pieces of a writer's life just by reading their words.
Only one writer has ever baffled Dottie's empathic understanding: the mysterious author of brilliant stories submitted to the publishing house with no endings and no name. Every day, Dottie looks for a new envelope from the author, but each submission only adds to her bittersweet frustration.
Nearly sixty years later, the mystery remains unsolved. Dottie's career in publishing has amassed her a wealth of bookish friends, part ownership in a bookstore, and an enormous private library full of treasures and secrets, yet she still yearns to uncover the identity of the unknown author. She's well into retirement when she meets Jim, a young playwright living in the basement apartment of her building. Despite being at opposite ends of their respective stories, the two become fast friends. Together, they search for the perfect reader-one who can help them finally decipher the author's identity.
A braided narrative of interconnected lives and stories, Bookstories is an ode to the authors, editors, publishers, librarians, booksellers, and countless others who make up the ecosystem of books. After all, it takes a world of people to bring about a world of books.
270 pages, Paperback
Published March 8, 2024
38 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Tollok
6 books31 followersSarah Tollok lives in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her husband and two sons. She refuses to choose just one genre to focus on in her writing or reading life because she is having far too much fun. Look for her debut novel, Bookstories, in March of 2024.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 16, 2024
I was honored to be one of the editors of Bookstories, and I'm so excited for this book to come into the world. Bookstories by turns made me laugh and cry, and one whole chapter made me wish it was a book all its own. There is a little bit of everything in this story, and if you love books about books, you'll love Bookstories.
July 7, 2025
This book is a heartwarming mystery for anyone who’s ever fallen in love with a story, or the people behind it. The story jumps between the 1960s and today. A young editor in New York City named Dottie stumbles upon manuscripts of beautiful short stories, but the endings are always missing. She doesn’t know who wrote them, but she is determined to find the author.
Fast-forward 60 years and now a retired Dottie teams up with Jim, a playwright, who lives in her building. Together they team up to find the author.
Tollok really knows how to write books about people who love books, such as editors, booksellers, librarians, and people like you and me.
I found the ending to be surprising and very satisfying.
Fast-forward 60 years and now a retired Dottie teams up with Jim, a playwright, who lives in her building. Together they team up to find the author.
Tollok really knows how to write books about people who love books, such as editors, booksellers, librarians, and people like you and me.
I found the ending to be surprising and very satisfying.
March 30, 2024
This beautiful, empathetic novel makes me want to meet new people, talk to new people , talk to old friends and acquaintances, really get to know people, have them get to know me- discover how our stories connect…and of course read more books! I feel exhilarated with possibility after completing this book ( started at 3 am and finished now at 3 pm; silly life getting in the way), and although the action is subtle, the characters’ lives are teeming with life energy. Sarah Tollok has an author’s lens that imbues her characters with humanity and dignity and she shows how every person is unique and has an interesting story to tell. Bravo bravo bravo.
March 6, 2024
Librarians, editors, writers, and book lovers, your novel has arrived!
Bookstories is a book-lover’s delight. For book nerds and by a proclaimed book nerd, it is an interleaving of the lives and experiences of a carefully and thoughtfully written cast of diverse characters. Its soupçon of otherworldly human talent and a nuanced helping of mystery propel the reader through its pages. Bookstories will make you long for the days of plentiful, independent book stores (or Borders, at the very least!) and send you into used book stores looking for new treasures. And if you come away from it without wanting your own personal Dottie to tell you tales from the slush pile, well …
I read this book in a day because it was just that much fun. Each character is interesting and well-developed. Their stories are, at times, clever without being overly “cute” and poignant without being heavy-handed. I laughed, I cried, I mentally cast the characters in a 6-part Netflix series.
Sarah Tollok’s freshman offering is a must read. Whether your to-be-read pile is a tastefully curated and organized endeavor, or an unwieldy mass of uncontrolled chaos (ahem, mine) put it at the top of that list. Bookstories reignited my passion for reading for sheer love of it. Give yourself the gift of that magic and pick it up today!
Bookstories is a book-lover’s delight. For book nerds and by a proclaimed book nerd, it is an interleaving of the lives and experiences of a carefully and thoughtfully written cast of diverse characters. Its soupçon of otherworldly human talent and a nuanced helping of mystery propel the reader through its pages. Bookstories will make you long for the days of plentiful, independent book stores (or Borders, at the very least!) and send you into used book stores looking for new treasures. And if you come away from it without wanting your own personal Dottie to tell you tales from the slush pile, well …
I read this book in a day because it was just that much fun. Each character is interesting and well-developed. Their stories are, at times, clever without being overly “cute” and poignant without being heavy-handed. I laughed, I cried, I mentally cast the characters in a 6-part Netflix series.
