A lovely read about community and intergenerational friendships and about starting over later in life.
Carl has been hand delivering books for a number of years, but his old friend is sick and the person taking over the book shop decides Carl isn't needed anymore. What can he do now?
I really enjoyed the friendship between Carl and Schascha as well as the quirky characters Carl delivers to. I liked how he had given them all personalities from books.
I thought the narrator fitted Carl as a character which was a nice touch.

I really liked the story this told. I liked how the cast of characters got more and more fleshed out throughout the novel. The story had a real heart to it and that came across in the writing and language used. The way this was paced was done really well and i was interested throughout. I would definitely read more by this author!

This is a little novel full of heart. It covers the most important topics - the power of human love and friendship, the transformative and healing powers of kindness and, indeed, the love of books :)
Carl has a job after his job of a bookseller - he personally delivers the book orders to the home addresses of the buyers, who, for various reasons, seem to unable to leave their homes. He has a special names for them, based on their personal characteristics or as he sees them (personal favorites are Mr Darcy and sister Amaryllis) and while he *only* gives them books, his kindness shines through. But maybe there is a need for some tough love, too:) - and so enters Schascha, a 9-year-old precocious and brave girl, wise above her years. Together, these two start to positively disrupt and influence the lives of their customers.
And where I start to think that this is nothing but a nice little kitsch, the last chapter arrives. The one about the real pain the one about the real healing.

Recommended read.

I usually love stories about books and reading, and this one definitely delivered. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much when I requested it on Netgalley. I didn't even read the description or who wrote it! Crazy, right?

Here's the funny part: halfway through listening, I realised it was actually a German book. Now, I normally prefer to read German books in German. But guess what? The audiobook was so good, I didn't care! The narrator did a fantastic job with the German names and characters, especially the old man and the young girl.

The story itself is a real gem. It's heartwarming but also deals with some serious issues in a sensitive way. It made me laugh, cry, feel angry, and happy all at once. Luckily, it has a super satisfying ending with a nice happy bow on top.

Everything in the book fit together perfectly, even the little details that seemed random at first. By the end, they all made sense and added to the story.

If you're looking for a great book that will make you feel all the feels, I highly recommend this one!

This book has some great characters in it and a lot of books :)
The friendship between Carl and Schascha was well written.
And my heart broke a little at one moment, but there are also a lot of uplifting and funny moments in the book.

The narrator was well chosen for this story.

This was a lovely heart warming story that just sucks you in and doesn't let go.
I loved the characters and the interaction between Carl and Schascha, and what they achieved together for all of the book readers in the story.

I absolutely love a book that’s about books! The cover and title caught my attention and the story didn’t disappoint. I really enjoyed reading the contrasts between a child’s optimism, and adult cynicism. We see these individuals, all experiencing their personal hardships, finding comfort in books- it’s what reading is all about!

I enjoyed the story of Karl the book-walker and the people he met. Unfortunately the narration didn't work for me at all. I don't understand why the narrator was using a posh English accent when the book is set in Germany, it just didn't seem authentic to me and distracted me from the story. Sadly I can't recommend the audiobook for this very reason.

This book had much promise and I enjoyed both the narration and the story. The characters were all interesting, well described and engaging. For me it was a little slow and while the story was clever it didn’t always hold my attention. Thank you Net Galley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

So beautiful and crafted from all things that are right with the world. Probably the most stunning book I’ve listened to this year.

Thank you NetGalley and Bonnier UK Audio for providing access to the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Actual rating: 4.5

I have listened to a lot of audiobooks this year, but none compared to this unexpected masterpiece. I went in with very little expectations, apart from the comparisons the marketing of the book brought forward. As someone who really enjoyed Days at the Morisaki Bookshop and who still considers A Man Called Ove (or Otto as the adaptation made it) one of my favourite stories to date, the idea that a book might combine the two felt intriguing. But that was all.

