The Diary of a Bookseller

"Some people just want you to know what their reading habits are, and have no intention of buying anything."

I work at a library, and while we don't sell books, I do see a lot of the same behaviors in library patrons as Shaun Bythell does in his bookshop in Wigtown. The patrons who want you to know what they're interested in without actually checking anything out, the kids who shove perfectly faced books to the back of the shelves, the colorful regulars, the list goes on and on. To that end, I found a lot to identify with and find humor in in this book.

As I said, Shaun Bythell owns The Bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland, the world's largest second-hand bookshop. He started keeping a diary in February of 2014 of all the notable interactions, observations, and events that happen in his bookshop, as well as some of the daily tasks that keep a second-hand bookshop running. It is a diary format, so it's not so much a story as it is a day-by-day account of the shop, which I appreciated. You get to know the staff, the regulars, the sort of clientele he sees on a seasonal basis, and a sense of how the shop operates and the struggles he goes through keeping the doors open and the lights on. It's not easy being in the book trade in the age of Amazon.

He's a sarcastic man, and it's clear that doesn't rub everyone the right way. I appreciate his sense of humor and wry observations of people around him, but some people might find it mean spirited. It's clear he enjoys what he does or he wouldn't be doing it, and one can poke fun at the people around oneself while also being pleasant. It's not all sunshine and roses in the retail industry, no matter the country.

There's evidently more in the series, presumably more diaries from proceeding years. I look forward to reading them all.

Не самое удачное начало читательского года и непростительная трата времени на такую заурядную книгу.
Не представляю, как эта книга могла стать бестселлером (впрочем, «Нормальные люди» тоже бестселлер, хехе).
Была в книге парочка забавных моментов, но в целом она представляет собой набор неуместного сарказма, рассказов об очень локальной жизни маленького города в Шотландии и непрекращающегося хейта в сторону Amazon. Что забавно, его книга при этом продаётся на самом Amazon, хе. Ещё я была малость в шоке, узнав, что он решил написать целых два дневника в продолжение этого.

I used to be addicted to books about books, about bookshops, about writers. So I was immediately drawn to this one, which is written by the owner of a famous bookshop in UK and shares the joys and obstacles of a book shop owner's life. It had its moments, also because of the weird customers and associates; it also reminded me of a friend who's had her dream come true and opened a book shop almost a year ago.

Hilarious, clever and thought-provoking. The irony of reading a library copy bound in plastic and covered in stamps. The diary gave me a fresh respect for those involved in the book trade. I hope they all have a wonderfully irritating and quirky ‘Nicky' as an assistant, to keep life interesting.

3.5 stars

Great inside into the world of Second hand book trade. I loved the humour, sharp and dry.

These are the experiences of Shaun Bythell, a bookseller in Wigtown in beautiful Scotland, in diary format. The working days, the interesting customers (problematic or not), the co-workers, the struggle to support a second-hand bookshop (the second largest in the country) in the era of technology, everything that makes bookselling such a fascinating and exhausting profession is included in this book. Despite the positive reviews and my high expectations, I have to say that I didn't enjoy reading this at all....

There were two things that won me over and kept me going. The experiences of the author- sometimes, they proved to be real adventures- while trying to find the most appropriate books for his shop and the stories of the people linked to them. Their deceased owners and the ones that stayed behind and had to part with the books. Some of them. The rest were cruel monsters but anyway. Another interesting part is the connection of the bookshop world with Amazon and the importance of the online market in general. It was sad to learn how a mere rating in a dubious platform could influence your overall effort despite all your hard effort. In our digitalized, fast-food era, online purchases are vital for the survival of any shop. It further cemented my conviction not to support Amazon, a stance I've been supporting for years. On a lighter note, there were certain titles that were absolutely hilarious. Not one to judge but it definitely makes you wonder why people sometimes choose specific books. Do they buy them for the sake of research or have they organised their priorities wrong? These were the most amusing features of the book, in my opinion.

Unfortunately, here end my positive thoughts regarding The Diary of a Bookseller. Apart from the content, I always pay attention to the overall tone, the ‘'voice'' of the writer, especially when it comes to Non-Fiction and in this case, there were quite a few moments that made me contemplate whether to stop reading altogether. Forgive me for saying this, but there is a fine line between sarcasm and rudeness and, in my opinion, Bythell crossed it. He didn't strike me as the most sympathetic person on the planet. I'm not referring to his behaviour towards the customers (although it was definitely questionable at times) but to his overall thoughts and assumptions. Perhaps it is a matter of cultural difference but certain parts left a sour taste in my mouth. Needless to say, the majority of the customers mentioned in the entries were excruciatingly ignorant so these were the only moments when I felt that his responses could be justified. Furthermore, I found his posh, high-brow attitude towards Fiction rather unfair and, in all honesty, tiresome and absurd. His comments over ‘'large'' (as he calls them) customers sounded problematic as did his observations over ‘'female'' customers. And truthfully, repetition over Amazon statuses or problems he had been facing with an employee day after day made this an extremely mundane read.

Perhaps the most interesting feature was the inclusion of George Orwell's quotes on books, readers and bookselling at the beginning of each chapter. I can see why many readers would enjoy The Diary of a Bookseller but the writing failed to engage me and gave me quite a few problematic moments. Therefore, I cannot possibly rate this with more than 2 stars (not that it matters, obviously) and naturally, it can't hold a candle to Jen Campbell's The Bookshop Book.

Many thanks to Melville House Publishing and Edelweiss for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com