It’s Meet a Bookseller Monday, and today we’re excited to introduce Kelly Barth, bookseller at Raven Book Store in Lawrence, Kansas.
How did you get into bookselling?
When I moved to Lawrence, Kansas, I met a woman in a book group who owned the Raven, which I’d already fallen in love with. She invited me to apply, and the rest is history.
What do you love most about being a bookseller?
Solving the puzzle of matching the perfect book with the perfect reader. That little shot of pleasure when you see the light go on in the customer’s eyes. “Yes, that’s the book I want.”
What do you love most about your bookstore?
A customer once said, “Wow, you really trim the fat for us here.” In such a small space, we need to be lean and mean. We carry only the books we love and that we know our customers will love as well.
What are you listening to right now?
They Went Left by Monica Hesse
What audiobooks would you recommend or are among your favorites?
My favorite was listening to Michelle Obama read Becoming.
Where / when do you listen to audiobooks?
In my kitchen while I’m cooking or washing dishes, in my basement while I’m shelling walnuts from the tree in my yard, almost anywhere in my house. I also recently listened to an audiobook on the train from Lawrence to Milwaukee to visit one of the former owners of the Raven. I could listen and not miss any of the landscape moving by.
What is your favorite thing about audiobooks through Libro.fm?
That I’m hands-free and can multitask while listening.
What do you do when you’re not selling books?‘
I’m a writer and writing tutor. Also, I’m an avid birder and volunteer as a wildlife rehabilitator.