So repeat myself, it was an amazing experience, far more impressive than I expected. Raphael Corkhill's performance might be one of the best I got to enjoy so far in my audiobook journeys, he brought so much depth and joy to both Carl and Sasha that I had to pause and take in the development time and time again, rather than rush to finish the story. The dark turn of the (almost) end broke me, and I cannot describe the hatred I feel towards a specific character for bringing so much pain to poor Carl time and time again.

There were so many scenes that make me laugh fondly at Sasha's childish wit (that she perhaps got away with way too much considering the fact that some would've called it impertinence), but I'll gladly overlook since it brought so much energy to the story - or Carl's small quirks and stubbornness.

A sweet and wholesome story of Karl, who takes pride in delivering books daily from the local bookstore where he works, to his customers. One day when on his rounds Karl makes friends with a small girl named Shasha, who refuses to stop following him. She and his customers soon become firm friends, as Shasha tries to solve all their problems in her own way.

A lovely little adventure of unlikely friendships and people helping each other in times of need. A comforting hug of a book.

The narrator had a nice gravely tone, which really lent itself to this heartwarming tale.

This book was a bestseller in Germany but only translated into English year. It's about Carl, an elderly man who delivers books door to door in a small town, one day a little girl joins him on his route and what happens after is a very wholesome story! There is one sad scene near the end but overall this book was very enjoyable and sweet! I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to read something a little more lighthearted and also enjoys stories about books.

This was a great audiobook - I wish I could find the words to describe what I mean, but some books just have this feeling, I really don't have the ability to describe it, but they are books that often aren't the style/pacing I enjoy but something about them tugs at me and I adore them.

This was one.

I loved this story, great characters and it felt real. It took me some time to get used to the narrator, I didn’t think that the voice was fitting, but in the end I couldn’t imagine a different voice breathing life into the book characters. I would highly recommend it.

This is probably the nicest book I have read all year.. I finished this audiobook arc and went straight online to order the hardback edition because I have no doubt I will want to read it again and again.

A fantastic feelgood story perfect for fans of the midnight library

The characters were sweet but the book lacked drive at time. Defo a slow read but enjoyable nonetheless.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review.

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

The Door-To-Door Bookstore
Carsten Henn

🌟🌟🌟🌟

This was a brilliant read - a book about books, a bookshop, the Book walker and how books can help everyone .....what more can an avid reader want!

Carl has worked in the bookstore for so long, but the owner has retired and relinquished the store to his daughter. She's making changes, but Carl continues making his deliveries as normal, even though he knows this may not last....
On his travels, one day, he's joined by Schascha - a little girl who insists on walking with him.

I absolutely loved this.

Schascha wa such a lovely little character who brought a new life to Carl.
After doing his rounds for so long, for his loyal customers, he thought he knew everything about their lives and reading habits.
He brought them books that they'd enjoy reading - but when Schascha meets the customers too, she sees and helps Carl see what each of them really needs in their lives.
Not only do they change the books they offer, but together they all help each other out in life as well.

I loved the friendship that the two book walkers developed throughout the story.
Carl, at first, thinking that Schascha can't possibly know better than he, but over time he grew to enjoy her company on the walks as well as the things they talked about and taught each other.

This was a heart-warming story and it was great to see how each of the customers lives linked together and the way they could help each other, with a little push from the book-walker and his little apprentice.

I loved all the references to books and well known stories.
The customers were all given character (nick)names which meant that each of them jumped right off the page as their personalities were revealed by knowing the original characters.

The narrator did a brilliant job of portraying all the characters - especially Carl a d Schascha.
A joy to listen to and read - I really enjoyed this one.


💕Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

Thanks, NetGalley, to the author and to the publisher for offering me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I honestly thought this book was so sweet and so enjoyable.

And I would say it's a book about books and the power of books that can have an impact on the characters' lives.

I highly recommend this book.

Utterly charming. I enjoyed the narrator and thought he did a very good job at distinguishing between each chatacter. A pleasant and quick read/listen and a nice lighthearted novel full of the love and appreciation for books and words.

I thank Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced copy.