Sarah Tollok’s freshman offering is a must read. Whether your to-be-read pile is a tastefully curated and organized endeavor, or an unwieldy mass of uncontrolled chaos (ahem, mine) put it at the top of that list. Bookstories reignited my passion for reading for sheer love of it. Give yourself the gift of that magic and pick it up today!
March 4, 2024
A magical story about books and the world of books. Well plotted and intriguing. It kept me reading and loved it.
I want to read other books by this author
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I want to read other books by this author
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
April 7, 2024
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I usually wait a day or so after finishing a book to write a review but I am too excited to gush about how much I adored this book.
It is so thought provoking and touching. It kind of gave me "The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig vibes which I also loved despite being mostly a thriller reader.
The LGBTQ themes were sweet and well done which I also loved and didn't expect.
This is such a wonderful collection of intertwining 'Bookstories' ❤️
I am definitely going to recommend this to everyone and fully intend to purchase the paperback version to add to my book collection.
I usually wait a day or so after finishing a book to write a review but I am too excited to gush about how much I adored this book.
It is so thought provoking and touching. It kind of gave me "The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig vibes which I also loved despite being mostly a thriller reader.
The LGBTQ themes were sweet and well done which I also loved and didn't expect.
This is such a wonderful collection of intertwining 'Bookstories' ❤️
I am definitely going to recommend this to everyone and fully intend to purchase the paperback version to add to my book collection.
March 14, 2024
Bookstories is written as separate stories with subtle links and like an onion, layers are revealed slowly to connect all the characters together. You will be surprised and uplifted by this book. This is by far one of the most creatively organized and written books I've read in a while. All the characters in very unique ways are driven by their undying passion for books.
Bookstories is set in New York, but Sarah Tollok's New York is not the glamourous lives of the Upper West Side. Each chapter is a different "story" and is not divided by numbers. How the stories come together gives the reader a wow or an aha moment.
Bookstores is about dreaming and networking and showing kindness to others to help make your dreams come true. The characters live on the streets, couch surf, rely on the kindness of strangers and discover themselves and find their own tribe. This book will uplift you and deepen your appreciation of people for who they are and where they are in their lives.
I will not forget Fred the homeless man who gives so much to his library friends and he becomes a hero to them. My favorite characters are Jim and Dottie. Jim shows a little kindness, when as her downstairs neighbor, he hears a thud and checks on her to see if she's okay. His simple kindness changes both of their lives and then all of the other characters lives branch out and return full circle to these two and are blessed and have their lives enriched through their connection. The character of Elise and her journeys around the world could be developed into a book itself. The character Becky attempts to answer how people can become homeless and how they must work hard to get out of it.
This book will poetically challenge your thinking and has beautiful respectful treatment of the homeless, the poor, LBGTQ folks and the elderly. This book could also be a mini-series reminiscent of Armistead Maupin's Tales of City, except set in New York. Thanks to Sarah Tollok and SFWA for giving me an ARC of this book for my honest review.
Bookstories is set in New York, but Sarah Tollok's New York is not the glamourous lives of the Upper West Side. Each chapter is a different "story" and is not divided by numbers. How the stories come together gives the reader a wow or an aha moment.
Bookstores is about dreaming and networking and showing kindness to others to help make your dreams come true. The characters live on the streets, couch surf, rely on the kindness of strangers and discover themselves and find their own tribe. This book will uplift you and deepen your appreciation of people for who they are and where they are in their lives.
I will not forget Fred the homeless man who gives so much to his library friends and he becomes a hero to them. My favorite characters are Jim and Dottie. Jim shows a little kindness, when as her downstairs neighbor, he hears a thud and checks on her to see if she's okay. His simple kindness changes both of their lives and then all of the other characters lives branch out and return full circle to these two and are blessed and have their lives enriched through their connection. The character of Elise and her journeys around the world could be developed into a book itself. The character Becky attempts to answer how people can become homeless and how they must work hard to get out of it.
This book will poetically challenge your thinking and has beautiful respectful treatment of the homeless, the poor, LBGTQ folks and the elderly. This book could also be a mini-series reminiscent of Armistead Maupin's Tales of City, except set in New York. Thanks to Sarah Tollok and SFWA for giving me an ARC of this book for my honest review.
January 19, 2025
If you thoroughly enjoyed this book like I did, I want to read about your impressions and how it made you feel.
