Rhuckus

Interview with Jennifer Lymneos of Rhuckus

When did you get started in bookselling?

Just this past month!

What drew you to bookselling?

I am taking some time off from my career for family reasons, and around the same time I got all my books out of storage and brought them into my house. Of course, I always have room for books. I love each and ever one. And .... some of these books probably deserve a better home (with less people, pets, kids, etc.) And I'd like to buy more books someday, and my very reasonable and loving spouse has politely asked me to organize and streamline the current book catalog before I make any more major purchases. So, here we are!

Did you have any mentors in becoming a bookseller?

No :b Dear reader, if you have advice for me please know I'm very open to it!

What are your specialties as a dealer?

I'm essentially selling my own personal collection which is.... large, as I have been given/inherited other people's books too. I have a *lot* of STEM books, childrens books, and classic novels. I also have a lot of maps, magazines, and paper artifacts about which I am still learning.

What's the most amazing book you've ever sold?

I literally just got started a month ago, so the first book I sold was the most amazing one so far! :)

What is your favorite part of being a bookseller?

I love books! I love looking at them, and reading them, and learning about them. But mostly I love it when I can help people find a book they're looking for, and they're so so happy with it.

Do you have an open storefront or have you in the past?

No, all online.

If so, do/did you have any bookstore pets?

As I type this I am surrounded by 2 cats (not sure where the 3rd one is right now) and 2 dogs, and that's just in my house. So it's probably good my shops are all online! I'm a responsible pet owners, and more pets might be too many for me!

What is the funniest / strangest / scariest thing that ever happened in your store?

I sold a book without meaning too :) Luckily it was one I wanted to sell.

What is your favorite bookshop (other than your own)?

There's a secondhand book shop in the next town over called "Park Books" that will probably close someday, but it's my happy place.

What do you personally like to read? Collect?

I love history, science, science fiction, fantasy, feminist screeds, philosophy, mysteries, mythology and fairy tales, and classic storytellers like Jane Austen, "The Three Musketeers", "Sherlock Holmes", and really funny writers like David Sedaris. I love kids books and young adult books, and I've gotten really into graphic novels. One of my all time favorites is Stephen King's "On Writing" which I think everyone should read.

What's your favorite book you personally own? Would you sell it, if the price were right?

When I was young, my parents gave me a classic illustrated version of The Hobbit. It's so beautiful. It's a rare, first edition, gorgeous book. But I would never sell it. Beautiful things appeal to me, but what makes me love something and keep it in my life is how I feel when I look at it, hold it, use it. Purely as a human person in my own life, how much something is worth doesn't matter to me at all. I've kept things for years that aren't worth a penny to anyone else, but they hold some of my best memories.

What one book would you buy if price were no object?

I've been looking for a long, long time for a book I read as a very very small child. It was an unusual retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk. I can't recall the title or author, but if I ever see it again I'll definitely recognize it!

If you were stranded on a desert island and could bring three books, what would they be?

1) Persuasion by Jane Austen 2) On Writing by Stephen King 3) Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival (which I'd be reading for the first time)