This story is a few years old, but still a solid block of WTF in brain. A little long. TL;DR at the end.
NOTE: Any YouTuber wanna use this story, go for it! Just send me the link when it's up, please & thank you!
EDIT: Thank you for the rewards! Sharing moments that I now can laugh at.
Characters:
Karen: Entitoolbars.
Bob: Karen's poor schmuck of a husband, doesn't do much at all.
Blackbeard: Manager. He was there when I worked there and is known for being a no crap-taking guy.
Me: Well, me
Backstory: I was a bookseller for almost a decade, but left for a high paying MF9-5. I had loved my job. After I left, I still frequented the bookstores in the chain a lot, browsing shelves, checking out new titles, and catching up with old coworkers.
The Story: I'm in my old store. It's in an area that has access to a number of posh neighborhoods. It's been maybe 3 or 4 years since I left. The staff has gone through its 6th turnover, and only a small handful of employees that I worked with are still there. I'm in jeans, my university sweatshirt, had my purse over my shoulder, and my cell phone out with earbuds in with bands like Five Finger Death Punch, Die Antwoord, and In This Moment lined up in for my ears. Very clearly a customer. There is no uniform here, just business casual clothes with a lanyard that holds a name tag.
I'm perusing through the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section. I have 2 books selected already, and I'm looking for a few more. My limit is 5 books, or no more than $60. Limits, lol. One of the employees, one that I don't know, comes up to ask if I need any help. I say that I do, and tell him that I used to work there, and am looking for a couple more books. I tell him what type of books I like, and he recommends a few good titles. We end up chatting more about the genre in general, about the classic authors, etc. I thank him and he goes on his way, and I'm 2 books richer.
I move on to the Mystery section, and I picked up an empty basket to put my books in, when I feel it. The finger. That hard few pokes executed by a boney digit tipped with a long acrylic nail. Then the words.
Karen: Excuuuuse me!
And there she is, that dark-root blond bobbed hair, the 3/4 yoga pants, matching workout top, pristine white sneakers, wristlet purse, and the latest iPhone. Her husband is a goos-looking tired Ken-style of a man, hands in his pockets.
Me: (taking out an earbud) What?
Karen: That's not how you greet a customer! So rude!
Me: Look who's talking
... keep reading on reddit ➡▪ And then they wonder why smart educated Africans leave Africa for Europe, the US, Asia and Dubai, and hardly come back.
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London has a lot going for it. Unfortunately, it just failed to keep this reader’s attention.
Distracting Dialogue
The most significant things that did not work for me was the dialogue. The most distracting thing any author can do is use ellipses far too often. That is what happens here.
The dialogue is distracting and slows the pacing down drastically. It would be different if it happened here or there, given the circumstances of the plot, but it happens almost all the time when the characters are talking. After a time, it becomes distracting and tiresome.
Perhaps it just is a pet peeve of mine, but after a time, it made me lose track of what these characters were even discussing. This made it hard to connect to the characters and their dynamics in the long run.
Storytelling
There is no disputing Nix’s imagination here. It was a good story, and the overall storytelling was engaging. The Left-Handed Booksellers of London follows Susan as she embarks on a journey to find her father only to get swept up in the fantasy that hides underneath London.
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London has the old-world feel and delves into the fantasy that is kept in check by booksellers. It has a strong foundation to it and builds up at a proper momentum; if only the dialogue did not slow down the pacing of the story so drastically, I would have loved this novel.
Nevertheless, it is an imaginative story that gives the reader something worthwhile. It has the fantasy to keep the reader intrigued.
Characterization
However, the characterization faltered a bit. I wish I could say I loved the characters, but I did not. They have great style, Susan dressing like a punk rocker with her Doc Marten’s and Merlin with his gender-fluid attire seem like they would be incredibly interesting. However, it was, once again, their dialogue and dynamics that drove me to boredom.
When Merlin was not stuttering and stammering about, he was impressive, especially when it came to his flamboyant attire. However, Nix could have done much more with this gender-fluid character. Given the name Merlin, I expected more.
