Monday Moments - The Love of Books

This non-fiction little book The Secret Lives of  Booksellers and Librarians compiled by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann is a love letter  to books and reading.  Booksellers and librarians were interviewed and the stories from all over the U.S. are interesting  and compelling.  They are detectives, treasure hunters, advocates, and visionaries. It's a world that has the magic of rainbows and unicorns, but it's also a business. The book business. (cover blurb)

Read about folks who took the plunge and love what they do in their world of books. The tales are heartwarming, humorous, and hopeful. 

I love this quote by our former first lady, Laura Bush, who advocated for reading.  

You must also  read about Suzette Baker, former head librarian in Llano County, Texas. Her story is told in the above compilation. She was told  to pull books from shelves  and  refused.  She writes about a very avid minority of people in power who are promoting  censorship and she's concerned.  

I'm concerned. Yes, parents should know what their kid is reading. It's like television. You may control your own self and your family,  but don't keep me from reading certain  books that your don't like or think is appropriate (example - To  Kill  a Mockingbird by Harper Lee,  The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, etc).  

Sigh!
 

Friday Fun - James Patterson memoir

 He's everywhere on bookshelves. He's written with a lot of people.  The Stories of my Life: James Patterson by James Patterson is a very quick, humorous read, and quite interesting. 

I did not know that he was big time in the advertising world during the "Mad Men" era. He wrote the tag line, "I'm a Toys R Us kid."

from the cover blurb - He worked at a mental hospital, where he met the singer  James Taylor and the poet  Robert Lowell. 

He once watched James Baldwin and Norman Mailer square off  to  fight at a party. 

Dolly Parton sang Happy Birthday to him over the phone

The man has a  lot of stories  to tell. Just the  author  talks with President Clinton make for good fodder. This memoir has lots of one to two page anecdotes covering a bit of childhood, a lot on advertising, plenty of name dropping incidents, and writing, writing, writing. He writes of his  two loves - his first wife, Jane, who died and his second wife Sue who "puts up with him". 

At least on paper, James Patterson appreciates his life and has a sense of humor about his writing life. He writes as if he is talking to you, and I was glad I got this book from our local  library.