Quick disclaimer: I am often visually aware of a book even if I don’t remember its title, so in this way I think it helps to see the covers and match the review with books you might have seen crop up other places. The tricky bit is that the US and UK often have different book jackets, so moving forward I’ll make an effort to include both.
If you’ve ever wondered what Ron Swanson from Parks and Rec would be like running a bookshop, here’s your answer. From shooting and mounting a Kindle on the wall like a trophy prize to leaving sarcastic responses to customer complaints online, Shaun Bythell provides an honest look into the nitty-gritty reality of being in the second-hand book trade.
Composed of daily entries detailing the random occurrences in his shop and life in general, Bythell brings his Wigtown bookstore to life for the reader. The store, aptly named ‘The Book Shop’, is a converted house with rows of shelves that create a book lover’s labyrinth. There’s a healthy mix of locals (such as Mr Deacon and Sandy the tattooed pagan) who make frequent appearances as well as tourists and visitors who give as much hope for the future of books as they do to destroy it.
As every day of a calendar year is documented, you get a taste of the store, its patrons, and life in the south of Scotland. Between regaling readers on the frustrations and evils of Amazon to the redemptive interactions with customers finding a title after years of searching, Bythell provides a broad overview of the individuals he encounters. Much like life, there are periods that feel a bit mundane and the entries seem to lag, but the pacing of the book matches the store’s activity and the authenticity is something I appreciate.
It is absolutely astounding to me how inconsiderate and seemingly incompetent customers can be –oh wait, I worked in retail– no, it’s not. However, even having experienced rude customers, I was continually confounded by how many turned up their noses at books costing £2 or less, deeming that too expensive. That’s practically a free book in my opinion.
Overall, the reality of life in a bookshop and the dry humor Bythell uses in its description made The Diary of a Bookseller an enjoyable read. The format of daily entries made it the perfect book to enjoy in small windows of reading time, easy to pick up and put down as time allowed. I now find myself conflicted between desperately wanting to visit The Book Shop and also mildly nervous I’ll commit some biblio-faux-pas and unwittingly make an appearance in future Bythell tales.
Personal rating: 7.5/10
Recommend? Most definitely
Re-read? No, but I’m keen to read his other books
Time: 1:53
Bonus content – one of my favorite customer interactions: “A customer at 11.15 a.m. asked for a copy of Far from the Maddening Crowd. In spite of several attempts to explain that the book’s title is actually Far from the Madding Crowd, he resolutely refused to accept that this was the case, even when the overwhelming evidence of a copy of it was placed on the counter under his nose: ‘Well, the printers have got that wrong’.”