Review: The Diary of a Bookseller

The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Shaun Bythell owns a second-hand bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland. The shop is one of the largest second-hand book shops, and they also hold an annual book festival which is the highlight of Wigtown’s calendar!

In his book, Shaun gives us a written commentary on what its like to own and run a bookshop, and if like me, you thought that meant engaging with people similar to yourself, and reading loads of books, then think again!! One of the most surprising thing I learnt whilst reading this book was that Shaun says that he reads fewer books now than he ever did before he owned the shop.
We are introduced to some lovely characters who I felt a great deal of fondness for. Eccentric, ski suit wearing employee Nicky who delves in the Morrisons skips for treats for “Foodie Friday”, and Sandy the tattooed pagan who trades carved walking sticks in exchange for books on Celtic Mythology.

At first I didn’t think I was going to like this, it wasn’t what I was expecting but if I’m honest, I don’t know what I was expecting either, but I quickly developed a fondness for Shaun, Nicky and Sandy and the customers who came and went, and when the book finished, it left me wanting more. I could have listened to another year and another.

It was upsetting to read about the struggles that independent booksellers face up against the giants like Amazon. It was a really pleasant insight into someone else’s world, although I think I’ll stick to reading books rather than selling them!

View all my reviews

Comments

Review: The Weekend Away by Sarah Alderson

The Weekend Away by Sarah Alderson Published by Avon Books 4 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐ New Mum Orla and Party girl Kate have been best friends forever and so with Orla adapting to motherhood, and Kate facing a messy divorce, they decide to have a girl’s weekend away in Lisbon. Kate has booked the perfect apartment, complete with hot tub and they kick the weekend off in style with champagne, a fancy dinner, and drinks at a trendy bar. Returning to the apartment that evening Orla feels a bit woozy and goes to bed but the next morning, she wakes up very groggy and is convinced that her drink was spiked and she tries to piece the night back together again. When she checks on her friend, Kate is not in the apartment, and hasn’t left a note – she has simply disappeared. As Orla frantically retraces their steps she makes a series of discoveries that may change her life forever. The main character in this book is Orla who is been married to Rob, together they have baby Marlow who they conceived with IV...

REVIEW: Confessions Of A Forty-Something F**ck Up by Alexandra Potter

Confessions Of A Forty-Something F**k Up by Alexandra Potter published by Pan Macmillan Nell Stevens’ life is a mess – moving back to London from LA after her business goes bust and her relationship fails she notices that many things have changed. Her friends are now all settled with children, and she is forced to rent a room in a house. Life just feels like it’s f**ked up!. When Nell gets a job writing obituaries, she first encounters Cricket, an eighty-something widow with challenges of her own, and they strike up an unlikely friendship. Together they begin to help each other heal their aching hearts, cope with the loss of the lives they had planned, and push each other into new adventures and unexpected joys. Because Nell is determined. Next year things are going to be very different. It's time to turn her life around. Initially I didn’t think I was going to like this book, as I mistakenly thought it was transcripts of a podcast, but how wrong was I? Th...

REVIEW: Moonlight Over Studland Bay by Della Galton

Moonlight Over Studland Bay – Della Galton published by Boldwood Books Samantha Jones works as an audio typist for a local company in Dorset. However, it’s not her dreams job. She wanted to devote, and expand, Purbeck Pooches, her pet sitting service. When best friend (and housemate) Abby has a baby boy Sam’s priorities change and she realises she wants more from her life. Does she want life to continue as it is or does she want to look for the perfect sperm donor – on a drunken evening Abby and Sam draw up the perfect "daddy" list. Sam’s world is soon rocked when her boss Rex accuses her of moonlighting and her parents who have run a B&B locally for years make a shock revelation. I’m going to say it from the start…I loved this book! Sam is a relatable character who knows what she wants from life, but she doesn’t want to upset, hurt or trample on people to get it. She’s just an all-round good egg!! There were times in the book when Abby made me laugh but a...

Book-Mad-Mum

Search This Blog