Quit Your Job & Open a Bookshop: 3 Reads You'll Love | Reads with Alicia

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.What if your dream bookshop was hiding inside the pages of a book? This week's guest is making that fantasy feel very real.London-based bookworm and Substack newsletter writer Alicia joins us to share her love of a very specific and very delightful trope: woman quits job to open a bookshop. If you've ever fantasized about leaving it all behind for a life surrounded by shelves and the smell of old paper, Alicia has three gorgeous, lesser-known reads that will feed that daydream beautifully. From translated Japanese fiction to a moving Korean novel, these books explore healing, community, and the quiet courage it takes to build a life you actually want — even when you're not sure you're ready.📚 Books MentionedThe Bookshop Woman by Nanako Hanada — Buy on Amazon | Nonfiction / Memoir | A quiet, insightful look at the world of bookselling and how small changes create big impact.Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa — Buy on Amazon | Japanese Translated Fiction / Contemporary | A healing, character-driven story about a woman who finds herself — slowly — through books.Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum — Buy on Amazon | Korean Translated Fiction / Contemporary | A raw, courageous story about a woman who opens a bookshop from a place of grief and finds herself living her values anyway.⏱️ Timestamps[00:00] Welcome & introduction — meet Alicia from London[01:00] What Alicia reads: contemporary, literary, historical fiction & nonfiction[02:00] Alicia's nonfiction picks: memoirs, economics, music[03:30] What led Alicia to start Reads with Alicia on Substack[05:00] Building a bookish community online — Substack, BookTok & beyond[07:00] Alicia's Seasonal Reads with Friends collaboration series[08:30] The episode's trope: "Woman quits job to open a bookshop"[10:00] Book #1 — The Bookshop Woman by Nanako Hanada[13:00] Why book recommendations are an act of care[14:00] Book #2 — Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa[16:00] Book #3 — Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum[19:30] Living your values even in hard times[20:00] Where to find Alicia online & wrap-upJoin the ConversationSubscribe to our Substack for exclusive recommendations. (wtrnblog.substack.com)Follow & Subscribe: What to Read Next Blog | YouTube: What to Read NextSubscribe & leave a review!