An amateur no more...

 

 

 So, this past week, I realized a life-long dream.  After years of working the amateur circuit, I have become a professional bookseller.  What's an amateur bookseller, you may be asking?  Well, I've had a pretty fierce case of bookseller-envy going, and it wasn't at all uncommon for me to loiter in a bookstore for hours, hand-selling favorite titles to random customers, answering questions... possibly moving friends' books to more advantageous shelf positions.

 

I am delighted to announce that I've been hired by Bookshop West Portal, one of San Francisco's

finest independent booksellers.  (Thank you Neal, Kevin, & Richard!)  I've been shopping at Bookshop West Portal for years.  They've also hosted some of my favorite author events: Ann Patchett, Gary Shteyngart, Jonathan Tropper, my pal Matt Richtel, and so many more.  My new co-workers are people I want as friends.  Take my word for it, it's a really good place!

 

It was kind of fun to announce this new job to friends and the world.  There was a widespread cry of "You're perfect for it!"  And I was tickled by the number of best-selling authors who took the time to congratulate me.  I spend so much time with writers; I can't wait to see a friend show up in the shop to sign stock.  And I've already started hand-selling my favorite books.  Please don't tell my new bosses, but this feels a bit like being paid (albeit modestly) to do what I normally do:

• Follow the publishing industry
• Read a bunch of books
• Talk to people about them

Best. Job. Ever.

So, yes, it's business as usual around here, but now when I read the PW Daily, I can feel noble.  "This is for work," I say.  Peruse reviews in the New York Times--for work.  Earlier tonight I was schmoozing with a Pulitzer Prize winner and a National Book Award winner--for work.  And I'm reading more than ever, which, as you know, is saying something.

I fear that my television viewing--already well below the national average--is going to suffer.  As these things go, I've probably read more new titles than the average bookseller.  My iPhone tells me that I read an average of 4.3 books a week last year.  But surely I can up that number?  I would really like to read at least 5 books a week this year.  250 books in 2014 sounds like a reasonable goal.  After just a few days in the store, it's become incredibly obvious just how much easier it is to (a) sell a book, and (b) help a customer, if you've actually read every book in the store.  Happily, I was able to compare and contrast The Goldfinch and The Luminaries for a customer this week.  (That's 1,600 pages right there.)  I was able to give my personal seal of approval to Lisa O'Donnell's debut novel, The Death of Bees to a nervous book club reader.  I was able to recommend Robin Sloan's Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore and Ernie Cline's Ready Player One for the woman looking for something light to bring a sick friend.

Oh, can we talk gifts?  I wrapped a lot of gifts this week!  (This is actually pathetic.  My family will attest that my gift-wrapping skills are remedial at best.  So much to learn.)  But the subject of gifts reminds me of the best thing I saw this week, and it happened on my very first day.  It was the best omen imaginable.

Bookshop West Portal is tremendously valued by the local community.  It's so incredibly obvious.   Any number of customers mentioned how important it was to support their local independent bookstore as I rang them up.  And there's a terrific core of super-friendly regulars.  They're greeted by name, as I am in so many bookstores across the city.  I was warmly welcomed by all that I met.  That first day I met a customer that I'll simply refer to as "the Hungarian Gentleman."  He came by to pick up a special order that included hardback copies of Wildwood and Under Wildwood by Colin Meloy (which are already out in paperback).  "How many copies of these books do you think I buy?" he asked my colleague.  His guess of "a dozen" was a little low.  Apparently, it was more like 30 copies of each book.  This lovely man, this Hungarian Gentleman, buys these beautiful books to hand out to random young people that he meets as he goes through his daily life.  He'll stop and gift them to a kid on the street and go on his way. 

The Hungarian Gentleman had to feed his meter.  He dropped off the books in his car and came back.  While he was browsing, a teenage girl came in looking for a copy of Veronica Roth's latest, Allegiant.  I didn't witness this interaction, but he must have approached her.  He wound up buying her copies of both Meloy books, as well as her copy of Allegiant.  It was a not inconsiderable total, and he was so clearly happy to do it.  This Hungarian Gentleman is a literary Santa Claus!  (I'm not kidding; I've heard he sometimes takes poor booksellers out for meals.  Amazing.)  This man is doing everything possible to foster a love of reading in these young people, no strings attached.  I didn't know people like this existed.  I mean, I've been a Bookcrosser for years, but this is taking the  Random Act of Literary Kindness (RALK) to a whole new level.  And I get to work in a store where such people congregate.

I've only been on the job for a week.  I haven't had to schlep boxes of books until my back aches.  I haven't had a customer give me grief over a bad recommendation.  I haven't had the slightest negative experience.  I'm not an idiot.  Shiny, new jobs fade, and bad days are a part of life.  But, you know what?  Everyone who knows me knows that I was born to be a bookseller.  I already have been a bookseller.  I think that this is going to be a good fit.

Mailbox Monday: I can't resist a sale edition

Well, you can't say that I didn't warn you that there's be a long list this week!

Field Gray
by Philip Kerr
Release date:  4/14/2011
Source:  paper galley from publisher

Well, easy come, easy go.  This was given away at my San Francisco Book Crossing (SFBX) meeting on the day it arrived.  I've given away other galleys from this series there, and they're gotten a positive response.

The Floor of Heaven: A True Tale of the Last Frontier and the Yukon Gold Rush
by Howard Blum
Release date:  4/26/2011
Source:  paper galley from publisher

This looks very interesting.  I read very little non-fiction, but I'm not ready to give this up yet.  I may have to read it.

