Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion

Some books about books

Shelf Respect by Annie Austen
So You Think You're a Bookworm?: Over 20 hilarious profiles of book lovers—from sci-fi fanatics to romance readers by Jo Hoare
The Hollywood Book Club by Steven Rea

The Bookseller's Tale by Martin Latham

This one is a bit more obscure than the rest, but still has interesting titbits. I didn't know marginalia was so fascinating.

I recently finished A Factotum in the Book Trade by Marius Kociejowski. The author spent most of his working career in the antiquarian book business in London. A fun recounting of interesting and odd book buyers, authors, and bosses.

My review:
https://mypointbeing.com/2022/07/15/a...

"Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops" by Shaun Bythell is a good one. He's very funny, observant and insightful. Really, he should be a stand-up comedian.

This one was recommended by Shaun Bythell.

The Bookseller at the End of the World by Ruth Shaw

I couldn't put it down. Mostly a memoir but has some funny anecdotes about customers too.
Like the customer who only wanted to buy green books so she could colour coordinate her shelves. Ruth refused to sell them to her. My books are to be read, not to use as decorations.

Mike wrote: "I recently finished A Factotum in the Book Trade by Marius Kociejowski. The author spent most of his working career in the antiquarian book business in London. A fun recounting of int..."

Now that one sounds interesting. Like The Club Dumas without all the homicides.

My school library gig has ended. I could write a book about it.

My new school library gig has started. I am starting another book about it.

I recommend this book - Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany by Jane Mount

Selina wrote: "My new school library gig has started. I am starting another book about it."

Congrats!

Selina wrote: "My new school library gig has started. I am starting another book about it."

Best wishes with your new job.

'I want to be buried in books' says a year 6 girl to me. Seriously.
I had them all on the floor as I was shifting them and they had fallen over in a big pile in the corner.

Selina wrote: "'I want to be buried in books' says a year 6 girl to me. Seriously.
I had them all on the floor as I was shifting them and they had fallen over in a big pile in the corner."

I think I would like to be buried WITH books. You never know. It won't be heaven without books.

Buried in sounds like a 6 year old to me :) Maybe she meant right then as a game.

Karin wrote: "Buried in sounds like a 6 year old to me :) Maybe she meant right then as a game."

Like being buried in sand at the beach. Sounds like fun!

I picked them up and put them all back on the shelves, which I've now rearranged by genre.

Of course the Principal wasn't happy I did it all without her 'permission' but it's done now. lol.

This book is quite good The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson

College friend Maggie takes over a her friend's bookshop while her friend is on maternity leave. The bookshop only sells classics and acts as one author's local shrine. Maggie starts selling banned books that are published after the author's death and holding cross over book events, like erotic Moby Dick or sci - fi Great Gatsby readings.

But she has to keep it a secret from her friend and her other boss who is part of the local author society cabal that owns the town. Who she also falls in love with.

Hijinks ensue.

I've been cut by the Primary Principal after I sent her 3 naughty boys who were fighting in the library.

Selina wrote: "I've been cut by the Primary Principal after I sent her 3 naughty boys who were fighting in the library."

Wow, wow, wow. Some people's parents! Does she not realize her boys fight?!!! She needs to get her head out of her nether regions.

I hope you find something much better.

I have two job opening leads covering maternity leave and then another actually cataloging medical records at a hospital.

I am not sure yet about any of these yet. I'm now covering teaching Bibles in schools but obviously not the school I worked in as librarian. The Bible? What's that. lol

Thou shalt not fight in the library.

Selina wrote: "I have two job opening leads covering maternity leave and then another actually cataloging medical records at a hospital.

I am not sure yet about any of these yet. I'm now covering teaching Bible..."

At least you have something going on and I am sure something will turn up that will work out for you, and ideally no naughty principal's children.

Well they weren't her own children (she has a daughter in year 13 who keeps a low profile at school) but yea. One year 2 boy stole books from the library and attempted to sell them in his 'bookshop'. He also threatened to kill anyone who didn't give him any money.

Selina wrote: "Well they weren't her own children (she has a daughter in year 13 who keeps a low profile at school) but yea. One year 2 boy stole books from the library and attempted to sell them in his 'bookshop..."

Right, I realize now I read "I sent her three naughty boys" differently than you meant it!

Aren't you supposed to send fighting children to the principal's office?

