Stories by real reference librarians, digital archivists, booksellers, collectors, archivists, and others involved with books and reading. I loved these brief essays by the varieties of people who deal with and in books and those that read. I so agree with this quote from one of the essays:

"Students need to be able to see themselves in books, but also to be exposed to and experience somebody else's life through books."

Independent bookstore owners are also valued in the book community, as they give personal attention to their customers, whose reading preferences they begin to know very well. There is a section of this collection with essays written by independent bookstore owners.

This is a valuable book to have with easy to read stories that you can go back to time and again for book lovers' thoughts and experiences.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I enjoyed this book about libraries, librarians, and booksellers trying to keep reading at the forefront. It made me feel empowered as a public librarian.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for gifting me a digital ARC of this series of short essays edited by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

If you love books, bookstores, and libraries, you will find yourself in these pages. From all over the country (and probably close to you wherever you are), booksellers and librarians share their stories about how they love books, how they got their jobs, why they hate the thought of banning books. There's lots of love shown to James Patterson here too in various stories. I learned a lot - how libraries reflect their communities and strive to include people in such unique ways. This was just like listening to friends talk about books - because everyone who knows the magic of reading is your friend.

It’s not just people who love reading who have a tremendous fondness for libraries and bookstores. These community hubs and those who work in them are valuable to readers and information seekers. They offer books and programs for little children, teens and adults. James Patterson is an author who certainly appreciates the people who have helped make him an immensely popular novelist through sales or library loans. In this nonfiction book, numerous booksellers and librarians from different parts of the country share their stories of how they became a supplier, a promoter or even a distributor of reading materials. Each person details their road to their job, memorable interactions with readers and a bit about their love of what they do.

As a retired school librarian, there were many stories that resonated with me. Some chronicled their attempts to help someone find just the right book or felt satisfaction at hearing delightful comments from people about a book that impressed them or taught them something. Book displays, programs and author talks were common sources of pride. Their enthusiasm for their jobs was a common refrain in the book and one that I heartily agree with. Some of the segments even addressed the difficulties of dealing with attempts to censor or ban books.

Overall, it is the love of sharing books that is readily apparent and shines brightly. Each bookseller or librarian has a passion for their job and believes wholeheartedly in the value of reading and helping adults and children find just the right book. This book is heartwarming and sheds a positive light on people who lend or sell books. Though there’s much the individuals have in common, each vignette has its own personal attitude and voice. I applaud Patterson and Eversmann for showcasing the value of purveyors of books, especially in our digital age where so many are consumed by social media. Three cheers for those on the front lines who promote books and are willing to help others find just the one.

This collection of stories was the biggest "hug" to librarians and booksellers. As a a librarian, I appreciated the stories and was able to relate them to similar situations that I have experienced in the field. I would recommend this book to any book loving person. It is the sweetest account of how impactful the responsibilities of librarians and booksellers are on the world.

I loved this book! Loved the stories from booksellers and especially librarians. It's so nice to hear from behind the scenes.

James Patterson's attempt to give back to librarians and booksellers everyone who stocks every permutation of his books in multiple copies. I thought so many of these stories fell flat and missed the looming crisis of literature, critical thinking, and book bans. We are whistling in the dark here.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it to others.

Absolutely a love story to the booksellers and librarians of the world.. Spoken in their own words, this collection of personal reasons why they pursued that particular JOB. It is enlightening and heartening to hear these stories from such wonderful people.

I love to read, always have. I credit this to learning to read at an early age along with a few terrific teachers..and librarians. Even the one who advised me that I was too young to read a Grown up book.

If you like to go to the library, or just like to read…you will enjoy this book immensely. It just felt like kindred souls speaking to me from the pages.
I highly recommend.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me this ARC.

I was so thrilled to read this book after reading the description. I’m a bibliophile and work in publishing - it’s a perfect getaway. I had a hard time connecting with the content, however, because there were too many stories that weren’t long enough in my opinion. It felt a tad modge podged together. I enjoyed it while I read it, but didn’t pine for more when away.

James Patterson never fails to surprise me.
I am a fan of his thrillers but every so often he writes a heartwarming book that makes me put everything down and just read.
Thank you for this book.
I am recommending this as a loveletter to books and the people who love them.

I really appreciated the time and effort put into this. The subjects included provided perfect sound bites from a word filled page perspective.

Moderately interesting read, but lacked depth. Those that are passionate about the book industry might be disappointed. Could do without the self-promotion.

Book lovers of all types will adore these mini stories from book people around the country. A nice mix of indie and larger retail bookstores as well as various types of librarians means there's something for everyone. This book reminded me of the joy loving books and bookish people can bring and made me reflect on my own journey.

If this book was poetry, it would be an ode to librarians and booksellers. As a school librarian and public librarian, I really felt like James Patterson was giving me a really big "atta girl". What he gave me in return was a peek inside of book stores and libraries with all the different positions that I didn't even know existed. Although this book really has no plot, it has LOTS of interesting characters, many settings of libraries and book stores and one central theme that comes through in all the stories--people that work with books LOVE their jobs and come in all sizes, shapes, and their main goal is to help people--books are how they do it.

As a book lover, I am drawn to books about books or the love of books. It's one of my favorite themes and grabs my attention from the get-go.

Patterson, a wise man, knows which side of his bread is buttered and he is not shy about telling all who will listen about his love of librarians and book sellers and what we do. This book is a testament to that. He literally puts his money where his mouth is. He had librarians and book sellers from across the US tell their stories, which is both cool and a double edged sword when it is obvious they weren't edited much. Many of the vignettes in the book just kind of...end. Not in a natural way, but in the way where you are at a party or at a work meeting chit chatting with someone you just met and they tell you an incredibly interesting story and you have a great conversation, and then they don't stick the landing and the parting is awkward and stilted. I think a little more polish and the stories would have had more of an impact other than a dull letdown.

Still, I do appreciate being able to read about other book sellers and librarians and their experiences. Also, in keeping with Patterson's penchant for short chapters, the vignettes aren't too long and it's easy to say to yourself, "Just one more..." and continue reading.

This was a Buddy Read where I was SLOOOOW in finishing it (sorry Buddy!), but I am glad that we read it together and that I had a push to finish it.

4, I enjoyed this and hope we see a Part 2 in the future, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown and Company for an eARC of this book to read and review.

I really enjoyed reading these relatable stories! A good, easy non-fiction with some uplifting and funny stories.

This book was a fun one. With little stories anecdotes from booksellers and librarians about a love of books and readers, it felt like being among friends. One librarian who shared a story is even from my local library system, so that was super cool. Definitely recommend for book lovers.

Funny, heartwarming stories that show the inventiveness, and creative, caring nature of those who make books their career. I loved hearing stories of authors and how the people in the book came to their jobs.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians 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 individual people. 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.