#the diary of a bookseller

[mostlyghostie]

Another new commission! Have you read any of these?

Shop / Instagram

#my art #artists on tumblr #books #booklr #illustration #bookstack #warrior cats #batman #kings of the wyld #the diary of a bookseller #charlottes web

[thedeathofallsocietalnorms]

#the diary of a bookseller #Shaun Bythell #mecore #bookstore #book #reading #reader #academia #quote post #quoteblr #bookworm #memoir #quotes #my friend is telling me what tags i should add so this post gets big and famous

[tinynavajoreads]

Yellow Bookstack

I was tagged by @godzilla-reads to show off all of the yellow books I have and here's what I could come up with!

Sandy's Book by Tamora Pierce

My Hero Academia Vol. 1 by Kohei Horikoshi

The Wander Society by Kerri Smith

The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell

Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Moreta by Anne McCaffrey

Can't Stop, Won't Stop by Jeff Chang and Dave "Davey D" Cook

World War Z by Max Brooks

Surprisingly, I've read all of these but one; Can't Stop, Won't Stop. Granted, it's been a while since I've read a few of these, but I am glad to say that I've read the majority of the yellow books on my shelves!

Tagging others to play along: @aridotdash @just0nemorepage @books-are-portals @books-and-libraries and @logarithmicpanda

#books #bookstack #godzilla reads #book talk #yellow books #world war z #sandry's book #my hero academia vol. 1 #the diary of a bookseller #the wander society #uprooted #moreta #can't stop won't stop

[bookcoversonly]

Title: The Diary of a Bookseller | Author: Shaun Bythell | Publisher: Profile Books (2018)

#books #Shaun Bythell #The Diary of a Bookseller

[sesamereviews]

The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell

This book was delightfully funny at times as Bythell recounts certain customer and employee interactions at The Book Shop using a certain, unfortunately, relatable dry humor that may be cynical at times. I loved reading about his thoughts on the various ways books may connect people from all walks of life, all generations, and their subsequent importance. While this book has partially destroyed my idealized perception of working in a bookstore, the realism and potential of meeting so many different kinds of people also worsens my fascination.

Not all the diary entries were about running The Book Shop; in fact, Bythell leaves the store quite often when one of his employees is in to run the place. His interactions with various friends paint a very idyllic image of Wigtown’s community, which leaves one thinking it may be a wonderful place to live in as long as you can tolerate the people there. 

And of course, his mentions of different books throughout the diary; I’ve since added many more books to my (mental) To Be Read list; the first of which is, of course, George Orwell’s Bookshop Memories, just before A Confederacy of Dunces (previously recommended to me by an English teacher as well).

As always, this review can also be found on Instagram and Goodreads! Follow for more!

#book review #the diary of a bookseller #shaun bythell #the book shop #wigtown #readers of tumblr

[rakuhoku-kyoto]

『ブックセラーズ・ダイアリー　 スコットランド最大の古書店の一年 』 ショーン・バイセル 矢倉尚子 訳 白水社　2021年 The Diary of a Bookseller Shaun  Bythell Japanese translated edition

「自営業の最大の喜びは、上司の命令に従わなくてすむことだ。ところが［アマゾンでネット販売を始めると］アマゾンは…自営の小売店主にとっての上司に成り代わる」。 この書店はアマゾンとは手を切って、独自サイトを始めたそうです。

目次などは　白水社　をご覧くださいませ。

　.

#Shaun_ Bythell #the diary of a bookseller #ブックセラーズ・ダイアリー

[theriversarebroken]

A couple months ago I got sick of not being able to highlight female author’s in the Sci-Fi and Fantasy section I take care of at work so I made a table and now you have to look at my MONTHLY PICKS!

