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!

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