Author: Marissa DeCuir

What’s your favorite area of Oblong Books?

All of it! I love our bookstore. But if I had to choose just one area, I really love our kids section. It’s open, airy, and full of beautiful and colorful books. I love seeing kids get excited about something new to read, so watching them run around and show off what they want to get is the best.

What’s the coolest book cover that you like to have facing out on the shelves?

I love a slightly creepy cover, so I am constantly falling in love with beautiful, oversized, stylized nonfiction books like Gothic and Memento Mori: The Dead Among Us. There’s just something really cool about books that feel like art pieces in-and-of themselves.

If you had a staff pick for a recent new release, what would it be? Backlist pick?

Most of the staff picks at our store are backlist! It’s never too late to discover a good book. One of my favorite backlist picks is This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, a sapphic time-travel novella following two time agents on opposite sides of a time war. I don’t think I have words that will do this book justice. I recommend reading in snippets or risk drowning in its gorgeous prose.

And one of my more favorite recent titles is The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston! I adore a good romance and adore a good fantasy, and The Dead Romantics manages to be both. This spectral romance is a balm to the spirit. When writer Florence Day has to return home for an unexpected funeral, she’s surprised to find herself visited by the ghost of… her stoic, too-handsome editor Ben. Romance readers will want Florence and Ben to haunt their shelves after reading: it’s soulful, punny, whimsical, and death defyingly romantic.

Do you have a strange customer story?

Oh, so many! But one of our favorites is the story of the ghost cane. A beautiful old wooden cane appeared in our store without its owner. We put it in our lost-and-found box and waited a little while to see if the owner would come and retrieve it. They didn’t! Upon further glance, there was a phone number on the cane. So we figured: hey, why not call it and see if the owner of the cane would like it back?

The phone number led us to a lovely lady in California, who—very confused but kind—explained that the cane belonged to her husband… who had died six months previously.

We have no idea how it got into the store. Apparently, a ghost wanted to do a little shopping.

What author has made you starstruck?

I feel really lucky that we’ve hosted a whole bunch of my favorite authors, but the only one I ever got starstruck around was Alan Cumming! We hosted him at an off-site (bookseller jargon for an event not in the actual bookstore store; Oblong Books is not big enough for that crowd!) and I got to help him set up and sign books and chat with him. He’s so charismatic and charming in person that I suspect he might actually be fae folk. An absolute gem.

What are some misconceptions people have about working in a bookstore?

We don’t sit around reading! There’s always something to do. There’s customers to ring out, web orders to fill, books to receive, shelves to organize, displays to make, dogs to pet… the list is endless.

What is your favorite part about working in a bookstore?

I love, love, love handselling books to customers. There is no greater joy than connecting somebody to a book that they end up loving – especially if you loved it, too! Since some of my specialities are kids books and queer books, it’s especially a privilege to be able to connect young folks or traditionally underrepresented folks to a book that really speaks to them. It’s the reason I never want to leave bookselling: there’s no other experience like it, and I don’t ever want to give it up.

Can you recommend an underrated readalike book for one of the store’s top titles?

Oh, Oblong Books — like every bookstore — sells a ton of kids graphic novels. If you (or your kiddo) love the Dogman series by Dav Pilkey, you should try the InvestiGators series by John Green. (It’s alligators, in vests, doing investigating!) If Babysitter’s Club is more your jam, pick up Twins by Varian Johnson and Shannon Wright, about two twin girls who decide to compete against each other to become class president! And if you love fantasy graphic novels like The Witch Boy, you simply must pick up Star Knights by Kay Davault, a charming woodland fantasy about embracing who you are and looking past the differences of others.

Nicole Brinkley is a manager with Oblong Books in Rhinebeck, NY.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

What’s your favorite area of The Ivy Bookshop?

Honestly the entire grounds outside. We’re so lucky to be situated on a few acres of land that we own, and I’m always directing new customers to check it out. I especially like this little secluded area, a bench surrounded by a grove of trees; it’s a lovely place to sit and read! Within The Ivy Bookshop itself, my favorite part is the little poetry corner. We get a lot of compliments on our poetry section because it’s just phenomenally curated, and there’s a little display with one of our booksellers’ favorite poetry books.

