Tag Archives: book-reviews

BOOK TAILS: Baker & Taylor and Me

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A week ago, I learned about the closure of book distribution giant Baker & Taylor, and I felt a sense of loss as B&T was a part of my professional life since I started working in the library in 1974.

Have you been curious as to where all of those lovely books come from that grace library (and bookstore) shelves, many appearing on the publication day, or has it even entered your mind to wonder? The answer is that many of them are provided by the giant company Baker & Taylor, which has distribution centers around the U.S. They also provided services that made the lives easier of anyone who did library collection development (I was a fan of Automatically Yours, a service that automatically sent books by popular authors, and title catalogs, which listed major forthcoming books and print runs.)

Book Picker or Blackjack Dealer?

In the late 1970s or early 1980s, my husband and I both worked for the library system and were slated to be laid off should a library levy not pass. One of our options was moving to Reno, Nevada, so we spent a few days there, touring the Baker & Taylor distribution center and casinos. I was thinking I could get a job at B&T, or if that didn’t work out, become a blackjack dealer (no joke). Spoiler: the levy passed, and I didn’t spend the rest of my career as a book order picker or dealing cards in a smoky casino.

“Books. Cats. Life is Good.” — T. S. Eliot

But one of their major claims to fame was Baker and Taylor, two sweet Scottish Fold cats who became their mascots and whose faces graced company promotional materials. It was de rigueur to return from a conference sporting a coveted tote bag (I’m not sure how many I cleaned out of my work area when I retired, but it was a bunch.)

In 1983, the Minden (Nevada) Library acquired a Scottish Fold cat they named Baker after he was found sleeping in Baker & Taylor boxes. They wanted another but couldn’t afford one, so the company agreed to obtain another cat (and if I remember correctly, paid for their care), in return for using them for promotional purposes. In 1990, my husband and I were passing through Minden and stopped to meet the cats, which remains a highlight of my life. Despite our visit interrupting the staff’s workflow, they graciously took me to the back room for a “meet and greet.” If you can’t tell, Baker wasn’t very cool with having his photo taken, but he enjoyed the scritches. The story of the cats is chronicled in the lovely book, The True Tails of Baker & Taylor, by the then-library director, Jan Louch. However, a mutual colleague informed me that parts were not entirely factual, but I didn’t care; I still loved the book.You can find my Goodreads review here.  

So, how will libraries obtain their books after B&T ceases its operation? Most will probably use Ingram’s, another big distribution company, but it’s going to take time to get it all sorted out. So my advice is to please be patient if your library doesn’t get books on the shelves or your hold isn’t filled as quickly as before.

Revisiting HELL HOUSE by Richard Matheson

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So this was an interesting read in a couple of different ways. Please forgive my rambling review.

I first read this in the 1970s, during my horror phase (which I guess I’m still in), when I read Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and Robert Marasco’s Burnt Offerings. I recall being impressed by how frightening this was and how effectively the setting was portrayed. For some reason, I decided to reread it to see if it affected me the same way it did 50 years ago, and here is what’s different — I don’t remember the obvious uncurrent of sexual tensions of the women, and at times, the lewdness of the house’s history. I’m not judging, I’m just surprised I didn’t remember that aspect of the storyline. However, that all being said, it was still very scary (Stephen King said it was, “the scariest haunted house novel ever written.” I’m not sure I agree with our friend Stevie, as I think The Haunting of Hill House was way scarier in its subtlety.) I did feel the anticlimactic ending went on too long.

I followed up by watching the 1973 movie, The Legend of Hell House, and it was reasonably well done, although somewhat condensed; however, the setting was perfect. (Fun fact: my spouse and I saw this at the local drive-in, probably in the mid-1970s. Near the end, the bathrooms were closed due to a sewer problem, and we had to pee so bad we had to leave before the ending, and it wasn’t until last night that I saw finale!)

