Shaun Bythell's Confessions of a Bookseller is not long on plot. In fact there is hardly any plot in the book. Instead this sequel to Bythell's previous book, Diary of a Bookseller has plenty of charm, humor, witticisms, and eccentric characters that would be unbelievable in fiction were they not real people.



Bythell owns and operates The Book Shop, Wigtown the largest second hand bookshop in Scotland. This book covers 2015, a year in which he dealt with quirky colleagues, eccentric customers, and the difficulties of running a book store.



Bythell was surrounded by a colorful group of colleagues that could have come out of fiction themselves. There is Granny, an Italian woman, who earned the nickname because she talked about aches and pains and talked about death. Another one is Petra who rented the upstairs apartment to host belly dancing classes. (“Shake, Read, and Roll” would make a good slogan.)



One of the stand outs in this kooky cast is Nicky, Bythell's main employee. She arrived fashionably late, wore black clothes, and brought food on Foodie Fridays (usually stuff that Bythell didn't like.). Often she and Bythell bickered about how the store was run. Nicky gave her two weeks notice once, but the two relied on each other for help and friendship.



Nicky is like most friends and co-workers. You too fight, sometimes you want to see the back of each other. But you also rely on each other for loyalty, laughs, strength, and friendship.



As humorous as Bythell's colleagues are, his exchanges with customers are equally as memorable.

One of the struggles Bythell had were donations that meant more to the customers than to Bythell. Many entries feature Bythell driving several hours out of his way to investigate boxes of books only to return with less than a handful because the books were either damaged beyond repair, written by authors that are widely distributed like Dan Brown or Stephanie Meyer, or of only personal interest to the donor. (Family Bibles are out for that reason.)



Another issue the introverted Bythell often had to deal with were talkative customers, who began discussing reading habits then talk about family struggles and personal habits. “NEVER ask for an anecdote when you work in a bookshop,” warned Bythell.



One hilarious roundabout conversation occurred between Bythell and a customer who had to learn the difference between a bookshop and a library.

“Will to live rapidly diminishing,” Bythell inwardly moaned as he said for what seemed like the hundredth time that no she didn't have to return the books once she bought them.



Bythell also had to contend with weird questions asked by customers about what books he had. One asked for a childhood book that she didn't know the name but featured a koala stealing berries. Anyone who works in a book store or library will understand the vague requests. (“I don't remember the name of the book but it has a red cover.”)



Bythell also had to contend with his share of unusual requests both in person and online. One online request asked for Mein Kampf along with other pro-Nazi materials. Bythell didn't know why and didn't want to know.



There were also customers that asked for specific books about certain subjects every day from Scottish genealogy to trains. One of those types of customers was Bythell's father, an avid fisherman who always asked for books about anglers and fish.



Along with colleagues and customers, Bythell also wrote about the advertising that he did to draw in customers, particularly online where he received interest from as far away as Asia, the Americas, and the other European countries. For Christmas, he and Nicky posted two different videos and had the visitors vote on their favorite.



He also wrote about the various quotes that he and other co-workers displayed on Facebook that deal with books and reading. One of those reads “You passed by a Book Shop. Is something wrong with you?”



As much as the Internet was a boon to Bythell's business, it could also be a curse. Bythell became so irritated with customers realizing that they had books on their Kindle that he and a colleague designed and sold “Death to Kindle” mugs at the Book Shop.

In his previous book, Bythell displayed a broken Kindle on the wall of the Book Shop. The display went viral earning Bythell some extra online celebrity.



By far the most eventful time for the Book Shop is the Wigtown Book Festival which takes place during the final week in September. Bythell wrote about the planning, preparation, and organizing an event from a village of less than 100 citizens welcoming people from all over the world. Besides offering discounts, Bythell participated in various events like the Literary Quiz, the optimistically titled Wigtown's Got Talent, and the Fun Run (which he admits is an oxymoron).



While the plot of Confessions of a Bookseller is slight, there is one plot thread that dangles throughput the book. That is Bythell's relationship with his partner, Anna. Anna created different things associated with the Book Shop, like the Writer's House, which offered courses in reading, writing, and art and the Open Book, in which renters can temporarily operate and organize their own bookshop, like an Airbnb. Granny started working there.

As good as Anna was for business, and as good as she and Bythell were personally, they had differences that could not be met. In his mid-forties, Bythell wanted to start a family, Anna was much younger and did not. They broke up and Anna returned to the United States.



