I enjoy books like this and this one was just as good as any other I have read, It was a great read and some amazing laugh out loud moments which I am giggling about just writing this sentence.

If you love a dry wit comedy about the day in the life of a bookseller then this is the book for you it's a fun and interesting and a really easy read and perfect for any book lover.

Confessions of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell is a first-hand account of what it's like to be a bookseller in a town that is known as book town Wigtown Scotland.  I enjoyed Shaun's honestly about his work as a bookseller.  And reading this book has me wanting to visit Wigtown.  To see both Shaun's bookshop and to see the town itself. 

 I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

I visited Scotland last May and really wanted to stop in to wander in Wigtown, especially after grabbing Bythell's first book, "Diary of a Bookseller" (where I first heard of the town). Unfortunately it was not meant to be (next time). I suppose reading Bythell's "Confessions of a Bookseller" was almost the next best thing. This is a humorous look at managing a second-hand bookstore and experiencing all sorts of characters (locals and visitors) through the eyes of the author. A lovely light-hearted and heart-warming book. Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC.

I really enjoyed a great many things about this book. Characters were fleshed out and the plot was well spaced. Some of the secondary storylines could've used a bit more page space but all in all an enjoyable read!

I was really exited when NetGalley allowed me to review the second diary of Shaun. I really enjoyed the first and I was impatiently waiting for this one to be published, so once again I can enjoy the life of a bookseller in Wigtown.

The book as solid as the first one, I was able to pick up, relive, and continue my imaginary life in Wigtown. Having said that, unfortunately I felt that the book doesn’t have a “punch” compared to the first one. The power of surprise, what the first book had, is gone for the second one for me as I was already familiar with the environment and life of the bookshop and Shaun. This is not a big thing, but I missed the excitement what I felt when I was reading the first book.

Nonetheless, this an excellent continuation and I’m looking forward for his new book if there is going to be a third part. My next book is going to be The Master and Margareta what Shaun enjoyed in his book, so I can still be connected with the book for a little longer.

Second visit to the Bookshop, a delight for readers.

"At 2pm, an elderly man asked the most superb question: 'Can you answer questions?'  The only two logical responses to that can be 'Yes' or complete silence."

'Diary of a Bookseller' was an utterly enchanting, hilarious and illuminative behind-the-scenes in the world of a bookshop and the people who work there. We were introduced to the real-life owner (and protagonist in his own writing), Shaun, his staff, his customers, his daily life and tasks.

In this second, we return to Shaun's world, though it isn't necessarily a continuation, and can be read as a standalone. 

Starting each month with a passage from a centuries-old novel about a bookshop, we see the similarities (and stark differences) to today's world of books, how books are viewed. A few times it caught me out and I thought these passages WERE Bythell! 

Set up as a year-long diary, Bythell takes us from the cold of January and the days of few customers, the trials of online selling and posting, the travelling to potential sellers' houses in all weathers, to the madness of summer book fairs, and the eccentricities of staff and customers alike.

With dry wit, we get to see Shaun's day-to-day struggles with humanity in all its amusing or frustrating forms:
"A customer came to the counter and asked if we had any miniature books so I directed him to the cabinet labelled 'Miniature Books'. He looked at it, then back at me and said, 'Yes, I've already looked through that.' This often happens - people appear to imagine that we have a secret stash of 'the good stuff' tha t we don't really want to sell."

His own sardonic take on life is also refreshing and hard not to smile at:
"As I was pricing books up, I found a bookplate in an early set of Dickens with the name Fanny Strutt on it. From some reason I imagined the Fanny Strugg being a 1950s American dance craze."

His co-workers could be characters written for a book, lots of idiosyncrasies and warm flaws/quirks between them, including the European summer worker who could fit right into 'A Short History of Tractors'. Regular customers are also welcome comic material. Even the one-offs who try to haggle or who ask ridiculous questions.

Personally, as a librarian and book lover for all my life, I found the insight into the world of a seller of books deeply interesting. The stats we see snippets of - daily customers, takings, stock prices, how books sell online - it's a glimpse into a world I know from the other side. And it did make me sad seeing how it's likely that shop owners like Bythell are treading water and struggling to stay float in a world of big corporation competition, with his knowledge and passion for the printed word.

Bythell's personal life is referenced throughout, he doesn't shy away from showing us glimpses of the pains in his own world, the heartache, the enjoyable hobbies and friendships outside of the shop. Seeing this aspect made him a real person, more than the observer of human foibles the book sometimes encourages you to see.

I'd love to think Bythell will come up with a third volume of a diarised bookseller's life; he's writing in changing times and his perspective could well be one of the only artefacts showing future generations what an actual bookshop was like, one day far in the future.

For any book lover. Reader. Fan of the high street over online shopping.

With thanks to Netgalley for the sample reading copy.

After reading Diary of a Bookseller and thoroughly enjoying it, I knew I couldn't pass this next book up. It is just as quirky, funny and full of "bookish" stories as the first. You will want to visit the bookstore for yourself by the time you finish the read. If you work in a bookstore, consider yourself bookish in any way or love to frequent bookstores, you will want to pick up this read for your enjoyment.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in advance of publication. It is what you might call a slow burner and I have currently come to a sticking point where I, not the writer, ran out of steam. I hope to resume reading this book in the future.

I enjoyed this book, essentially a diary of a year in the life of a Scottish bookstore. Definitely best if taken in small doses but interesting, especially for those who love bookstores.

I loved the first book, and this book was the same. I loved the insight into bookselling, the anecdotes of what customers ask for and just the wonderful writing style of Shaun. I love this series!