This book is a brilliant example of a creative, well crafted story. It is quite evident that the author placed herself in each of her characters, each of her characters’ locations.
The Circulation Desk, a bar for people having jobs related to literature, is a wonderfully inventive place that I would visit if it existed. If doesn’t exist, it should.
The author has given us rich fully developed characters, diverse as life itself.
The novel is comprised of individual stories that are all related. It starts with a talented anonymous writer who captures the attention of a publishing house’s group of literary experts. Then it places you in a time and space machine to reveal the writer’s identity through an expertly woven plot of more individual stories about the characters who have a part in revealing the writer’s identity. But it’s more than that…much more than that. My description oversimplifies the complexity of the yarn where the author gives us the gift of character development. Her writing goes beyond character development. It is an enrichment through the bonus of the author’s mastery of writing.
Here's a brief example: “…Ted saw that one of her old running shoes was held together with duct tape, the sole having long since given up its relationship with the rest of the shoe. The question in her eyes came out in a few whispered words, as if her voice was rusty from disuse.”
Marvelous.
The entire story, its characters, the plot was beyond what I anticipated. As a science-fiction author who includes spirituality as a key element, I was pleasantly surprised by the psychic aspect being a critical part of the overall scheme in Bookstories.
Congratulations to Sarah Tollok for giving us a memorable, insightful, innovative book to read and read again.
This book is a brilliant example of a creative, well crafted story. It is quite evident that the author placed herself in each of her characters, each of her characters’ locations.
The Circulation Desk, a bar for people having jobs related to literature, is a wonderfully inventive place that I would visit if it existed. If doesn’t exist, it should.
The author has given us rich fully developed characters, diverse as life itself.
The novel is comprised of individual stories that are all related. It starts with a talented anonymous writer who captures the attention of a publishing house’s group of literary experts. Then it places you in a time and space machine to reveal the writer’s identity through an expertly woven plot of more individual stories about the characters who have a part in revealing the writer’s identity. But it’s more than that…much more than that. My description oversimplifies the complexity of the yarn where the author gives us the gift of character development. Her writing goes beyond character development. It is an enrichment through the bonus of the author’s mastery of writing.
Here's a brief example: “…Ted saw that one of her old running shoes was held together with duct tape, the sole having long since given up its relationship with the rest of the shoe. The question in her eyes came out in a few whispered words, as if her voice was rusty from disuse.”
Marvelous.
The entire story, its characters, the plot was beyond what I anticipated. As a science-fiction author who includes spirituality as a key element, I was pleasantly surprised by the psychic aspect being a critical part of the overall scheme in Bookstories.
Congratulations to Sarah Tollok for giving us a memorable, insightful, innovative book to read and read again.
December 9, 2024
Bookstories sounds like an absolute booklovers dream and I can confirm that it really is!
Main character (one of them) Dottie can read a bit about people from the words they write with one exception – a series of unfinished short stories sent in to her publishing house anonymously – which capture her imagination, get under her skin and spark a lifelong obsession with finding the mystery author.
We readers are taken on a story journey, meeting playwright Jim (the other main character), Jessie, Kodiak Jane and many many more eccentric, unique characters, and slowly uncovering the myriad subtle places their stories intertwine to form a beautiful tapestry of human experiences, relationships and emotions.
And throughout it all runs a deep love of stories, words, reading, writing and, of course, people.
I just couldn’t stop reading, following those threads from person to person, and when I finally put the book down it was with a greater appreciation for all of the people who pass through our lives fleetingly and often unnoticed, as well as the ones who stay. I was also left with a long-abiding sympathy for Dotty’s forever-TBR problem… I, too, wish that I could read ALL of the books!
Magical, touching and very bookish – this is a whimsical booklover’s dream and is perfect for anyone else who also formed a lifelong relationship with the written word.
Main character (one of them) Dottie can read a bit about people from the words they write with one exception – a series of unfinished short stories sent in to her publishing house anonymously – which capture her imagination, get under her skin and spark a lifelong obsession with finding the mystery author.
We readers are taken on a story journey, meeting playwright Jim (the other main character), Jessie, Kodiak Jane and many many more eccentric, unique characters, and slowly uncovering the myriad subtle places their stories intertwine to form a beautiful tapestry of human experiences, relationships and emotions.
And throughout it all runs a deep love of stories, words, reading, writing and, of course, people.
