Welcome to Litsy!

Interesting read about the day-to-day life of a bookseller. Shaun Bythell is vocal about his frustrations - Amazon, customers who always want to lower the prices, rude customers, etc. - but often adding some humor to the mix. I liked how honest he was about his daily life, about the state of the book market. This book got me curious about his random book club, so I decided to give it a try (as my Christmas gift to myself).

I really enjoyed this because I do like a grump with a good heart. It is just a diary of day to day happenings in the store, but I found it restful be to reading vaguely grumpy takes on mundane moments of ordinary bookshop life.
I worked in a bookshop for three years myself and I have fond memories of it so it was probably a bit of a nostalgia trip too.

This was fine as an audiobook. However, I don‘t know that I would‘ve enjoyed physically reading it, because it is quite conversational. It was an interesting insight of a brutally honest Scottish bookseller. 3.5 🌟

This was an entertaining audiobook but I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much in print. The book follows the owner of a book shops day to day life. I enjoyed Shaun's perspective on running the book shop. I also enjoyed his stories about customers. 😂 This was the perfect audiobook for cleaning and cooking 😊 Finished it this morning but then jumped right into another book 🤓📚

This was a good listen since it was sort of conversational in tone, but I would have been bored with it in print. It would be something to dip in & out of rather than read straight through. I was wishing he had written more about the books he enjoys, but alas he doesn‘t get much time to read. (Sounds familiar.☹️)

I‘d like to visit Wigtown!

More Wigtown spam

So we had a little trip to visit Mr Oryx's parents, half way between the where we live and they live. Turns out that was right near Wigtown! I was a little excited when I realized that!! Wigtown is Scotland's "national book town". I'm in heaven. Tris is the bookshop from the tagged book.

The book was just OK but the cover is absolutely scrumptious.

Thoroughly enjoyed this one! I felt like I was there in The Book Shop with all the quirky , cranky customers. I felt a bit guilty reading an ebook copy. The author, who as a book shop owner was not keen on Amazon, famously shot a Kindle, framed it and hung it in the Book Shop. #BuzzWordBookathon #bookinthetitle #bookspinbingo

This was a light and entertaining read that gave me some insight into the world of selling second-hand books. The book was written a few years ago, and I would be interested in an update on the author‘s struggles with Amazon. The book shop is located in Scotland, and I enjoyed the descriptions of life there. The author does not always show himself in the best light, but I thought that made him more human, not necessarily unlikable.

“A friend and I once discussed annotations and marginalia in books. Again, they are a divisive issue. We occasionally have Amazon orders returned because the recipient has discovered notes in a book, scribbled by previous readers, which we had not spotted. To me these things do not detract but are captivating additions -- a glimpse into the mind of another person who has read the same book“ (293).

This is really enjoyable, perfect if you want quite a gentle read. A memoir by a bookseller could have been twee and dull, but one of the great things about this is that the author is really enjoyably curmudgeonly and at times vicious about his customers and his employees. I loved the dry humour. It's a great insight into the day-to-day experience and struggles of an independent bookseller. Very much a book lover's (and misanthrope's) book.

Book #2 of 2021. Belated Christmas gift from my husband. He ordered the British publication and it came from a shop in England so it took a little longer to arrive. I'm very excited. My husband is very supportive of my book addiction even though he's not much of a reader himself.

Next up

Good. I listened to the audiobook version of this book and at times it got a bit repetitive so as a diary format it properly reads better as a physical book. Otherwise it was a wonderful insight into the bookselling business and as a retail worker I can sympathise with the frustration of some customers he had in his shop. Loved hearing about all the books mentioned and the wonderful world of books.

#Audible

⭐⭐⭐⭐As someone who has always dreamt of working in either a library or a bookshop, I have always enjoyed reading books about bookshops. Shaun owns a secondhand bookshop in Scotland. As the title suggests, this book is written in a series of diary entries. Shaun describes his days, the books and the customers he encounters in such a heartwarming, humourous and observant way it was an absolute delight to read. #thediaryofabookseller #shaunbythell

Is gonna knock over bookz. #catsoflitsy #nooooooo

Congratulations @Texreader for such a big milestone and thanks for passing along the Litsy love! The tagged book is one I‘ve been wanting to get my hands on for a while. Here‘s to many more years of bookish delight 🎉🎉📚#KarensGiveaway

I have long enjoyed reading, but something over the past few years has thrown a wrench in that. One would think that working in a bookstore would add fuel to the fire, but instead I found myself hating to even look at the books on my shelf. Now I am finding myself on a small adventure of my own to find my love of books again. #shelfie #tbr #iamgoingonanadventure

The premise is this is right up my alley but execution felt a little flat - his entries got a little repetitive for me unfortunately.