And here’s one more observation that about drove me bonkers during my recent read. Do you ever read a book and notice a repeated term or description that a good editor should have caught? In this case, the word “hiss” (or hissing or hissed) was used sixteen times according to my Kindle!

Richard Matheson also wrote the time travel love story, Bid Time Return, which was adapted into the romantic movie Somewhere in Time, starring Christopher Reeve and Jayne Seymour. (Loved the book but never saw the movie.)

Anyhoodles, if a reader is looking for a good haunted house story, one can’t go wrong with this book as long as the content isn’t objectionable. However, for the best haunted house story ever written (IMO), you can’t go wrong with The Haunting of Hill House (and the original movie, The Haunting), and the sequel, Elizabeth Hand’s A Haunting on the Hill. For a fun look at horror novels from the 1970s/1980s, get a copy of Grady Hendrix’s Paperbacks from Hell (click on the title for my Goodreads review).

2025 MEMOIRS, PLUS A BIOGRAPHY (Part 1)

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I love a good celebrity memoir, especially if the author is candid and sprinkles a little dirt. Seven years ago, I wrote about memoirs, which you can read here, if you so desire. Here is a rundown of the memoirs I’ve read so far in 2025. Part 2 will arrive in a few days.

How to Lose Your Mother by Molly Jong-Fast. I read Erica Jong’s ground-breaking novel, Fear of Flying, when it was published in 1973, and then followed her career over the years. Turns out Erica was a bit of a narcissist and an alcoholic. When she started sliding into dementia, not only did Molly become her caregiver, but at the same time, Molly’s husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Compelling, although some have felt Molly got a little too whiny at times, but you know what? Molly deserved to be a wee bit chagrined over her situation.

Softly, As I Leave You by Priscilla Presley (publication date September 23). Well. This was verrry interesting. There is some repeated information from her first memoir, Elvis and Me, but this continues the story of their divorce and the raising of their daughter, Lisa Marie. Like many celebrities, there is an aggravating air of entitlement throughout, but what is most interesting is what Lisa Marie wrote about Priscilla in her book, From Here to the Great Unknown. While neither could be considered a reliable narrator, it’s interesting to compare what they said about each other — at least it is if you care about this stuff at all, and I do, I do!

Brooke Shields is Not Allowed to Get Old by Brooke Shields. Another entry into the menopausal memoirs by celebrities. It was interesting when Brooke talked about her career and life, but it got a little tedious when she delved into the “change of life” stuff; it’s like no one has ever gone through this before. If you like her, give it a try; otherwise, skip it.

Stay tuned for four more titillating stories by people who think readers want to hear their life stories. Here is a sneak peek:

My Journey With the Seven Sisters (and Pa Salt) by Lucinda Riley

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Two years ago, after carrying the large paperback of the first book, The Seven Sisters, in my beach bag for six years, I finally set aside time to start the entire series, which consists of eight long books.

Well, I just finished the last book, Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt, and boy, what a journey that turned out to be!

Each book centers around one of the six sisters adopted by “Pa Salt,” a billionaire, with each one named after a star in the Seven Sisters constellation, also known as the Pleiades. Despite not being exceptionally well-written and sometimes needing a good editor, I enjoyed all the titles. They border on melodrama and were all a tad predictable, but I didn’t give a fig; they all hit the right note for warm summer days on the patio. These books with dual timelines are full of family dynamics, intrigue, and romance, and incorporate some historical figures and history in each exotic setting (Switzerland, Paris, England, Ireland, Australia, Africa, and Brazil), and one has to admire Riley’s research and imagination. If you decide to start on this series, be sure to have the next book readily available, as each ends with a cliffhanger.

My other minor gripe was that these sisters were all smart people, but throughout their upbringing, no one thought to ask their father, Pa Salt, his real name? (I know!)

If you’re a fan of epic novels by Diana Gabaldon, Sara Donati, Beatriz Williams, and Kate Morton, try these addictive books.