The Book of Doors and New York Style Pizza

Did you ever want to go to times and places that are often impossible?  That is unless you have money or a time machine.  Well for the protagonist in this novel, she can do that and more with just one book.  This book and the title of this novel is, “The Book of Doors.”  It is written by Gareth Brown.  It is his first novel and after reading this, you can be sure that it won’t be his last.  It follows a woman named Cassie and her adventures following after inheriting a magical book that should not be real.  But it is.

“With this book, any door becomes every door” Click the picture to purchase.

The Story

The book is about an unassuming young woman named Cassie who works in a bookshop.  She has a quiet life that is filled with routine and ordinary happenings.  And that is just how she likes it.  That is until a tragedy hits one of her favourite customers and he dies right at the table when she is serving him coffee.  Funnily enough, he leaves her with a book that has the title, “The Book of Doors.”  “With this book, any door is every door.” Says the message inside of it. At first Cassie doesn’t know what to make of this but she finds out quickly that this book is far from ordinary. 

With her fun-loving, sunny best friend and roommate Izzy, the two of them use this book to go to various places where they have been before.  And that leads to unexpected, albeit wonderful experiences that they could have only dreamed of.  However, not all is good when it comes to this magical book.  Not only are there various magical books out there but all kind of people have them.  Unfortunately, not all of them are good and are willing to do anything to get the book that Cassie holds at all costs. 

Luckily, there is one man who is willing to help her.  He is a mysterious, yet troubled former librarian named Drummond Fox.  He has been hunting every book with magical powers since his closest friends have met with tragedies of their own.  His hope is to keep all the books safe.  And now it is not just about the books but the two innocent women that don’t realize what danger is lurking. 

My Review

Wow!  This book was exciting.  I always have a soft spot for books that feature ordinary people who meet with extraordinary circumstances.  This of course is no exception.

 I liked Cassie.  She is a book-loving introvert who in times of trouble faces it with bravery but not without her own doubts.  She is a very human character that never asked to be a hero.  The same goes for her best friend Izzy, who is her exact opposite, being more outgoing and gregarious.  The two of them have great chemistry and the fact that the, two of them have their place in this story is both believable and beautiful.  A story of friendship is always good read.

Speaking of friendship, A lot of new friends come their way too.  Drummond Fox, especially.  He is a man haunted by his past and when you read on what it is, you can see why.  He has his reasons to collect these books and yet try to help Cassie realize what the real situation is.  Suffice to say, Cassie does not trust him immediately but after she gets to know him and his situation, she knows that she has someone that she can truly rely on. 

All the character’s chemistry is spot on.  Cassie’s relationship with her allies are complex but authentic.  Just like the storyline.  The story is believable despite being about magical books. You can see why this had happened to Cassie and why she makes the choices that she does during her unconventional journey.

I love the descriptions of the various settings from New York to Venice, Italy.  You feel like you are really in these places, breathing the warm air from the canals and feeling the chill of the snowy night on a rooftop patio.

The only thing that was off was the (true) villain of the piece.  You meet her not long into the book and I will try not to spoil it for all of you, but it should be said.  She was just straight up evil.  There was no complexity to her, no reason, and not much going on beneath her exquisite appearance.  I think she could have been written a little better than what she was.  You get a backstory but that seemed lacking as opposed to the rest of the story which was very vibrant and convincing. 

Pizza slice and a book. What else do we need?

The Pairings

 Nothing could be better than getting a slice of New York style pizza because it is the perfect thing to bring friends together.  You will see that in a passage where Cassie and all of her friends are sitting around, eating such a pizza, and discussing the end game of their adventures.  So suffice to say, pizza (particularly the New York style) is the perfect snack to read with this book.

Choose any flavour you like but you just can’t beat a good old classic like cheese.  As our heroine Cassie is a classic woman, so I highly recommend the cheese.  When you get such a large slice albeit thin pizza like this you might want to tackle it with a knife and fork unless you don’t mind getting your hands and book dirty.  It’s all worth it when you have melted cheese, hot tomato sauce, and a warm crust, it just feels like home with this book.

The Rating/Final Thoughts

8/10

This book is a very good book.  It has a lot of good points and descriptions that make you believe you were really travelling to these places.  The characters are sympathetic and convincing except for the villain.  A little more could have been done there but that is just my opinion.  Feel free to discuss it with me over a slice of pizza!