Merlin is the only memorable character. However, Nix does give Susan the right amount of growth, but she still is not as memorable outside of her Doc Martens.
Final Thoughts
I honestly thought I would love The Left-Handed Bookseller of London, but it ultimately fell flat with the overuse of ellipses and overall lackluster ch
... keep reading on reddit ➡What a history!
"After Helga Weyhe locked up her bookstore in the town of Salzwedel, Germany, each evening, she would make her usual commute — a trudge to the apartment upstairs. She had been making the same trip since World War II, just as her father had before then, and as her grandfather had before him.
The H. Weyhe Bookstore is one of the oldest bookstores in Germany. It was founded in 1840, before Germany was a country. ...
She locked up for the last time one day in December. She died at 98 sometime before Jan. 4; her body was found in her home, said Ute Lemm, a grandniece.
“With her life, she closed a circle,” Ms. Lemm said. “She died where she was born.”
Read the OP: Helga Weyhe - NY Times
Anna’s look of confusion followed the strange man all the way out of the store until the quiet tapping of her coworker’s foot drew her back to the job. “I thought we didn’t have any standing accounts?” she asked.
“We do, we just don’t create new ones.” Cynthia smiled broadly, she’d worried it might be months before the new girl learned the truth! “We stopped after 1879 you see, and we only close the old ones at their owner’s deaths.”
“Righttt…” Ana said. She’d left her barista gig just two weeks ago and she needed this job, even if the people here seemed a little crazy. She tried to laugh it off, starting a little too late to be a proper response.
“You don’t believe me.” Cynthia stated it flatly, it was expected after all.
“I mean, you can’t be serious.” Anna turned back to sorting the endless piles of used books the store was always filled with. Maybe she could use the titles as a shield.
“Can be. That guy was over 200 years old, he fought at the Battle of Tippecanoe."
“This is one of those pranks you play on the new hire right? Like hazing?”
Rather than respond Cynthia turned towards the staircase in the back, shouting up matter-of-factly “Boss! The new girl doesn’t believe me again!”
Old man Bartlett’s voice sailed back down “She will, the last one did!” Anna still didn’t know what to think of the boss, he was all “gruff tenderness,” if that was a description that made any sense out of her own head.
Focusing again on the younger woman Cynthia gave a snort of laughter before turning back to the book she read. It was another slow wednesday, no Eternals or other Mortals around after Tenskwatawa had left.
“You know,” she said slyly, “they only show themselves to people they like.”
Anna gave in, the only way out appeared to be through. “And who are they?”
“The Eternals of course.”
“And the Eternals are…?”
Cynthia closed her book, placing it on the counter and leaning forward towards her young coworker. She brushed hair just beginning to gray out of her eyes and said with a laugh in her voice, “oh so now you’re interested?”
Anna was, she realized. Maybe she was falling for something (it had happened before) but there was something in the older woman’s eyes, a playfulness with no hint of malice.
“Ok yeah, I’ll play along! So who are they, what do they do, how do I live forever? All that stuff.”
“Finally, a little life in you!” Anna fought the urge to stick her tongue out as Cynthia continued “you’ll find out who they are when they show themsel
... keep reading on reddit ➡I love my kindle but I also love the books I’ve gotten from small bookstores. I know the obvious solution is to just buy both kindle and hardcopy books but I was wondering if there was a way I could buy kindle type books from small businesses or in any way continue to support small indie booksellers.
Arthur (Eric Idle): Good morning, I'd like to buy a book please.
Bookseller (John Cleese): Oh, well I'm afraid we don't have any. (trying to hide them)
Arthur: I'm sorry?
Bookseller: We don't have any books. We're fresh out of them. Good morning.
Arthur: What are all these?
Bookseller: All what? Oh! All these, ah ah ha ha. You're referring to these... books.
Arthur: Yes.
Bookseller: They're um... they're all sold. Good morning.
