About the author : an introductory memoir -- How I became a reader -- A reviewer's lament -- Book lovers are not necessarily people lovers -- Amazon uncovered -- Master control : the influences of a book shopper friend -- Prerequisites : what every good bookstore should have -- Growing old with the new journalists -- Big social book shopping novels -- Humorists : being funny can be such a chore -- Larry McMurtry : patron saint of book shoppers -- Books as gifts -- The classic book group -- Managing the personal library -- Parting words.