Goodnight June - Sarah Jio

Following on the heels of yesterday's post, today's entry is another book about books and bookstores. Sarah Jio's latest is Goodnight June. Close to the title of that classic children's book Goodnight Moon, right? Well, Jio actually imagines what the origins of Goodnight Moon  might have been in this cosy read.

Jio's books often tie the present and past together in a back and forth narrative. Goodnight June follows this formula as well. June is a high powered banker who is in overdrive every day. When her beloved Aunt Ruby dies, she leaves June Bluebird Books, the children's bookstore she started in 1940. June takes a few days off to settle the estate. But that timeframe stretches to a few weeks as she begins to discover things about her aunt's past that she didn't know. Specifically, that she was great friends with Margaret Wise Brown - the author of Goodnight Moon. The two women's lives are slowly revealed through a set of letters, as well as a mystery. The cute owner of the café beside the store is also an incentive to stay.

Jio has again crafted an easily read, enjoyable novel. Her imagining of the connections between Wise and her aunt is imaginative. As with all of Jio's books, there is a light mystery, some heartbreak, some romance and an ending that will please readers. There are a few plot devices that are overly fortuitous, but I was reading for that happy ending, so I didn't let them bother me.  I find Jio's books to be good, light reading for the plane or the beach. If you've read other Jio books, then you will enjoy this latest.

Love found, love lost, and a love of books all figure into the plot of Goodnight June. Read an excerpt of Goodnight June. You can keep up with Sarah Jio on Facebook and on Twitter. Jio's next book, The Look of Love releases in November of this year.