Karin wrote: "Selina wrote: "Well they weren't her own children (she has a daughter in year 13 who keeps a low profile at school) but yea. One year 2 boy stole books from the library and attempted to sell them i..."

yes...I wasn't the reason they were fighting. They didn't like each other.

I had an extremely controlling and micromanaging Principal, who wanted to take over the library. She was jealous that I had a fun job and she didn't.

Selina wrote: "I had an extremely controlling and micromanaging Principal, who wanted to take over the library. She was jealous that I had a fun job and she didn't."

That makes sense!!!! One of the reasons I managed to get my husband to let me start homeschooling 3 years earlier than I thought I'd get him to agree was because my eldest--has Asperger's but is not Autistic (was was told this by two experts in the field) even if they have lumped those two umbrella diagnoses together--ended up in a school with a micromanaging, controlling principal who made things VERY difficult for us after having much better experiences prior. Even though it turns out she left at the same time we did, getting her out for 7 years was a very good idea for her, just as it was very good that my other two didn't go to brick and mortar schools before 13 even though they don't have Asperger's and some Aspies do well in school.

Children are all different. All of mine are very bright (marks have proved it) but none of mine could thrive there that young each for different reasons, so I am thankful I wasn't living in Germany or any other country where it's illegal to do that. I was able to help set them up for success overall.

I have a LOT of respect for good teachers and good school librarians, but not for teachers who shouldn't be teaching or controlling principals.

I was a rebel with a cause ;)

I think at least one of those 3 boys must have had ADHD or something cos he couldn't concentrate on one thing for more than a few seconds, and you'd tell him something and he'd immediately forget it.
Another boy was very bright but just couldn't be still and was crawling round like a toddler. He got picked on.
The third boy seemed fascinated with guns and weapons. If I gave him paper he'd make a bomb or a paper dart. I asked him to make me a flower or a heart and he did, but I had to keep an eye on him too.
And they all came from different backgrounds, so it was like the United Nations or World War 3.

Selina wrote: "I think at least one of those 3 boys must have had ADHD or something cos he couldn't concentrate on one thing for more than a few seconds, and you'd tell him something and he'd immediately forget i..."

Many bright children can't sit still. A friend of mine's 11 year old son as this problem--very high marks but has trouble sitting still and they don't get much time to move around during the 6 hours at school. He doesn't fight, though, but his teacher is quite nasty and marked him down for spelling on a math quiz that he had done perfectly (not supposed to mark down for spelling in math!) because she just doesn't like him.

FWIW he's a good kid and I am not one to say this if a kid is a PITA.

Those children needed teacher aides I felt sorry for them, they were fine one on one with me but in the same class together they just were like a powder keg. And I couldn't get them to run round outside because their teacher had something else on while I was taking his class and it was a full class of 30 children.

I don't know who's idea it was to have them all in the same class with no teacher aides. Well actually I do, probably the Principal's..and I heard their teacher left soon after me cos I saw his job advertised. It's not the norm for teachers to leave in the middle of term 2. The only help I was given was IEP sheets to put smily faces on them and the admonishment to be firm. But when they acted up the whole class would be chaotic.

I think one could have done with a weighted blanket, the other with a sensory toy or lego or globe and the other one shelving books with me because none of them could really focus on choosing a book to read they were so hyped. I used to have reading tents/tepees in my old library and it was a haven for some children to be able to read on their own with a bit of privacy in an safe space. But I wasn't allowed anything like that in the new library.

Selina wrote: "Those children needed teacher aides I felt sorry for them, they were fine one on one with me but in the same class together they just were like a powder keg. And I couldn't get them to run round ou..."

Not being able to discipline children properly is an enormous problem in the States and Canada. Also, the pendulum has swung to the opposite side of the pendulum for reporting abuse by teachers and sometimes vindictive teens will falsely accuse teachers who lose their jobs (it's not common, but it really happens.) One would need open doors and running cameras to protect oneself for this which is scary.

Some of the senior students were a bit entitled but the management couldn't secure their safety because they were a doing it on the cheap. For example they only had ONE photocopier students use (about 850 enrolled) but they had 4 for the staff (about 60) and there was only ONE library space and the juniors and seniors had to share. This annoyed the seniors and then they blamed me for the junors wanting to use the copier and do their library sessions which would inevitably be a bit noisy with 30 excited children all in there at once.

Older bigger students also tended to viciously bully younger smaller ones instead of what they are supposed to do, which is inspire them, look after them and encourage them.

