Bookseller Profile

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Turtle Creek Books

How did you get started in bookselling?
Actually my grandparents ran a bookstore during the Depression in Northern Ontario back in the 1930's and we've been book lovers ever since.

Bookselling is not the easiest way to make a living. What keeps you doing it?
After having worked in a variety of professions for more years than I care to mention, I finally realized that there's more to life than money (and as a bookseller one needs this philosophy!) and that I may as well work with something I love and enjoy.

What is your specialty? How did you choose it?
Honestly I couldn't claim to have a specialty, other than attempting to source and stock books that I think my customers will enjoy. Of course, there are many books in my store that I am sorry to see leave... but hopefully they all have found good homes in the hands of those who will enjoy them!

Do you collect anything besides books?
I have collected many things over the years... coins, stamps, postcards, but mostly history books - I have an absolute mania for collecting stories of Indian captivities. In fact, last year I finally published a book on an ancestor whose daughter was captured by the Iroquois and remained in Canada. This is a chapter of American and Canadian history that seems almost unknown today, however thousands of people were captured by the Native Peoples, by the English and by the French and held for ransom or adoption. Many never returned to their original families and were believed lost forever. It is only recently with the advent of genealogy over the internet that many long lost relatives have found one another again.

What is the most unusual book you ever bought?
The most intriguing book I ever purchased was called "Abominable Pig..." - I forget the rest of the title, but it dealt with taboo foods in various cultures throughout the world. I loved that book and of course, foolishly, lent it to a friend... everyone knows the end of this story!

Do you have any legendary stories you tell about incidents in your store or as a bookseller?
Like most booksellers, I go to the giant used book sales, stand in line forever joking with fellow dealers about the "runners" - those people who literally break Olympic records once the doors open to get that special book they scouted earlier. Of course, those who laugh the hardest in line and who scoff at the sprinters are the first and fastest out of the gate. Okay, okay, I admit it! I move at a brisk trot myself!

What are your favorite books, or your recommendations?
I love reading and rereading the works of George Orwell. Both his fiction and essays always seem to have relevance and reading his words again is like visiting with an old friend. As a young girl I began reading his writings, and had this dream I might one day meet him. I had no idea he had long since passed away, and felt completely desolated when I learned that he died in the 1950's.

~ Denise, Turtle Creek Books

The views of the author, expressed above, are not necessarily those of the Advanced Book Exchange