The strengths of this memoir iare the discussions on employee relations and behavior, the continuing search for a partner that one can live with and the trials and tribulations of author and book signing events. The weaknesses are, of course that King's English only sold new books, whcih takes away the most interesting part of the bookselling experience, and there is way too much emphasis on fiction and on the book de jour. Constant superlatives for an current author or an author's series, stretches credulity and tries one's patience. The extended chapters on censorship and book banning are important, but seemingly repetitive. The poety chapter is overly poetic. Overall, the book is an important example of coping in the new, independent, book trade. ( )

I have wanted to read this since it came out....I love books about books. It seems that the store sells primarily fiction which is of less interest than it used to be. But, I still read it. Maybe I will get there some day.... Readable and fun. Finished 17.09.19 ( )

Charming and enthusiastically written memoir of the The King's English bookstore of Salt Lake City, Utah. Betsy Burton gives us a glimpse into the life of an independent bookstore owner through her amusing anecdotes, painful life lessons, and moments with known and little known authors. Her passion for books and the people she serves are clear through her words. She writes so vividly of her partners, employees, book reps, authors, customers, and the many experiences with them. Bookselling drove her life, and you can understand why by reading this book. ( )

This book is about Betsy Burton's journey in opening and maintaining a little Indie book shop in Salt Lake City, Utah. My love of books and reading lead me to read all books about "books" and "reading". Betsy wrote such a lively and hopeful story about a book store that is well-loved by its customers and authors alike. Her passion for literature radiated throughout the story. The great pleasure I got from reading this book lead me to hunt down and read every single other book about book stores and book selling. ( )

I found this a very enjoyable read, and as an initiation into the world of bookstores, managed to be both informative and entertaining. The author's did not gloss over the difficulty of running a bookstore, which funnily enough made me want to have my own bookstore all the more. ( )