What’s the coolest book cover that you like to have facing out on the shelves?

Oh this is such a hard question because so many books have great covers! I love love love the cover for “Margaret and the Mystery of the Missing Body” by Megan Milks, so that was really fun to have out on display during Pride month. But I also wanted to give a shoutout to the new release “Thrust” by Lidia Yuknavitch, which truly speaks for itself.

If you had a staff pick for a recent new release, what would it be? Backlist pick?

Recent new release: “The Kaiju Preservation Society” by John Scalzi. Honestly I think all a lot of us really need this summer is to escape into a fantastical new world of giant monsters. It’s fun, it’s snappy, there’s really cool fantasy biology. I think just about any sci-fi fan would love this book.

Backlist: “Convenience Store Woman” by Sayaka Murata. I read this book recently and absolutely loved it. Keiko is one of those voices that really stays with you a long time after reading, and as a retail worker who is also a little bit of an oddball myself, I really connected with her. The book has a ton of interesting things to say about capitalism and neurodivergence and alternate life paths, but really it was Keiko who kept me reading.

Do you have a strange customer story?

There’s one customer who I’ve never spoken to–only his secretary. I’ve seen his name around Baltimore and get the impression that he’s kind of a big deal, so it’s kind of fun when I get to call him up and let his secretary know his books are ready!

What author has made you starstruck? Or have you hosted a fun virtual event?

Definitely Casey Plett. While sadly I was only able to e-meet her as I was out on medical leave during the event we hosted with her, I was honestly a little starstruck to even be emailing with her and to get her to come out to the store. I’m still kicking myself for missing that event, everyone I know who went to it said it was absolutely phenomenal, but life does happen.

What are some misconceptions people have about working in a bookstore?

A lot of people think booksellers just hate when someone comes in to ask something like “What’s the book about World War I with the red cover that I read about in the New York Times?” In reality, 9 times out of 10 I can find that book just by googling “red cover wwi ny times book review,” and even if I can’t, then I just get to be on a fun detective mission for a few minutes trying to find your book! It makes me feel happy to solve a mystery, and the customer gets the book they’re looking for, and it’s generally a win-win interaction. So please don’t feel embarrassed to ask questions like this! (Just be kind on the rare occasion that we can’t find the book after all.)

What is your least favorite bookstore task? Favorite part about working in a bookstore?

My least favorite bookstore task is probably shelving overstock. Don’t get me wrong–it’s a crucial task, and I always keep that in mind when doing it. It can just be rough on the knees with all that bending and stretching. So I try to do it in small chunks, doing other tasks in between.

My favorite part about working in a bookstore is probably when I’m stationed at the front desk, getting to see what people are buying! It’s always so cool to see parents buying their children books I remember staying up all night reading because I just had to see what happens next, or to see people buy underrated books that I absolutely adore, or even to buy books I’ve never heard of with covers so intriguing they immediately go to my TBR.

Can you recommend an underrated readalike book for one of the store’s top titles?

We actually do sell a lot of “Circe” and “The Song Of Achilles.” I would point people to the newly released “Wrath Goddess Sing” by Maya Deane, which is a retelling of the Achilles myth. Deane’s writing is feminist and fierce, and she’s really done her research, which is fun to see in myth retellings. Plus, come on, that cover is gorgeous.

August Thompson is a bookseller at The Ivy Bookshop in Baltimore, MD.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

What’s your favorite area of Gibson’s Bookstore?

You can most often find me hiding in our brand new Horror section that started as a small display of mine and quickly grew into an entire section between SFF and Mystery. It’s my pride and joy.

What’s the coolest book cover that you like to have facing out on the shelves?

I’m a sucker for a good cover and there are so many incredible ones! I could give you a huge list of my favorites (Goblin by Josh Malerman, Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix, The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera, The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing and A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green), but my current favorite and the one that catches my eye the most often is A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske.

If you had a staff pick for a recent new release, what would it be? Backlist pick?

I have too many staff picks to count but my most recent favorite is The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston. It’s the spooky romance you didn’t know you needed! A ghost writer for a famous romance author is struggling to make her deadline after a horrendous breakup causes her to lose all hope in true love, until she starts to fall for her editor…except that her editor was just in a car accident and, well, he’s a ghost. This book is my new favorite comfort read. It’s funny and tender and romantic and will surprise you again and again. (And yes, it has a happy ending, don’t worry).

