A Catalogue Of New And Second Hand Books

The fear of the unknown bothers most of us, even if it comes at the cost of chasing our dreams. How many of us want to drop everything that we are doing and travel the world? How many of us do? Neeraj Narayanan just did that, quitting his job one day and flying to Barcelona. Join him on his journey as he takes you rollicking across some countries in Europe and South East Asia, motoring up high mountain passes, hiding in jungles and being part of crazy festivals, hoping to find pretty girls in pursuit but only ending up with furious bulls, bears, and gypsies on his tail. At some point, he has almost no money left but his resolve to build a life out of travel doesn’t ebb. This is a witty yet heart-warming tale of one man’s solo journey for a year. While he goes to find beautiful places, he ends up finding trust, compassion, and a universe conspiring to make all his dreams come true. This guy’s really on his own trip and promises to take you on one too!

A WRY AND HILARIOUS ACCOUNT OF LIFE AT A BOOKSHOP IN A REMOTE SCOTTISH VILLAGE "Among the most irascible and amusing bookseller memoirs I've read." --Dwight Garner, New York Times "Warm, witty and laugh-out-loud funny..."—Daily Mail The Diary of a Bookseller is Shaun Bythell's funny and fascinating memoir of a year in the life at the helm of The Bookshop, in the small village of Wigtown, Scotland—and of the delightfully odd locals, unusual staff, eccentric customers, and surreal buying trips that make up his life there as he struggles to build his business . . . and be polite . . . When Bythell first thought of taking over the store, it seemed like a great idea: The Bookshop is Scotland's largest second-hand store, with over one hundred thousand books in a glorious old house with twisting corridors and roaring fireplaces, set in a tiny, beautiful town by the sea. It seemed like a book-lover's paradise . . . Until Bythell did indeed buy the store. In this wry and hilarious diary, he tells us what happened next—the trials and tribulations of being a small businessman; of learning that customers can be, um, eccentric; and of wrangling with his own staff of oddballs (such as ski-suit-wearing, dumpster-diving Nicky). And perhaps none are quirkier than the charmingly cantankerous bookseller Bythell himself turns out to be. But then too there are the buying trips to old estates and auctions, with the thrill of discovery, as well as the satisfaction of pressing upon people the books that you love . . . Slowly, with a mordant wit and keen eye, Bythell is seduced by the growing charm of small-town life, despite —or maybe because of—all the peculiar characters there.