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PowellsBooks.Blog
Authors, readers, critics, media − and booksellers.

Portrait of a Bookseller

Portrait of a Bookseller: Adrienne C.

by Powell's Books, May 2, 2018 10:52 AM
Portrait of a Bookseller: Adrienne C.

When did you start at Powell's?
I started at Powell's in 1998, 20 years ago! And it is still my dream job. I was literally jumping up and down when I got off the phone after finding out I got the job!

How would you describe your job to someone you just met?
In the Contact Center, we take calls for the whole company, answer all kinds of questions, and place the phone orders. I talk to people from all over the country and the world.

Last books you loved:
Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun by Sarah Lapido Manyika. Two other authors I’ve recently read and loved are Ruth Ware and Josh Malerman.

What is the best part of your job?
Talking to people about books all day! We have the best customers!

What is the most interesting part of your job?
There are so many wonderful and interesting people who call about the many different books in the world.

Share your favorite customer quote:
Years ago, a professor calling from Germany said, "We should live to be a 1,000 years old to read all the books we want to read." I couldn't agree more!

I started at Powell's in 1998, 20 years ago! And it is still my dream job.
Share a memorable experience you've had on the job.
I have taken calls from famous people, but I never realize who they are until later. (So many times!)

When you’re not reading, what do you like to do in your free time?
I love painting, listening to music (mostly jazz), and dancing.

What makes for a good book in your eyes?
The best books make me laugh and cry, like those by Walter Mosley and J. California Cooper. Wonderful writing.

Why do you think bookstores remain so popular in the digital age?
Books are not going out of style! The feel and smell and everything about them… Just take a look at Estelle Ellis’s At Home With Books.

Recommend some books or authors you think everyone should read.
Wages of Rebellion by Chris Hedges, The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (a favorite novel), and Mr. Wuffles by David Wiesner! And check out my Staff Picks for more!

Do you collect any particular types of books?
I have thousands of books: literature, biographies, nonfiction, art, and photography. I especially love unusual books like S by J. J. Abrams, House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, and Tree of Codes by Jonathan Safran Foer.

What’s your favorite book of all time?
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.



Books mentioned in this post

House of Leaves

Mark Z. Danielewski

History of Love

Nicole Krauss

S

J J Abrams, Doug Dorst

Wages of Rebellion

Chris Hedges

At Home with Books How Booklovers Live with & Care for Their Libraries

Estelle Ellis, Caroline Seebohm

Slaughterhouse Five Or the Childrens Crusade a Duty Dance with Death

Kurt Vonnegut

Mr. Wuffles!

David Wiesner

Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun

Sarah Lapido Manyika
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