Likely Stories - The Book of Doors

It feels like The Night Circus, Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Willy Wonka all rolled together, and it’s a beautiful thing. Cassie works in a bookstore and has wonderful, regular conversations with an old man who is a frequent patron. When this man dies in his chair at the bookshop and leaves Cassie a mysterious leather-bound book full of runes and drawings, she is surprised and intrigued. This is the Book of Doors, and it makes any door into every door, giving the holder the ability to go literally anywhere they imagine by simply possessing the book. Soon Cassie and her roommate Izzy are imagining all the possibilities at their fingertips—travel, exploration, adventure, all for free and as soon as they wish. But the Book of Doors is not the only magical book in existence, and there are those who would seek such books for power and malice instead of personal pleasure.

There is the Book of Light, which casts away all shadows; the Book of Pain, which gives the user the ability to render immense harm; the Book of Luck, which provides fortuitous advantages; the Book of Despair, which alters the mental state of a user; the Book of Shadows, which allows a holder to operate under cover of darkness; and so many more. Drummond Fox, also known as The Librarian, has been chasing down books to collect them and running from his own trauma for decades, and he is keen to help protect Cassie as well as to secure the Book of Doors from nefarious would-be owners, the worst of whom is simply named “the woman”.

There are elements of time travel in the book (going in and out of doors can lead you back and forth in time, resulting in seeing a new or old version of yourself—a little hard to keep straight) as well as elements of people using magic, but this is a book that is grounded in reality. It asks the question “What if this were possible?” and then shows us every eventuality. The ability Brown has to see the scope of the story is admirable and his creativity for using books as plot devices is brilliant. I had a few quibbles with Cassie’s own belabored descriptions, and by the time we reached the end, I really wanted just five more pages to wrap everything back together and address every little detail. But sometimes the beauty of a story is leaving something unsaid, leaving the reader’s imagination to fill in those gaps, leaving the door open for the reader to either close or walk through.

RECENT EPISODES OF LIKELY STORIES

Likely Stories - Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

Haven’t we all thought at one point how nice it would be to get away from the hustle and bustle of workaday life and return to living in simpler times? To disconnect, to live off the land, to embrace true family values? It sounds so refreshing in theory, but I’m not sure I could hack it in reality.

Likely Stories - Bone Valley by Gilbert King

Sometimes the most meaningful gifts come with a story inside them. Bone Valley tells the haunting case of a young man convicted of murder—and the decades-long search for the truth that followed. It’s a gripping look at justice gone wrong, and what it takes to make it right. Trust me—you won’t see the final turn coming.

Likely Stories - The 10 by E. A. Hanks

Gia Chevis reviews The 10 by E.A. Hanks—a reflective road trip memoir about memory, identity, and finding meaning in small moments along the way.

Likely Stories - Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

A charming but mysterious stranger arrives in a college town. He skirts questions about himself and his past, but soon becomes a vital part of the community through his kindness, his generosity, and his willingness to be friends with anyone.Welcome to “Likely Stories.”I’m Diane Kemper.

Likely Stories - The Compound by Aisling Rawle

Love Island meets Lord of the Flies meets Survivor meets Big Brother is a heavy mantle for a book to carry, but it’s an accurate description of what you’ll think of when you read The Compound by Aisling Rawle.

Teaching Under the Influence by Sandra Walters

"Every Kid Deserves a Champion" is a famous quote by educator powerhouse Rita Pearson. For years, teachers have been considered champions for students regardless of their economic background, academic growth, race, or behavior. History.

Likely Stories - Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

Hello. My name is Douglas Henry, Dean of the Honors College at Baylor University, with this week’s edition of Likely Stories. Fantasy writer R.F. Kuang published her sixth novel last year. It’s called Katabasis, an odd but fitting Greek word for her story of academic misadventure.

Likely Stories - A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon

Have you ever felt overwhelmed, and maybe just a bit freaked out, by the absurd enormity of inhabiting a fragile body in a rapidly-changing and dangerous world? George Hall has, a little too often. I’m Gia Chevis, and for this week’s installment of Likely Stories on KWBU, I’m recommending A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

Likely Stories - A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst

A married couple’s long awaited adventure at sea becomes a disaster and a nearly four month long deperation to stay alive.

Likely Stories - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I don't know if there is a more perfect book. I've read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern five times (unheard of for someone like me who does not ever reread books), and each time I find myself utterly captivated by this beautiful, mystical story of love, magic, sweeping talents and mystery, and the ties that bind us to each other.