Confessions of a Bookseller

Confessions of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell (2019 Profile Books hardcover 328pp)

(Reread)

 

I first read this book in August 2019, a few weeks after it was first published. It was eagerly awaited and I devoured it in a couple of sittings before going back and re reading the proceeding volume Diary of a Bookseller (2017).

The concept is simple - a year of diary entries covering life and business in a secondhand bookshop located in rural Scotland. Somehow with his charm and humour Bythell manages to totally immerse you in his somewhat hectic life. Reading the book again now is like visiting old friends for a little while. While amusing enough, his latest book about customer types failed to hit the same spot with me. I can only hope a new volume of journal entries await us in the coming year. I know a lot has happened in Bythell’s life since the period covered in this book (2015). A welcome repeat visit for me but you probably should start with the first book if not already a fan.