Hello, it is I, your manic peckish pixie bookshop dream duckling and this is the next update live from the bookshop.
When I walked in this morning I seemed to suddenly notice about seven books I wanted to buy. What a great selection there is in this bookshop! Or is it just that I love books generally, and therefore so many more of them appeal to me? Or is that I chose them all, because this is my bookshop. Yes, probably that one. Anyway, I’ll do my best not to grumble if any of my seven books get purchased today. I can’t buy them anyway, I’ve still got a stack of my own orders behind the till that I haven’t paid for yet...
These posts will remain free, with comments open so you can send me queries like ‘What’s on your secret stack?’1 and ‘Can I stand in your shop until the rain passes?2’
A man falls into the shop to ask for directions. I look up the address and walk him out so I can point vaguely where he needs to go. He looks genuinely triumphant and shakes my hand at the door. I only mention it because I really like it when someone shakes my hand.
Must be a new bookshop.
Ma’am, we are thirteen years old.
A new customer takes some time browsing every inch of the bookshop, making a beautiful pile of purchases at the till. I had been counting down to the cookie stashed in the drawer under my desk, ready to chomp as soon as the shop was empty, but I’m so thrilled with the purchase selection, which includes some impeccable MG fiction, hardback picture book perfection, and one of my favourite childhood books. It’s probably been a few years since we last sold this book, but I’m immediately re-ordering it because it should always be available to happen to someone else.
Look, Theresa May has written a book.
’The Abuse of Power’ - I should put that one in my staff room!
A man comes in to collect a book that he can’t remember if he’d ordered or not... *searches diary, back-orders, etc.*
… He had not.
I take delivery of October’s Book Club choice, ready to distribute to my groups next week. I’ll take this opportunity to mention here that I’m launching an online discussion group for the same book, here on Substack. You can read my tedious post about that here, but in short; I don’t mind how you acquire the book, but you will need to be a paid subscriber to this newsletter to join the discussion at the end of October. Could be fun…?
Oh god, it’s happening. I’ve promised to write you this bulletin and *nothing* is happening today. I was wondering how long I’d be able to keep this series up. It’s raining now, and I can see there are car parking spaces on the street outside. This is my barometer for how busy the town is. If I can park outside my shop, there certainly won’t be any customers. Luckily, I walk to work so I never need to jinx myself.
(an hour later): The rain has set in and the streets are completely empty.
People always ask if you get to read all the books when you work in a bookshop. Usually I lie about having Other Work to do, because Business Mum does have other work to do, but the truth is that I do read when I’m here; if the shop is empty, if the tea is hot, if the rain is heavy, if the parking spaces are free…
Two customers brave the rain to collect their orders and nothing funny happens at all.
Looks like I’ll have to buy those seven books after all, except I can’t because my car insurance is up for renewal (even though I barely drive. How rude and boring it is to have bills.) Anyway, if I were browsing the bookshop this afternoon, and didn’t have a dumb car to insure, or a stack of secret books hidden behind the till to buy, this is what I’d pick off the shelves today:
Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan - don’t love the cover on this one but the story sounds very tasty. I haven’t read Nolan’s debut yet, but I might just jump ahead to this one because I prefer the synopsis.
Rouge by Mona Awad - As a fan of luxury skincare and batshit fiction, this sounds right up my street. I really enjoyed Awad’s novel Bunny so even though reviews are mixed, I’d be up for trying this one.
Fifteen Wild Decembers by Karen Powell - a customer (Hi Jane!) ordered this one and it sounds really good, plus it’s a sexy Europa paperback with French flaps. Also, it’s reminded me that the Emma Mackie Emily film is on NowTV and I mean to watch it - has anyone seen it?
Western Lane by Chetna Maroo - just announced as one of the Booker shortlist so I’m curious to see what’s elevating this novel of sisterhood and sport. It sounds totally readable and accessible, plus, I know nothing about Squash. I’m intrigued!
You Will Never Be Forgotten by Mary South - I listened to the title story of this one on The New Yorker Writer’s Voice podcast. I’d certainly be interested to read the rest of this collection.
Lives Like Loaded Guns by Lyndall Gordon - I once heard this book described as a juicy beach read, so bitchy was its content. I love Emily Dickinson and this biography sounds banging. If it were shorter, and had a better cover, I’d have bought it already.
A Thread of Violence by Mark O’Connell - This one sounds completely gripping. If I had an empty weekend and £16.99, this is how I’d spend it, and even though I don’t… I’m still tempted.
ANOTHER CUSTOMER ORDER COLLECTED JUST NOW. I’M SHOUTING SO YOU CAN HEAR ME OVER THE SOUND OF THE RAIN BATTERING THE WINDOWS AND PAVEMENT FOR GOODNESSSAKE.
This is such a dull day, I can’t believe I’ve got myself into a situation where I have to tell you about it. Please don’t unsubscribe. Apologies if you’re a new subscriber. This series was going so well until this week. Here’s the archive to (sort of) prove it.
Not strictly Bookshop Business but desperately soggy times, etc. This morning I received a lovely letter in the post at the bookshop (see, relevant!) from America!
A second grader called Joy, from a school in Indiana, has written to me because I’m a “famous person”. So cute. She enjoyed my book, The Missing Bookshop, and wanted to write to ask me some questions, even though I must be “busy”. Joy, today, I am not busy at all. I write back to her and tell her how much her letter brightened this dreary day, and then I wonder if I should write a letter to a writer I love. Why not? Why ever not?
A lady comes in and chooses some gifts for a child including a jigsaw and a cuddly rabbit. We agree this rabbit has a particularly splendid face. When I bag everything up, I leave the rabbit poking up out of the wrapper, because I’ve made friends with it,
Ooh, I could spend all day in a bookshop.
A lovely lady in a bobble hat with a naughty cane that fell over when she wanted it to stand up.
Hallelujah, it’s time to cash up. Today’s takings are hideous, of course. Never mind, I’m sure lots of people will come rushing out to buy armfuls of books in the sunshine tomorrow. Armfuls!! I’m going home to prep for my interview with Lizzy Stewart on Monday, and tuck into some more of The Collected Works of Jo Ann Beard. CLOSED.
You can support my bricks and mortar bookshop by buying your books via this link, and you can support me as a writer by taking out a paid sub to this Substack. Thanks.
Me casa su umbrella
A Necklace of Raindrops is also one of my childhood favourites - my paperback copy disintegrated on about the 10th reading! The illustrations are so magical! I still have Tales of a One Way Street (as I was given that in hardback) and get it out now and then to admire Jan Pienkowski’s work. I’ve loved so many of his books over the years and really admire how versatile he was.
That letter from Joy! 🥹🥰
My wishlist of books gets longer and longer with every receipt from the bookshop!