The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: True Stories of the Magic of Reading

Zonderman works as the head of reference and adult services as well as the school district liaison for the public library in Westhampton Beach, New York. Some of her earliest memories involve being read to as a child, and she spent much of her childhood in the local library. Zonderman volunteered at the library while working as a lawyer before switching careers, and she enjoys sharing book recommendations from her centenarian grandmother with patrons. The library offers many lesser-known services like document notarization, exercise classes, and language courses.

Walcott works as the general manager for the bookstore Coles, a subsidiary of the Canadian bookstore chain Indigo Books and Music, in Edmonton, Alberta. She rediscovered her love for books years after burning out while studying English literature at university and now enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for literature with equally enthusiastic customers. Walcott doesn’t believe that technology is supplanting books, which are still hugely popular with audiences young and old; instead, social media allows people to share their excitement.

Duffy is the store manager at Barnes & Noble in Tempe, Arizona. Their favorite genre is romance, which they discovered after setting up a book exchange at their former workplace. They manage the romance section of the store, and it is one of their top selling categories, even though many people are dismissive or embarrassed of the genre. They recall the popularity of 50 Shades of Grey even before it was picked up by a major publishing house. Customers often buy books they are shy about ordering over the phone to pick up discretely, and Duffy recalls how indignant one customer was in her embarrassment when the process did not run smoothly.

Yarbrough works as the publicity assistant for the independent bookstore Chronicle Books in Bainbridge Island, Washington. Yarbrough was raised in a very literary household, and although she struggled initially with reading due to dyslexia, she quickly came to love how reading and discussing books made her feel closer to her parents. Yarbrough’s father helped her to rediscover the pleasure of reading for leisure after college left her burnt out, and she now loves helping customers to find and choose books. Booksellers need to know a lot about books to effectively help customers, and customers can find it frustrating to wait for orders to arrive these days. Children can be incredibly patient waiting for new releases, however, and are always excited when long-awaited titles come in.

Nichol is a bookseller at the chain bookstore Indigo Shawnessy in Calgary, Alberta, in Canada. He is a navy vet who has been mistaken for George R. R. Martin on numerous occasions when attending conventions. He found that there was initially a steep learning curve when starting out as a bookseller, but he now loves helping out customers and is close with many authors. His favorite books are on sci-fi and military history. Nichols recalls how his bookstore became an information hub for the community during the 9/11 terrorist attacks until their servers went down.

Dabney is the adult services librarian for a membership library, Seattle Athenaeum, in Seattle, Washington. Public libraries were not widespread in America until the 19th century, mostly due to the efforts of industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Member libraries, where members pay a fee to access a collection of books, are an older institution. Dabney is fascinated by the art of translation and tries to encourage critical thinking skills by running book discussion clubs. Dabney enjoys reading and admires how much work and care goes into the writing of books.

Berry owns the independent bookstore Berry & Co. in Sag Harbor Village, New York. Her first business was a bookstore named Harbor Books in the same town, which she ran for three years before pivoting to do more private and bespoke sales in the new store. She always tried to make sure that her bookstore carried a little bit of every kind of topic and viewpoint, and she firmly opposes censorship. Berry fondly remembers when the wedding party of a famous author friend of hers ended up relocating and gathering in her bookstore late at night to check out each other’s books and make toasts.

Haynes is a district manager for Books-A-Million in Tampa, Florida. She has always loved reading, even age-inappropriate books that she snuck from her mother. Now, she tries to give parents guidance about suitable books for children but never refuses to make a sale because she is firmly opposed to censorship. She has been working for the bookstore chain for 15 years now, and every store still feels like a family business. Each one is a little different, but the staff and customers are always so enthusiastic that it can’t help but rub off on Haynes.

Roy was a librarian for 44 years, having previously worked as a medical research librarian and children’s librarian all over the US. She was encouraged to love reading from a young age by her mother, and she encourage other parents who want their children to read more to set a good example by doing so themselves. She loves how interested children are in researching the world around them and how excited they are to find a friendly ear willing to listen about their favorite books. Roy learned to use computers as they were becoming more widely used in school and libraries and believes that everyone should commit to lifelong learning.

Holman is the co-owner of the independent bookstore King’s English Bookshop in Salt Lake City, Utah. She recalls once serving a celebrity, a member of the band Led Zeppelin, without any notion of his famous identity until informed afterward. The bookstore runs midnight release parties for anticipated children’s books, which are always fun and exciting. Recently, she expanded the store to create an extra children’s room, which she decorated with funding from a grant courtesy of James Patterson.

Cheney runs the Juvenile Justice Literacy Project in the San Francisco Bay area of California. She’s won major national awards for her service as a librarian in prisons and especially juvenile prisons. She initially found it particularly difficult to engage female prisoners but found that organizing author events to hear female writers speak was transformative and revelatory for her. Working with young people in juvenile detention facilities is particularly fulfilling, particularly when Cheney can help find books that excite previously disinterested children.

Burner works as the assistant manager, children’s buyer, and gift buyer at Bookworm of Edwards, an independent bookstore in Edwards, Colorado. He loved the store as a child and was delighted to get a job there after finishing college. Burner has found comfort in books throughout his life—particularly during the COVID-19 lockdown when he realized that he was transgender—and identified with a book character as he came to terms with his own identity. Bookworm is the only bookstore in the area, so it partners with many nonprofits and other organizations to provide for the community.