Peck & Peck by Bonnie Garmus

As Batter Gray grows up, he can't think of anything he'd rather do than be involved with poetry. He knows he has a special gift for understanding and interpreting poems, but everyone from his parents to his teachers to even his college roommate Paul tells Batter that it's not a real career, but should just be a hobby. Somehow, he manages to graduate from college, jumping from major to major, in the late 1970s. He finds himself in New York City in the 1980s working at Peck and Peck, the revered poetry journal. Peck & Peck recounts Batter's early twenties through his eyes--getting a job there, the people he meets and the eccentric and (at times) dehumanizing workplace. The novel has the same quirky feel as Garmus' first novel, Lessons in Chemistry, and it has a main character you can't help but cheer on while it immerses you in 1980s literary New York. It will be published next month.

How to Find a Romance in a Bookshop by Poppy Alexander

Petra, a literary agent who lives in London, flees to the small village of Portneath to run a bookstore for six months, following a social media post gone wrong. Petra has lost confidence in doing her job and figures lying low will help her decide what to do next. As the manager of Capelthorne's, Petra becomes immersed in village life--recommending books to customers, running the book club, and enjoying all the local food. She also becomes friends with Ross, whom Petra soon recognizes as a famous novelist who published his first book to great acclaim five years ago and then disappeared. Petra agrees to keep Ross' secret, but finds herself falling in love. Does Ross feel the same way--and what will happen when the bookstore's owners come back after their time away? How to Find a Romance in a Bookshop is a cozy, feel-good romance, similar to Jenny Bayliss, Alexandra Potter, and Jenny Colgan. As a bonus, it is set in the same town as some of Alexander's past books, and those characters make appearances in this book.