“A grandmother visits with her grandson.
‘He’s seven, she says to me. “We’ve been reading a lot of books and I’ve been reading aloud to him, and I’m hoping for some recommendations for some new books.’
I smile. ‘We can definitely do that.’ I look to the boy a say, ‘Well, my friend, tell me what you like. Do you like fantasy books or do you like books that are more realistic, stories that could happen in real life?’
Without missing a beat, the seven-year-old looks at me and says, ‘ I like realistic fiction with an emotional twist.'” (p. 239)
The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: True Stories of the Magic of Reading celebrates people who sell books and help readers find books. James Patterson and Matt Eversmann love reading and use these dozens of short descriptions of what librarians and booksellers actually do in the United States and Canada to reveal the joys of books.
Of the many stories of librarians in this book, the one that stood out to me was the one about Diego Sandoval Hernadez, the Supervising Librarian for Jail and Prison Services at the Brooklyn Publican Library in Brooklyn, New York. Hernadez brings library books to Rikers Island for the prisoners.
And, of all the dozens of stories of bookstore workers included in The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians, my favorite was Mike Bursaw’s exploits as owner of Mystery Mike’s in Carmel, Indiana. Mystery Mike specializes in First Editions, signed books, and buying massive collections. I love the story of Mike getting a phone call from a woman in Madison, Wisconsin:
“‘When my mother died,’ says the woman on the other end of the line, ‘my father devoted himself to collecting books. He took excellent care of them right up until the day he passed away.’
‘How many books are you looking to sell?’
‘Roughly fifty thousand.'” (p. 119)
Mike Bursaw recruits George Easter and Mike Dillman to join him in journey to Madison, Wisconsin to check out this massive book collection. Fascinating!
If you love books, booksellers, and librarians, The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians shows how wonderful they truly are! GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
AUTHOR’S NOTE — vii
Part one. To be a bookseller, you have to play detective — 1
Part two. I could talk about books forever — 71
Part three. I can’t imagine what people do without books in their lives — 141
Part four. It doesn’t matter what you like to read, as long as you like to read — 213
Part five. Just one more chapter, please, just one more chapter — 279