Hello mike.franks,
Thank you for reaching out in Apple Support Communities. You've done an excellent job with the troubleshooting steps for the Books app. There's one additional step we recommend for you to do and that is to delete, then re-install the Books app. Here's how:
How to delete an app
1. Touch and hold the app.
2. Tap Remove App .
3. Tap Delete App, then tap Delete to confirm.
These steps are outlined here: Delete apps on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support
Then, let's redownload the app by following these steps:
How to redownload apps on iPhone or iPad
1. Open the App Store app.
2. Tap the sign-in button or your photo at the top of the screen.
3. Tap Purchased.
4. If you use Family Sharing, tap My Purchases or choose a family member’s name to see content that they purchased.
5. Tap "Not on this [device]."
6. Find the app that you want to download, then tap the download button .
You can reference these steps through this helpful article: Redownload apps and games from Apple - Apple Support
Kind regards.