Getting hired at BookPeople was an exciting thing. Being part of the bookstore, meeting new people, and being around lots of books was, and is, great. But what most excited me about my new employee status was the opportunity to write staff selections. If you’ve been to BookPeople, you know what I’m talking about. Little laminated cards that contain a small essay that pleads with customers to buy the books we love. The styles are as diverse as we are, proper grammar is not needed, and approaches range from plot trots to unabashed begging. They’re fun, and, other than limited space, no restrictions are placed on them. Next time you’re in, check out what we have to say, but also pay attention to the bottom of the card. In a light blue banner running along the lower half of the card you’ll see the declarative sentence, “If you liked this book, check out this one, too!” Booksellers then fill in the space with a book title.
This if you like _____, you’ll love ______ is a fun game. If you like French onion soup, you’ll love Vietnamese Pho, if you love the Imagist poets, you’ll love the Bauhaus group, If you like the Fiery Furnaces, you’ll love Bud Powell, and if you love Flannery O’Connor, you’ll love Adam Haslett. This is a pop culture nerd’s fantasy. Sitting around, drinking an adult beverage with ten of your most apathetic friends, and inventing silly, arbitrary connections between two otherwise unconnected objects. Here are a few of my favorite results from this little game, feel free to add yours to the discussion, I’d love to hear what you have to recommend.
- If you like “My Life in France” by Julia Child, you’ll love “How to Cook a Wolf” by M.F.K. Fisher.
- If you like “Blood Meridian” by Cormac McCarthy, you’ll love “Shadow Country” by Peter Matthiessen.
- If you like “Lolita” by Vladimir Nabokov, you’ll love “Naomi” by Junichiro Tanizaki.
- If you like “The God of Small Things” by Arundhati Roy, you’ll love “A Visitation of Spirits” by Randall Kenan.
- If you like “The Rest is Noise” by Alex Ross, you’ll love “Thelonious Monk” by Robin Kelley.
–Brian Contine
BookPeople 