Editor’s Note: Roxanne J. Coady founded R.J. Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT, in 1989 after leaving her job as national tax director at a New York-based international accounting firm. Roxanne is the co-editor, with Joy Johannessen, of The Book That Changed My Life. Visit R.J. Julia at www.rjjulia.com. Here, Roxanne sits down with wOw CEO Joni Evans to talk about present-day bookselling, how men and women read differently and what’s flying off the shelves at R.J. Julia.

JONI: What are the challenges of being a bookseller nowadays?

ROXANNE: As independent booksellers, what we do and love doing is to provide a space that creates the opportunity for discussion and discovery. Customers come into the store for the experiences we provide, for our staff suggestions, the author events, the passion we share for a great read and our ability to act as a filter and put the right book in the right hand. Ironically, all of that’s free. That’s a huge challenge we have to get ahead of if we are going to survive. 

JONI: Are there any interesting trends you’ve spotted recently – in either fiction or non-fiction?

ROXANNE: People continue unabated to be interested in memoir, particularly books that are about family dysfunction or seeking a spiritual place. In a way I think self-help books have morphed into memoir. 

Also, after 9/11 people were much more interested in understanding the non-U.S. world, the history of the Middle East, Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc. But now people’s interest seems to be coming back to the USA; whether they’re reading political books or books on the economy, readers seem to be more interested in what’s going on in the United States. On the other hand, there’s been a lot of very strong international fiction, and we’re finding an increased interest in novels that come from foreign countries. 

JONI: What’s the most exciting book you’ve read — both adult and kids — in the past year?

ROXANNE: Well, first let me define my terms: “exciting,” to me, means it’s not the same story that’s been told by somebody else. For adults, it’s The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. For kids it’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.

JONI: What do you think of electronic reading devices like the Sony Reader Digital Book and Amazon’s Kindle? Do you think they’ll change the way we read books in the future? 

ROXANNE: I think it will change the world; the question is: How fast? Business and reference books are more likely to go there first. I often describe the book business as an apple pie that’s not growing; we’re just adding more forks. 

JONI: What’s the perfect book for a weekend houseguest to bring to her host?

ROXANNE: One great house gift is a couple of books in the wonderful Penguin Great Ideas series. I often pick two and tie a ribbon around them. My favorites are On the Shortness of Life by Seneca and Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations. Or What to Drink With What You Eat: The Definitive Guide to Pairing Food with Wine, Beer, Spirits, Coffee, Tea – Even Water, by a group of sommeliers. Another favorite of mine is Jacques Pepin’s Fast Food My Way. If you want to splurge on a book on contemporary art: anything from the Phaidon Press; their books are always gorgeous, interesting and well done. Another favorite of mine is Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar:Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein.

JONI: Do women read differently than men? How so?

ROXANNE: Yes, women read more fiction than men and they couldn’t care less whether a book was written by a man or a woman. Men seem to prefer writing by men.