This Book Made Me Think of You

by Libby Page

Libby Page's sixth novel, This Book Made Me Think of You, is a gift that keeps on giving. Through her insightful exploration of the many facets of grief, she offers hope without negating what it means to live with unfathomable loss. Along the way, she includes a diverse and meaningful list of literary companions for any journey, but especially one through challenging times.

Tilly Nightingale stopped reading when her husband, Joe Carter, was diagnosed with cancer. Tilly, who grew up in Hay-on-Wye, where "every shop... [is] a bookshop," works as an editor. She met Joe in the Foyles bookshop on Charing Cross Road; he nicknamed her Library Mouse (after the Italian term for bookworm, "topo di biblioteca"). For her to lose interest in books clearly signals a deeper sense of desolation. The novel opens six months after Joe's death, when Alfie Lane, manager of Book Lane bookshop in central London, phones Tilly on January 5--her birthday--to tell her he has a book for her from one Joe Carter. She thinks it's a mistake; he asks her to come in so he can explain.

Thus begins a year-long odyssey for Tilly, through Joe's gift of a book per month for the entire year. This at first draws her back into her love of reading, then gets her cooking, running, and traveling, to Bali, Paris, and Tuscany. Page cleverly structures the book so that Alfie kicks off each month with a thematic list of titles that "Book Lane Recommends," with Tilly's book from Joe sparking the theme.

As the months go on, a friendship grows between Tilly and Alfie. While other people disappear, or try to "help," or don't know what to say, Alfie always has a kind word. "I'm so sorry for your loss," Alfie tells Tilly that fifth day of January, "Not that those words mean much, do they?... But it's hard to come up with an alternative, isn't it? I make my living out of words and I still haven't come up with anything better." Alfie, too, has had his share of loss. And together they enjoy an honest rapport about books, people, and life.

A standout section involves the book Wild Camping, with Tilly enlisting Alfie to help her on a dry run of setting up a tent in a nearby park. The episode affirms Tilly's friendship with Alfie and the lengths she will go to in honoring Joe's gift to (and faith in) her. It also encapsulates a catharsis in her longtime but fragile friendship with ghostwriter Rachel, who disappeared from Tilly's life when Joe was diagnosed, and has recently re-entered it due to a work project. The camping preparations and execution bring into focus just how much Tilly's world has expanded since the early days of her grief, when she barely left the home she shared with Joe, and her sister, Harper, would bring her takeout.

Page insightfully depicts Tilly's journey through grief as two steps forward, one step back. She takes risks, then doubts herself. Begins to trust, then fears the worst. While such experiences are universal, they can feel insurmountable when also swimming through grief. She contends with her sister's misfired attempts to help her "move on," her mixed feelings about Joe's mother, and the resentment she feels toward Rachel, while at the same time seeing Book Lane as a new safe harbor for her.

With a light touch and deep insight, Page exposes the varied ways people experience tremendous heartache, not only Tilly, Alfie, and Joe's mother, who all grieve, but also via the reactions of others to grief, and how hurtful (even unintentionally) they can be. There are wonderful moments, too, such as Tilly meeting the supportive "Paris Grief Gang" (in a roundabout way, through the original Shakespeare & Co. and A Moveable Feast). And Constanza, Tilly's cooking instructor in Tuscany, who tells Tilly she still grieves her husband's death 10 years ago: "My grief is un regalo--a gift. He gave it to me. It is our memories. Our love. I don't want to put it down. I carry it gently."

This Book Made Me Think of You is an eloquent and passionate ode to book lovers, book shops, and booksellers, just right for that person who always has a book in their tote and on their nightstand. It's a novel about how books change people's lives. And it is a book that offers hope to those who've experienced great loss. Tilly doesn't conquer her grief; she learns how to live with it, to honor Joe, and to nurture herself. Her commitment to commemorate their life together leads her to become more self-sufficient and to take risks by experiencing new things, to face her fears and learn that joy can coexist with pain and sorrow. --Jennifer M. Brown

Libby Page (photo: Katherine Barnes)

Before becoming a bestselling author, Libby Page worked in journalism and marketing. Her five previous novels have been published around the world. Page lives in Somerset, England, with her husband and young son. Her favorite bookstores are her local Hunting Raven Books in Somerset and, in New York, The Strand and The Ripped Bodice--both of which make appearances in her sixth novel, This Book Made Me Think of You, a literary, year-long farewell from a husband to his wife, as well as a love letter to books, book lovers, and bookshops (coming from Berkley on February 6, 2026).

