## Ms. Holtgrave, tell us how long you have been a bookseller and why you chose this profession.

## Mechtild Holtgrave

Right after graduating from high school, I began my apprenticeship as a bookseller in a bookstore in Coesfeld. Since then, I've been a bookseller without interruption. I can only answer why I became a bookseller with a feeling. I was in my second year of school and read a book. The letters suddenly became pictures in my head, and it felt like a miracle. I still have that feeling when I think about it. When I read books, I don't read them; I live in them. Often, it's an advantage to be able to imagine everything very vividly, but as soon as I read a gory crime novel, I absorb it too much and take it with me to sleep. So I really have to take care of myself and make sure I read something else. When you read something, you connect it with the images that life has given you, so your own home is often part of these films in your head. That makes it particularly scary to read exciting books sometimes. But the fascination of what goes on in your head and having this mental movie has never left me.

Your bookstore is still relatively new, having opened in 2020. How did you come to have your own bookstore?

## MH

I think I'm a pretty typical bookseller in that respect. Every bookseller dreams of opening such a cute, small shop. I had already worked for many years as an employee in a bookstore in Havixbeck and, in 2009, moved to the Altenberge branch with the owner. In 2019, a rumor surfaced that the building in which the bookstore was located was going to be demolished. This rumor grew more and more widespread, and the owner had her own plans to return to Havixbeck and close the bookstore in Altenberge. That was the deciding factor for me to even seriously consider opening my own store. I thought, "It can't be that Altenberge no longer has a bookstore." For the last two years before the final closure, I managed the branch as branch manager, while the owner was no longer there. During this time, many customers came in and repeatedly said that Altenberge should not be without a bookstore. This prompted a discussion with myself, as I am usually rather cautious and in need of security. But my husband supported me in my decision, and I was certain that the people of Altenberge would support me. At the time, I had no idea that the coronavirus pandemic would last so long, and I certainly regretted it every now and then. But in the end, the bottom line is that I couldn't live without books. They are nothing special, and yet they are incredibly special. For me, they are like breathing, like air, like water. I need that to live, and I wanted to give something back to Altenberge.

Most of our team members find it difficult to read regularly. Can you tell us about your personal reading routine? How do you manage to read so much?

## MH

Many people always think that as a bookseller you sit in your shop and read all day. In fact, that's the one thing we can't do here. When we read, it's in our free time. Of course, I still read a lot. For example, I always have a book with me, no matter where I am. When I'm waiting for the bus, sitting in the doctor's waiting room, or on my lunch break - I always read whenever I get the chance. In the evenings, I always read for half an hour, and I hardly watch TV. If I do, I watch very selectively because I simply don't have enough time. And I have a rule: If a book doesn't grab me after 150 pages, I close it and pick up a new one. We get so many pre-reading copies that we wouldn't be able to look through them all otherwise. So I allow myself to simply accept it if I don't like it and then not finish it.

What makes a good book for you? How do you decide whether a book is worth reading more than 150 pages?

## MH

A good book has to grab me, it has to have me, I have to be immersed in it. It shouldn't torment me; it has to be easy for me to read. It doesn't have to be a beautiful book; it can also deal with difficult topics, but ultimately, it has to captivate me. If a book bores me, I simply stop reading it.

## Do you currently have a favorite book? Or is there a book that has influenced your life or moved you?

## MH

I always say my favorite book is whatever I'm reading at the time. There are many books that have truly impressed me, but always a different book for different phases of life. I read "The Catcher in the Rye" twice back then, which is quite unusual for a bookseller, as we have no shortage of new reading material and time is too precious to waste reading the same book over and over again. "The Lord of the Rings" was a revelation for me, as I hadn't explored this fantasy world before, and it opened up to me as a whole. I devoured "The Brothers Lionheart" as a child and will probably never forget the story. "Our Souls at Night" was another one of those. It's about an elderly lady who loses her husband and subsequently asks a neighbor widower to sleep next to her at night, purely platonically, because she misses the sound of breathing when she falls asleep. The reaction of those around her, her children, and her acquaintances, is naturally thrilling and wonderfully described.

Has your passion for reading changed since you own your own bookstore?

## MH

The great thing is, I can have as many books as I want. My problem, however, is that when I've had a stressful day, I don't always manage to switch off and immerse myself in a book. With your own shop, you never really have a break, and everything has to do with books. Luckily, most days I manage quite well. So time is usually the biggest obstacle. I find it a shame that I can't manage to read more than two or three hours a day.