Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
The third diary of Shaun Bythell, the owner of The Bookshop in Wigtown. Very much like the previous two with tales of book deals and awkward customers. I'm still unsure how he makes any money as he always seems to buy more books than he sells. I'm also exhausted by the number of people who turn up and expect a bed for the night. All that washing of bedding and towels!
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
After reading the previous to diaries, I knew what to expect. What was a new, and welcome addition to this one was the pictures. It felt a bit odd that this one was published so long after the diaries were actually written. I know life happens and whatnot, but it made it feel as though there was a jump in time even though there wasn't. I think this was compounded by the brief, but detailed epilogue that said so much in very little space.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
(Short, as I only read 50 pages because there is a waitlist at the library and the format draws me to read in smaller bits.) Daily journal entries, with reflections at the beginning of each month, and for each day: online orders, books found (?; thanks, Maria, for the definition given in the Goodreads questions for the first in the series: the number of books that came in as online orders that they were able to actually find in the shop), till totals, and number of customers. Author is owner of The Bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland which, like Hay-on-Wye, Wales, which I visited several years ago, is a book-centred town. I appreciate the author's reminding us who characters are when they appear infrequently. Favorite quote comes from author's bio: [Bythell's] passion for bookselling is matched only by his sense of despair for its future.
Fulfilled my vicarious fantasy of running a used bookshop
I read the other two in this series and was eagerly anticipating this one, which unfortunately landed with a thud. He's still barely solvent, but really is the unofficial mayor of Wigtown.
The interesting thing about this it's the first edition where we had real world context, the Brexit vote and Trump election, in which to place his adventures. I do love learning about various elements of Scottish culture and geography. I enjoyed his meetings with estates and others selling their books, although he could have been slightly less condescending about what they brought him. The other two were better edited, we really didn't need weekly mentions of a dog shitting on his stoop, Granny flipping him off or Sandy the Tattooed Pagan dropping off walking sticks. His boiler was broken, we didn't need to know Callum was there daily, and then he drops the marriage to Granny in the afterword.
For someone who so hates Amazon, he sure seemed surprised to be delisted by them.
Glad I read it, but wouldn't necessarily recommend it.
The interesting thing about this it's the first edition where we had real world context, the Brexit vote and Trump election, in which to place his adventures. I do love learning about various elements of Scottish culture and geography. I enjoyed his meetings with estates and others selling their books, although he could have been slightly less condescending about what they brought him. The other two were better edited, we really didn't need weekly mentions of a dog shitting on his stoop, Granny flipping him off or Sandy the Tattooed Pagan dropping off walking sticks. His boiler was broken, we didn't need to know Callum was there daily, and then he drops the marriage to Granny in the afterword.
For someone who so hates Amazon, he sure seemed surprised to be delisted by them.
Glad I read it, but wouldn't necessarily recommend it.