Page 8 of Battle of the Bookstores

The dots stop, then start again. I’m on the edge of my seat.

BookshopGirl:Sorry, my sister called. I’ve got to run, but I’ll get back to you soon on a five-star book. Goodnight!

And with that, her green light turns red, and I’m left wondering what BookshopGirl’s eyes look like. If they sparkle like Cinderella’s, or if they’re sad and lonely like Josie’s.

BOOKFRIENDS

May 22, 6:47 AM

BookshopGirl:Morning! I hardly slept last night, and unfortunately I don’t have a book rec for you yet, but I can share a controversial opinion inspired by recent events.

RJ.Reads:Ooh, do tell.

BookshopGirl:Books are better than people. There, I said it. Literature >>> humanity.

BookshopGirl:Now, before you think I’m a total misanthrope, I’m not saying books are better than ALL people. And it’s not like I’d throw a person in front of a moving train to save a book.

RJ.Reads:But would you throw a book in front of a train to save a person?

BookshopGirl:Hmmm, depends on the person. And on the book. (Kidding. Mostly.)

BookshopGirl:I mean, I’ve never met a Barbara Kingsolver novel that let medown—or a person who didn’t, at least a little.

RJ.Reads:I get that (though for me it’s Abby Jimenez novels).

BookshopGirl:Books are more dependable than people. They don’t stab you in the back, they don’t gossip about you or insult you. Also, bonus—they won’t judge you for spending the whole day in pajamas crying over the death of a character.

RJ.Reads:Or for laughing out loud in the middle of a funeral (which people definitely judge. Ask me how I know).

BookshopGirl:You read during funerals?

RJ.Reads:Just once. In my defense, it was my great-great-aunt’s, and she was 102.

BookshopGirl:I’m not judging. I’m impressed.

BookshopGirl:That’s another great thing about books: they’re always therefor you, and they’ll never get sick of your company.

RJ.Reads:They’ll also never complain about being ignored when life gets stressful or overwhelming.

BookshopGirl:Exactly! No matter how long it’s been, books are waiting with open pages, ready to whisk you away on an adventure or comfort you after a rough day. People may come and go from your life, but books? Books are forever.

RJ.Reads:Amen to that.

3

Josie

Growing up, countlesswell-meaning adults urged me to get my “nose out of that book” and go outside to “experience real life.” But from what I’ve seen, reality is vastly overrated.

My earliest memory is of readingWhere the Wild Things Areto my sister, trying to drown out my mom’s shouting match with her latest boyfriend—I couldn’t even sound out all the words, but I needed to take us somewhere, anywhere, that was magical instead of messy. By second grade, when playground dynamics started to feel way too complicated, I’d spend recess lost in the pages of a chapter book. For my eleventh birthday, I invited my entire class to a Readathon party—I even reserved a room at the local library—but no one showed up. I stayed anyway, grateful for the librarians who always welcomed me. When I got to high school, I longed to go to the football games and parties everyone talked about, but I was usually home babysitting my sister. Mom wasn’t exactly reliable, so someone had to be—but hey, at least I had books to keep me company.

For better or worse, my library has always grown faster than my social circle.

Managing a bookstore has forced me out of my shell, helping me grow from a shy bookworm into someone who can confidently navigate conversations and recommendations—at least, in the safety of these shelves. Out in the world, I may be quiet and reserved, but here, I’ve found my voice.

Except now, Xander Laing has put all that at risk.

But it’s not justmyfuture, my livelihood—it’s the customers I’ve served for five years. Like Beatrice Glaybold, who moved down to Florida but trusts me to send her any book I think will strike her fancy, or Michael Liu, who writes a literary column for theBoston Heraldand bases his reading onmyrecommendations. Or James Kendall, who lost his wife last year and comes in weekly to buy a new book and chat.

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