Parnassus on Wheels and The Haunted Bookshop

Title: Parnassus on Wheels & The Haunted Bookshop

Series: Parnassus #1 & 2

Author: Christopher Morley

Genre: Fiction, Classic, Humor, Books about Books

Publisher: Dover Publication

Source: Library

Challenge: Books About Books

My review:

Parnassus on Wheels

I was pleasantly surprised by Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley. 

"When you sell a man a book you don't sell him just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue-you sell him a whole new life."

Parnassus on Wheels is a book lover's delight. With a cast of quirky characters, a traveling bookstore, and an angry brother, you get a delightful story with plenty of mishaps. 

It is a short read, which makes it harder to review without giving spoilers.

★★★★/5

The Haunted Bookshop

I thought this one was okay, but I didn't enjoy it as much as Parnassus on Wheels. There was a mystery, some of the humor I enjoyed from the first book, I just felt the tone was more serious.

★★★/5

Challenge:

Synopsis (Goodreads): 

This single-volume edition of both of Christopher Morley's most popular novels will charm all lovers of "books about books." In the first story, Parnassus on Wheels, 39-year-old Helen McGill is weary of keeping house for her bachelor brother. When red-bearded bookseller Roger Mifflin rolls into town, she impulsively purchases his mobile bookshop. Roger promises to teach Helen the trade before retiring to write his long-overdue book, and together they hit the road for a series of winsome adventures throughout New England. Their story was praised by Boston's Evening Transcript as "graceful in style … [and] entertaining in every aspect."
Roger Mifflin returns in The Haunted Bookshop, which unfolds in his Brooklyn store, the Parnassus at Home. The spirits of great literature haunt the shop, providing an atmospheric background for the tale of a young ad man, Aubrey Gilbert, who's smitten with Roger's comely assistant, Titania. When Aubrey notices a suspicious-looking character skulking in a nearby alleyway and is attacked on his way home, the ardent suitor fears for Titania's safety and turns amateur detective. Part mystery, part spy thriller, and part romance, the humorous tale is a complete delight.