Some of the most moving chapters are when Bythell encountered old friends and explained why he was alone, feeling a lump in his throat. During Christmas, he sent her a cordial happy holidays email and wished he could see her in person.



Despite the quirky colleagues, odd customers, and demands on his personal time, Bythell is clearly a man who loves books and loves sharing them with others. This is shown in the first entry when he writes, “The pleasure of handling books that have introduced something of cultural or scientific significance to the world is undeniably the greatest luxury that this business affords and few -if any-

walks of life provide such a wealth of opportunity to indulge in this. This is why, every morning getting out of bed is not an anticipation of a repetitive drudge but in expectation that I may have the chance to hold in my hands a copy of something that first brought to humanity an idea that changed the course of history….That is what it's all about.”



Any of us who work with books whether selling, lending, publishing, appraising, editing, writing, teaching, or reviewing them understand completely.

A little too long as it gets repetitive and boring, but such a clever fun read for book lovers. I found myself highlighting so many quotes; those of us who work with books get the craziest requests. Great book for any booksellers or librarians in your life.

Shaun Bythell's hilarious curmudgeonly accounts of the daily goings-on in his bookshop are a balm to my bookseller soul. I am not alone in the world! We have the same employees, the same customers, though he resides in a little Scottish town and I across the world, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. No matter where in the world a person opens the doors of his/her bookshop every morning, their individual experiences will be uncannily similar to every other independent bookseller's.
One of my favorite aspects of reading Confessions of a Bookseller (and likewise the previous installment, Diary of a Bookseller) has been gleaning new reading material for my own TBR list, directly from Mr. Bythell's own reading list. After all, booksellers are, at heart, book lovers.

As Shaun is extremely scathing of the Kindle, I felt a little bit bad reading Confessions of a Bookseller on an e-reader! I learnt lots about the second-hand bookselling trade, but wanted to know more about Anna and Shaun's friends' lives. A comforting antidote to the chaos of modern times.

Another year in the annals of The Bookshop, Wigtown, its staff and customers

An utterly enthralling read, as was its predecessor

Shaun is back with a second installment of stories from what must be Scotland's most famous bookshop. Many of our most beloved characters return, including Nicki, but we are also introduced to a new character in the form of a temp from Italy. She has a name, but will forever be referred to as "Granny" - and she quickly became my favourite person in the book (Next to Shaun of course).

Shaun's disdain for annoying customers still shines through - and some of the ridiculous requests had me laughing out loud. I work in telesales and marketing and I can certainly relate to some of the interactions that take place with customers. The hatred of Amazon still shines through, although I do often wonder that if he hates them so much why he continues to use them to see his books (especially given their outrageous commisions).

I thought that, as with the first book, some of the best sequences came about when Shaun was planning the Wigtown Festival, and during the festival itself. There are some sections that felt like a bit of a chore, but as this is literally a diary of things that happened for 365 days of a year, we can't expect something good EVERY day can we.

Generally this is a very funny book (with some very sad moments built in), but Shaun does spend some time talking about his own faults, and criticising himself for these. He is very open and honest about himself throughout, and for this I applaud him.

While I do think that the first book was slightly more entertaining, this is till a very good read, and gives us some more insight into the life of Shaun. It has also left me even more desperate to visit Wigtown. I wonder can I convince my wife to visit Scotland...

Recommended to fans, others may want to read the first book before jumping in to this one.

Review to go live on blog just before publication

My thanks to Netgalley and Profile books for a copy of “Confessions of a Bookseller” for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed Shaun Bythell’s first book “Diary of a bookseller” and have recommended it to several people. Also as a librarian it’s a book I often put out of display as the cover is as good as the inside
I was thrilled to see that the tale has continued in this book.I can totally identify with some of the situations and customers he deals with( sometimes you just couldn’t make it up !).
I had visited Wigtown before I read either of these books so I can really imagine the scene as I’m reading them.
I understand that the first book has been made into a tv series , due to air Autumn 2019 so I’m hoping the books will get the recognition they deserve.

This book was a bit of an odd one, there wasn’t really any overly exciting parts but somehow it was still a great read.

Diary like entries reveal the operation of The Book Shop in the bookish Wigtown Scotland. Quirky characters abound. My favorite was Granny, the young Italian intern with her accent and huge appetite. Charming and interesting for any bibliophile.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

I found this very uneven - some bits were quite interesting and humorous, while some of it seemed quite dull. I was expecting something a bit funnier and struggled with it. I'm sorry to say that this one was just not for me.

The Bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland - an idyllic sounding bibliophile's oasis owned and run by Shaun Bythell. What stresses and strains could he possibly have? What could mar the sheer pleasure of his daily bookish vocation?...'The Customer'...- from the eccentric to the bizarre and downright unbelievable. A joy of a book and a follow up to our introduction to The Bookshop and to Shaun in ' The Diary of a Bookseller' (highly recommended by the way). Amusing, nicely written and hugely entertaining. For booklovers everywhere and anyone who thought that running a bookshop would be a breeze.

An insight into the say to day running of a second hand bookshop, told with warmth and humour. As a bookseller myself, many of these experiences are entirely relatable. Is the sequel to Diary of A Bookseller, but can be read stand alone.

Wigtown is definitely somewhere I’d love to visit. I really enjoyed the first book by Shaun Bythell, Diary of a Bookseller, and when I saw this one pop up I jumped at the chance to read it. It’s much along the same vein with diary entries listing takings, online orders & the day to day goings on in both the shop & Shaun's life. As it’s not something that I’ve ever dealt with, the insights into the second hand book trade were really interesting, & I liked the little extracts at the beginning of each month. While I can understand Bythell's frustrations with customers & I can only imagine saying some of the things he does, I do think he’s a little too rude to be likeable sometimes. The parts with Granny & Nicky were the most enjoyable to me, although I think I’d lose it if someone I worked with consistently ignored me, caused that much mess & underpriced so many books.

I’ll definitely be picking up a print copy of this when it comes out, and be recommending it to my customers.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Profile Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
This book is as funny and addictive as Shaun Bythell’s first book. The tales of customers in his bookshop are hilarious. Also, being given a glimpse of the activities of Wigtown, and information about the surrounding area is an added bonus.
Written in a chatty style, this book takes the reader through a year of life for Shaun Bythell in a most entertaining way. Appropriate for anyone from teenage to old age, this is a great family book, which will be passed from one member of a family to another, with everyone finding enjoyment from reading it.

Confessions of a Bookseller is the follow up to Shaun Bythell’s The Diary of a Bookseller. It is a diarised account of the ups and downs of his life running a bookshop in Wigtown in Scotland. It is fascinating and humorous at the same time. Shaun is hilariously blunt in his descriptions of those around him – but seems to have gained quite a following because of it. There are some fantastic characters around him – some we’re revisiting (the wonderful Nicky) and some are new (the super Emanuela/Granny), not to mention the wide variety of customer personalities he encounters.

Shaun talks about the ins and outs of running a bookshop and the precarious financial position in a market that is trying to squeeze small booksellers out of business – something that makes you want to instantly find your closest independent bookshop and spend all your money there. For anyone who has ever fantasised about running a bookshop this will give you a sense of what it’s really like.

I loved the sense of community he talks about in Wigtown and for all Shaun presents himself as a bit of a grump, he’s the first one offering to help with any project or anything anybody needs, and seems to be permanently putting people up in his home. This endearing characteristic makes him a hugely likeable narrator. The community spirit demonstrated in the book can’t hurt the Wigtown tourism either – I’m certainly planning a visit now. I really enjoyed revisiting Shaun’s world and hope that he will be putting out another instalment down the line.

Thank you to Netgalley, Profile Books and Shaun Bythell for my arc of Confessions of a Bookseller in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: Shaun Bythell is the owner of The Bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland. This is his second book and a collection of memoirs/diary entries based on the day to day running of the bookshop. It covers quickly customers, strange requests, the trials and tribulations of running a small bookshop including online selling from an amazon warehouse.

I really liked this, it was very entertaining and quirky, different to anything I've read before. Shaun is an interesting and self deprecating character and his anecdotes are amusing. Having my own small business I was really entertained by his notes about customers with crazy or unreasonable requests and also empathised with the struggle of working for yourself and the good days and bad days that come with it.
The only reason I didn't give this 5* is that I felt it was a bit lengthy for the type of book it was. There's only so much of someone else's diary entries you can read before it starts to feel like it's getting repetitive.

Shaun Bythell continues to recount his adventures as the proprietor of the Bookshop, in Wigtown, Scotland, in Confessions of a Bookseller. Earlier this year, I listened to the audiobook of The Diary of a Bookseller and loved it. I jumped at the chance to hear more weird tales of life in a secondhand bookstore when I saw this available on NetGalley. This new entry did not disappoint.