Arthur: What all of them?
Bookseller: Every single man-Jack of them. Not a single one of them in an unsold state. Good morning.
Arthur: Wait a minute, there's something going on here.
Bookseller: What, where? You didn't see anything did you?
Arthur: No, but I think there's something going on here.
Bookseller: No no, well there's nothing going on here at all (shouts off) and he didn't see anything. Good morning.
Arthur: Oh, well, I'd like to buy a copy of an 'Illustrated History of False Teeth'.
Bookseller: My God you've got guts.
Arthur: What?
Bookseller: (pulling gun) Just how much do you know?
Arthur: What about?
Bookseller: Are you from the British Dental Association?
Arthur: No I'm a tobacconist.
Bookseller: Stay where you are. You'll never leave this bookshop alive.
Arthur: Why not?
Bookseller: You know too much, my dental friend.
Arthur: I don't know anything.
Bookseller: Come clean. You're a dentist aren't you.
Arthur: No, I'm a tobacconist.
Bookseller: A tobacconist who just happens to be buying a book on teeth?
Hi, I'm 17 and I'm planning to start applying for a Barnes n Noble job, mostly as a bookseller. Can someone help me and tell me the requirements? What I should do? I really like this job, any advice is helpful thank you!
About 20% through Garth Nix’s new book, and thought it worth sharing here.
Even early on, it’s everything I’ve come to expect from Nix - engaging writing that you just get lost in, building a highly immersive fantasy world within the “real” world, without needing to pause the storytelling to explain the world itself.
Highly recommend, especially if your a fan of Garth Nix’s other works. The book is on par with the Old Kingdom series and Shade’s Children (however a very different world).
The woman replied, "That would be my husband's check book."
I have ordered books from an online bookstore on 1st week of December. I made online payment to finalize the deal. Till now the books are not dispatched despite multiple reminders.
As per Google search the store is in Kolkata and I can't travel far from Bangalore to check out the place.
What option do I have to make sure they fulfill my order?
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London has a lot going for it. Unfortunately, it just failed to keep this reader’s attention.
Distracting Dialogue
The most significant things that did not work for me was the dialogue. The most distracting thing any author can do is use ellipses far too often. That is what happens here.
The dialogue is distracting and slows the pacing down drastically. It would be different if it happened here or there, given the circumstances of the plot, but it happens almost all the time when the characters are talking. After a time, it becomes distracting and tiresome.
Perhaps it just is a pet peeve of mine, but after a time, it made me lose track of what these characters were even discussing. This made it hard to connect to the characters and their dynamics in the long run.
Storytelling
There is no disputing Nix’s imagination here. It was a good story, and the overall storytelling was engaging. The Left-Handed Booksellers of London follows Susan as she embarks on a journey to find her father only to get swept up in the fantasy that hides underneath London.
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London has the old-world feel and delves into the fantasy that is kept in check by booksellers. It has a strong foundation to it and builds up at a proper momentum; if only the dialogue did not slow down the pacing of the story so drastically, I would have loved this novel.
Nevertheless, it is an imaginative story that gives the reader something worthwhile. It has the fantasy to keep the reader intrigued.
Characterization
However, the characterization faltered a bit. I wish I could say I loved the characters, but I did not. They have great style, Susan dressing like a punk rocker with her Doc Marten’s and Merlin with his gender-fluid attire seem like they would be incredibly interesting. However, it was, once again, their dialogue and dynamics that drove me to boredom.
When Merlin was not stuttering and stammering about, he was impressive, especially when it came to his flamboyant attire. However, Nix could have done much more with this gender-fluid character. Given the name Merlin, I expected more.
Merlin is the only memorable character. However, Nix does give Susan the right amount of growth, but she still is not as memorable outside of her Doc Martens.
Final Thoughts
I honestly thought I would love The Left-Handed Bookseller of London, but it ultimately fell flat with the overuse of ellipses and overall lackluster ch
... keep reading on reddit ➡