"Island Books, approximately $250,000.00 per annum in sales, the better portion of that in the summer months to folks on holiday," - P4
"Seven hundred square feet of selling space. No full-time employees other than owner. Very small children’s section. Fledgling online presence. Poor community outreach. Inventory emphasizes the literary, which is good for us, but Fikry’s tastes are very specific, and without Nic, he can’t be counted on to hand-sell. Luckily for him, Island’s the only game in town." - P4
Of course it’s worth it! Her specialty is persnickety little bookstores and the particular breed that runs them. Her talents also include multitasking, selecting the right wine at dinner (and the coordinating skill, tending friends who’ve had too much to drink), houseplants, strays, and other lost causes. - P5
You shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth." The gift horse begins to cry. - P7
She is thirty-one years old and she thinks she should have met someone by now. And yet . . . - P7
Amelia the bright-sider believes it is better to be alone than to be with someone who doesn’t share your sensibilities and interests. (It is, right?) - P8
ISLAND BOOKS Alice Island’s Exclusive Provider of Fine Literary Content since 1999 No Man Is an Island; Every Book Is a World - P8
She does not mind the occasional novel with a romantic hero but her reading tastes are far more varied than that. Furthermore, she adores Humbert Humbert as a character while accepting the fact that she wouldn’t really want him for a life partner, a boyfriend, or even a casual acquaintance. She feels the same way about Holden Caulfield, and Misters Rochester and Darcy. - P8
She can usually find something positive to say about a book or, failing that, the cover or, failing that, the author or, failing that, the author’s website. And that’s why they pay me the big bucks, Amelia occasionally jokes to herself. - P9
They are the underdogs, the sleepers, the long shots. (It is not too much of a stretch to point out that this is how she sees herself, too.) - P11
In Amelia’s experience, most people’s problems would be solved if they would only give more things a chance. - P12
she stuttered and it occasionally returns when she is upset; she clears her throat—"this backward way of thinking, there won’t be an Island Books before too long." - P15
They had only ever discussed books but what, in this life, is more personal than books? - P18
The difficulty of living alone is that any mess he makes he is forced to clean up himself. - P19
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