I just couldn’t stop reading, following those threads from person to person, and when I finally put the book down it was with a greater appreciation for all of the people who pass through our lives fleetingly and often unnoticed, as well as the ones who stay. I was also left with a long-abiding sympathy for Dotty’s forever-TBR problem… I, too, wish that I could read ALL of the books!
Magical, touching and very bookish – this is a whimsical booklover’s dream and is perfect for anyone else who also formed a lifelong relationship with the written word.
April 7, 2024
From the moment i started reading Bookstories, I was completely drawn into each character's story. Each one was written with detail, insight, and empathy so that I wanted to know more and more about each one, and where their story would go. Every time a character's life intertwined with another seemingly separate character it was a surprise and a delight. No matter how seemingly different we all are from each other, if we are curious enough and take the time to get to know one another, we will find how connected we actually are. This is the beautiful message of Bookstories- one we all need to hear.
June 12, 2024
This is one of the absolute best books I have read in some time. I loved the way it was structured and how the stories within were layered to bring the plot forward. The writing was a sheer delight and captured so much atmosphere and mystery elements as well, This book had all things book lovers really covet in my opinion. I will recommend this to many other people. I began reading this around midnight last night and really struggled to put it down. I finished it this morning as I could just not stop reading. Thanks for the ARC. I really hope this author becomes known from this book. She deserves it.
April 25, 2024
I enjoyed the premise of this story; so original. I loved the characters and their interactions while trying to guess the identity of a writer of short stories with no endings. The ending totally caught me by surprise, I never would have guessed the ending at all, but it was a very satisfying one! It's not a long story, but it is a well thought out one and very enjoyable! I am looking forward to adding this one to my personal library to re-read. Wonderful story.
I received an arc from the publisher in exchange for a fair review.
I received an arc from the publisher in exchange for a fair review.
August 12, 2025
Bookstories is a tribute to those who not only give writers’ stories a home but also elevate the inner workings of the ‘writing-world.’
Tollok’s book is two parts cheeky, two parts progressive and all parts witty with a touch of curious mystery.
This energetic page-turner is a big nod to the those behind the scenes of the publishing and writing community.
If you love how books come to life and the power of storytelling—then Bookstories is for you!
Highly recommended for any bookshelf, especially fit for forward-thinking individuals who simply love to read.
Tollok’s book is two parts cheeky, two parts progressive and all parts witty with a touch of curious mystery.
This energetic page-turner is a big nod to the those behind the scenes of the publishing and writing community.
If you love how books come to life and the power of storytelling—then Bookstories is for you!
Highly recommended for any bookshelf, especially fit for forward-thinking individuals who simply love to read.
April 28, 2024
I met Sarah last night at a reading at a local bookstore and enjoyed hearing her talk about her love of books ABOUT books and libraries. So many of us love that type of book, but how many get to be inspired to actually write one of them?! It’s a nicely crafted, very entertaining story about readers, writers, and the love of writing. Bonus points for introducing me to monoku and blackout poetry. I had never heard of either of these.
April 12, 2024
This book speaks to all of us who love everything about books. The author feeds us a feast filled with allusions to writers, artists, publishers, librarians, pop culture—the list goes on. The characters and their stories resonate to me, someone who devours books, needs them in my everyday life. Thank you for this book Sarah Tollok.
October 2, 2024
Although I enjoy the idea of writing something in an experimental style, I seldom enjoy reading books written that way. It's very well written within its limits but still, the recursive writing didn't please me at all and I put it down after a few chapters.
I received a review copy of this book through NetGalley.com.
I received a review copy of this book through NetGalley.com.
February 22, 2024
Bookstories by Sarah Tollok is a delightful read for anyone who is a fan of stories such as the lost book shop or No Two Person's: a novel.. This is a particularly quick read perfect for relaxing and reading on breaks.
July 31, 2024
I absolutely LOVED this book. I read it on a night I really needed a nice, cozy, book-ish story and it DELIVERED. The mystery is interesting, the characters are all well crafted, and the story has a good resolution. I highly recommend this!
March 13, 2024
If you love the written word, you will love this book. The characters are wonderful, the storyline fantastic, and the ending is perfection.
March 30, 2024
Great characters, great story for any book lovers!
Sarah, you did a fantastic job with this one!
Sarah, you did a fantastic job with this one!
July 30, 2024
A very fun read and tales about life.
August 22, 2024
I am not someone who enjoys fiction however this was an exception. Enjoyed all the characters an dhow they intertwined into a larger story.
October 21, 2024
Cool, fun, unique. not what i expected when i began reading, but so worth it anyway as a read. would recommend. tysm for the arc
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews