Bookshops are my favourite kind of shop and I’ve lost count of how many bookish heavens I’ve visited over the years. I wonder which of the seven kinds of people I am. This is a light hearted whistle stop tour through book shop visitors, particularly poignant in the current climate with shops either closed or restricted. It consists largely of categorisations of visitor which the author does admit are ‘perpetuating stereotypes, when in reality people are far more nuanced..’ I was especially interested in the facts about different editions and would happily have welcomed more of this information and a few more stories rather than multiple descriptions. With thanks to Netgalley and Serpents Tail and Viper for a digital copy of this book.

Pure joy to read and just as funny as what came before. The observations are witty and accurate, even though I dont work in a bookshop, anyone who works in retail will find this hilarious and make you study your customer just that little bit longer and harder. Loved it.

A quick, fun, easy read that showcases the author's dry, sarcastic sense of humour.

This is a short book which is perfect for whiling away a rainy afternoon.

Having enjoyed Bythell's previous books, I was looking forward to this one but I have to admit, I'm slightly disappointed.

Blythell's trademark dry and sarcastic humour are at the forefront once again in this quick and easy read (it comes in at just over 100 pages), providing plenty of laughs as he describes the wide variety of visitors to his bookshop.

However, as the book goes on, it becomes less of a humorous reminiscence and more of a monotonous diatribe and appears to be a quick cash in for the Christmas market.

A quick, often humorous read, but not as funny as his previous works and not really necessary. I'd avoid this and read Blythell's two previous books instead.

Thanks to NetGalley and Profile Books for the ARC.

Eh. The author came off as a little self centred, especially towards the end when he compared himself to hipsters. Just let people enjoy whatever they want as long as it’s not hurting anybody, and last time I checked wearing tweed and having a beard doesn’t.

The book also felt like it went on forever despite being under one hundred and fifty pages. I kept expecting the chapters to end and nope, here’s another entry, whoops, and another, oh! and another. Finally, I finished it and it wasn’t that great.

'Seven Kinds Of People You Find In Bookshops' is a short book that does exactly what the title tells you, it gives you an indepth insight into seven different kinds of people you find in bookshops.

This book was a quick, fast read (it is only 100 pages) and so I did read it very quickly. However, this book did not make me laugh or smile at all, which I thought it would do.

It was very interesting to see what the author's opinions of these kinds of people were but most of the book was very negative towards these people and sometimes I found myself getting a bit bored and skimming some of the pages.

If you're looking for a quick read or enjoyed the authors other books, then pick this book up. I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy this book.

Thank you to Serpent's Tail/Profile Books for providing me with an advance copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange  for an honest review.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Serpent's Tail, Profile Books and Shaun Bythell for my advance copy. I was very excited to read this book as I had loved Shaun's previous two books and this one did not disappoint. Shaun's witty and wry observations combine with his dry-humoured writing style to produce an entertaining account of life in his second hand bookshop in Scotland. This book focuses on the various types of customer he has encountered over the years. I am very keen to visit his shop and his books never fail to remind me of the importance of patronising bookshops while we are still lucky enough to have them.

What a fun little read this was! Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops is more novella than book territory (clocking in at 128 pages) and as I was reading I was getting perfect-Christmas-gift-for-the-book-lover-in-your-life vibes from it.

It also ticks one of my favourite genre boxes: books about books. Yes, whether that’s fiction or non-fiction, I love reading books about books. So, Shaun Bythell’s comic and witty take on the seven types of customers he gets into his Scottish second-hand book shop, The Bookshop was always going to be a hit with me.

So, immediately you’ll be thinking: what category am I going to fall into? Well, let’s see… We have a wide range of people, from the expert who is more concerned about waxing-lyrical than book-buying to the families with young children who seem to think bookshops also provide some sort of creche service. In-between there are the loiterers that can be divided into either creepy or bored, the people that makes sounds without talking and the mysterious occultists…

Any of these sound familiar? As you can see, the range veers more towards the more colourful characters. As they are the most interesting to read about, obviously. And the category I most identified with myself? The perfect customer, of course! Yes. That’s exactly how I like to see myself. *Thinks furiously about any anecdotes booksellers might be sharing about me.*

I really enjoyed Shaun’s approach to each chapter. While sometimes a little scathing about his customer characters, it is all written with heart and his personal stories that are scattered throughout add to this genuine feel. Also, he’s very funny – made me laugh a lot.

Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops is actually Shaun’s third bookish themed book. I am yet to read his first two, The Diary of a Bookseller and Confessions of a Bookseller but am adding them to my TBR now!

I've been meaning to read Shaun's Diary/Confessions books and noticed this appear on Netgalley - thanks for the early read! Sooooo very relatable and very readable. Lots of laughs! Will happily recommend this to customers looking for gifts for their book loving friends/family this Christmas... they can work out which type of customer they are themselves.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love Shaun Bythell as an author. If you love books and bookshops, his books are a must read. This one is a little different in that it isn’t in the diary format of his two other publications, and instead lists the different types of people you find in bookshops (as the title would suggest), giving descriptions, stories and anecdotes about each one in turn.

As someone who worked in a bookshop through my final year of university, even though it was a chain bookstore, I recognised many of these characters. Shaun’s observations about his customers and staff are always honest and hilarious, a breath of fresh air if you’re looking for your next non-fiction read.

This book was clearly written during the Covid-19 pandemic and aspects of the lockdown make an appearance in the book. The book on the whole demonstrates the importance of second-hand bookshops, independent businesses of all kinds, and the consumers’ decisions that really affect people’s lives and livelihoods.