The Wilder Life
by Wendy McClure
Release date:  4/14/2011
Source:  paper galley from publisher

More intriguing non-fiction.  This memoir of obsession for the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House on the Prairie books looks very cute.  I suspect there's someone out there that wants to read this book way more than I do.  Possible future giveaway.

The Kor
by Warren Fahy
Release date:  3/14/2011
Source:  purchased from Amazon via Kindle

I think I've established a willingness to purchase anything this author puts out.  I'm sure I'll sample it sooner or later, though I'm not sure I want to read it.  We'll see.

The Road
by Cormac McCarthy
Release date:  9/26/2006
Source:  purchased via Audible.com $5 book sale

This is the year I finally gave audio books a serious listen.  I'm not a whole-hearted convert, and I generally have paper copies of the books I listen to.  I frequently read along, or switch back and forth.  Still, some books work really well in audio, and it allows me to maximize my reading time, i.e. while browsing in the mall, stitching embroidery, etc.  I love my Audible.com monthly subscription, and I have an absolute weakness for their frequent sales!  Grabbing up a pile of $5 audio books is like the old days of binging on remaindered hardbacks.  I miss those days.  I spend so little on books these days that I have no problem with an occasional splurge like this.  And, as the last literate person in America not to read this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, and given the fact that it's less than seven hours long unabridged, picking it up is a no-brainer.

How to Talk to a Widower
by Jonathan Tropper
Release date:  7/17/2007
Source:  purchased via Audible.com $5 book sale

You may recall that I finally read my first Tropper novel, This is Where I Leave You and loved it.  I'm more than happy to give another one a try.

Grave Peril (Dresden Files #3)
by Jim Butcher
Release date:  4/1/2000
Source:  purchased via Audible.com $5 book sale

Well, obviously I've been aware of this bestselling series for years.  I never so much as looked at one of the books until the first book in the series was offered during the last Audible sale.  I listed to 15 minutes of that book this morning, and based on that I've decided to pick up #3 for light "reading" later. 

A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages
by Kristin Chenoweth
Release date:  4/14/2009
Source:  purchased via Audible.com $5 book sale

I'm so not proud of this.  I've resisted picking up this book for two years now.  I resisted it during previous Audible sales.  I am actively disinterested in Chenoweth's faith, and passively disinterested in her love life...  But I love the theater.  And that part--which is presumably the largest part--might be pretty darn interesting.  Don't judge me.

A Prayer for Owen Meany
by John Irving
Release date:  3/28/1989
Source:  purchased via Audible.com $5 book sale

THIS IS MY FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME.  A statement so bold it needs a font to show it.  I've read this masterpiece twice, but the second time couldn't hold a candle to the joy of reading it for the first time.  I've had this audio book on my Audible wish list since I first subscribed.  I wonder if I can recapture some of the magic by experiencing it in a new medium?  This was the ultimate no-brainer.  Oh, and this sale continues until March 22nd, so there are likely to be a few more $5 audio books next week.

The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles Book #1)
by Patrick Rothfuss
Release date:  3/27/2007
Source:  purchased with audible.com credit

With the recent high-profile release of the second book in this series, I've heard too many good things from too many respected people not to be curious about these books.

Prophecy
by S.J. Parris
Release date:  5/3/2011
Source: paper galley from publisher

This is a great-looking cover.  This appears to be the sequel of a well-received historical thriller called Heresy.  Anyone read it?  Looks interesting.  I've never read Parris.

Sleight of Hand
by Peter Beagle
Release date:  3/1/2011
Source:  paper galley from publisher

Hold on to your hats, but I have never read any Beagle.  I know, I know.  This collection of stories looks really delightful, and I'm looking forward to diving in.  I'll probably read one story at a time between novels.  BTW, another great cover!



Books finished this week: 

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown - A review will be posted this week.

Currently reading: 

The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht (paper galley) - I'm almost done and loving this novel!

Storm Front (Dresden Files #1) by Jim Butcher (audio book) - Yeah, I got sucked in.  It's easy, entertaining, and much better than current bestseller A Discovery of Witches.


So, what books have you acquired this week?  What books have you been reading?  Please feel free to share in the comments.

"My marriage ended the way these things do: with paramedics and cheesecake."

This Is Where I Leave You: A Novel

by Jonathan Tropper

It’s always the same story with me… Hear about an intriguing author. Start purchasing (or acquiring) their novels. Keep purchasing (or acquiring) their novels. Never get around to reading them. Well, eventually I do, and then I’m glad to have the backlist standing by.

I’ve finally read Jonathan Tropper! Talk about being worth the wait. This is Where I Leave You was a delight from start to finish. As you may have gathered from the quote that titles this review, the first-person narrator, Judd Foxman, is in some distress. Not only has his marriage fallen apart, it’s taken his career with it. And in the first sentence of the book he learns that his father has died. It’s this latest loss that’s the catalyst for all the events that follow.

Despite a life-long lack of faith, apparently his father’s dying wish was for his surviving family to sit Shiva in the Jewish tradition. For seven days. Constant togetherness. To honor this request, Judd joins his mother, three siblings, and assorted other family, friends, and loved ones for the longest, most drama-filled, and downright funniest week ever. Here’s an example of the cleverness of Tropper’s writing, “He is the Paul McCartney of our family: better-looking than the rest of us, always facing a different direction in pictures, and occasionally rumored to be dead.” I laughed all the way through the novel.

I don’t need to fill you in on any more plot points or specifics. This is a dysfunctional family. Odds are that you’ll recognize some or all of these characters. You just may laugh until you cry.