cheltonian books {BOOK CLUB} ByAndria Saxelby
The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell
I amnot a huge fan of having to travel long distances by any formof transport, putting upwith crammed and often uncomfortable seating, endless delays and frequent cancellations. You can add to themix at least one inconsiderate passenger who seems completely oblivious to otherswhen shouting down their mobile phone far longer than needed all because they too are bored and desperate; to pass the time away until their destination can allowthemto be free once again fromthe confinement. Likemost, I find it hard to concentrate on trains. I get easily distracted by various characters aroundme and therefore when reading, I really need somethingwhich is put-up-and- downable, something I can dip in and out of amongst themany distractionswhile still feeling engagedwith the characters. Recently I picked up a couple of memoir style bookswhich allowed me to do just thatwith a very entertaining result!TheDiary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythellwas a clear
favourite.NowI knowwhat you are saying, ‘diaries are old hat’ - Bridget Jones: been there, done that - right?…..wrong. They can be very interesting snapshots in time revealing very differentworld’s characters and experienceswhich you can become quite immersed
ShaunBythell
in.This is a rather funny and insightful account of the trials and tribulations of being a bookseller in a place called Wigtown in theGalloway region of Scotland. After the demise of the local industry, the town launched itself as a Book Town and became very popularwith the touristswho flocked to the annual book festival, whichwas set up to rival the like of Hay-on-Wye. The town is surprisingly richwith
culture and festive delightswhich makes it a special place - there’s even a 'festival bed' in situ in the book shopwhich seems to be a free for all, available on a first come basis to the eclectic group of regularswho regularly pass through. The owner
Shaun is not exactly the best at dealingwith customers - his unexpected responses to requests, questions and complaints are really quite amusing as are his book buying expeditionswhere haggling and cobwebs go hand in handwhen trying to sift through a deceased person’s stock trying to find something tomake the trip
worthwhile.There are some crazy characterswhich are quite addictive and you just can’twait to find out what they are going to get up to next. Nikki is a definite favourite: the assistant Shaun loves to hate but would notwant to bewithout. She is invariably always late, rarely does what she is supposed to, turns up in a black ski suit (her favouritewinter work attire), has amaddening shelf labelling systemwhich no one can fathomand regularly hijacks the shop Facebook
page.The bookstore is one of the largest in Scotland. Shaun takes you through the history of howthe on-line business started to effect and change the booksellers’ strategy and the enemy of the industry; in the shape of a Kindle. It’s more than just a book about books! Youwill be introduced to a colourful picture of daily life inWigtown and its beautiful surrounds through the lens of a huge book lover.
ByAndria Saxelby THECHELTONIAN MARCH/ APRIL 2019 47
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