Covering 2015, Confessions of a Bookseller is just as chaotic as Bythell’s first memoir. The Bookshop sees multiple construction projects, surly staff, bizarre and belligerent customers, a wormy cat, bad house guests, and ongoing battles with online bookselling software. But The Bookshop, in spite of a crumbling chimney and customers who argue for deep discounts, seems to be on better footing in 2015 thanks to all of Shaun’s side hustles like working on the Wigtown Book Festival, interviews, meme-making, anti-Kindle merchandise, and the Random Book Club. Whenever Bythell mentions this club—in which subscribers pay to receive a random book each month—I’m tempted to sign up just to see what I would receive…But I have too much to read as it is.

As before, I was struck by the parade of customers who seemingly refuse to pay books what they’re worth when they’re at the Bookshop. This parade alternates with a bunch of people looking to sell books that they no longer have room for or that they inherited. These people always overvalue books rather than undervalue them, leaving Bythell caught in the middle. Once a book is purchased the first time, pricing becomes hugely subjective. We can say that a book is worth what the market will bear. Bythell mentions that a page from a Gutenberg Bible was once auctions for £74,000. It’s a crap shoot that Bythell can’t seem to win because taste in books changes over time, book condition raises or lowers prices, and there’s the ever present undercutting of Amazon. Small wonder that Bythell is tap-dancing as fast as he can.

I would recommend Confessions of a Bookseller (and The Diary of a Bookseller) to all my librarian friends. (A lot of the customers that turn up in the Bookshop sound like patrons who turn up in public libraries.) I would also recommend Bythell’s books to anyone who has ever wondered what it would be like to run a bookstore—not necessarily to disillusion them, but to give them a humorous reality check about life in the book trade.

I was intrigued by the concept of getting a behind-the-scenes look into a bookseller's life - the backstory to owning a bookstore, encountering the myriad of customers a bookseller would come across, and of course the “confessions” of a bookseller, which sounded interesting and fun! But, sadly it was literally a day-by-day account of 365 days in the life of a bookseller - the customers who visited the shop, books they asked for, what they bought, down to the number of customers who visited, sales per day, number of online orders and the number of orders found - oh no! When we’re at the point where I’m reading that “The rain began at 10 a.m.” or “The bathroom was occupied until 10 a.m.” or “my mother dropped round at about 4 p.m. and talked without interruption for half an hour”... I rest my case. But I was wondering if the book would continue in this vein, so I read on, then began scanning the pages to see if this would continue…and it did for the full year - from January 1 all the way through December 31. And, what was all that Amazon bashing about? One of the author’s channels for orders is through Amazon, a very viable part of his business... There were a few interesting customers and insights into the history behind some books, but apart from that I was not wowed by the book nor the writing style - the book could have been so much better, sadly. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book. It’s unfortunate I cannot offer a more positive perspective.

The Confessions of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell is essentially a diary of Shaun’s experiences as a bookshop owner in a rural Scottish village. But it’s so much more than that. Shaun makes you feel as if you are living in Wigtown with him and his crazy employees, friends, family, and fellow villagers. There’s so many lovable characters, from Nicky, his J Witness, Morrison/bin scavenging employee, to Mole-Man, the long time customer Shaun has never shared a single world with, to his ex-wife, the love of the whole town, Anna, to Granny, the Italian intern that speaks almost no English but worms her way into everyone’s heart, to Shaun himself, the cantankerous introvert that sees the world in such a fanatic way. Shaun manages to bring his community to life through his confessions in this gem of a book. I did not want this to end. I loved every single character. I was no where ready to say goodbye at the end. I nearly bought a plane ticket to Scotland so I could visit Shaun and the wonderful cast of Wigtown villagers.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC of Confessions of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell.

In which Shaun Bythell chronicles his daily comings and goings in his small used bookshop in Wigtown Scotland. Here we meet his quirky cast of characters, of employees that are always late and blast him on the internet to his resident bookstore cat. We also get a glimpse of funny and sweet interactions he has with customers in this eclectic world he's created for himself.

First off, I LOVED the visual of this cozy Scottish bookshop. I could smell the dusty pages and brewing coffee. I could hear the bell on the door as people walked in. I could feel the warmth of the closed in space in contrast to the cold Scottish winters. Having said that, as delightful as this book was, it was just a bit long for me. I can really only read someone's daily accounts for so long until I feel like I get it. But I don't want that to take away from how utterly charming this book was.