Here and Somewhere Out There

One of the advantages of working as a book reviewer and in a book store is that you get a multitude of advanced reading copies long before the books are published. One of the disadvantages is that you get a multitude of advanced reading copies long before the books are published.

I do like getting the jump on things and having an "in" on books that are highly anticipated. But when I say multitude, I mean just that. Any given season, we get 100-300 ARCs into the store. Now I'm an avid reader, but come on, even I can't keep up with that. Consequently, my pile grows and grows. Often, some books just have to be put on the "someday" pile. And more often than not, a book becomes terribly popular, then the publisher decides an ARC is not needed to create buzz and bolster sales. That means, unlike the general population, I have to wait MUCH longer to read the sequel.

The following books may or may not have sequels, but here's hoping if they do, the publishers won't leave me hanging.

Scorpio Races - Maggie Stiefvater. Carniviorous horses from the sea. A budding romance. A much anticipated race. The perfect combination.

Cinder - by Marissa Meyer. Based on the Cinderella fairytale. This one takes into the distant future and does it well. This quartet (each based on a specific fairytale) will keep everyone wanting more.

The Fault in Our Stars - John Green. We all know that whatever John writes is going to be good, but this one is great. Poignant and heartbreaking, this novel takes a real look at teens with cancer. People will be talking about this one.

Life in a Bookstore

     Almost every week that I've worked at the Blue Marble (8 years now), I've had a customer come in and tell me that "it's their dream to own/work at a bookstore someday." I smile and nod.
     They go on to say, "It must be great being surrounded by all these books and getting the chance to read them whenever you want." I smile and nod, again.
     Why do I do just this? Because telling the truth would not convince them otherwise. They really believe this is the life a bookstore owner/employee -- especially the small, indie kind.
     But the truth is, in 8 years I've read one book inside the walls of this store. That's right. One. And it wasn't even a full book, just the last three chapters of a EACH LITTLE BIRD THAT SINGS (and then I had to try to pull myself together in case customer came in).
     Most bookstore people don't read in store. (Nor do librarians.)
     I do read. At home. The pile of books on my dining room table, my nightstand, and in my car can attest to that. And while I end up loving so many of those books, I rarely look at those ever-growing piles with affection. They are constant reminders of how much work I have to do.
     Some books stay on my pile for a long time. For instance, I finally got around to Life of Pi. It got moved up because my son was reading for his AP English class and wanted to talk about it. When a book is read is really dependent on why I need to read it: One of my favorite authors. A friend's book. The author is visiting the store. I just won a major award.
     It's all part of the job. And it's a valuable part of what I do. When a customer comes in and asks, "I've been hearing about this book, have you read it or do you know anything about it?", I can smile and nod.