Meet the Team: Julia

Each week for the next few weeks, a member of the 'Mostly Books' team is going to be quizzed about all things books.  They will talk about what it's like to work in a bookshop, which books they enjoy and will also provide a bit of background about themselves.  

First up, it's Julia!  

What's your full name? 
Julia Burrows 

How long have you worked at Mostly Books? 
Nine Years 

What's your favourite genre of books and why?  
I like Science Fiction (Sci Fi) and Fantasy and also like a lot of YA books.  Why read about everyday life when you can read about extraordinary goings on?!  I also like historical fiction as long as it is not political or about the Royal family. 

Name your favourite book
I haven’t got a favourite as there are so many to choose from, but a few of the best, in my opinion, include the Justin Cronin trilogy (The Passage, The Twelve & The City of Mirrors) which I really enjoyed and it had a good ending. 

I also really like Ready Player One by Ernest Cline which is just about to be released as a Stephen Spielberg film.  

I wrote this review as a wraparound for Ready Player One: 

James Halliday, Billionaire with a love of the 80's, dies with no heirs and hides an Easter egg within OASIS, a virtual reality containing thousands of planets that he created.  Used worldwide he leaves a message stating that whoever finds the egg will inherit everything.  Wade, our hero, solves the first clue and what follows is a race to solve the rest of the puzzle and claim the prize between the Gunter's (egg hunters) and a corrupt corporation called IOI, who want to turn OASIS into a money-making scheme. 

I loved the 80's references to games, films and movies and the pure geekiness of this book. 

What’s your favourite thing about working at Mostly Books?  
It’s all about the books!  I love being around books all the time. 

What are your main responsibilities at Mostly Books?

Keeping our customers happy and trying to making sure that things run as smoothly as possible (not an easy task).  I also return any old stock so the shop displays stay fresh and to make room for more lovely books.  The biggest responsibility, that we all endure, is reading lots of books so we can all recommend the right books for the right people.

What upcoming book are you most excited about? 
Artemis by Andy Weir, which is due out in November.  

Officially Jazz Bashara is a porter on the first habitable moonbase called Artemis, unofficially she is a smuggler who caters for the rich and the lowly, smuggling in restricted items. When she is asked to do a very dangerous job she ends up knee deep in more trouble than ever before. This is  a novel that is part thriller, mission impossible, crime and corruption with lots of lovely science.  Andy Weir has pulled off a second novel, that although different from ‘The  Martian’, is still a brilliant read.

What do you like to do in your free time? 

Apart from reading, I like to sew, knit and crochet.  I donate my creations to a charity that provides clothes, hats, blankets and burial gowns for premature and angel babies (Preemies and Angel Babies UK - See the Facebook page here). 

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

I have six children, thee step-children, six grand-children and another grandchild due in a week and a half! 

Thanks Julia - It's been lovely to chat. 
Julia works in the shop every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.