Hello, hello!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers!
So, news...news...let's have some news.
Receiving top billing in this category would be the Chronicle Books Haul-idays Celebration, but in lieu of inundating you with details on the AWESOME-ness that this event is, I'll link to my post instead. Second...I will not be online much for the remainder of the week.
Now, now...no need for hysterics!
I will be checking in from time to time and posts will continue as usual so there will be plenty of communication and bookish suggestions. Does this change in online availability mean I'm bowing out? Nope...it is rather a temporary situation. Does it mean I don't luv ya anymore? No, silly readers. Let's just blame it all on "the boy who lived".
Tis the beginning of the end and though the contradiction within that phrase irks me a bit, there is no better way to greet this moment....except with pre-sale tickets (which I have...hehe) for what promises to be a wickedly fun marathon event. So please...pardon the unusual quiet breaks over the next few days. That being said, let's get this party started!
Today's post is featuring a rather unusual little book; something you might not expect to find, read, enjoy and repeat adding your own thoughts along the way. It's a book from bookish people for bookish people and will certainly have you rethinking that question roaming around your mind the next time you walk into a bookstore. The book of choice for today is...
The Stupidest Questions Ever Asked in a Bookstore
by
Bookstore Lore
Have you ever had a question pop into your mind that you simply had to find the answer to? Good! That means you're curious. Researching that question to find the answer is the usual sequence of events but wait, this question didn't occur to you when you were at home near a computer to search until your little hearts content. This moment of question-type inspiration occured in a store and not just any store but a bookstore. Seems ideal right? I mean, you are surrounded by shelves and shelves of information, it should be easy peasy to find what you need especially when a make a visit to the information desk. Umm, yea...depends on what it is you are asking for....and believe me some of the ones included in this book are a doozy. You see, this is a collection of questions (as the title implies) that fall outside the range of "I simply need assistance" and very close to the land of "what's a book" as taken from stress release journals from those on the front lines...the bookstore employee. Are they funny? Most are. Are they true? According to the description of the book...yes. Am I kidding you? Not in the least....
Let me just say that I am of two minds about this title. First, I don't tend to believe that there are truly stupid questions for the most part...unless you don't actually ask them and sit pondering and pondering and pondering until the cows come home or the store is about to close, but then it's not so much the intelligence of the question as the person deciding whether or not ask it that I'd question. Second, of the examples included...I've heard worse. *pause for moment of shock and awe to be absorbed*
Really! Anyone that's worked in retail at any point in their careers can tell you a story or two (or three or four or a gazillion). The subject of said stories can range from the ludicrous to the laugh inducing to the "you-did-not-just-say-that" and everything in between. This book is perfect for those of us in the bookish community because not only do we get to see what those ever helpful (for the most part) store employees get the chance to answer (and try not to chuckle at) but we get a chance to run our own thought provoking questions through the mill and see if they would still come out as valid on the other side. Do you really need to ask what movies are playing at the local theater? Probably...but not of the bookstore folks, since that is more Fandango's territory. How about the infamous "I saw this book last week in the store and I liked it...can you help me find it"...which I admit seems perfectly harmless on the surface until you discover that not only do they not know what the title, author, genre of the book was, they don't remember what it was about or what it looked like. (Yeah...good luck with that one.)
This book is not meant to scare readers away from asking questions for fear of ending up in a notebook somewhere....but rather to share a laugh with their fellow man (*ahem* and women) and perhaps shed a little light on why the frustration factor sometimes exists in the bookish world. I mean really...if you were asked for the umpteenth time "Where are your Non-Fiction books?" by someone of the presumed age to know that they are everywhere but Fiction...you might get a tad snippy too. That's not to say it's excusable by any means, but still...it's harder to be mad when you're sharing a laugh.
COMMENT CREATOR
Quid pro quo....what is the "stupidest" question that you've ever heard in a bookstore or, if you're brave enough to share, what question have you yourself asked in this category? Do tell! (Hey, I've worn the hat from time to time too...)
This book was downloaded for free from the Barnes & Noble eBook library...and I believe it is still there now should you choose to indulge your curiosity. Just follow the link. The ratings aren't very high but you know if you go into it knowing what to expect (or having shared an experience of two), I think it's a great little break in the day.
Until next time...happy reading!
6 comments:
I don't know that it is the beginning of the end - rumours abound that another book (perhaps a prequal) is in the pipelines but then again there have been similar rumours around ever since the last book was published.
What a great sounding book, I'd so love a copy of this. I think the funniest thing I ever heard, or at least remember hearing, was a woman asking if the follow-up to a children's annual (Pingu if I remember correctly) was likely to be out later that year. She couldn't seem to grasp that as an annual it only came out once a year and therefore a sequel would not be available that year though another annual might be availabe NEXT year.
You'll be missed my kooky friend :) Great post!
Stupidest question?
They describe the cover and expect the book seller to magically know which one they're referring to.
So this is where you've been all morning! I was beginning to wonder. :o) So completely jealous at the moment! I can't wait to see it, so much so that it was all I asked for for my birthday next week. Well, that and a nice dinner out, but I just really want to see HP7...looks SO good!
This is a funny looking book. I completely get the point you make about not being afraid to ask questions, because no one wants to prohibit creativity. I'm sure though, like you mentioned, this book is chock full of not so "creative" questions. LOL Fabulous review! Have fun this weekend!
I worked in book retail for 10 years and boy oh boy do I have stories. stories stories stories.
Petty witter: Very true and you know the sad part...regardless of how good or bad it is, I'll still be there to buy it if and when it does come out. ^_^ LOL on the question you contributed...too funny, though I have heard something like it before never fails to amaze.
Juju: ^_^ No worries, I'll be back. Oh and yeah...been there, heard that one too. *shakes head*
the1stdaughter: Yep. ^_^ *BIG cheesey grin* Totally had fun. Oh happy early birthday too!
Michelle: I TOTALLY hear you.. ^_^
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