I really enjoyed this book and though serves a different purpose to his other books, I would still recommend this to any book lover. This would make a particularly good gift!

4 out of 5 stars!

I LOVE Shaun Bythell. I just think he's great. I was really excited to read this book after seeing his Wigtown Festival interview and it was as good as I hoped. He can be absolutely savage about his own customers but he does it in a way that you wouldn't even mind if you realised he was speaking about you. You'd just think 'Ah yeah, fair enough then'. I just wish the book had been longer! Perhaps more profiles of staff or a chapter with general funny incidents not included in any of his other books.

Thanks to NetGalley and Profile Books for allowing me to read an eARC copy of Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops! I loved his first book, The Diary of Bookseller, which was honestly one of my favourite reads last year and enjoyed his second one so have to admit I was disappointed by this one.

Shaun has a very dry wit and sarcastic nature, which I personally enjoy because I am very similar, but this book... I think it was missing something for me, it was just a bit too negative throughout and it boiled over moreso into complaints than funny commentary. Don't get me wrong, I definitely enjoyed sections of this book and it was interesting reading from the viewpoint of a bookseller - I do wander throughout bookshops regularly and always wonder what it looks like from someone that works there, but it missed a bit of balance for me with the customers who do come to buy books.

An intriguing and very quick read; but not quite as strong as his first book for me.

This was a different style of book to Bythell's previous ones. It was a still a diaryish but it was more of an "academic" look at the type of people in 2nd hand shops. This was funny and touching and it was just as good as the others ones. Even though I am the customer in bookshops, i could definitely see people when I worked in retail.

Another hit from Mr. Bythell. If you spend any time at all in a bookshop you are sure to recognise a few people in this book and will have a good laugh trying to find which type of person you are! As a bookseller, I found this exceptionally funny and can't wait to discuss it with my colleagues. Written with Shaun's usual dry wit, this is an easy read, a bit of light fun to come out of the Covid-19 lockdown and is definitely something we need more of in the world just now.

Charming insights into a booksellers. If you’re interested in books this is for you. Funny anecdotes and interesting. A wonderful read #NetGalley

My thanks to NetGalley and Profile Bks for a copy of “ Seven Kinds Of People You Find In A Bookshop “ for an honest review.
In my work as a librarian I have recommended both of Shaun Bythell’ s previous books as must reads to co workers and customers and this book works perfectly as an add on .Over my 40 years at work I have come across many of the seven , or should that be eight, ! , kinds of people that appear to frequent bookshops and libraries , both as users and staff.
we are all living through such troubling times and I can only hope that when things start improving the usage of bookshops , and libraries will increase because without them the world would be a much sadder place.

Shaun Bythell is the owner of The Bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland’s offical book town. This, his third book, moves away from the diary style of his previous two volumes and instead focuses upon the broad range of character types who frequent his, and most other, bookshops.

As will be well known to readers of his previous work, Bythell is not averse to insulting the patrons of his establishment, sometimes directly to their faces, and the descriptions in this book are often far from complimentary. But they are funny, and written with wit and style. This is a short book, probably best for dipping into in small doses, and one which is bound to bring a smile of recognition (and perhaps some horrifying flashbacks) to anyone who has spent time in bookshops, either as a customer or staff member!

I adored Shaun Bythell's first two books. If you can read, then clearly you'll be able to tell that this third book is not in the same vein as the other two. Neither is it as good, but it's still entertaining, and should make a fun stocking filler come Christmas!

Bythell's trademark scathing-ness (he would probably be scathing of those two words being put together) is on show all through the book, though it is also tempered with sweet moments of human kindness. There's even a few references to Covid-19, as the book was finished during lockdown.

Of course, the humour is the most important element - and there is enough here to keep the reader well-satisfied (with even a few laugh out loud moments). So, if like me you are craving the next in the Diary of a Bookseller series, this is a handy stopgap.

(I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback)

Shaun Bythell’s ‘Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops’ gives a glimpse into a life of a frustrated bookseller (who still loves his job) and the customers of the bookshop he encounters daily.

Selling books from the bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland, selling second-hand books Shaun Bythell gives as an honest and at moments funny account of those who visit his bookshops – often the visitors who don’t necessarily have a purchase of a book in mind. While on the overall, I liked the premise of ‘Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops’, I wasn’t completely convinced by the execution. Shaun Bythell’s style is witty and funny, and you can clearly see his experience and frustrations coming up in the book. But I felt that there was something missing in ‘Seven Kinds of People You Find in Bookshops’. At moments, the frustrations of a bookseller have been too much and felt too much like complaining than a quirky and witty insight into a bookseller life and the customer he encounters. However, I really enjoyed the fragments where the author recalled his personal stories and anecdotes as well as those recalled from his staff. They have illustrated the kinds of people you meet in the bookshop far better than the mere description, and I wished that there were more of them in the book.

I haven’t read previously any book by Shaun Bythell – though his ‘The Diary of a Bookseller’ has recently joined my bookshelf – so I was curious about this one. Overall, I enjoyed it, and I’m looking forward to reading earlier books by the author.

Having read The Diary Of A Bookseller last year and loved it, I was excited to see another book by Shaun Bythell. I also wondered which kind of person in a bookshop I was!
If this doesn't make you want to go straight out book shopping I don't know what will.
Fun, enjoyable and you can read it in one sitting. It might be helpful to read the first book, just so you can get a feel for Shaun's personality, that will help you enjoy this one slightly more.
Written with a humour and warmth that radiates off the page.
This would make a great gift to any book lover.
I hope there will be another book from Shaun Bythell.