Ned's eyes lit up with amusement at her response. "Can I help with anything and everything? A tall order," he teased lightly. She hadn't exactly given him much direction to start with, but helping people find books was what he did, so he had no doubts he would be able to connect her with what she was looking for.

"It depends what you're trying to achieve," he continued, turning his attention to the shelves. "If you're looking for something to talk to other socialites about, this one has been fairly popular — it's a novel about a young woman coming of age after her parents have just relocated to Australia. Very introspective. If you're looking for something a little more engaging..." he continued — he would not come right out and call the novel about the young woman in Australia boring, but it was eminently safe literature, which was probably what had made it so popular among the wives of Britain. "This is a good choice. A re-imagining of a Chinese fairy tale, set in modern England. And of course, if you're looking to do something specific, explore a topic or learn a new skill, we have a large selection of nonfiction that begins a few shelves over."

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