The Bookseller

Four intriguing short stories and a mesmerizing novella length story - 'The Bookseller'. Peter Briscoe is a very talented author and has captured the functioning and the essence of libraries through his brilliant compilation. The stories include professors, students, librarians, booksellers, and early scientific explorers that link to the 'library'. Highly recommended novel to all booklovers and well worthy of five stars.

Reading Peter Briscoe’s slim but flawless and memorable book The Bookseller and Other Stories, 2nd Edition reminds us to not judge a book by its cover, or its page count. The collection includes four short stories, two of which are short-short stories, and one novella titled “The Bookseller.” The first short story “One of Our Stars” is of an academic – a man who struggles with anything that does not feed his off-the-grid intellectual pursuits; a man left to his own path since “his publications were impeccable.” The second short story “A Girl in Columbia” is by a close observer of a young, “demure” woman in a line to enter a jungle park in Columbia. The observer’s male perspectives and projections wander from the woman’s immodest, loose attire to his brief fantasy of pursuing knowledge about the woman’s life. In "After You, Please," the third short story’s elderly male narrator is a crusty, retired academic ruminating on the malaise of aging and external expectations. While his life of fewer self-expectations, ambitions, interests, and achievements – even small ones, may appear light and entertaining, the short portrait lands hard in the last two paragraphs once double-backed to the first line of the story. Loss. The fourth short story comes after the novella – “The Library Conference” which follows the career and ambitions of a female PhD participant. The writer brilliantly injects the non-objective, often stark male mindsets and desires of the narrators into the stories. It works.

In the novella “The Bookseller” the narrator steps back and, with its Jorge Luis Borges touch, tells a tale within a tale. The first few pages are about a man who “is flying somewhere and reading a book. This is his life.” He sells books and may tell stories to fellow travelers, such as the one that follows, one of stolen rare books from an old library in Ecuador, the Inspector Guillermo Robles investigating the theft, and the library’s notable scholar and ardent bibliophile Doctor Vidal with his passionate and lyrical paeans to the world of libraries, librarians, and reading - and his apprehensions of the cascading loss with digital collections.

If Jorge Luis Borges “imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library,” then The Bookseller and Other Stories will be there, probably being read by Borges. Peter Briscoe, with decades as an academic library administrator, is a superb writer who makes us long for more of his writing and his literary world.

This opinion is all my own. I am grateful to NetGalley, Palo Verde Press, and Peter Briscoe for access to this marvelous book. I needed to hold this printed book in my hands, and so I bought the paperback. Plus, I have ordered more as gifts for others, especially retired librarians. Perfect gifts.

Nicely done. This is quite short, but the stories here are quite good. I hope the author write more in the future. Recommended.

Thanks very much for the free review copy for review!!

I loved the first couple very short stories. I read them 3 times, fascinated by what elements were shared and where the stories left off.
I was less interested in the longer story. I read it twice. I found some of the details cumbersome.
That said, I really enjoyed this book.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book.

“If God existed, he would be a library.” This epigram by Umberto Eco sums up the sanctity of the library to anyone who worships books and the knowledge they contain.
All four stories in this book are worth reading and very engaging. However, the Bookseller itself is brilliant. The way the story unfolds at the end - when Detective Guillermo Robles was handed a letter from Doctor Andres Vidal after his death, about the rare and exquisite books that have been stolen from the library, bestowing the responsibility to him - is a thought-provoking twist.

At some point in the book, Peter Briscoe mentions that some people take libraries for granted and I think this is absolutely true, and in my opinion, libraries are full of treasures. Another one of my favorite quotes is this one: “A nonreader lives his or her life, but a reader lives multiple lives.”

I recommend this book not only to all book lovers but to anyone who wants to spend just a little time reading a story that takes them to another world.

Thanks to Palo Verde Press and Netgalley for a copy of The Bookseller.

Thanks so much to Palo Verde Press and NetGallery for providing me with a free copy of this book in return for my honest review.
What an absolute delight to read. 3 vignettes, a novella styled story and one short story, all contained in 75 pages. The title story is the novella, and deals with stolen book from a South American library, and then the bigger issue of libraries in general and the loss of readers due to our electronic and digital lives. Marvelous how the author, a lifelong librarian in his own right, hits upon a topic that should be near and dear to all of us who have a love of books and reading. Just a wonderfully important book.

