Review: The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians - James Patterson and Matt Eversmann

Review: The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians - James Patterson and Matt Eversmann - April 2024


The moment I heard about this book's release, I knew it had to be mine. And honestly? OMFG. Every single page felt like it was written specifically for me – like the author had somehow crawled inside my brain and mapped out my soul. "This is you, Paula," each chapter whispered, and I couldn't look away.

But here's the thing about books that mirror your heart so perfectly – they also hold up a reflection of what you've lost. Reading this stirred something bittersweet in me, because once upon a time, I lived and breathed this world. Working in the library wasn't just a job; it was my calling. Helping customers discover their next favourite read, doing readers advisory that's where my passion lived, where my heart sang loudest.

Then the environment turned toxic. The place that once felt like sanctuary became suffocating, pushing me to dark places I never thought I'd go – to the edge where suicidal thoughts whispered their terrible lies. I had to escape. I had to choose myself and my mental health, even though it meant walking away from something I loved.

April 2021 was my last day, and I haven't set foot in a library since. The PTSD lingers like a shadow, and you know what the strangest part is? I don't miss it. Not the building, not the staff, not that toxic environment. But I miss the customers fiercely - those beautiful relationships we built over shared book enthusiasm, the genuine conversations about stories that changed us, watching regulars grow and evolve. That community connection? I grieve it still.

My dream, if I ever win Lotto, is opening my own bookstore or starting a book charity like Dolly Parton's Imagination Library - getting books into every child's hands, spreading literacy like wildflowers.

This book is for anyone who believes books aren't just objects but lifelines, for people who want to spread stories across the world like gospel. It'll make you feel understood, seen, and utterly at home.

Meanwhile, I'll keep sharing my book love through my review blog, my Instagram @NZGeekChic, Goodreads, and StoryGraph. I'll keep being a Book Fairy, leaving treasures in random places for strangers to discover. And if anyone needs a passionate bookseller, school librarian, or bookshop team member – I'm listening.

Some of us are meant to connect people with stories. This book knows that truth intimately.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4r3nsx4