#what can I say #I live to serve women #especially in the book selling industry #this was my august display #since then the dudebros have had to look at so many more displays #some of them have read the books #and liked them #my plan is working #bookseller #bookstore #booksbooksbooks #so glad I work here now #nk jemisin #ve schwab #martha wells #(murderbot my beloved) #the murderbot diaries #tamsyn muir #rebecca roanhorse #ryka aoki #book displays

[missydurdenknowsbest]

Guess this is required reading for the new job 😅

Also, I still cannot believe that I feel so much calmer and safer in this new life. So glad I waited for a great opportunity. So glad I took the chance. So thankful this happened. And so looking forward to living and working with books ❤️

#bookseller #booklr #diary of a bookseller #shaun bythell #hope this will last #and maybe i’ll even find the mental energy to finish my dissertation #finally

[tudorblogger]

‘Remainders of the Day: More Diaries from The Bookshop, Wigtown’ by Shaun Bythell

‘Remainders of the Day: More Diaries from The Bookshop, Wigtown’ by Shaun Bythell

Genre: Adult Non-Fiction – Literature Published: 2022 Format: Hardback Rating: ★★★★ Another really brilliantly funny year in the life of a second-hand book seller. I didn’t want to finish it too quickly as I wanted to enjoy some of the humour, and I had to look up some of the obscure book titles mentioned that people ordered – one of my favourites was ‘The History and Social Influence of the…

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#Autobiography #Biography #Book #Book Review #Books #Bookseller #bookselling #Bookshop #diary of a bookseller #Literature #remainders of the day #Review #Shaun Bythell #the bookshop wigtown #Wigtown

[cronadsarts]

Throw-back to 2021 bookstore shenanigans. 

#bookstore #books #bookseller #comic #comix #comic art #throwback #cartoon #cartoonist #cartooning #digital art #csp #clip studio paint #diary comic #slice of life #cafe #barista #art #artist #my art #tumblr art #tumblr artist

[nikihawkes]

Book Review: System Collapse by Martha Wells

Title: System Collapse Author: Martha Wells Series: Murderbot Diaries #7 Genre: Cheeky Science Fiction Rating: 3/5 stars The Overview: Am I making it worse? I think I’m making it worse. Everyone’s favorite lethal SecUnit is back. Following the events in Network Effect, the Barish-Estranza corporation has sent rescue ships to a newly-colonized planet in peril, as well as additional SecUnits.…

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#book #book review #book reviews #books #coming soon #humor #Martha Wells #murderbot diaries #niki hawkes #science fiction #scifi #the obsessive bookseller

[thebooksellersdaughter]

Hello!

I've been working in my dad's secondhand bookshop for two years now. It's a good life. We spend our days packing books, sorting books, logging books, shelving books, discussing books, recommending books, selling books, and sometimes even reading books.

For a while I've toyed with the idea of creating a blog to memorialize our daily adventures in the shop (I use "adventures" in the quietest possible terms). So here I am! I have two inspirations: Shaun Blythell's Diary of a Bookseller which is among my dad's favourite books, and the one and only Anne Shirley, my kindred-spirit literary character. I love the romantic, wistful way she views the world and I want to add a bit of that gaze to my own life.

I also, frankly, love writing. I want to work on the craft and I feel like writing anecdotes about the shop is a good place to begin.

I am doing this for myself, but feel free to follow along if secondhand bookshop life is of interest to you. I don't think this will be anything grand. There is no overarching purpose or big idea. There may be a funny incident or two. Perhaps a notable character. But this is mundane life; peaceful and a bit dull.

Welcome to the bookshop. I hope you enjoy your time.

#books #bookshop #secondhand bookshop #the bookseller's daughter #book blog #bookshop diary #introduction #booklr #used books #used bookshop #writing #blog #writeblr

[atlas-is-rambling]

A customer asked for a set of special markers. We didn‘t have them on stock and I offered to order them. He told me no because he‘d „wanted to hold them.“

I think he tried telling me he needed them right this instant.

But it sounded like I wanted to illegally download colourful markers on the interwebs.

#I‘m​ trying this again. let‘s see hoe long I remember to put new stuff out #bookseller diary #customer service

[drconstellation]

Portable People

Muriel: "Can I...Can I take a book with me? I was looking at one earlier. They're like people, only portable." S2E6

Crowley's yeeting them around while stress-cleaning the bookshop, Jimbriel is trying to sell them to the investigating archangels, and Muriel just wants to read them all. Should we give a second thought to any of these books?

