Michael bought Gibson’s Bookstore in 1994 and has expanded it twice to meet the needs of readers. He enjoys literary fiction, well-written commercial fiction and thrillers, and books on politics and history.
Meet Our Staff
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Michael Herrmann
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John
 My academic background is history & science & that’s my favorite reading, but I like a well written book in any genre. I've been a bookseller for over 20 years, first at the Harvard Coop, then at Gibson's. I’m responsible for buying new adult titles from publishers and for our used-book section. |
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Paul
 A book lover since my mother read Fox in Sox to me as a child. I still enjoy wandering the median between sound & sense. My areas of interest include poetry, literary fiction, graphic novels, travel, & nature. I’m operations manager for the bookstore. |
Elisabeth
 You'll never catch Elisabeth in the literary fiction-- she's the one skulking in the Fantasy section, or riffling through pages in the Romance department! She's also a fan of humor writers and deep explorations into obscure aspects of our shared cultural histories (she will press Consider the Fork: A History of How we Cook and Eat onto anyone who stands still long enough). Our events coordinator since 2011, Elisabeth also runs our Facebook and Instagram pages with Ryan. |
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Heather
 I am a fiction and fantasy lover. Margaret Atwood, John Irving, and George R.R. Martin hold a place in my heart that no one can touch, but a well written young adult novel thrills me as well and I will spend a few happy hours with picture books on any given day. I have two young children and reading with them is an important part of my life. I love helping young readers find a story that really speaks to them. I’m responsible for buying our children’s books and toys. |
Carolyn
 I haven't read half as many books as I should have, and I like less than half of them half as well as they deserve. (Needless to say, I like Tolkien!) I used to enjoy reading actual adult books, from great literary classics to the latest sci-fi and fantasy, or books about history, spirituality, or cooking. Now, I work on the children's side of the store, and I have a daughter in elementary school. Kids’ books are great! I first came to New Hampshire almost 20 years ago to study literature at New England College in Henniker. I loved it so much up here that I never left. I'm always ready to escape into a good fantasy or sci-fi novel, but will usually read anything fiction if the book stays still long enough. With non-fiction, I am more selective, focusing on topics I'm interested in learning about. My bookshelf is large a mix of history, mostly the medieval time period, along with culinary history and the history of the Romani people. I also enjoy books about eastern and new age spirituality, and natural and alternative healing. |
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Cheri
 Cheri is an elementary teacher. She has been teaching 3rd grade for 11 years, and loves to read Youth Fiction. In her Reading Life, her favorite books are in the Harry Potter series, but she also enjoys the Artemis Fowl series as excellent youth fiction. Cheri enjoys helping elementary students find that "Just Right" book to help them along their own Reading Lives. Cheri reads so much that her long list of staff picks was slowing down this page! We've archived her 2014-2018 reviews here: https://www.gibsonsbookstore.com/cheri-2014-2018 |
Ryan
 If you're looking for Bookseller Ryan, you're most likely to find her in the Horror section, enthusiastically and passionately recommending her favorite spooky titles (good luck leaving the store without a Josh Malerman book in your hands). Ryan, our Queen of Scream, has been with Gibson's since August of 2012. In addition to slinging Horror as a Frontline Bookseller, Ryan is our Marketing Manager (you might recognize her from our TikToks), as well as the Host/Editor/Producer of The Laydown Podcast, where she interviews authors and shouts excitedly about her current reads. Her favorite books include Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (Ryan's wedding was The Night Circus meets Alice in Wonderland, and have you heard her interview with Erin Morgenstern?). She'll also read absolutely anything from our Horror and Romance sections. Take a look at Ryan's favorite recent reads here! |
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Jim
 Jim has worked in bookstores since 1983 and at Gibson's, off and on, since 1987. He enjoys a good story more than anything else but is drawn to Young Adult fiction because of his day job as a middle school teacher. "Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book." --Author Unknown. Needless to say, I have lived many lives and there are countless more to come. You can read Jim's 2016-2018 archived staff reviews here: https://www.gibsonsbookstore.com/jim-2016-2018 |
Janine
 Janine, the library media specialist at Bow Memorial School, knows the Dewey Decimal system inside and out and can translate that into a good non-fiction children's or YA book recommendation. She’s widely read in books that have been nominated for New Hampshire Book awards—Ladybug, Flume, Great Stone Face, etc. |