There's so much to enjoy about Tilly--she grew up in Hay-on-Wye, she's an editor, Joe calls her "topo di biblioteca," Library Mouse. And yet she finds she doesn't enjoy reading since Joe's diagnosis.

I loved writing Tilly's character. As a bookworm myself, I loved being able to pour all my bookishness into her character. And yet I also liked the idea of writing about someone who has lost their love of reading. Luckily, during tough periods of my own life I have read avidly, finding such an escape in books. But I know that a lot of people struggle to read when times are hard in their own lives. I wanted to write a character who has lost so much at the start of the book and show her journey.

Do you believe that books can provide a salve to people in pain?

My favourite kind of books to read are books that get deep on emotional issues, but that ultimately still feel uplifting. I find it so comforting to see experiences I have been through myself reflected on the page, but through a hopeful lens. That's what I try to do in my own books. I never want to shy away from the hard, sad moments we all experience, because that is the world we live in. I think it can be healing to read about tough issues in a book. A book is a safe place to process pain. But I also genuinely do believe that there is so much goodness and beauty in people and in the world, so it feels true to me to reflect all of that loveliness on the page too. Books have definitely provided a salve for me during tough times, and some of the proudest moments in my career have been when readers [tell] me they chose one of my books to accompany them during a tough time or to gift to a friend who is ill or grieving.

How did you choose the things Joe wanted to give Tilly? They aren't only books, they're also places to go, things to do.

It was quite complicated, I'll be honest! I knew that I wanted the books Joe chose to help Tilly to heal, so I thought about what kinds of books might do that and also what he might choose based on his personality and their relationship. I also knew I wanted the books to inspire Tilly to do things, so I thought hard about what books might spur her into action. I also wanted them to inspire her to go places, as I wanted there to be a travel element in the novel (partly because I think Tilly needed and deserved to go on adventures and partly because I enjoy reading books that feature travel!). And then there was a seasonal element--each book needed to vaguely match up to the month in which Joe gave it to her, and also to where she was in her journey. There was a lot of swapping around of the different titles until I landed on the final year of books.

How did you assemble Alfie's monthly recommended book lists?

I had so much fun writing these lists! Most of the books I recommend are my own personal favorites. I also thought about the books that Alfie would recommend based on his personality and background. Eagle-eyed readers will notice that the theme of the book list each month links to something that happens in that section, so that was an interesting challenge too. I counted up and found out that I recommend over 70 books in This Book Made Me Think of You!

Your books (overall) explore friendship, especially between women. The friendship between Tilly and Rachel is especially moving.

I love writing about female friendships because I believe friendship can be just as meaningful as romantic love. I'm very fortunate to have strong friendships with women I have known since we were children. We have been there at each other's sides as we have grown up and gone through life's ups and downs. I also have friends I have made more recently that have come to hold a very special place in my life. I am lucky enough to be happily married, but being in a romantic partnership doesn't mean I don't still need my friends. Friends bring something unique to my life that simply can't be replaced. While I love writing romantic love stories (I am an avid romance reader) I think friendships deserve celebrating too.

In This Book Made Me Think of You, you explore the different ways people grieve.

Grief comes in many forms. In some ways it is so individual--no one else can know what it's like to have lost your person and your connection to them--but there are also so many things that are universal about grief too. I really wanted to explore the different types of grief in this book in a way that hopefully anyone who has ever lost someone will relate to. There isn't a manual for grief, and everyone heals in their own way--something that Tilly learns in the book. When I was writing I was dealing with several different types of grief myself, which I channeled into the book in a way that I hope makes it feel authentic.

Your book insightfully conveys how people try to "fix" those in mourning. These often come from a place of love but land wrong. So often people witnessing others grieving don't quite know what to say or do. Why was that important to include in Tilly's story?

There are so many things that people say when you're grieving that can be really unhelpful. Like "everything happens for a reason," which can be painful to hear when you are missing a loved one and the thought that there was a reason behind their death feels like too much to process, even cruel. Or "at least you had them for as long as you did," when you'd do anything for one more moment with them. But ultimately, I think when people say things like this they mean well, they are just struggling to find the right words because it is hard to find the right words to cover something as huge as grief. I'm sure that before experiencing loss in my own life I probably unintentionally said unhelpful things, or worse, didn't say enough. I have since read a lot of books about grief, and the one phrase I've heard time and time again that people who have lost someone have found helpful is very simple: "I'm so sorry this happened." I found that very helpful, and wanted to explore this in my book. I think in our society we don't talk enough about grief, so often we feel as though we don't have the tools to support our loved ones through their grief, or even to process our own grief. I hope that the more people talk or write openly about the experience of grieving, this might change. --Jennifer M. Brown