I don't really have anything inherently negative to say but I also don't really have any outstandingly positive things to say either. It was just OK. Maybe it just wasn't for me - I'm not sure.
Sorry.

The premise is pretty self explanatory. This is a story about a group of people who work at a bookstore in DC. It revolves all around the book store, their employees and their problems. I had really high hopes for this book and it just didn't live up to them. There were too many characters and it was hard to decipher between them. I related to the owner Sophie. Her husband dies and is feeling very overwhelmed by the current events in America filled with racism, antisemitism and mysoginy to raise a few. This book was set in 2016 around the Charlottesville protests and honestly in the years since, it hasn't gotten any better. I often find myself overwhelmed by the negative decline we are facing. Besides that, I just had a problem staying engaged.

This book had so much potential. A world about people that work in a bookstore, I mean come on. It just fell flat for me. I didn’t care for the third person pov. It made me feel removed from the story. I didn’t become attached to any character. Also did the author have a roomba brand deal because she mentioned it so much. It made my eyes roll.

Sophie Bernstein has owned an independent bookstore for over 20 years in her Washington D.C. community. She has spent her life choosing and handselling books to her friends and neighbors. She has led her team of booksellers until they move on to graduate school or motherhood or whatever. She has kept the lights on and the bills paid and has made thousands of readers happy.

And then her husband died. And everything changed.

All the joy that Sophie had felt all those years has fallen away. She wants to find that happiness in her store again, in the books she sells, but she doesn’t know where that is or how to get it back. But she knows that there is a hidden nook that no one else in the store knows about, and Sophie keeps thinking about it. She thinks about getting away from all the pain and violence in the world, and just move in to her nook and read. But the more time she spends back there, the more she realizes how dusty it is, and trying to clean it up starts her epic war with the bookstore’s vacuum cleaner.

Clemi works at the bookstore, scheduling the events and making sure everything is set up and taken down each night. She finds it stressful, as there is no way of knowing in advance how many readers will show up for a reading, so she’s never quite sure how many books to order. Then there are the specific demands of the authors and publicists, and finding the balance of authors to keep their customers happy.

This week is especially stressful, as Clemi has a couple of controversial authors scheduled. There is the author whose non-fiction book about how cats are bird killers and should be kept inside or fitted with bells or something to warn the birds of their presence. The cat people are very upset with the idea of their beloved felines not being free to hunt at will, and the bird people are appalled at how much damage the cats have already done to their winged friends and wants to cur the violence. And the next night is a poet who is a known misogynist and may have pushed his wife towards taking her own life, which he insists was merely a very upsetting oven accident.

Meanwhile, Clemi is dealing with a roommate who is vacillating between a mental breakdown and near psychic insights, her crush on coworker Noah, her unhappiness with her own novel-in-progress, pressure from her former high powered literary agent mother, a new pet tortoise named Kurt Vonnegut Jr, and the fact that the embattled poet she has invited to appear at the store may or may not be her biological father.

Add in lots of rain (and a leak or two a the bookstore), a solar eclipse, a good-bye party for the store manager heading for law school that featured an unusual golden liquor tasting remotely like gasoline, more than one cranky European appliance, lots of doodle jokes (that’s doodle, the dog breeds, not doodle, the mindless artistry), protestors in costume, a towed car, a missing van, an $8 bagel, and an NPR radio interview gone completely awry, and you have one crazy week in the life of an independent bookstore.

Bookish People is a charming and funny look at the lives of those who sell the books we all crave. This wacky week made for genuine laughs, but there is also a lot of heart and genuine emotion as these characters work hard to live their best lives, even if their appliances, their customers, their authors, and maybe even the stars are against them. Author Susan Coll brings her bookstore experience to this story, giving it authenticity and poignancy.

I really loved Bookish People. I think it’s a mix of screwball comedy and love letter to bookstore customers, reminding us of everything we love about our fellow book lovers, from the publicists to the authors to those who handsell us our next favorite read. Those who love bookstores will want to grab this book and devour it.

