Matt Eversmann

Would it suffice it to say that after I'd finished my free but temporary digital galley edition I immediately got myself an audio so no one who visits me can abscond with my copy (a common problem in my house)?
I really enjoyed hearing how so many librarians and booksellers came to do what they really enjoy. It was always a given that they love to read books, smell books, share books, but there are so many other intangibles that made this such a great read. The fact that each is in their own words makes it even better!
I requested and received a free temporary digital galley edition from Little, Brown and Company via NetGalley. Thanks for sharing!… (más)

The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians is the newest compilation between James Patterson and Matt Eversmann.

The sub title is True Stories of the Magic of Reading. I actually liked this better than the 'secret lives'.

Having worked in a library and a bookstore, I eagerly picked up the book and dove in. I was hooked by the first story, so I read another and another and...

I found so many relatable outlooks, memories, experiences and more from many view points. Shop owners, book buyers, school librarians, public libraries, booksellers and more. All with a love of books and reading. Finding the book for someone is a wonderful feeling. I've found bookstores and libraries to be my happy places.

I enjoyed the stories that were included. I wonder if some additional tales could have been also included. Such as visiting libraries for those who can't get to the bricks and mortar building. Prison libraries. Little Free Libraries, etc.

All in all, I enjoyed this book. Short entries let you have a beginning and ending when you're busy. And I really connected with many others.… (más)

When I was a little girl I wanted to sit at a desk in the library and have children come up to me and ask what book they should read. I was eager to recommend my favorites. Charlotte’s Web. The Black Stallion. A Child’s Garden of Verses. The Shy Stegosaurus of Cricket Creek.

A few years later we moved and the new city had a large library. I wanted to see the books on the other side, but Mom said they were for adults. I wondered what was in those books. When I was twelve I prowled the stacks on that side, bringing home books on art and Greek myths. There was a large desk in the middle of the library, and I was sure that the job of the woman who sat there was the one I had coveted.

I was a bookstore manager for a few years where my husband was attending seminary. Students hung out there to kill time between classes. I learned what books the teachers were talking about and ordered copies which were quickly claimed. I was the first to make a profit at the nonprofit bookstore! I could order books at a 40% discount and took advantage of it to build my personal library. It was my favorite job ever. I peaked in my career at age 22.

After completing my degree in English I thought about going for a librarian degree. Instead, I got a job writing promotional literature, had a baby, and took our son to libraries. As a teenager, our son volunteered at the library’s resale store. My spouse is on the library board where we now live. We helped start a library book club that has been going on for nearly nine years.

Our librarians must contend with so many things today: shrinking budgets, open carry guns, individuals complaining about specific books that don’t meet their personal standards. Even the quilts we hang in the library sometimes get censored!

When a social media friend, a librarian, mentioned she was in this book I had to pick it up. It is a delightful read, full of the kind of people I imagined becoming some day.

My goal, my passion, is to become a special kind of matchmaker–matching people with books.
Kelley Moore quoted in The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians

The people who were interviewed for this book reflect on the joy of their work and the challenges they face in today’s culture. Holly Strong, a Barnes & Noble bookstore manager, tells the story of helping a troubled teenager find books that could bring affirmation and connection. She ends with, “To be that support for a complete stranger, who doesn’t feel like a stranger anymore–that’s the power and magic of my job.”

Those who love books want to get books into the hands of others. I may not be a seller of books or librarian, but as a book reviewer I still get to tell people about books they should read. If you are a reader, a lover of book, and want to be inspired by the stories of others who love books, this book is for you!

Thanks to the publisher for a free book.… (más)