Er, yes. Yes, we should, I say.

In Crowley's case, both times he tosses the books aside (both in S2E3) it is adjacent to a conversation about memory.

In the first one he remarks to Jim that he doesn't remember why "they" invented gravity. He tosses the books - records of the past, records of (human) knowledge - then moves right back into the present, observing Rodney the Stunt Fly with Jim and then describing his Operation Lovebirds plan to him.

The same with the second GIF - Crowley has to make a decision between answering the phone (which is Aziraphale calling from Edinburgh) or the books. The present wins again, and he has the phone conversation with Aziraphale.

Crowley: Pffft. Humans. You don't let yourself get too attached. Aziraphale: No. No, I suppose not. Um… You haven't actually been selling any of the books, have you?

While we get the impression of Crowley not wanting to hang on to the past, as if its something that's hurt him before and he doesn't want to repeat that, on the other hand Aziraphale was having a lovely time remembering Mr Dalrymple the Scottish surgeon from 1826. This from an angel who hates getting rid of memories books, and we learn keeps a diary! Hmm.

I suppose the question is, is it a real memory problem on Crowley's side or an affected one to get around certain...awkwardness to do with his history? Such as not remembering working with Saraqael or fighting next to Furfur before the Fall?

Jimbriel, on the other hand, is more like Muriel. He is having a wonderful time discovering the delights of Humanity in the bookshop for the first time and is sooo excited to show it to the archangels when they arrive on Aziraphale's doorstep!

[btw, do you notice which side Jimbriel is standing on here? Its actually interesting to pay attention to which shoulder-side he is on in S2, because he is rarely on the left - even in S1, as well]

So while Aziraphale tries to, um, explain what humans do, Jimbriel "fans" one in Saraqael's face and then tries to (horror!) kill Rodney the Stunt fly with the Wicked Bible - the one with the printing error that says "You Shall Commit Adultery." *ahem* (not looking at you Jimbriel, oh no, not all...) Good thing it never works, Jimbriel declares, as the dust flies dramatically.

Edit: This book-banging episode is also a Monty Python reference! I found out over in my Assistant Bookseller meta that Jim's Fair Isle's style vest is a nod the Gumby characters, who all wear that style of vest and have the catchphrase "My brain hurts!" They also bang bricks together occasionally. *sigh* The things you didn't expect to find...Gabriel the Gumby...

The angels take no notice of Jim's antics. Since when do they take any notice of what goes on with humans, anyway? Oh, yes, they are going to keep a close eye on Aziraphale, but some idiotic human - nah! Don't care!

Then there's this travesty:

Aaah! The horror! Aziraphale reluctantly lets Maggie and Nina throw the books of human knowledge at the demons. But that doesn't work in the long run. Only the angel himself can solve this crisis.

#good omens #good omens 2 #good omens meta #crowley #aziraphale #gabriel #muriel #the book shop #mr dalrymple #edinburgh #portable people #Rodney the Stunt Fly #the wicked bible #Is that Jim's fans only section? #the horror! #no no that's about the encyclopedias #foul fiends! #how dare you defile a book! #Monty Python #gumbys

[theonevoice]

Rumination n. 6 - It was all Jim's fault

Well, not all his fault. He walked right into a 6000yo situation of unspoken "do I... would you... could we...", but I think, since he fills the role of comic relief, we are not fully taking into account his impact on the whole ineffable miscommunication mess.

Because he is not just a plot device, he is a character that pushes Aziraphale and Crowley to act in unplanned ways and - most of all - brings some of their worldview biases and traumas out of their dark corners. And I am increasingly convinced that his presence plays a major role in the final breakup, acting as a catalyst for their millennia-long misalignment of hopes and fears.

Sure, he is there to make us smile and Jon Hamm is a joy to watch (I cannot get to his line in ep 1, when Aziraphale tells him that he can see that he's naked, and he goes "Oh! Well, what do you know? Ahahah!" without burst out laughing, even after countless rewatches), but that humor is mainly for us viewers to detect. From Aziraphale's and Crowley's point of view, he doesn't appear as funny as he does to us. For them, he is a source of worry and danger, and I would argue that he is also an incarnation of different desires. And that's the point.

