Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
David R. Godine, Publisher (2020), 324 pages
Description
"In 2018, Shaun Bythell's The Diary of a Bookseller (soon to be a major U.K. TV series) introduced readers to the joys and frustrations of his life as the owner of The Bookshop, the largest second-hand bookshop in Scotland. Now, Confessions of a Bookseller, sardonic and sympathetic in equal measure, returns to chart the highs and lows of another year in the life of a cantankerous-yet-lovable man passionate about books"--
User reviews
LibraryThing member pgchuis
I received a free review copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.
If you enjoyed the first in this series ("Diary of a Bookseller"), then you will enjoy this one, as it is more of the same. I enjoyed both: I liked Shaun and his weary tolerance of badly
I hope he goes on writing these.
If you enjoyed the first in this series ("Diary of a Bookseller"), then you will enjoy this one, as it is more of the same. I enjoyed both: I liked Shaun and his weary tolerance of badly
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behaved customers and disobedient staff. There are also sections about the local area and about the business of bookselling, which are very interesting. I found there was a little repetition (although it helps to be reminded who people we encountered months ago are, occasionally they were reintroduced after a day or so) and the cast became a little overwhelming towards the end, especially during the festival, but these are minor quibbles.I hope he goes on writing these.
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LibraryThing member linda.a.
As soon as I reached the end of Shaun's previous book (Diary of a Bookseller) I was hoping he would be writing a sequel - he has and it's just as funny, informative and thought-provoking as his first. There are some familiar figures to be reacquainted with (including Nicky, his idiosyncratic
I heard Shaun speak about his first book at the Borderlines Festival in Carlisle last year (2018) and his talk was as amusing as his written reflections. At that time he was feeling amazed that it had become such an international bestseller (being particularly popular in Russia!) and in this book he shares how its popularity has grown in China. How heartening to discover that his experiences are so readily recognised, and appreciated across the international community of readers!
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assistant, Bum Bag Dave, Sandy, the most tattooed man in Scotland, who provides Shaun with handmade walking sticks to sell in exchange for credit against books) but there are also some new ones, my favourite being the young Italian intern whose nickname is Granny (you should read the book to find out why!)I heard Shaun speak about his first book at the Borderlines Festival in Carlisle last year (2018) and his talk was as amusing as his written reflections. At that time he was feeling amazed that it had become such an international bestseller (being particularly popular in Russia!) and in this book he shares how its popularity has grown in China. How heartening to discover that his experiences are so readily recognised, and appreciated across the international community of readers!
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LibraryThing member lindapanzo
I enjoyed this book, essentially a diary of a year in the life of a Scottish bookstore. Definitely best if taken in small doses but interesting, especially for those who love bookstores.
(I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.)
(I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.)
LibraryThing member PDCRead
It sounds perfect, a mile of bookshelves, 100,000 books to choose from, open fires, a bookshop cat and when you have selected your purchases then you can take a walk down to the sea to sit and read them. This place can be found in Scotland’s book town, Wigtown, and if you were a visitor you’d
“Do you have a list of your books, or do I just have to stare at them?”
Inundated with requests from customers that range from the regular requests for a particular copy of a book, people wanting to take selfies with the kindle to the slightly strange and often the outright bizarre requests from customers who really are not engaging their brains before opening their mouths. He also has to battle with those that think nothing of selecting a number of books off the shelf, coming up to the counter and then offering a paltry sum for the books that they want. No one would think of doing that in any other shop, so why should he be different.
He is still buying collections of books, from people who think that their value is far and above what he is prepared to pay. And every now and again he finds a gem of a book in those collections, however, I never cease to be amazed just how many he takes to be pulped. He lists the book via Amazon and Abe books, and while I can see that if a book listed will get snapped up, he frequently gets a book in the day after someone has asked for it…
Amazon is the bane of his life. The Monsoon system that they have to use to sell through Amazon seems not to work most of the time. They don’t get the orders, so, therefore, have no way of knowing what to ship and the customer rightly complains that they haven’t had the book yet. It makes the shop look bad, even though they are not at fault in any way and Amazon berates them and holds onto their money for longer.
