The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks

Overall, I enjoyed the story and the unique characters. Maggie Banks is a 28 year old woman who is unemployed and lives with her parents, during the story, she comes to live in Bell River in order to help out her best friend, Rochelle, run her bookshop while she takes a maternity leave. Red flags seem to pop up almost at once about the town and its strange obsession with the late author Edward Bell. Due to the popularity of Edward Bell and the draw for tourism, The Bell Society controls almost all of the businesses in town. In the bookshop we can see that this has taken its toll as there are severe restrictions on which books the shop is allowed to carry and sell, censoring anything that wasn't published during Bell’s lifetime (So show more nothing that was published after 1968) and anything that Ralph (Grandson of Edward Bell and head of the Bell Society) deems to not be a ‘classic’ piece of literature.
Maggie only just got to town and she is not having it, she starts researching and talking to people to figure out what books they really want to read, and soon starts an illicit underground bookshop that takes on a life of its own, along with fun author events. What really got me was the fact that the first author event she throws has the guest author writing a parody of Moby Dick as a romance, completely full of dick jokes. I really enjoyed Maggie and Malcolm's interactions, the way Maggie teases him is just so cute. I don't like that he seemed really stodgy and uptight at first, but once you see him at the book festival with his favorite author, it becomes clear that he is just very shy and introverted. I really enjoyed the friendship and camaraderie that Maggie is able to cultivate in her new town, and the fact that Rochelle calls them Maggie's Army. show less

Unemployed and living at home, twenty eight year old Maggie Banks isn’t sure what she’s looking for but she knows she hasn’t found it yet. When her heavily pregnant best friend, Rochelle, suggests Maggie comes to Bell River to help out at her bookstore for a few months, Maggie leaps at the opportunity for a change of scenery.

Though she hasn’t read a book in years Maggie is confident she can handle managing Cobblestones Books, but she isn’t prepared for the strict rules the store operates under. Like most businesses in Bell River, the shop plays a role in promoting the literary legacy of the late Edward Bell, which draws a steady stream of tourists to the town. The store hosts Bell’s writing desk, where he wrote his most show more celebrated novel, features his oeuvre, and is only permitted to stock classics written before the authors death in the late 1960’s. Adherence to the guidelines of the Bell Society, run by Bell’s descendant, Ralph, who has financial interest in several of the towns businesses including the bookstore, are rigorously enforced and it doesn’t take long for Maggie to run afoul of them.

Maggie is a likeable character, she’s a people person, warm and friendly but also a little impulsive and even reckless. I love her subversive solutions to the store’s financial issues, which include launching a clandestine book club with its own unique twist, but it’s a risky move. Maggie means well but she has nothing to lose, whereas her co-conspirators, and Rochelle, who knows nothing of Maggie’s machinations, do.

Malcolm, Ralph Bell’s assistant, is pretty clear he won’t risk his job for Maggie, even though he is clearly attracted to her. Their romance is a case of opposites attract, and I liked the way Robinson developed their relationship, though I think Maggie does take advantage.

There’s some exploration in the story about the value of classic literature vs genre fiction, an age old debate. I also liked the small thread of mystery involving the authorship of Edward Bell’s famous book. There are some glaring holes in the plot overall though which some might find hard to overlook, but the conclusion is quite satisfying.

A light and engaging read, The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks has elements that will appeal to book lovers, and readers who appreciate a happy ending. show less

I read this one as a mother daughter book club. It’s got a cute premise. Maggie is taking over her friends bookshop while she’s on maternity leave. It works out great because Maggie can’t keep a regular job, she’s been trying to find her place in the world for so long that even her parents don’t believe in her.

The only problem? The bookshop is co-owned by an old white man obsessed with his family’s legacy and is selling the story that his ancestor Mr. Bell is this feminist icon. So the bookstore isn’t allowed to carry anything newer than old moldy man’s books. So, basically the bookshop is a shrine to old dead white men.

Maggie knows the shop is struggling so she starts carrying a secret stash of modern books which the show more locals all want. The only problem is that the co owner has a super hot guy on payroll who is spying on Maggie and reporting back.

Romance and misunderstanding ensue.

The story was okay, there were parts of it that bugged me, like at no point did Maggie consider that she would be an IDEAL event planner and there’s a market for that. And I felt like her lying to her friend was really unnecessary.

What I did like was the whole activities to do/books to read that Maggie and Malcom exchanged as they danced around each other. It was a very cute idea.

It wrapped up a little too neatly, if white supremacists obsessed with family legacy were REALLY that easy to convince to give up their problematic idols, we’d be in a lot better shape. But, it’s a cute romance, so I can let it go. show less

Happy Publication Day! ( November 1, 2022)



3.5 rounded up!

As the story begins, we meet our protagonist, twenty-eight-year-old Maggie Banks as she reaches the small town of Bell River at the invitation of her best friend Rochelle, who is about to go on maternity leave and needs someone to take over her duties at Cobblestone Books, the bookshop partially owned by Rochelle’s family. Maggie, who has been unable to settle down in a career of her liking after graduating college and has been out of work and living with her parents in California, welcomes the change and the opportunity albeit a temporary one. Though not much of a reader herself, she is sure that with Rochelle’s guidance she should have no problems in managing a small town show more bookshop.