Let's consider for a moment Aziraphale's perspective. He sees his former boss, "most holy archangel" Gabriel, pop up one day at the bookshop, reduced to the mental capacity of a smart dog, vaguely aware that someone was planning to do "something terrible" to him. It is a terrifying spectacle to behold. It's not just the mere danger of having one of the most powerful entities in the universe, possibly still in posess of all his powers, acting like a child. It's the terror of witnessing what Heaven can do to your identity and your mind: imagine Aziraphale - book-lover, diary-writer, Antichrist-locator Aziraphale with the capacity, as per the book, to solve math problems that only people with Nobel prizes could master - trying to process the idea that his former boss doesn't know the alphabet anymore. The idea that he could be reduced to that degree of utter ignorance and unawareness if Heaven decided that their truce is over.

At the same time, what Aziraphale sees is that, once stripped of all the layers of Heaven's legalism, Gabriel is legitimately a great guy. 

We all love Muriel to death, of course, but the more I watch s2 the more I believe that Jim is the most similar "angel" to Aziraphale out of all the ones we see. He is jovial (think at whatever that cheeck squishing thing is that he does during the ball), he is enthusiastic (think at his reaction at his first sip of hot chocolate, and also his genuine "hurray! Let the bookselling commence!"). He is affectionate and open about it ("You're funny, I love you"). He is caring (sure he was struggling to read the room during the demon attack, but still in that moment of danger he has the altruism of thinking to ask if anyone wants hot chocolate, and hot chocolate is the symbol of comfort for him, it's the first thing Aziraphale offers to him to make him feel at ease in the bookshop and the thing that Crowley brings him to soothe his angst after the memory conversation). He is helpful or at least he wants to be (rearranging the books in an order that, if you think about it, follows the criterion of medieval manuscripts illuminators, who usually embellished only the first letter of the first sentence on a page, which makes sense as a frame of reference for an angel whose only experience of books probably goes back to some old Bibles). He is generous and brave (giving himself up without a second thought when he realises that Shax is threatening Aziraphale and all the others because of him). 

As Jim, memory-wiped Gabriel is both Aziraphale's worst fear and his deepest hope: that after all Heaven is the side of good, that all the cruelty and the callousness and the total blindness to the value of life on Earth is just a mishap, that if you scrape off the absurd obsession with World Ending Great Plans you will find underneath a form of good that is pure and gentle. I think Jim, way more than the Metatron and his shitty offer-threat, is the main thing that brings Aziraphale back on the mission of fixing Heaven, "making a difference," not for the greater cosmic good, but to create a safe place for him and Crowley. So they can be safe together.

But something similar happens from Crowley's point of view. He also sees Gabriel as the concrete manifestation of both his worst fear and his deepest desire. The former Supreme Archangel renews the momentarily forgotten awareness of what Heaven and Hell can do to you if you cross them: destroy you either by throwing you into hellfire or holy water, or now by hanging the threat of the Book of Life above your head. Force you to live in a constant state of danger, pressing you against the possibility of your non-existence, making you feel like you have a loaded gun constantly placed against your skull and no magic trick to avoid the bullet.

At the same time, just as Aziraphale, what Crowley sees is that, if you are determined and lucky or maybe just inconsiderate, you can get away from Heaven and live your happy thoughtless life on Earth. Think of how bitter he is when he confronts Jim in ep5, calling him Gabriel and "Oh, yeah yeah, no no no. You're Jim now. Got everything just the way you want it?" I think here Crowley is projecting his desire to be "on the lam having a wonderful time and never be seen again." Sure, everyone is after him and they had to perform a joined miracle to hide him, but let's not forget that Crowley was not doing it to save Gabriel, he was doing it to keep Aziraphale safe. From his point of view, Gabriel did it: he run off, cut ties with Heaven, settled in his little neat new identity, cared and protected, not a thought in his head. And yes, Crowley is painfully aware of how awful it is to have your memory erased - I don't think he would consider it an acceptable price to pay for freedom. But still, Gabriel did what he would like to do. And it does not help that memory-wiped Gabriel presents specifically to Crowley some aspects of his personality in which he can recognize himself. He is curious and asks questions (think of the gravity conversation), and even more important he is ready to dispute the answers that are given to him ("but they don't stay where I put them"). He hears the plan about Nina and Maggie that Aziraphale didn't listen to, and afterwards asks Crowley how it went. He is insightful in his own instinctive way (when he tells Crowley "you're really nice" he's not just saying "you are nice a lot" but also "in reality you are nice", he's seeing through Crowley's rough mannerism even if just seconds before he was angrily shouting at him). He has lost his memory, which by now I think most of us agree it's what also happened to Crowley, at least partially ("I know, looking at where the furniture isn't"). And then, the final nail on the mirror-coffin: Gabriel run away from Heaven for his love. They run off together.