On top of all that he has to cope with belligerent staff, one of whom has a unique way of stacking the books on the shelves and around the shop and he is assisted by an Italian lady who is working for free but gets board and lodgings. His home fills up with people during the festival, bits of the wall fall off the building and he has a few hangovers to cope with. I thought that this was a really good follow up to his first book, Diary of a Bookseller. It is hilarious at times and occasionally quite melancholy. He is not afraid to talk about the problems facing those in the new and second-hand book trade and the massive problems caused by Amazon. I liked the way that he shows his daily takings and the books ordered online compared to those found. So go missing because of customers and others because of erratic filing… Somehow through all of this he manages to only be slightly sarcastic some of the time, exasperated most of the time and I have this sneaky feeling that he wouldn’t be anywhere else.
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hope that the proprietor, Shawn Bythell would be pleased to see every customer who walked in the door. Well, he is, sometimes, but he often isn’t…“Do you have a list of your books, or do I just have to stare at them?”
Inundated with requests from customers that range from the regular requests for a particular copy of a book, people wanting to take selfies with the kindle to the slightly strange and often the outright bizarre requests from customers who really are not engaging their brains before opening their mouths. He also has to battle with those that think nothing of selecting a number of books off the shelf, coming up to the counter and then offering a paltry sum for the books that they want. No one would think of doing that in any other shop, so why should he be different.
He is still buying collections of books, from people who think that their value is far and above what he is prepared to pay. And every now and again he finds a gem of a book in those collections, however, I never cease to be amazed just how many he takes to be pulped. He lists the book via Amazon and Abe books, and while I can see that if a book listed will get snapped up, he frequently gets a book in the day after someone has asked for it…
Amazon is the bane of his life. The Monsoon system that they have to use to sell through Amazon seems not to work most of the time. They don’t get the orders, so, therefore, have no way of knowing what to ship and the customer rightly complains that they haven’t had the book yet. It makes the shop look bad, even though they are not at fault in any way and Amazon berates them and holds onto their money for longer.
On top of all that he has to cope with belligerent staff, one of whom has a unique way of stacking the books on the shelves and around the shop and he is assisted by an Italian lady who is working for free but gets board and lodgings. His home fills up with people during the festival, bits of the wall fall off the building and he has a few hangovers to cope with. I thought that this was a really good follow up to his first book, Diary of a Bookseller. It is hilarious at times and occasionally quite melancholy. He is not afraid to talk about the problems facing those in the new and second-hand book trade and the massive problems caused by Amazon. I liked the way that he shows his daily takings and the books ordered online compared to those found. So go missing because of customers and others because of erratic filing… Somehow through all of this he manages to only be slightly sarcastic some of the time, exasperated most of the time and I have this sneaky feeling that he wouldn’t be anywhere else.
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LibraryThing member SarahEBear
Another entertaining read by Shaun Bythell on the ins and outs of running a second hand book store. As with the original, "Confessions of a Bookseller" follows a diary style format where Bythell describes the daily events in his bookstore and in the small town of Wigtown. There are plenty of
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amusing anecdotes covering the various weird and whacky customers, staff, issues in dealing with on-line bookseller platforms, and the lifecycle of the town. I was very pleased to note that the shop seems to be turning over more profit than described in the previous book, and that the cat, Captain, is still very much on the scene. An entertaining and enjoyable read. Show Less
LibraryThing member jon1lambert
Not quite as good as The diary of a a bookseller but nevertheless really good. The star, apart from the author, is Emanuela, the Italian placement trainee, more affectionately called Granny. As well as very funny, the book is also informative about the book trade, books themselves and the Galloway
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life and landscape. I look forward to the next one. Show Less
LibraryThing member sleahey
More day-to-day snark and good humor (if not cheer).
