An amusing follow-up on the acclaimed Diary of a Bookseller, this was, as expected, a humorous look at the typical types of people you are likely to encounter while book browsing. Although the author’s wit and dead-pan voice comes through, I felt this was not as good as its predecessor, and at points, felt slightly over-egged.

Nonetheless, it will be appreciated by booklovers and bookshop frequenters alike.

I did not really enjoy this book. I was expecting a light hearted look at customers in a bookshop. From what I can gather the author owns a second hand bookshop in Wigtown. He then proceeds to tell us about his contempt for his customers. I wouldn't want to shop there for fear of being judged. I didn't find this funny at all.
2.5 stars

Not my normal type of book but I was really curious with it. I was not disappointed, I didn't want to put it down.

I reviewed this book as part of my April Reading Wrap Up on my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/JV45ChWdrjE

My thoughts can be found from 17:07 onwards

I have read one of Shaun Bythell’s previous books, so already knew what to expect from the tone and content here, and he didn’t disappoint.

Filling the Bernard Black stereotype of the bookseller who despises his customers, but with a sneaky warm softness beneath the spiky words, Bythell cleverly categorises and wittily describes some of the common types of bookshop frequenters, eviscerating them with a genuine fondness that couldn’t fail to be amusing.

Peppered with personal customer and staff anecdotes, this book (and his others: The Diary of a Bookseller and Confessions of a Bookseller) make ideal short reads – or gifts – for booklovers who don’t take themselves too seriously.

Shaun Bythell, on the other hand, has written this book all (well, nearly all) about the customers. You can tell that he has made a thorough, if not entirely serious, study of them since he gives us a cod-scientific study of the various species (and sub-species) of customers who come through the doors of his second-hand bookshop in Wigtown. The descriptions are humorous - you can definitely recognise the 'types' described whether you've met them in bookshops, record stores, garden centres or any of those retail outlets which, in the 'before times', welcomed browsers - and often quite affectionate. Not so much for the 'non-customers', the ones who just appear, hang around for a bit and leave without even thinking about buying anything - he doesn't have much time for them - but there are certain classes of book buyer who, you feel, he has a lot of time even if he doesn't share their taste in books. As a bonus there is even a section about booksellers themselves - spoiler alert, we're not all perfect either...

Of course, although I recognised all the customer types described I'd have to say we mostly get the good sorts. For a start, it is almost impossible to park a camper van of any size outside our shop, and winter in Bradford is far too cold for lycra. And, during the current lockdown, I miss all the customers, whatever category they fall into....

I loved his first two books so it should come as no surprise that I also adored this. Cantankerous and hilarious, Bythell has yet again shone a light on retail work, specifically in books. As a former retail worker, I have met many of the kinds of people he notes as being in bookshops— alas I feel they're everywhere— and there were moments here when I actually laughed out loud, tears on my face. Love it.

From the author of the wonderful Diary of a Bookseller, here are Seven Kinds of People You find in bookshops. Without giving anything away, this is an amusing take on the visitors Bythell has met in his time as a bookseller. Dividing each customer into clear categories, this is an amusing introduction to some of the people who might spend lots of their time lost in the shelves of a bookshop - from the friendly to the frustrating, there's a category for every shopper to fall into!

I would give this one a 2.5.

I did enjoy it and the whole concept however just like the first book by this author I found it fairly repetitive in parts. That being said it is an interesting and quirky read i just can’t score it any higher as the content is limited in terms of uniqueness and individuality.

Blythell's first book was a fun, kindhearted approach to bookselling, the second felt more mean spirited. This was great in that it went back to some of the familiar "characters" and shared more anecdotes, but was overall somewhat mocking in tone. I appreciate it's been a few years since "Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops" so there's an opportunity for another till book, which is essentially what this is. I felt it would be more commercial with more focus on book purchasers, there's a lot in there about people coming into shops to sell. It was short, forgettable and pretty inoffensive, such a shame it's missed the 2020 gift tables as it would be a solid Xmas present for someone you don't know that well.

As a bookseller I am charmed by Shaun Bythell's categories of typical bookshop customers, many of whom grace our own store. Also interesting are some regionally specific (to the UK) customers who we don't see down here in Australia, though we have our own unique categories too. A fun read for people watchers and booklovers.

In the spirit of being completely honest: I wasn't blown away.
I read the book because I like books, I like reading, and I at times recognised caricatures of people from my local bookshop. It wasn't, however, riveting or particularly funny.
The formatting on the kindle made it uncomfortable to read (capital letters mixed up or missing for example) but while I know it is meant to be a little entertaining (otherwise no book seller would categorise and speak like this about his customers who he relies on to make a living), it didn't come through enough for my liking and felt more like ramblings.

"The Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops" is such a fun read, especially if you spend a lot of time (or, like me, even work) in a bookshop! The sheer accuracy of Shaun Bythell's observations is baffling, and had me chuckling to myself more than once. A must-have for every booklover!

Having worked in a high street book retailer in the 90s I can safely say these customer types rang true even back then, bar maybe the hipster! He has a great turn of phrase and hopefully his regulars will still visit, even if they recognise themselves as one of the customer types.
Perfect Christmas present for anyone remotely interested in books and the people who buy them (or not as in a few cases, but you'll need to read this book to find out what sort of person that is).

This was so fun! I love books and bookshops and find that people who love books are just my people. The characters were so lovable and I will remember them for a while. Thks was a great story

To be honest, the formatting put me off a little. It took me an embarrassingly large amount of time to realise that what I was assuming was the introduction, was actually the body of the text. That being said, as someone who works in a bookshop......yep. I have met every single one of these people.
Funny, wry, and a little too close to the bone to be reading during the Christmas retail season!!!

Another Great book from Shaun Bythell.

I find the format of his books so easy to digest and this makes them so enjoyable to read. His stories of working and owning a bookshop are just fascinating to me and always have me hooked from the first page.

Thank you for giving me a copy to review.

An enjoyable collection that anyone who has worked in customer service would be abler to relate too even if not worked in a bookshop.
I really loved the way Bythell writes and uses description in this book. A great book to pick up and read a few stories of each night. Would recommend to anyone that enjoys books or reading about customer service experiences.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Serpent’s Tail/Profile Books for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
This was a quick and humorous read for me. I am already familiar with Shaun Bythell’s work having read his first book, so I was prepared for his dry and sardonic humour. This isn’t a book to read if you are easily offended-it’s very tongue in cheek and acerbic. It did have me chuckling in recognition in places but I ultimately preferred his first book as there was more of Shaun’s personal story in there and I just connected more to that. I appreciated his support for bookish parents trying desperately to hang onto that passion in the face of the relentless energy and time draining exercise that parenting can sometimes be! And I also appreciated in his introduction that he highlighted the kindness of his customers who have reached out to try and help him during this pandemic when times are exceptionally tough for many businesses. I get the feeling that while he make poke fun at his customers- he is well aware that it is they who are keeping him in business. An enjoyable read but it didn’t blow my socks off.

This was an entertaining albeit very sarcastic view of what kind of people you'll find in bookshops.
You could also easily read this if you're having to do with customers in general as you'll see the same sort of behavior.
There are lots of anecdotes and analyses about human behavior sprinkled with humorous elements that made me chuckle a few times.
It wasn't the greatest thing ever written, but I can still recommend this to any book lover.

Thanks Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.