I spent most of my time listening on dog walks and found myself laughing out loud often. In his diary, Shawn Bythell, the owner of The Book Shop in Wigtwon, Scotland tells of the trials and tribulations of running a bookstore in a time dominated by Amazon in an industry increasingly becoming electronic. I felt that the book got a little repetitive towards the end and my interest started to wane. I think maybe ten hours was a bit too long.

I really wanted to like this book but the shop owner just seemed so negative and judgmental about his customers. I still enjoyed it though. It‘s nice to imagine daily life theu someone else‘s eyes.

This book allowed me a glimpse into the life of a second hand bookshop owner in Wigtown, Scotland. Bythell‘s diary entries detailed the encounters he had with a variety of customers and with some of his quirky staff members. He also wrote of his book buying excursions, often to people‘s homes where he would sometimes discover some rare finds. I would love to visit Wigtown, dubbed Scotland‘s National Book Town some day and see his shop myself.

This book is having me laugh so hard. It is much needed after a couple terrible reading days.

I thought I‘d be reading a lot more while being stuck in my house and all but it‘s been a slow start. Still, I read more than I thought I had! My favorites were The Girl With the Louding Voice, In Five Years and The Diary of a Bookseller ♥️ Hope you‘re all doing well and staying healthy!

Loved it. Composed of daily diary entries which give a glimpse into what it‘s like running the shop. You get to see how the actual business runs which is fun if you‘ve ever thought about owning your own bookshop. You get to know the quirky employees, annoying customers; as well insights into what it is to be a lover of books, a reader, and a book buyer but told with hilarious snark. I laughed out loud quite regularly. A must for book lovers.

Entertaining and easy to read, yet still well written and even insightful at times. Definitely worth reading if you enjoy, as I do, spending hours in a second hand bookshop. It was refreshing to read a bookstore memoir that didn‘t read like the before portion of Kitchen Nightmares, I.e Shaun actually knows what he is doing most of the time.

#TBRtemptationpost for this adorable edition!

An interesting look at a year of running an independent bookstore. Bythell is a bit biting but also forthright and funny. I quite enjoyed my time in Wigtown and hope to visit The Book Shop someday.

This is a wry and insightful look into the world of an independent book seller. Set in a small town in Scotland, the author offers readers a peek at what it is like to run a traditional bookstore in the age of Amazon. The entries focus on customers, their outlandish demands, the hunt for a perfect book to add to the shop, and the relationships that form in this close-knit community. Great nonfiction! Very dry humour! I loved it! #readingeurope2020

I found myself smiling, chuckling and sometimes rolling over with laughter all my way through this book. I like supporting bookshops and always will as long as i can afford to. Cannot recommend this book enough. :)

#currentlyreading

The title says it all. It follows the everyday life of the owner of a bookshop in a small Scottish town. Enjoying it so far

#Jolabokaflod in full swing.

Look at the books I got from @Sarah83 and @RachelO - Thank you so much! ???

The "Bah! Humbug!" stack is what I got for myself this year. @thegirlwiththelibrarybag

I thought this book was an interesting look into the life of a book store owner. There wasn't a ton of plot but some lovely characters.

"I am putting a mental jigsaw together if what a joint looks like, based on a composite of every customer I have ever sold a copy to." Hilarious!

This was a charming and funny book.

Daily notes about customers, coworkers and a kind of warm curmudgeonliness set in the author's bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland.

New indie bookstore joy, and right on my way home from work too! Loving the ladders, which I didn't have the courage to try this time around 😂

#7days7covers #covercrush day6

01. Jonathan Unleashed; Gift from the Sea
02. The Diary of a Bookseller
03. Sunny, high of 85^F

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

#7Days7Covers #CoverCrush
Day 3

7 covers you love, one each day for 7 days. No explanations. Tag a different Litten each day.

@megzlynn , would you like to play?

#Libraryhaul

Went for a time limited visit to our local library with my neighbor. Such restraint is unheard of for me but I left with just these books.❤️📚

I now want to go visit this book store and town in Scotland. I really enjoyed seeing this slice of life through Shaun‘s dry sense of humor. I love visiting used bookstores and hope never to be one of the characters written up in a diary like this.

Some interesting insights into how a bookshop actually operates enlivened with mentions of some of the odder people he has to deal with. He obviously feels frustrated by some people's lack of knowledge of the realities of the book trade and especially the effects Amazon is having. Why he hadn't fired Nicky long ago remains a mystery to me.

#lunchandabook #mycover

1. Ocean
2. Florida Keys
3. Netflix
4. The Greatest Showman
 @DebbieGrillo @MinDea
#humpdaypost