My favorite backlist book right now is Goblin by Josh Malerman. It’s a novel in six novellas, all taking place during the same rainy night in the strange, creepy town of Goblin, MI. I adore this book, and I want to spend all of my time in Goblin. This book is a great place for new Horror fans to start. It’s a quick read, and the stories intertwine in really cool ways. It’s creepy and unsettling and at times genuinely scary, and I love it far too much.

Do you have a strange customer story?

My favorite customer story is absolutely the time someone asked me to give them a wake-up call the next morning at 6am so they wouldn’t miss their meeting. I tried in vain to explain that we weren’t a hotel, and giving wake-up calls was not a service we offered, and I offered to help them set their alarm on their phone, but they kept saying no, I had to call them directly. Eventually, after much back and forth they gave up and left. I sure hope they made their meeting.

What author has made you starstruck? Or have you hosted a fun virtual event?

As host of The Laydown Podcast, I’ve been lucky enough to interview most of my favorite authors: Erin Morgenstern, Josh Malerman (twice!), Hank Green, and so so many others. Between that and all of the events we’ve hosted, my childhood self would be fangirling nonstop. I think I was probably the most starstruck with Erin Morgenstern, because both The Night Circus and The Starless Sea have meant so much to me. I had a Night Circus-themed wedding, and years later I got to interview Erin Morgenstern for our bookstore podcast, The Laydown, and be her in-conversation partner for our event! Truly, a bookseller’s dream come true.

What are some misconceptions people have about working in a bookstore?

Very little reading happens during your shift! There are so many other things to do, that you almost never have a chance to sit and read. All of my reading gets done off the clock.

What is your least favorite bookstore task? Favorite part about working in a bookstore?

My least favorite task is definitely cleaning the bathrooms.

My favorite part about working in a bookstore is handselling! There’s no better feeling than chatting with a customer and finding the absolute perfect book for them, and seeing their face light up as you describe it. Even better is when customers start to come back to you specifically because they’ve enjoyed every book you’ve handsold them and now they’ll read anything you recommend.

Can you recommend an underrated readalike book for one of the store’s top titles? (For example: If your store sells a lot of The Song of Achilles, you might recommend Tin Man.)

I love this question. There’s a new book that I’m having so much fun recommending because it appeals to so many different types of readers. If you like Terry Pratchett, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Alice Hoffman, Madeline Miller, The Handmaid’s Tale, and/or The Master and Margarita, you absolutely must read The Splendid City by Karen Heuler. An exiled witch, a talking cat who loves beer, guns, and fish tacos, a treasure hunt, a missing witch, daily parades, regular government-sanctioned kidnappings, and a president of the state of Liberty (formerly Texas) who assures the citizens that everything is fine. It’s incredible and weird and sinister and everyone should read it. I got to chat with Karen Heuler for The Laydown and she was a delight.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

What’s your favorite area of Commonplace Reader?

My favorite area of our store is the Fiction room. This room is bathed in light from three beautiful old windows and there are wonderful mission chairs with perfectly worn cushions that one can sink into while they peruse. We want everyone to feel comfortable here, settle in, and find the perfect books for them. The chairs in this room embody that spirit to me.

What’s the coolest book cover that you like to have facing out on the shelves?

I like to face out “A Little Life” by Hanya Yanagihara because the photograph of the anguished man’s face is so striking and evokes such emotion! It definitely makes you want to read the book jacket to find out what’s behind that tortured visage.

If you had a staff pick for a recent new release, what would it be? Backlist pick?

The most recent new release I’ve read that I really enjoyed was “Elsewhere” by Alexis Schaitkin.This is the story of a woman and mother who seems to live in a strange, otherworldly place yet the trials and loss of self that mothers everywhere often experience is eerily the same. A backlist book that was similar and I truly enjoyed and highly recommend is “The New Wilderness” by Diane Cook.

Do you have a strange customer story?

I don’t have one in particular but we do have a strange/comical recurring customer interaction here at Commonplace Reader. Because of our store name, people often mistake us for a psychic/palm reading business! We stock some lovely tarot cards at the register for these patrons.

