Meet the Team: Jenny

In July & August 2017, members of the 'Mostly Books' team were quizzed about all things books. 

They talked about what it's like to work in a bookshop, which books they enjoy and also provided a bit of background about themselves.

The Mostly Books team has a new addition for the month of August - Jenny Kapellari- who is with us as part of an ERASMUS placement scheme organised by John Mason School.

What's your full name?
Jennifer Kapellari

How long have you worked at Mostly Books?
I started working here on 30th July and I will stay until the end of August.

What's your favourite genre of books and why?

My favourite genre is fantasy, because it is an awesome opportunity to relax from the reality. It takes you to places you have never been before. 

Name your favourite book

It is hard to choose one as my favourite book, but I think it would be “Erebos” by Ursula Poznanski.

 

What’s your favourite thing about working at Mostly Books?

I think that the atmosphere in Mostly Books is very special. It just keeps you calm even on stressful days and it is always a pleasure to talk to the customers. Of course, the team is lovely, and I appreciate that I can learn more and more every day.

What upcoming book are you most excited about?  
I am not really the person who waits for a book to be published but looking through little bookshops like Mostly Books.

What are your main responsibilities in Mostly Books?

Since I am an intern, Sarah tries to give me an idea of everything what is going on in the shop. So, I am doing anything what is coming up.

What do you like to do in your free time? 

I love travelling around the world and explore different countries and cultures, but I also enjoy listening to music or reading a good book at home. 

Tell us something that the Mostly Books Customers don't know about you.  

I used to dye my hair in nearly every colour of the rainbow: red, blue, green, violet and pink. 

Thanks Jenny, it's been good to chat!

You will find Jenny in Mostly Books from Monday to Friday until 24th August.

Meet the Team: Kain

In July & August 2017, members of the 'Mostly Books' team were quizzed about all things books.  They talked about what it's like to work in a bookshop, which books they enjoy and also provided a bit of background about themselves.

The Mostly Books team has a new addition - Kain Evans - who joined in May so we thought it would be a good idea to introduce him properly.  Read on for 'Meet the Team: Kain'.

What's your full name? Kain Evans

How long have you worked at Mostly Books? 

Just two weeks, although if you count the two times I’ve done work experience previously, around a month!

What's your favourite genre of books and why?  

I absolutely adore fantasy! I’ve been reading fantasy since I was very young, and am quite partial to fantasy in modern day stories. I also enjoy sci-fi, and have been know to read YA and comedy books every so often.

Name your favourite book

Without a doubt my favourite book is Beyond the Deepwoods, the first book of the Edge Chronicles series by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell. Whilst I can say it doesn’t hold up as well as it did when I was seven or eight, it holds a special place in my heart for being the first book I finished in one day! It also stands as the book I’ve re-read most, and I always come back to. Plus it has illustrations by Chris Riddell and is a rich, well-developed fantasy world. What more could you want?

What’s your favourite thing about working at Mostly Books? 

I enjoy the way the team can all get on really well whilst still working professionally and effectively. Also it gives me the excuse I needed to read more often, and of course, buy more books!

What upcoming book are you most excited about?  

Right now I’m really looking forward to Noah Could Never by Simon James Green. The first one was the only book that made me almost scream at the main character, but I read it all the day I bought it and have recommended it to everyone I’ve met. The second book looks very promising, and I can’t wait to read it. Hopefully I won’t scream this time.

What do you like to do in your free time?  

Other than reading books, I enjoy reading comic books such as The Walking Dead and The Sandman. I also have a rather extensive board game collection, as well as several thousand trading cards.

Tell us something that the Mostly Books Customers don’t know about you.  

I actually have three middle names; Akira, Christopher and Frederick. Akira after the animated film, Christopher after my uncle and Frederick after my great grandad.

Thanks Kain, it's been good to chat!

You will find Kain in Mostly Books every Wednesday from the first week of June and he will also be doing holiday cover as, and when, needed.

Meet the Team: Jenna

What's your full name?

Jenna Washington

How long have you worked at Mostly Books?

Just over a year. I started off as a work experience girl and luckily everyone here liked me- so they decided to keep me!

What's your favourite genre of books and why?

I enjoy a good crime and thriller book occasionally, but I generally read YA books. Nothing can beat the satisfactory feeling of working out who did a crime, or who killed who, and getting inside the mind of a criminal, policeman or even innocent bystander and seeing their point of view always makes a book more interesting. Any books with seriously crazy plot twists make me so happy, and YA books generally have quite a few of those. Quirky characters always surface too, and the fact I am a teenager means that I find some books heavily relatable and can relate them to my life- something that is not always a good thing.

Name your favourite book.

Without meaning to sound cliché, I don’t have just one favourite book. The Morganville vampire series by Rachel Caine will always have a special place in my heart as it was the first ever series of books I finished, and I feel completely and utterly head over heels in love with one of the main characters. I must have re-read the entire series about four times because of him. “First Love” by James Patterson is another one of my favourites, as I loved it so much I did a book review on it in order to get my initial work experience here at the shop. Sandra Brown is an amazing thriller author I loved, with her book “Sting” being one of the best thriller books I have read this year.

What's your favourite thing about working at Mostly Books?

How unpredictable the shop is. Honestly, literally anything can happen here. For example, I walked in last Saturday morning to find the entire back garden full of building work and supplies, and the sink to have disappeared into thin air. Hearing stories from the week is always an interesting thing to listen to on a Saturday morning, and having children yelling the word “UNDERPANTS” randomly throughout the day keeps the atmosphere lively and exciting.

What are your main responsibilities at Mostly Books?

Working Saturdays is very different to working weekdays  - the shop is so much more hectic. So, I spend the day running around helping people find books, coming up with recommends and manning the till. I generally have the job of changing around posters and making sure the reviews are around the shop and on the books. Little jobs that don’t get done through the week, like making up goody bags, I do if we have a spare moment. Recently I have been doing things a bit out of the ordinary, like helping out with redecorations and helping out at the Harry Potter Quiz, taking photos and running the stall.

What upcoming books are you most excited about?

I am SO excited about “Top Ten” by Katie Cotugno which is about two very unlikely friends reminiscing on the top ten moments from their friendship. I feel like a lot of books that are written are about the future of characters, not many go back and inspire readers to think about their own friendships in this way. There is also “My Sister's Bones” by Nuala Ellwood, which is about the bond between two sisters and how that is tested when something tragic happens.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I am just about to start year 12 to do four a-levels: Maths, Further Maths, Biology and Chemistry. In between doing my GCSE’s a few months ago and the upcoming workload, I don’t actually have much free time. However, I have spent the last couple of weeks doing the National Citizen Service, where I’m meeting new people and learning new skills like how to canoe and gorge walk, as well as more useful day to day skills like first aid and budgeting food.

Tell us something that the Mostly Books customers don't know about you.

Before I worked at Mostly Books, I used to take dance classes on Saturday mornings. I can dance street and freestyle, Latin and ballroom! My Foxtrot is pretty good, if I may say so myself.  

Thanks Jenna, it's been good to chat!

Jenna works in the shop every Saturday.