The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

 A thoroughly enjoyable read, Nina Hill captured my heart.  Anxious, organized, and settled into her quiet life; Nina has no desire to expand her horizons nor to invite new people into her circle.  Unfortunately life sometimes throws curves, and Nina suddenly finds herself with a new, very large family when the father she never knew passes away.  Waxman fills this story with lots of witticisms, trivia facts, strangely weird but lovable characters, and a bit of romance.

What I found intriguing is the way that Nina discovered herself in her new family...others who had bookshelves crammed with reading material, others with her exact red-gold hair, others who dealt with loneliness because of their quirky and bristly personalities that seemed to put people off.  She finally felt at home...in the eyes of these new strangers who were becoming friends.  Of course, Tom the pursuer, also added some security and confidence with his ..."I love you exactly like you are"statements.

As only a book lover could, Nina's friend Liz says "I wanted to ask him to give me more time, but I couldn't find the right words.  It's always so easy in books and so hard in real life".  An apt quote for all of us in the difficult situations that life gives us.