I purchased this book from a lovely new book store, Daisy Chain Book Co. in The High Street on 102 Ave and 125 Street, here in Edmonton.
It was rather fun to buy a book about running a used bookstore from a used bookstore.
Shaun Bythell is a bookseller in Wigtown, Scotland who took pen to paper and began writing a diary about his life in the shop. It is filled with quirky characters; the employed, residents of the town, other shopkeepers, postal employees and customers. All ring the bell over the door and enter his observations.
Bythell has a warm and yet weary take on humanity. I can certainly relate to often wishing I could function without the encumbrance of other people. And yet, there is love in his words. He is a part of the community and he is just as exasperating as everybody else around him. There is a self-deprecating undercurrent to his observations.
It's an easy book to dip into as each entry is about a page long. People come and go from the narrative and it's nice when some pop up again. I found his book buying trips to be very interesting.
The epilogue was heartbreakingly beautiful. It is life.
Highly, highly recommended.
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