What author has made you starstruck? Or have you hosted a fun virtual event?

While the world was doing everything over Zoom during the pandemic, I got to attend a virtual event for the book, “In the Heights” by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Quiara Alegria Hudes, and Jeremy McCarter. So when my husband and son’s walked into our house that evening, they saw me staring at a screen and (seemingly) talking to Lin-Manuel Miranda! So they were starstruck and impressed until they found out he couldn’t see me and I was just listening. It was still a fun event for sure.

What are some misconceptions people have about working in a bookstore?

The biggest misconception is that we get to sit and read while we’re here. We seldom have time to actually read while we’re at the store–there is always something we can be doing to help improve our store and our customer’s experience.

What is your least favorite bookstore task? Favorite part about working in a bookstore?

My least favorite task is shelving or removing books on the top shelves as I am vertically challenged and I need to haul out the stepstool. If my taller coworkers are nearby they’re always happy to help. My favorite part is always being familiar with the latest releases and all the opportunities to talk with others about them.

Can you recommend an underrated readalike book for one of the store’s top titles?

“The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig has been a top seller for our store and I would recommend “Oona Out of Order” by Margarita Montimore as a great readalike.

Tracey Duncan is a bookseller at Commonplace Reader in Yardley, PA.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

What’s your favorite area of Mystery To Me?

The front door where customers come in and see all of the wonderful books we have! I love it when they say that they love the smell, or how warm and friendly our store is.

If you had a staff pick for a recent new release, what would it be? Backlist pick?

Soooo many great new releases… but here are my two relatively recentstaff picks:

• Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach (listened to it on LIBRO.FM)
• Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

Do you have a strange customer story?

Not strange, but wonderfully fun:

• A little girl (maybe 4 years old) came into Mystery To Me and started riding on a little toy rocking horse that we had in the store. She was very talkative, so I went over to her and told her that I was kind of sad because the horse didn’t have a name. She very quickly hopped off the horse, put her hands on her hips, and said “of course he has a name (sigh), it’s RADISH.” Wow, I said, I didn’t know. How did you know that was his name? With an exasperated sigh, she said: “HORSE RADISH!” (duh)
• Bookstore magic: A frequent customer came into the store and up to the front counter. She said she wanted to purchase a book for her daughter in law but she didn’t know the title or the author. We asked her what it was about, and she said she didn’t know…and then she said, what are some of your favorite books? One of my booksellers said People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. “That’s IT!” she said.
• A family was visiting the store around Halloween. The two little girls were all dressed as fairy princesses. They were bouncing around the store making all sorts of pleasant fairy princess ruckus, when one of them slipped behind the counter where I was working at my desk. She asked me what I was doing and when I said I was paying bills, she asked me if I liked paying bills… “Not really,” I said… and she then wanted to know why I do it (smile). I told her that if I didn’t pay my bills, we wouldn’t be able to have all of these books in the store. Her eyes got very wide and she said: “You mean you OWN all of these books?” (to be honest, I try not to think that way)… and I said “Yes!” She shook her head and pronounced to her family that if she (me) had all of these books at her house, she’d have a big library!

What author has made you starstruck? Or have you hosted a fun virtual event?

• Claire Fuller: I met her in New York at the Mysterious Bookstore
• Donna Leon: Our last in-person event before the pandemic
• Elizabeth Berg: I met her at a book signing before I had my own store. Would love to host her here.
• James Patterson: He and his wife popped into my store the year I opened (2013). I was so naive. Luckily, I knew enough to grab his books for him to sign!

We have hosted a lot of authors and it’s almost always a pleasure to meet them. It’s easier to try to name (although I wouldn’t) the authors I didn’t enjoy than the ones that I did!

What are some misconceptions people have about working in a bookstore?

People still think that working in a bookstore means you get to read all day. I can’t remember the last time I was able to “pleasure” read at the store.

What is your least favorite bookstore task?

I have a love/hate relationship with all of the advance reader copies we receive. I’ve never been a good speed reader, or someone who can quickly skim a book and decide that it’s good or not. On the other hand, I delight in bringing the pile of new ARCs home and deciding which one to take on first!

Favorite part about working in a bookstore?

