by Shaun Bythell.

Shaun Bythell recounts – in the form of diary entries – his life as owner of The [secondhand] Bookshop in Wigtown, and I say “life” because and it’s so much more than a mere job). His observations of customers, regular and random (and, god, there are some randoms) in a tone that swings from gentle to acerbic and on to the downright bemused. He is no less restrained about his staff either.

Having spent a considerable amount of my own life in secondhand bookshops (on the other side of the counter), I spent much of this book scanning my memory for possible faux pas I might have committed.

Snortingly funny, but also thoughtful and at times sad, this book offers a lovely insight into people in general.