I am Jim McKeownwelcome to Likely Stories, a weekly magazine of fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

Rebecca Raisin is the author of several novels, including the “Le Petit Paris” series. His short stories have appeared in various anthologies and fiction magazine series. The Little Bookstore on the Seine is another novel that takes place in a bookstore.

The story begins, Rebecca writes: ‘With a heavy heart I placed the sign in the shop window. All books 50% off. // If things didn’t improve soon, it would read Closing of the sale. That thought alone was enough to make me shiver. The autumn sky was awash in purples and flecks of orange as I stepped outside to observe the storefront from the sidewalk. // Star-shaped leaves crunched underfoot. I forced a smile. A sale wouldn’t hurt, and maybe it would turn the bookstore numbers from red to black, which I desperately needed. My rent had been increased” (9-10). Almost all bookstores have this problem. Sarah, Rebecca’s friend, knows it.

The pressure continues, writes Raisin: “Imagine if I had to close the store permanently, like so many other stores have done lately? It pained me to think that people were missing out on the real bookstore experience. Wasn’t it so much better when you could walk into a dimly lit space and work your way around in search of the right novel? You can run your fingertip along the spines, smell that glorious scent of old books, open them, and unfold a dog-eared page. Read someone else’s notes in the margin, or a highlighted passage, and see why that phrase or metaphor dazzled the previous owner” (14-15). A word for the wise here – don’t save your pages, but by all means cherish any marginalia that come your way! To continue, “Books were picky about their owners, and made a type of sound, and an almost imperceptible whirring, when the right person was near. Most people didn’t know that books chose us when we needed them most” (14-15).

Sarah receives a letter from a friend in Paris. Sophie writes that she must leave Paris and return to the United States. She wants to swap bookstores for an indefinite period. Both agree. “It was like the City of Lights went all out on my first morning here. The air was scented with promises. I leafed through my backpack, looking for sunglasses. My face was split with a nerdy smile. // I was really there! Paris! And so far, I hadn’t been abducted, mugged, or even scammed, because mom had warned me about four million times before kissing me goodbye. Rolling my suitcase, stifling a yawn, I headed to the ticket office to ask where the station was” (41).

Rebecca Raisin embarks on a wonderful adventure in La Petite Librairie on the Seine. Anyone who has visited the City of Light or wants to visit Paris will find this thrilling adventure. 5 stars!

Likely Stories is a KWBU production. I am Jim McKeown. Join me next time for Likely Stories, and happy reading!