THE BOOKISH LIFE OF NINA HILL

There's a sweet storytelling air to Emily Rankin's portrayal of Nina, whose book-obsessed life is thrown into disarray by the news that the father she never knew has died. This development also involves her introduction to several new family members. As the will reading approaches and stress heightens, Nina contemplates how to make room for family and her new love interest. The book flies by with its comfortable pace and host of characters. The imagined dialogue of Nina's cat is delivered with a posh Brit accent. Her Australian mother's accent softens with time and travel, and there are a passionate, fast-speaking nephew, a yelling niece, and a grieving precocious great-niece. Nina herself is rapid-fire confident during trivia competitions but blunt and awkward in social situations. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2019]