Talking with customers about what they like to read and matching them up with a new book or two. I delight in having them return to Mystery To Me tell me that they liked the book and want another recommendation.

Can you recommend an underrated readalike book for one of the store’s top titles?

People who like Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs series), we often recommend Iona Whishaw (Lane Winslow series)

Joanne Berg is the owner of Mystery To Me in Madison, WI.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

What’s your favorite area of Baldwin and Co.?

The podcast studio

What’s the coolest book cover that you like to have facing out on the shelves?

Farming While Black

If you had a staff pick for a recent new release, what would it be? Backlist pick?

The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones
Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin

Do you have a strange customer story?

Yes, someone called and asked if we had a restroom.

What author have you been starstruck to meet, or have you gotten to host a fun virtual event?

Nikole Hannah-Jones

What are some misconceptions people have about working at Baldwin and Co.?

That it’s easy and you’re just sitting around reading all day.

What is your least favorite bookstore task?

Cleaning toilets

Favorite part about working at the bookstore?

Being surrounded by books all day and having access to read them all.

Can you recommend an underrated readalike book for one of Baldwin and Co.’s top titles?

Think and Grow Rich/ The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke by Suze Orman.

D.J. Johnson is the owner of Baldwin and Co. in New Orleans. Learn more about our Coffee with a Bookseller series here.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

What’s your favorite area of Fountain Bookstore?

Staff Picks! We all have such diverse (and excellent, of course) taste, you can find something for everyone there. It also changes constantly so there’s always something new. Mystery and YA are up there as well though.

What’s the coolest book cover that you like to have facing out on the shelves?

I’m a sucker for a great cover! Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw, even though it scares some of my coworkers. It also makes a great pop socket! In non-terrifying covers, The One True Me and You by Remi K. England is gorgeous. Both books are also great!

If you had a staff pick for a recent new release, what would it be? Backlist pick?

Fountain Bookstore is events-focused so we have mainly books from the last couple of years on hand and don’t do a ton of backlist but I can say that I never tire of recommending Blacktop Wasteland and Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby, Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore, or anything by Mindy McGinnis (but particularly her Poe inspired duology of The Initial Insult and The Last Laugh).

Do you have a strange customer story?

Thankfully our customers are generally amazing, but we did just have someone step outside of an event to be sick on our sidewalk, then come back in and sit down without saying a word.

What author have you been starstruck to meet, or have you gotten to host a fun virtual event?

Authors are all rock stars to me, so I geek out about pretty much everyone but my interviews with Joe Kenda and Norman Reedus had me nervous! I am also a longtime fan of Chevy Stevens and was so happy to discover that she is a delight to talk to. I also moderated a panel with Alyssa Cole and had to work very hard to keep from fangirling over her! Oh, and Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal. Did I mention I love them all?

What are some misconceptions people have about working in a bookstore?

I’m sure everyone has the same answer – that we just read all day long! There’s no time to read – there are books to check in and put away, reviews to write, orders to ship, events to plan – it’s a great job but it’s a lot of physical and mental work.

What is your least favorite bookstore task? Favorite part about working in a bookstore?

Least favorite has to be dealing with the people that don’t understand why our pricing is higher than a certain online retailer — and want to argue about it. We’re also a pretty small store so finding room to put things is a challenge I struggle with. My favorite part by far is the community of people that books create! Fountain has been around almost as long as I’ve been alive and I am so proud to be part of its life and family. Book people are the very best people.

Can you recommend an underrated readalike book for one of the store’s top titles?

If someone liked Colleen Hoover’s Verity, I give them When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole. It has a twist you won’t see coming, social commentary, and spicy bits that are just perfection to me. To be fair, When No One is Watching is probably my most handsold book ever so I’ll find a way to recommend it to you no matter what.

Andi Richardson is the general manager at Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, VA.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

What’s your favorite area of Brilliant Books?

The basement. Every bookstore should have a potentially haunted basement. We have a good one. Long, dark, deep and spooky. Horse drawn carriages used to be able to pull right down into the back for deliveries. There’s still a coal furnace just sitting down there. A single, final bucket of coal is right next to it. Close second: scifi and fantasy section.

What’s the coolest book cover that you like to have facing out on the shelves?