Egalleys for Bookish People was provided by Harper Muse through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Bookish People
by: Susan Coll
Harper Muse
Pub Date: 8/2/22
Women's Fiction

This was my first book by Susan Coll. I like the wide range of characters, the setting, and the fact that this is a very original story. I feel that it would appeal to many who would appreciate the humor in the book and the cast of bookish people. For me, personally, I could not get engaged in the plot or connect to the characters. There were so many sub-plots that I felt somewhat confused and could not become invested in the book. Nevertheless, I respect Coll's writing and would definitely read another one of her books.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Muse for the advance reader's copy and opportunity to provide my unbiased review.

I wanted to like this book but it just never grabbed me. The thought of having a heroine close to my age was one reason I picked it up. However, I found Sophie to be annoying and odd. I'm sure the odd was planned but she was just too strange. We all go through loss but hers paralyzed her. Not exactly the take charge women you'd expect to have been a successful business owner for decades or a modern woman..

I wanted more. I wanted her and her son to find their way together better. I wanted her to get it together. I wanted....

There was good plotting and the prose were good but the story and characters just never grabbed me.

Thanks to Harper Muse and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book didn’t keep my attention, I like the idea.
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the book.

This book is full of potential and I liked the ideas behind this story. Unfortunately the story didn't keep my attention and fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I was so excited for this book. What is better than a book about books? Unfortunately, it wasn't the book for me. I tried getting into this book twice and just couldn't do it. I ended up DNF'ing the book.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review

This started out really well and I had high hopes for a book all about my favourite places in the world - bookshops! Sadly I thought that it was a wee bit flat in places and at times all the sub-plots were vying for attention, so you kind of get lost.

Sophie's bookstore in Washington DC is a haven for any book lover. The staff are like family, regular customers treat the place like home. However, Sophie's own son has no interest in running the store and a Poet that has been booked to speak at the store is, shall we say, controversial???

The staff moving on, potential lawsuits, family drama and office-crush romance are all well worked out and written, I just thought we could have done with one or two less subplots. I really loved the colleague's interplay and witty banter and the daily emails were a hoot.

So whilst I did enjoy the book, I did feel that it would have worked better as a collection of stories set in the bookshop rather than one tell-all story. The pace just seemed to stall.

I did think one quote from the book just summed up bookish people in general - “She sometimes thinks the world divides into two types of people, those who think books are for reading when there’s nothing else to do, and those who avoid other things to do in order to read books - ”

I received an advanced copy of this book via Netgalley and the Publisher and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Coll's "Bookish People" is set up to be kryptonite for so many readers with what I saw as a perfect premise: the owner of a bookstore, exhausted by the responsibilities of such an endeavor, builds a secret nook in the shop, where she can read and live out the rest of her days in peace.

Unfortunately, that got muddled - considerably. In attempting to be overly quirky and, in some places, unnecessarily didactic, Coll let this cute premise fall to the wayside with a mishmash of events and happenings that cluttered what I thought was the book's strongest angle.

First, what Coll did well. When the author played around with structure, which she clearly has the skill for, this worked, typically to comic effect. I absolutely loved when manager Autumn sent out her end-of-day memos as to what went down in the bookstore that day, and it made me wonder if an entire book could be crafted around that. I think yes. We could have it as a set of exhibits, and there are others as well: the outlandish letter from the ridiculous lawyer did make me chuckle, and the off-the-rails radio interview also fit into the books anything goes theme.

But, when the book was settling into its main narrative, it felt rambling and disjointed, at times. I think that might have been the author attempting to be quirky, but sometimes it just felt like the narrator was going on multiple tangents, almost in unedited form. (The storyline about the vacuum, especially its overly long exposition, didn't seem necessary.) There was a wide cast of characters here, and some worked: I liked Clemi's heartfelt musings as well as Florence's wild articulations. But there didn't seem to be too much growth in many of them, and many personalities seemed flat and one-dimensional, with several storylines introduced but never concluded.