LibraryThing member LARA335
Third diary I’ve read of Shaun’s. Find these a comforting, charming read, & enjoyed his lock-down Facebook quizzes. With what he makes in a day, I don’t quite understand how he can afford to remain open. But so glad that he does. We will miss these quiet havens when they are gone.
LibraryThing member DramMan
A rollicking read - witty, quirky and life affirming. Mote to self: Visit The Bookshop, Wigtown, soon!
LibraryThing member ponsonby
Very similar to Diary of a Bookseller but less engrossing. Perhaps familiarity breeds contempt or there is too much of a good thing. The bits about buying books are more interesting and differentiated than those about selling books. The new character, the old-young Italian Granny, rapidly grows
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tiresome. The author's usual rants about Amazon are understandable, but he somewhat gives away the game when he complains about Amazon prioritising customers over sellers. Declaration: I bought this book second-hand from a third-party seller through Amazon. Show Less
LibraryThing member Fliss88
Thoroughly enjoyed being taken back to Wigtown and spending more time with this delightfully eccentric bunch of characters.
LibraryThing member kevn57
Feels weird reading an ebook by an author who clearly hates ebooks, and ebook devices. I wonder how many "Death to Kindle" mugs he's sold versus how many copies of his ebook have been sold. Still I'd love to go to Scotland and see his shop, sadly all the used bookstores in my small city have closed.
LibraryThing member murderbydeath
The follow up to his Diary of a Bookseller, a book I enjoyed even more than I expected, so when I heard this was out, I immediately went out and bought it.
Every bit as good as the first, though where the first was primarily wacky and funny, this one had a sharper, more contemplative edge and, as
A great read if you like books about books, or memoirs of misanthropic booksellers.
Every bit as good as the first, though where the first was primarily wacky and funny, this one had a sharper, more contemplative edge and, as
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far as my memory goes, this one feels a bit more personal. The book he read/talked about made more of an impact with me in this book too, though I can't say why.A great read if you like books about books, or memoirs of misanthropic booksellers.
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LibraryThing member thewestwing
Similar style as his first book, so if you were a fan you’ll enjoy this one. Plus it was nice to catch up with the familiar faces from the first book.
LibraryThing member Steve38
More of the same but amusing nevertheless.
LibraryThing member BobVTReader
There are several hings that one notices immediately.. The Scots do a lot of Drinking. The second thing that I notice is that Amazon it hurting the book trade in Scotland just as it has hurt the trade in the United States.
Shaun is an astute of observer of his patrons and I think that he may has
From this book one gets a look into a small vibrant town (population less than 1,000 people)
Shaun is an astute of observer of his patrons and I think that he may has
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taken the liberty of making his customers a little more eccentric than they really are, though the British Isle are full of eccentric characters. Essential the book is a daily diary of what Shaun does each day in this bookstore and his observations of the people that he deals.with. From this book one gets a look into a small vibrant town (population less than 1,000 people)
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LibraryThing member bragan
The second collection of Shaun Bythell's diaries about the day-to-day running of his secondhand bookshop in Scotland. It's very much the same stuff as in Diary of a Bookseller: lots of mundane details about what books he's bought or sold interspersed with relatable complaints about customers,
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descriptions of quirky employees, and glimpses of life in small bookish town. I didn't find it quite as inexplicably absorbing as the first volume; possibly there's a limit to just how many times I'm happy to read an account of how many books he bought from who for how much, or a note that the online ordering system has crashed again, or whatever. But it's still somehow a much more pleasant read than it seems like it should be, and strangely restful on the brain (even none of it may have been particularly restful to Mr. Bythell). Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2019-08-09
Physical description
9.2 inches
ISBN
1567926649 / 9781567926644
Local notes
Shaun copes with eccentric staff, tallies up the day's orders, drives to distant houses to buy private libraries, and meditates on the nature of life and independent bookstores.