Recently, it’s been Black Leopard, Red Wolf. The cover art by Pablo Gerardo Camacho is maddeningly beautiful. One that I’m excited to be able to feature is Eric Larocca’s Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke ,due out this September. Kim Jakobsson did the cover and it’s everything a horror cover should be.

If you had a staff pick for a recent new release, what would it be? Backlist pick?

My pick for new release would be The Employees by Olga Ravn. It’s exactly the kind of sci-fi I’m looking for these days; weird, suggestive, revelatory, and playful in its form. For a backlist pick, I’d have to go with Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun. Towering, magisterial, mysterious in every way, it’s a masterpiece of imaginative literature. Warning: I’d put the MRMR stamp on this one (May Require Multiple Readings).

Do you have a strange customer story?

A man once came into the store wearing a bear suit. Full head with eyes, ears, teeth, a pair of lifelike paws and claws. It was floor-length with very believable fur. I was most worried when he went to the children’s section. I didn’t want him to scare the kids!

What author have you been starstruck to meet, or have you gotten to host a fun virtual event?

Garth Nix came to Brilliant Books talk about his latest book a few years back. Never thought I could be starstruck by an author, but I was downright giddy to be able to speak to him. Sabriel was very important to me growing up.

What are some misconceptions people have about working in a bookstore?

It’s not all glitz and glamor. There’s blood and tears in the aisles between those shelves. We work long and hard down in the book mines to auger up those precious gems for our discerning customers. But in the end, they make it all worthwhile. That, and the employee discount.

What is your least favorite bookstore task? Favorite part about working in a bookstore?

So, I come from the food service world (former barista), and I have to say that my favorite part of the job is the sense of serenity and repose that goes along with selling books. I’m allowed to be thoughtful. There’s no split-second, do-it-all-at-once, mind-splitting anxiety to contend with. That said, there’s nothing like the white-hot thrill of finding someone that perfect book. Least favorite thing: answering the phone. It’s the worst.

Can you recommend an underrated readalike book for one of the store’s top titles?

If you enjoyed Sheila Heti’s Pure Color, I would recommend The Street of Crocodiles and Other Stories by Bruno Schulz. These works both share a certain sensitivity towards, and inclusion of, the fantastic as an exploration of the mundane, especially when it comes to family. Stylistically, they both revel in the aphoristic effect; the small explosion of insight and image, similar to the shorter works of Kafka, except with more heart, and less anxiety.

Stefen Holtry is a bookseller at Brilliant Books in Traverse City, Michigan.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

What’s your favorite area of Powell’s Books?

My favorite area is definitely the romance section! I’ve always loved reading romance, but since the pandemic, I have become obsessed with that genre. In fact, in my store, you can usually find me giving customers or my colleagues recommendations on what they should read next. I have other favorites, such as the young adult and memoir section as well, but romance has my heart, pun intended.

What’s the coolest book cover that you like to have facing out on the shelves?

As someone who (unapologetically) judges a book by their cover, one that I always smile at is Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender. It is truly stunning, and it is nice to see a book about a trans teen get such a joyful and bright cover.

If you had a staff pick for a recent new release, what would it be? Backlist pick?

My favorite recent pick is This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub. It’s the perfect novel to read when you’re reflecting on your relationships with the people that you love. You should read it after watching Everything Everywhere All at Once because it’s definitely a trip. For a backlist choice, I always recommend Starfish by Lisa Fipps because it’s a middle reader that everyone should read, whether or not they have been bullied for their appearance. I read it and then promptly walked home and cried. It’s excellent.

Do you have a strange customer story?

I once handed a lady a book that she ordered, and she looked at me stunned. She flipped through the book and remarked, “I thought there were supposed to be photos in this book.” When I told her that there weren’t, she groaned and said, “Ugh, now I’m disappointed. I didn’t expect to actually read a book.”

What author have you been starstruck to meet, or have you gotten to host a fun virtual event?

I actually work on the events team at Powell’s Books, so meeting authors is something that I love doing. I have gotten to meet so many wonderful people, including David Sedaris (who later let me open for him twice at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall once he found out that I’m also a writer), Samantha Irby, and recently, Putsata Reang, who wrote the memoir Ma and Me, which came out earlier this month. Writers to me (and to many of the people who attend our events) are like rockstars, so I get quite giddy when I meet someone who excites me.