An genuinely amusing account of the life of a book seller. I was really intrigued by the premise of this book and it did not disappoint -a day-by-day account of 365 days in the life of a bookseller - customers, books, sales. 
Written in diary form you get the odd, mundane anecdote about a day but there are plenty of interesting quirky moments. 
I’d recommend this book to anyone who is absolutely fascinated by secondhand book shops and books in general.

I was vaguely annoyed by this book and yet really enjoyed it. It follows the day-to-day life of bookseller Bythell in the Scottish book town of Wigtown. He mostly complains the whole time, about people who buy books, about people who don’t, about people that try to sell their own used books, people he works with, etc. But there’s something very relatable and self-deprecating that I really enjoyed.

Confessions Of A Bookseller by Shaun Bythell. 

Having read The Diary Of A Bookseller I just knew this would be a great read and I wasn’t wrong. I just loved it. Shaun has such a way with words. His writing style (and, I imagine, his personality!) is dry, witty and sarcastic yet full of heart and a real love for what he does. I loved learning all about the running of a second hand book shop, I loved the anecdotes, the customers, the villagers, the tourists, Captain the cat & the insights into Shaun’s personal life (although I’m sad about that) I love everything about it and it’s one of very few books that can make me laugh out  loud. Keep it coming Shaun! The Dairy/Confessions books should be an annual event. And possibly a soap opera ☺️ 

Thanks to Netgalley and to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Follow up to his bestselling 'Diary of A Bookseller', the owner of The Bookshop in Wigtown Shaun Bythell returns with another diary of a year in his life and that of the shop. Getting past the title (those of a certain vintage may recall the 'Confessions Of...' films starring Robin Askwith), this is another fascinating and enjoyable peek into running the bookshop. This time he has a new helper, a neurotic Italian he nicknamed Granny, who certainly seems to take to life in Wigtown with ease.

Part of the appeal of the book is Shaun's comments from real customers, many of which beggar belief yet having worked in a major book retailer can certainly recognise and sympathise with. He also gives insights into the book collecting world and what can make a book more valuable, for instance personalised bookplates.

Another winner and sure to be as successful as the first volume. Perhaps a film adaptation beckons? Robin Aswith maybe a bit too old though to play Shaun...

Princess Fuzzypants here:  Anybody who has ever worked in retail or service can relate to some of the stories told in this book.  In fact, some of the oddball requests and characters the author meets proves he is a bookseller because he loves it.  Some of these folks would make the rest of us throw up our paws in frustration.
He is not much luckier in his staffing issues.  Between a colourful primary employee who doesn’t listen to him, berates him on their Facebook page and is unreliable and an eccentric and slightly made Italian employee whom he hired sight unseen, one wonders if the people are working with him or against him.
His bookshop is in rural Scotland where characters abound and it seems he is always putting up someone for the night- or longer.  It is waspishly funny and irreverent.  It is also a cautionary tale for anyone thinking of opening a second hand book store.  Four purrs and one paw up.

4.5 stars! I really enjoyed this book. Both for the glimpse of a Bookseller and for the way it was written. Shaun Bythell is dry, sarcastic, grumpy and st times rather bewildered. Both at his staff and his customers. Hahaha. Almost everyone is a character (can I say that if they’re real people?) especially Nicky and Granny. Tis a shame about Anna and Shaun. Their love story started out like well, those fictional love stories.

This doesn’t stop me from wanting to run and own a bookshop. Though it does make me wish for deeper pockets for it. Waaay deeper. Though I didn’t want the second hand books...maybe I can apprentice? Sigh.

I want to visit Wigtown even more now. I want to run The Open Book, buy a book at the Bookshop, attend the festival, meet the people there. Hope Shaun won’t mind the fangirling...I promise to buy a book!! Read this book! Go to Wigtown. Buy books!

Thank you @profile.books for this book! I really really enjoyed it.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.

Another great book from Shaun! I love reading about the ups and downs of being a bookseller and owning your own bookshop. As a publisher, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what it entails to be a bookseller too, but Shaun's two books have taught me otherwise.

Amazon has killed the book trade for booksellers, publishers and authors, and I am grateful as to how honest Shaun is about this, and gets personal by listing the daily takings of the shop. I am shocked by how low it can be!

I love Shaun's sarcastic humour, and hope there will be another book in the future that will enlighten us further about working in the book trade!

Well, the good thing is that I was entertained by Confessions Of A Bookseller. The bad thing is that my to be read list has grown dramatically! Confessions is written in diary format, which took me awhile to settle into. I was entranced by the observations on small town life and the bookselling trade.  Shaun Bythell brings the snark at times, and definitely uses humor well.  
3.5
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

Confessions of a Bookseller is a follow up to Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell.  The first book was light and engaging, but this second book was a bit dreary in comparison. It was funny in places, but many areas were repetitive. I would recommend the first book of the series. Thank you to Net Galley and Profile books for the opportunity to read and comment of this book.

I absolutely loved Confessions of a Bookseller. (Of course, I loved Diary of a Bookseller--the prequel--as well.) The author's dry wit, the quirky Wigtown residents and bookshop clientele, and Shaun's occasional personal revelations make this an infinitely readable, page-turning book. I was telling a friend about it, "it's a day-by-day account of running a second-hand bookshop in a Scotland town" really doesn't do it justice (which I told my friend, too!). Don't think just because it is a day-by-day account of running a second-hand bookshop in Scotland that it won't be funny, or interesting, or educational. For anyone who has ever considered running a bookshop, anywhere, this is required reading. It's also got a lovely travel memoir aspect to it, for those who have not been fortunate enough to visit Wigtown. Thanks so much to author for sharing this, and to #NetGalley and the publisher for a free galley in exchange for an honest review. I'm wondering if another year of Shaun's exploits is in the works! Can only hope!