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balletbookworm's review
4.0
A collection of essays by writers musing on their love of bookshops, usually a bookshop in particular. Some are funny, some sweet, some moving, and a few are a bit eye-roll inducing. There's a lot of Dead Tree Books Rah Rah Bewail Changing Culture Popular Literature is The Devil. I'm a little generous with this book because almost every writer celebrated something I love: the joy of an interrupted bookstore browse. I still enjoy that activity greatly, no matter my usual store or a new one.
withlivjones's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
This book perfectly articulates why bookshops feel like a safe place to so many. Fifteen authors share essays about bookshops that have shaped them in some way, from childhood haunts to old workplaces, and the sheer variety of settings from London to Egypt to Colombia is wonderful in how it shows people from all over the world can be united by their love of reading. The essays are short-ish and easy to get through, and they’re all so different that you won’t get bored. It’s also a great way to sample different authors’ writing, especially those whom you wouldn’t normally pick up, and I’ll definitely be in search of some of these contributors’ books in the future.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Death and Xenophobia
readabilitea's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
2.75
I loved the premise of this book and the wide variety of authors and countries and bookshops spoken about but on the whole this missed the mark. I expected to not get on with some essays (it's a collection after all) but very few really captured me. I really liked Saša Stanišić's essay and the one by Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, and I was grateful to be introduced to some new-to-me writers, but overall this felt like a very self-indulgent collection of essays focusing all to often on 'proper' literature and bookshops
stumolan's review
4.0
Wish I could give this 4.5 stars, a collection of essays about the power of bookstores and what they do for ones culture and maturation as a reader. Some uneveness in subject matter, however, an extremely enjoyable read and a passionste love letter to the things that keep us compassionate.
vsbedford's review
4.0
A mostly stellar collection on the power, pull, and comfort of bookshops around the world - it read, to me, like a warm blanket around the shoulders. A lovely read for anyone who loves the smell of paper, an imperious bookstore cat, and the reading world.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
oliviapea's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
rox74's review against another edition
3.25
This was a collection of essays about how bookstores impacted different people’s lives. The concept was intriguing, but, as is often the case with collections, some were interesting and well written and others weren’t.