What are some misconceptions people have about working in a bookstore?

Oh, God, there are so many. People tend to think that working in a bookstore is so exciting, and while there are so many wonderful things about it, it’s still retail, and it’s still customer service. Another thing that people seem to be confused about? I don’t set the prices. It’s okay if you can’t afford the item, but please, don’t tell me that it’s too expensive. I can’t do anything about it.

What is your least favorite bookstore task? Favorite part about working in a bookstore?

My least favorite bookstore task is shelving. I can do it for an hour or so, but any longer, and I forget the order of the alphabet. My favorite part is talking about books and working events. I love meeting people, and I love learning about new genres. So I guess that people are technically my favorite part about working in a bookstore. Oh, the discount. The discount is a godsend.

Can you recommend an underrated read alike book for one of the store’s top titles?

If you’re a fan of What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon, then you can’t go wrong by picking up Hunger by Roxane Gay or Heavy by Kiese Laymon. Both are excellent. Actually, buy all three and make it a bundle for a friend.

Katherine D. Morgan is a bookseller at Powell’s Books in Portland, OR.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/

What’s your favorite area of Children’s Book World?

My favorite favorite thing inside the store is our PoetTree! It’s been a really cool way to give our community a physical presence in the store, and I love reading the poems that customers write.

What’s the coolest book cover that you like to have facing out on the shelves?

I’m a sucker for lush, detailed covers. Some favorites are All Our Hidden Gifts by Caroline O’Donoghue, The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera, and Mina by Matthew Forsythe.

If you had a staff pick for a recent new release, what would it be? Backlist pick?

Dog and Hat and the Lost Polka Dots is a delightfully unhinged new graphic novel about an anthropomorphic dog who loses the polka dots on his sweater and goes on an underground adventure to find them with his sentient hat friend. On the other end of the spectrum, I also love Moonwalking by Lynn Miller-Lachmann and Zetta Elliott. It’s a dual-perspective verse novel set in ’80s Brooklyn, and follows a pair of boys who become very unlikely friends. Super lovely.

A backlist favorite is The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang, an adorable graphic novel about a prince who moonlights as a fashion icon and the young seamstress he contracts to secretly design his outfits.

What author have you been starstruck to meet, or have you gotten to host a fun virtual event?

I got to meet E. Lockhart/Emily Jenkins when she came to sign some books for us recently, and 12-year old me was freaking out. I even had some ancient editions of her books that I asked her to sign. That was pretty cool!

What are some misconceptions people have about working in a bookstore?

The main misconception is that reading is a big part of our daily responsibilities. In reality, we don’t often have a chance to read at work. We do love getting to talk about books with customers, though!

What is your least favorite bookstore task? Favorite part about working in a bookstore?

Moderating mask etiquette has quickly become my least favorite bookstore task. Before that, wrestling with packing tape was a big one. Packing tape is my enemy. My favorite thing to do at work is readers’ advisory. I love helping kids (and adults) find new reads they feel excited about!

Can you recommend an underrated readalike book for one of the store’s top titles?

Our most popular title of 2022 so far is New From Here by Kelly Yang — Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai, is a really lovely underrated book, and a good readalike. Shooting Kabul follows a boy named Fadi whose family moved to a small California town from Afghanistan shortly before 9/11. In addition to adjusting to life in his new town and fielding a lot of anti-Islamic sentiment, he decides to join a photography competition with a cash prize to try and fund a trip back to Kabul to search for his little sister who was separated from their family while they fled. This one doesn’t get as much love as I wish it did!

Anna Galachyan is a floor manager at Children’s Book World in LA.

Marissa DeCuir

A former award-winning journalist with national exposure, Marissa now oversees the day-to-day operation of the Books Forward author branding and book marketing firm, along with our indie publishing support sister company Books Fluent.

Born and bred in Louisiana, currently living in New Orleans, she has lived and developed a strong base for our company and authors in Chicago and Nashville. Her journalism work has appeared in USA Today, National Geographic and other major publications. She is now interviewed by media on best practices for book marketing.

booksforward.com/about-us/marissa-decuir/