Unbeknownst to Maggie, River Bell is a town with a literary legacy and is thus also a tourist destination for those who are drawn to the literary legend of the late Edward Bell (after whom the town has been named), whose family partly owns most of the commercial establishments in the area and thus has a say in how local businesses are run. Cobblestone Books is no exception, selling books that were read and loved by Edward Bell in his lifetime (he passed in 1968), mostly classics. Anyone who enters the shop with a more contemporary reading list is promptly directed t the nearest Barnes and Noble store. Needless to say, Maggie finds herself at odds with the head of the Bell Society, Ralph Bell and his employee Malcolm who also aren’t quite impressed with Maggie. As tensions grow, Ralph decides to remove the Edward Bell books from the store, plunging sales and diminishing footfall into a downward spiral, prompting Maggie to resort to a more creative solution to save her friend’s family bookshop even if it means breaking the rules and starting an underground book club, inviting contemporary authors, hosting book readings with a twist and secretly selling books that would ordinarily never be allowed within the premises of Cobblestone Books. All this while hiding it from Ralph and keeping it a secret from Rochelle so as not to add to her financial woes and making sure Malcolm, who wasn’t quite as stuck up as she had initially assumed, doesn’t find out. She finds allies in the friendly people in the local community and even her grouchy neighbor Vernon doesn’t stand in the way. But how long can she keep it a secret? Can she save the bookshop and introduce change in the way things have normally been done? What does this mean for Maggie? Has she finally found her calling?

Stories such as these are rarely unpredictable, so it's all in the journey and this was a fun one with actually a few surprises along the way. I am partial to stories revolving around books, bookstores and libraries and this one did not disappoint! I enjoyed following Maggie as she gradually falls in love with reading, even trying a few of the Classics (not that there is anything wrong in not enjoying them). At a point, I thought that the author was categorizing readers into airtight silos – those who enjoy the Classics and those who enjoy contemporary fiction in different genres. But as the story progresses, and we see Maggie and Malcolm open up to new reading experiences and breaking away from preconceived notions about certain books and genres, the author shows how people can enjoy books that don’t necessarily fall within one’s comfort zone and even if they choose not to, readers should not be judged for reading whatever appeals to them. As a lifelong reader who loves trying different kinds of books, enjoying some and others not so much, this resonated with me. Quirky characters, small-town dynamics, loads of humor and a sweet romance make for an engaging read. Overall, The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson is an entertaining, light-hearted read that I enjoyed.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks is due to be released on November 1, 2022. show less

I honestly thought this was quite cute. I didn't love Robinson's other book I read, [b:Must Love Books|200475196|Must Love Books|Shauna Robinson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1698010497l/200475196._SX50_SY75_.jpg|86201948]. I also want to make clear this book is the same book that she has out called [b:The Secret Book Club|171831883|The Secret Book Club|Shauna Robinson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1688910027l/171831883._SY75_.jpg|213646053]. Yeah, I was confused too, but just realized I was reading the same book, just with a different title. Okay, back to the book, this was cute. I think that the main character Maggie was annoying at times and way too show more strident about things. I also don't think I believe that her best friend Rochelle would have rolled with certain actions that Maggie took. I definitely know I would not have. But I did like the slow burn romance between Maggie and Malcolm. I also loved the additional characters we get to know in Bell River.

"The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks" follows Maggie Banks who goes to Bell River, Maryland to help her best friend Rochelle with managing her bookstore. Rochelle is about to take maternity leave and Maggie can help out while she figures out what she wants to do with her life. Things take a turn though when Rochelle's partner in the bookshop (and a ton of businesses in town) decides he doesn't want Maggie to manage anything to do with the Edward Bell exhibit at the bookstore. This causes Maggie to have a lot of time and worry that she's going to cause Rochelle to lose her business. She then realizes there is an appetite for those in the town to read more than just classics, and she starts her banned book club.

So, Maggie. She's a flake. I wish the book had put that out there more. She was all over the place and I was like eh she's not giving me magic pixie girl as much as she may have undiagnosed ADHD since she couldn't finish a task to save her life. I also was baffled at anyone that hasn't really read books before like she had, her not knowing that someone was referring to Margaret Atwood and she thought they were talking about Ryan from the O.C.....I had comments which were there's no freaking way she had not heard of some of these people in high school and college. Of course, she may not have read them, but not knowing kept making her feel and sound not intelligent and I was over it after a while. But I did like that she started reading romance and dipping her toes into the classics. The best parts for me was reading about everyone's reactions to the books.

The secondary characters like Malcolm, Rochelle, are quirky I thought. We get to know Malcom more, but wish that we had spent more time developing Rochelle and her friendship more.

The setting of Bell River, Maryland definitely read as quirky Maryland town to me. And the residents sounded fun and funny.

The ending was a surprise and I do think at times it didn't read as super realistic about what happens next, but still liked it. show less

Without a job or money, Maggie Banks agrees to help her best friend in her bookshop, even if she strongly dislikes reading. When she arrives at Bell River, she discovers a town haunted by the memory of a famous author. Everything is dedicated to him, including the bookstore. No bestsellers in there, but only classics. To keep the shop afloat, Maggie imagines a secret book club, where authors reinvent classical titles with an unexpected twist and forbidden books are sold.

Under the cover of a fun romantic comedy, Shauna Robinson explores the place of women authors in society, especially black women. This novel really has several layers of reading, which I found really interesting. As she tries to save the bookstore of her friend, Maggie show more discovers how certain genres are underrated and how books can bring a community together.

With The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks, Shauna Robinson wrote a declaration of love to book and literacy. This novel is a pure moment of pleasure for book lovers. I really enjoyed every part of it : It is a great story, with delectable characters. show less

Maggie is unsure what to do with her life, so when her best friend, Rochelle, asks Maggie to help in her Bell River Cobblestone Books store. When Maggie arrives, she is stunned by the town's cult-like atmosphere around Edward Bell, an author famous for his novel "The First Dollar". She finds the bookstore is limited to books published before Edward Bell's time. As Maggie realizes, the bookstore can't survive this way. So, Maggie attempts to inject some fun and life into the bookstore and the other town businesses held by the Bell Society, but all must be done in secret.
What follows is Maggie uncovering town secrets and finding herself in the process.
Cute story.