Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Have I got a match for you!

Hello! I'm Caroline, the publicity intern at Charlesbridge. A few days a week, I wear another hat -- that of a bookseller at a local indie bookstore in Cambridge, Porter Square Books. My day-to-day life is filled with books, coffee, and the occasional 'spy session' for my upcoming 'tell-all,' What I Overheard at the Bookshop. Part-thriller, part-romance, part-self-help, part-humor, this book would encompass the complex relationship people have to text. No two customers look or act alike -- they resemble the myriad books on our shelves, each with a story of their own.

As a bookseller, the most satisfying feeling is matching a book with an owner. Whether it's the classic Make Way for Ducklings for that European couple bringing a book back for their child, the memoir last featured on NPR, or a "mindless, beach-read" to get one's mind off the current economic woes, we're there to make a match. Ever since I was a little girl, Fiddler on the Roof was one of my favorite musicals. In it, the three daughters, Tzeitel, Hodel, and Chava sing "Matchmaker," where they dream about their future spouses and tease each other of the potential disasters that yente (the matchmaker) could bring. I have always enjoyed making matches -- people-to-people, book-to-customer -- often using my family and friends as my next challenge. Perhaps this is my calling; after all, I am pursuing full-time work and exploring diverse career paths. In the meantime, stop by the bookstore, have some coffee, and let us make a match!

Check out my March staff pick -- Charlesbridge's own Pippo the Fool by Tracey Fern:

Posted by Caroline Litwick, of Porter Square Books and Charlesbridge.



1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Caroline's the man.