These are the kinds of stories I like to read while waiting for an appointment at a doctors office or just want to have a quick read. From missing books to white library‘s mean for the digital age and more do use for short stories hip on topical topics and make them entertaining I enjoyed all four stories and would definitely read more from this author in the future. My favorite story was the third one but they’re all really good although I did like the one about the stolen library book. I find it so interesting when an author writes about a topic he knows intimately and you can tell this author knows libraries. I truly and thoroughly enjoyed the stories and highly recommend them. The book cellar by Peter Briscoe is definitely a five star read. I received this book from NetGalley and publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This is a short, but excellent book containing five stories about libraries and books. The stories touch on professors, booksellers, students, book thieves, explorers, and librarians themselves. Four of the stories are brief vignettes, one a short story, and the title story a brilliant novella.

This is a nice collection of stories that can easily be read and thoroughly enjoyed in one sitting. I especially enjoyed the title story novella and the investigation told of stolen books.

I would like to thank the author and NetGalley for providing a copy of the book to read in exchange for my honest review.

This was an enjoyable read. It's a very short book at under 100 pages, but it is well written with great short stories that I really connected with. My only wish was that the book was longer. The author is obviously talented and creates very interesting stories. I loved the culture in these stories. The actual story of the book Seller was my favourite it could easily have become a great full-length novel. I actually rated this book 3.5 stars rounded up as it was interesting.

Many thanks to the author and publishing team for creating these great stories.
The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog today https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/the-bookseller-by-peter-briscoe-ibpa-independent-author-3-5-stars under ladyreading365 sorry for the delay

Full of twists and turns, it will keep you furiously turning the pages. Giving this one four starts ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Read it!

The Bookseller by Peter Briscoe is a collection of five stories that revolve around professors, students, librarians, and booksellers. Each story is a unique journey of the mind, filled with literary and intellectual exploration. The first story, "One of Our Stars," introduces a professor so engrossed in his studies that even a sexual invitation cannot distract him. He is a master of concentration, like a chess grandmaster, a zen roshi, or a musical virtuoso.

The subsequent stories continue to explore the theme of intellectual exploration. The second story takes the reader to the Colombian jungle, where a female college student is on a journey of self-discovery. The third story deals with a once formidable professor who is coming to terms with retirement, old age, and approaching death.

The fourth and titular story is a novella that takes place in an Ecuadorian library where rampant theft is occurring. The librarian is complex and driven, and the story explores the fate of libraries and books in the modern world as society rushes into a digital, post-literate future. The story raises important questions about the place of libraries in the world today and the importance of preserving books in the face of technological advancements.

The fifth and final story follows a beautiful young female scholar who attends a Latin American Librarians Conference every year. Her evolving status and influence provide a glimpse into the changing landscape of the academic world.

Overall, The Bookseller is an intellectually stimulating collection of stories that delves deep into the minds of its characters. Briscoe’s writing style is engaging and his characters are well-developed, making for an enjoyable read. The stories are thought-provoking and raise important questions about the role of education, libraries, and books in modern society. Highly recommended for anyone who loves books and the world of academia.

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand the writer challenges our thinking and really poses some thought provoking scenarios regarding the future and essence of libraries and physical books, which I found very interesting to read. On the other hand the writing is very spare, the vignettes short and I was wanting more. I felt as if I was only getting half the story. I received this book as an advance copy from the author via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.

What a collection of stories-well written, thoughtful, intelligent, deep characters. This is a refreshing collection of tales -all related to academia. librarians & professors. Each story took me in a different compelling direction. I enjoyed each one for different reasons in different ways. Pick it up , Great for a quick read. Thanks to NetGAlley, and Palo Press for the opportunity to read this compilation of stories and offer an honest review.

This collection of short stories was...interesting. I'm not sure I understood the first few, and I read them multiple times trying to connect them to each other, only to discover that I don't think any of the characters were, indeed, connected. The titular story is the best and while I saw the ending coming a mile away (perhaps because I've read of the real life instances of that happening?) it was still a fun read. The last story is good, too. They definitely appealed to me as a librarian, and one who has attended many a library conference ;-)