The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians

 

The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann provides an intriguing look at who becomes these important roles in our society.  As a librarian myself, I know that the journey one takes to get to that work is incredibly different for each person.  I enjoyed the short snapshots of these people, both in their library work but also as individuals.  

The authors also delve into the lives of booksellers, with whom I am less familiar. I was surprised to learn about booksellers outside of the independent bookstore world.  At times the big-box stores and corporations get a bad reputation for wiping out smaller bookstores and this book gave some of those booksellers a chance to give their perspective.  The rich descriptions of the bookstores and libraries themselves did cause me to seek some out while vacationing in the areas that were cited in the book.  To my delight, they were just as charming and special as the authors described. This book is a great read for adults who are interested in the literary world on the end of getting books out to readers and making connections with communities that last a lifetime.