I think I’m in the minority with this one… 

The Diary of a Bookseller gives a raw and fairly cynical glimpse into the life of a second-hand bookseller in Wigtown, Scotland. I like the format and writing style for this particular book, which made the pacing one of the book’s strengths (along with Captain the cat). Captain’s sporadic presence added some lightness to an otherwise bleak account of used book-selling, along with the author including their own periodic reading updates. 

Bythell does not shy away from sharing his dislike for Amazon and the challenges posed by them (directly and indirectly), but I was confused by the ‘trophy Kindle’. The effect of Amazon on the book industry is a prominent discussion in the Bookstagram sphere, so it wasn’t a shock to see this appear in this book. However, I didn’t enjoy reading a book about books/booklovers that almost shames those that use e-readers. 

Overall, there is some humour in here but the whole way through this book, I kept thinking about how I would be described by this person if I walked into this shop. The book does become repetitive and while it is a quick read, it can start to feel a bit samey chapter after chapter.