Living the dream

...when the dream is organizing secondhand books.

This week, I got to live out my secret fantasy of owning a small-town bookstore, and I didn’t even have to abandon my family, move to a remote Scottish island, and fall in love with the curmudgeonly rare book dealer passing through town! (Have I read too many romance novels with this plot line? Maybe. But I’ve loved them all.) After years of saying “I should really volunteer at the library,” I finally took action and joined an aptly-named group called Friends of the Library. The FOL funds programming at the library like book clubs (can’t book club without coffee and snacks, and someone has to pay for it), summer reading challenges, kid-focused programming, and more. Most FOL fundraising happens through a few library book sales per year—and this is where yours truly was born to shine.

I reached out to the FOL president to ask if volunteers were needed for the upcoming sale, only to learn the previous book sale organizers recently left the organization, leaving the whole event in jeopardy. You know the moment in superhero movies when the hero senses shenanigans nearby and races toward danger with grim determination? That was basically me, learning the book sale was in need of rescue. (Or if not rescue—because other volunteers have been working hard to ensure it happens—at least an extremely enthusiastic champion.)

Historically, our library book sale is…a bit chaotic. Books are packed into cardboard flats after being loosely sorted into the broadest of categories, with all fiction lumped together. The sale gives big flea market vibes, and shopping it can be an exercise in sensory overload. Wandering around identical-looking tables, neck bent sideways to read turned-up spines, constantly muttering “excuse me” to fellow patrons, doesn’t make for the most idyllic shopping experience.

Reader, I knew I could make it better.

After a longtime FOL member “inducted” me to the world of book sorting, I started asking questions: Why don’t we separate by genre? Why don’t we house the sale in the FOL room, which is covered in empty wall-to-wall bookshelves, as opposed to boxing everything and putting it on tables? Why is The Guncle shelved in YA? The answers: Because it’s a lot of work. Because that’s not how we’ve done it in the past. Because it’s brightly colored and no one bothered to read the description. My new FOL friend spilled a little tea, too, about the “old guard” volunteers who resist change to the book sale model that’s been in place for years, despite its inefficiencies. This retired teacher and caring grandmother delivered a sassy eye-roll for the ages, and I knew I had found a partner-slash-accomplice in bringing a little glow-up to the book sale model.

That was Monday. As of today, the FOL room has been transformed into a functional bookstore. As much as I would love to regale you with details of my sorting victories and unexpected discoveries (a signed copy of Utopia Avenue!), my husband assures me that sorting stories doesn’t make for good storytelling. Instead, I want to share the phrase I’ve been using as I meet FOL members and talk about my enthusiasm for the book sale project.

I think it’s important to have pride around the things we geek out over, or the small joys we ring from the world like water from a sponge. So when people ask about my book sale fanaticism (they don’t call it that, but I think we all know they’re just being nice), I say: “I have a lot of energy for this kind of work right now.” No one needs to know I have a lot of energy for book organization all the time, or that I have privately vowed to make our branch’s book sale the most lucrative library fundraiser in the state within two years—but no one needs to know. Yet. What I like about this phrasing is its lack of ego, its implicit invitation to collaborate, and the way it puts a polite, adult spin on what I really want to say, which would involve all-CAPS and lots of exclamation points.

I also appreciate how I have a lot of energy for this kind of work right now keeps the pressure off me to continue experiencing the same level of enthusiasm for the book sale all the time, forever. Do I anticipate remaining involved with this event for a long time? Sure! But will I always be able/want to reorganize my schedule to spend more time shelving books? No. Even joyful hobbies have to take a backseat sometimes, but if we start to feel guilty about that, we’ve obviated their entire purpose. (Which, if you’ve misplaced the plot, is enhancing our personal happiness.)

I hope you feel goofy, near-childlike levels of enthusiasm for something in your life. I know I love seeing my IG feed full of passionate gardeners at this time of year—let’s admire that oversized zucchini and those vibrant dahlias together! I’ve recently fallen down a rabbit hole watching Reels of tie dye artists at work (weirdly mesmerizing!). Let’s own our joy unabashedly, and cherish the times when our energy for being fascinated is high. We can’t count on feeling any one way forever, so as the saying goes, we ought to make hay while the sun shines. (Making hay! Who’s excited about it?!)

xR

First Line Frenzy Round-Up

In which I explain why it took some time to get this one right. No.345 (YA fantasy): Of all the things I've been training to do during the apocalypse—stabbing efficiency, curbing my appetite, and mastering sleep deprivation included—one of the hardest has been finding the strength to cry for myself.

In which we question the author’s familiarity with the circus. 😂 No.349 (adult thriller/suspense): The technicolor swirls of dresses gliding across the ballroom floor reminded me of a circus, all of us performing for a gawking audience, awaiting applause or the hiss of disapproval.

In which we discuss the difference between a slush and a slurry. No.350 (adult scifi): Nurse Helen Baker prepared the slush of cinnamon oatmeal for her new hospice patient, who, from what she saw from around the corner, was a shaking mess in a blindfold. 

Book of the Week

Let me tell you what’s NOT the BotW: Happy Place by Emily Henry. I’ve been a major EH stan since her adult debut, Beach Read, and have since read her entire catalogue (YA titles included). Happy Place features two deeply immature people play-acting as adults; the entire conflict is built around the miscommunication trope, my least favorite trope of all time. Ever. Even more hated than Secret Baby or Dead Cell Phone. I know a lot of you probably have this book on your TBR for the summer, but save yourself the heartache and just reread Beach Read instead. Full disclosure: It was so bad I couldn’t finish. DNFing an Emily Henry book was not on my 2023 bingo card.

So…what did I read and enjoy this week? Another juggernaut romance author, Christina Lauren, just released The True Love Experiment—sequel to The Soulmate Equation (2021). I really like this duet, particularly because each can be read as a standalone. This latest offering follows Fizzy, a successful romance author, as she stars in a reality TV show designed to help her find a soulmate. But because Fizzy is a genius, she insists the production team—including hot British documentary filmmaker, Connor—cast men according to their romance hero archetype. Hot Nerd, Vampire, Alpha Billionaire—you get the idea. I love the way this novel is aware of itself as a romance, and truly believe we’re getting Christina Lauren at their best (they’re a writing duo, for those who didn’t realize!).

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