4 stars
| I actually came across this book in a librarian group on Facebook (I am working toward my master’s in library sciences) and thought it looked interesting. A fun, quick read that is filled with oddity, hilarity, and bookish humor. It was a fun experience to get a glimpse of what it can be like to work in a bookstore. As a book-lover, it is easy to romanticize working in a bookstore, surrounded by books and reading all day, but in reality you have to deal with people, and anything that requires that is going to have some times that are frustrating, confusing, and just plain weird. I liked that Campbell opens this collection by saying that sharing her experiences is not meant “to mock or antagonize our customers”. There are definitely some rude customers, strange encounters, and people who maybe should have done a Google search (or paid attention in history class) before asking their question. Because they are taken out of context, some of the entries can feel a little mean-spirited, making fun of customers who may have spoken without thinking. But overall, the tone is lighthearted, sharing some of the silly moments in her experience as well as those of other book-sellers in the US and Canada. The illustrations add another great layer of humor and pair well with the entries. A very fun book to read. I’m hoping to get a hold of a copy of the followup book, More Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops (sadly, my library does not appear to carry it). Goodreads |