Having Jim right there, in front of his very eyes, I think it's the thing that pushes Crowley back to his old plan of running off together with Aziraphale: he is the living prove that it can be done, further confirmed by his final departure with Beelzebub. Of course, for a brief moment both sides of the metaphisical universe where hunting him down, which is not desirable. But Gabriel was the Supreme Archangel after all, it's only fair that they're looking for him. They are but a former bullied angel and a former already-replaced demon, maybe Heaven and Hell would not mobilised their hosts for them. They could be finally safe together.

So, when you put everything together, I think that what happened at the end of ep6 has more to do with Gabriel and how his presence affected them during the season, than it has to do with the Metatron, or even with the Nina-Maggie foil. It is Jim that pushed a wedge into the thin crack that had always been there, separating what each of them sees as the best way to be safe together.

#good omens #good omens 2 #go2 #crowley #aziraphale #good omens thoughts #go2 spoilers #good omens 2 spoilers #jimbriel #supreme archangel gabriel #the final fifteen #good omens meta

[secretdiaryofcrowley]

Things To Do Today

Be angry at Nina for making things so difficult. Instead of talking to me, she could’ve just written more notes for me to ignore.

Ponder on Nina’s words

Overthink

Go back to sleep because my brain hurts from overthinking

Wake up and work up the courage to speak to Maggie and to Muriel

Have a few drinks to be more courageous

Sober up because I can’t very well talk to them drunk. Maggie would probably not take me seriously and Muriel would be really confused or even scared. They haven’t experienced me in full drunk mode yet.

Yell at plants to let off some steam

Drive around, not necessarily in the right direction.

Nina says that Muriel thinks it’s their fault that I’m not talking to them, not visiting the bookshop anymore and not responding to any of their notes and cards. I was so shocked I almost dropped my shades.

I can’t wrap my head around it. I couldn’t even wrap my entire body around it if I was in my snake form.

I mean, we all messed up in some way or other. The angels messed up, the demons messed up, Gabriel and Beelzebub messed up, Shax messed up, Aziraphale messed up, Floating-Head-Coffee-Or-Death-Guy messed up, Maggie und Nina messed up, and I have been walking chaos since I started walking on legs. (Might have been crawling chaos before that). The only person who really didn’t have anything to do with any of this, was former-inspector-constable, now bookseller-to-bee.

Why do they think it’s their fault? I don’t understand it at all. I know that humans sometimes feel guilty for something they’re not responsible for, but Muriel is an angel. They should think that they’re always doing the right thing.

But then, Aziraphale has experienced guilt before. Even then when things weren’t his fault. Perhaps guilt is an angel thing after all.

I wish I could tell Muriel that this has nothing to do with them. It's a good thing that they keep the bookshop safe.

I just can’t be in there at the moment because everything reminds me of him. But I can't talk about that to Muriel. I can’t be on Whickber Street, I can’t talk to Maggie and Nina, I can’t deal with this, I can’t process it. And I’m sorry for causing them pain. I don’t want any friends because I don’t want to cause others pain.

It was my damn job to cause others pain for so long.

~*~

More Diary Parts

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19

@aziraphalesdiaries @muriel-not-the-dim-one

#good omens #crowley #aziracrow #aziraphale x crowley #ineffable husbands #crowley is a mess #crowley is lonely #crowley's heartache