And then, the other issue, was that - at times - the book did feel preachy to me, telling more than showing. It's set in Washington, DC. It's 2017. And, yes, the Charlottesville tragedy was despicable and awful and untenable and every single other negative adjective possible. Writing an editorial, or even nonfiction, column about that sickening episode could merit some pointed commentary. But placing all of that here, in a book that is supposed to be quirky and jovial (at least I'm gathering that from the cover) seems woefully misplaced.

So while I did appreciate the atmosphere and some of the narrative structure, this one just didn't come together for me like I feel it should have, since it definitely had some potential.

Thanks to Harper Muse for the ARC! I received a complimentary copy of this book, and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What drew me to this book was the bright cover and the comedy description, and while some of the humor lived up to that description, other parts just fell flat. The plot of the book just seemed a bit random and thrown together. I loved the description of the behind-the-scenes operation of this busy DC bookstore since I can't seem to resist reading books about books. The End of Days put together by Autumn T was really funny and I also loved the title Kurt Vonnegut. Overall an ok read for me.
I received an advance reader copy of this book. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.

(Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for a honest review)

Publication date: 02 August 2022
Publisher: Harper Muse

Thoughts:

This is my first book from this author and I chose this book for the blurb. A book about books is always a weakness for readers.

It did show the reality of bookstore owners and how do they cope with the challenges of running one which is the only good aspect of the book.

Unfortunately the book’s writing style couldn’t keep me interested. There were too many subplots to keep track of and the flow of the book was messy. There were also more side characters than I could count, it felt like the focus was not as much on Sophie as it should have been. This book could have definitely been better.

I really, really wanted to love this book. Perhaps going into expecting more of a romance than a women's fiction story with very little plot and a cast of quirky characters would have helped me manage my expections. Just an okay read for me. I just didn't love it or any of the characters/story line and I'm so disappointed that was the case because a set around a DC Bookstore with a tortoise a the story mascot just seemed so interesting. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, this book did not catch my attention. Originally, I was hopeful this would be a good read based off the description, but I just couldn’t get into it.

The constant run-on sentences were unbearable and hard to follow, and I’m not sure why the publishing company’s logo was on every other page. This book had an interesting concept, but I don’t think it was executed well.

Life is too short and my TBR is too long to force myself to read a book I’m not enjoying, so I DNF this one.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Muse, for providing me an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love books about books! So, I was super excited to dive into Bookish People but unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me. The writing felt pretty amateur, and it was just an okay read. I didn’t find the storyline or the characters very interesting. I do however really like the cover, it’s super cute and grabs your eye!

Thank you, Net Galley, and Harper Muse, for an ARC in return for my honest review.

Thank you so much to Harper Muse for the chance to read and review this book prior to release.

I was sold on the adorable cover and the very interesting synopsis. As a book lover, I was expecting to LOVE a book about a bookstore!

Sadly, this one missed the mark for me. The plot is really no more than the summary on the back of the book. The politics seemed very unnecessary and out of place.

Unfortunately, I won't be recommending this one, but I'm sure there will be a great audience for it still.

2.5 rounded up to 3.

I didn’t particularly connect to the characters (even the main character Sophie) but adored the setting of an independent bookstore. I was curious to see how the plot played out and found it to be a slow burn.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance reader's copy of this novel.

I love books about books and was looking forward to diving into this one. The cover drew me in and the story seemed fun. I did have a problem with the writing style as I thought it a bit confusing with the back and forth between the character's views and then the plot plus sub-plots. All of the characters were quirky,which I usually really enjoy but this one did not land for me.

I did like this book but I don’t know if I enjoyed it entirely. I did like the cast of quirky characters and Kurt the tortoise. This book is told from the perspective of 3 characters and I didn’t really connect with any of them. There was a lot going on and it was just too busy. I did feel for Sophie. I felt sad that she had lost her husband and that she felt lost in general. I did love the scene were her son signed it her up for online dating. I could see my parents doing that whole scenario, lol. There were moments that did make me laugh and I was glad I did read this book.