Ruth Shaw runs two tiny bookshops in the remote village of Manapouri in Fiordland, in the deep south of New Zealand. This rich memoir weaves together stories of the characters who visit her bookshops, musings about favourite books, and bittersweet stories from Ruth's full and varied life. She's sailed through the Pacific for years, been held up by pirates, worked at Sydney's Kings Cross with drug addicts and prostitutes, campaigned on numerous environmental issues, and worked the yacht Breaksea Girl with her husband, Lance. Underlining all her wanderings and adventures are some very deep losses and long held pain. Balancing that out is her beautiful love story with Lance, and her delightful sense of humour. This will make you weep and make you laugh and make you want to read more books and make you want to visit Ruth and her two wee bookshops.