And sometimes the safest thing you can do IS restrain a child. Hence I thought of installing some car seats/airline seats with safety belts for children that couldn't sit still lol

Selina wrote: "Some of the senior students were a bit entitled but the management couldn't secure their safety because they were a doing it on the cheap. For example they only had ONE photocopier students use (ab..."

As the mother of three children who were all runners when little I agree about restraining being the safest way. My dad used to ridicule safety harness for toddlers but I had to use them because I have only two hands and three children plus I developed a comfortable way to hold their hands so they couldn't breakaway that. involved putting my pinky around their wrists opposing the thumbs. I can be rather inventive.

I had to laugh at safety belts for children who can't sit still. No lie, I used to think my aunt and her husband weren't doing that good of a job because at least one of their children couldn't stay seated at the dinner time. Imagine how I felt when my middle child was the same way! She stayed in a booster seat longer as a result because my Aspie would get going otherwise. This was the daughter who would have failed kindergarten because she was too shy to talk to most people at 5 so keeping her at home was a great option--by the time she went she was perfectly able to talk to others including teachers.

Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books by Cathy Retzenbrink

I REALLY liked this book lol
The author worked in several bookshops (Harrods, Hatchards and Waterstones) and became manager and ambassador for reading. I can so relate. Her dad couldn't read as he was orphaned and had to move around for various mining jobs but learned later as an adult. She got to meet famous authors in the bigger bookstores. Lots of recommended reads. She also wrote her own memoir about her brother that died so might read that at some stage. The Last Act of Love

Why Women Read Fiction: The Stories of Our Lives by Helen Taylor

Another book about books, this time by Oxford academic who surveyed women's reading tastes in fiction in the UK.

I found it all very interesting. Goodreads got a mention...but no Shelfari. And book clubs. I was in a book club once but it didn't like having to read what everyone else picked every month...I guess I just like reading at my own pace and recommending books I like and have read rather than do a big group read.

That book club descended into playing board games and eating and my friend who was also working in the library just wanted to discuss books not gossip and socialise. lol

I think I like buddy reads here if its just one or two people cos we don't have to scrounge around trying to all find the same book. Or if its just a set book like the Bible or say Harry Potter or Gone with the Wind and people love it and want to read it over and over again thats alright but not just random books -- and my sister can never pick good books for me, or there won't be much to discuss as the books she gives me she does not read herself.

I think reading is a very personal/solitary pursuit at times or maybe I'm just too introverted to belong to a book club. There will always be one leader type who can be a bit dictatorial over the others. I have an English degree but I don't want to analyse or critique a book to death it takes the fun out of it lol

Its true women tend to read more fiction and men non fiction. I guess women like to read about families and relate to characters more and maybe want an escape, but it would be interesting to have a book about why men read fiction too. Crime and adventure is often the preserve of men and women romances. But it has been harder for women to be published than men though its true in any male dominated domain of work.

It also mentioned Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre as the most beloved UK books. I like them both though for me I think Rebecca was the one that haunted me. I have only a short list of novels/fiction that I will read over and over again but as woman I guess I gravitate to reading about female narrators - heroines more than heroes.

The Book Collector: Reading and Living with Literature by Tony Eyre

One of his aunts was actually called Jane...

This book is written by a nzer who loves books, and collecting the first editions/hardbacks particularly NZ literature which I confess I'm not that interested in - I want to read more about the outside world than our parochialism...a typical NZ story would be about someone who ends up in NZ somewhat against their will and find theres nothing much here and everything is so backward! lol

He goes around poking into nearly every secondhand bookshop in the land on his quest, attends book fairs, and hunts for that elusive first edition of whatever he's reading at the time. This man loves books. He has a cushy accounts job so that's how he can afford them.

I think its always a thrill to find a book that's one you love in hardback handsome edition. I had a book collecting phase at one point but as my profession librarian I don't really need to collect books to fill up the shelves at home, that would just be hoarding to me! There's also the problem of what happens if you need to move/downsize and whether your family would be interested in your huge collection or you could just bequeath it to the nation which was what one guy called Alexander Turnbull did.

But for the most part its the thrill of the chase hunting down a rare book that this book is mostly about, though I liked the childhood details of growing up around Avondale in Auckland. Irish writers feature a lot and also Australian authors which I confess I don't read a lot of. The other thing that gets me a bit enthused is there is actually a book town in nz called Featherston where there are 7 bookshops in one street. But he also goes around the world on the hunt.