Bookish People

By: Susan Coll

Narrated by: Alexa Morden

A perfect storm of comedic proportions erupts in a DC bookstore over the course of one soggy summer week—narrated by two very different women and punctuated by political turmoil, a celestial event, and a perpetually broken vacuum cleaner.

Independent bookstore owner Sophie Bernstein is burned out on books. Mourning the death of her husband, the loss of her favorite manager, her only child’s lack of aspiration, and the grim state of the world, she fantasizes about going into hiding in the secret back room of her store.

Meanwhile, renowned poet Raymond Chaucer has published a new collection, and rumors that he’s to blame for his wife’s suicide have led to national cancellations of his publicity tour. He intends to set the record straight—with an ultra-fine-point Sharpie—but only one shop still plans to host him: Sophie’s.

Fearful of potential repercussions from angry customers, Sophie asks Clemi—bookstore events coordinator, aspiring novelist, and daughter of a famed literary agent—to cancel Raymond’s appearance. But Clemi suspects Raymond might be her biological father, and she can’t say no to the chance of finding out for sure.

This big-hearted screwball comedy features an intergenerational cast of oblivious authors and over-qualified booksellers—as well as a Russian tortoise named Kurt Vonnegut Jr.—and captures the endearing quirks of some of the best kinds of people: the ones who love good books.

Praise for Bookish People:

“A smart, original, laugh-out-loud novel . . . If you sell, buy, or simply love books, Bookish People is for you. I wholeheartedly recommend this quirky gem.” —Sarah Pekkanen, New York Times bestselling co-author of The Golden Couple

• Witty, hilarious, and heartwarming contemporary book about books
• Stand-alone novel
• Book length: approximately 84,000 words
• Also by the author: The Stager, Beach Week, Acceptance, Rockville Pike

Critic reviews

A lightly fictionalized, highly exaggerated, and very entertaining look at the lives of beleaguered booksellers.

A smart, original, laugh-out-loud novel that fans of Tom Perrotta will adore. If you sell, buy, or simply love books, Bookish People is for you. I wholeheartedly recommend this quirky gem.

An insightful and entertaining look behind the shelves and into the lives of the people who stock them . . . Coll's novel captures the fragmented overload of modern life so successfully . . . it's satisfying as a trip to your local indie bookstore.

Coll (The Stager, 2014) ably juggles chaotic details, turning them into hilarious running gags while making it completely clear why Sophie wants to bury herself in the book - though she can't, because the power went out. While this is full of nods to the publishing world that those in the know will appreciate, every reader who loves books will relish Coll's comedy of errors.

D.C.'s new 'it' novel . . . Bookish D.C. people will be amused by the abundant literary asides and scene-setting gold coins.

Fans of novels with plenty of literary and political references or of relationship fiction will enjoy.

Susan Coll's Bookish People is a delightful, hilarious, and utterly charming novel about a quirky bookstore and its motley crew--ridiculously lovable people who think way too much about words, writing, dead authors, customers' dogs, cats who torment birds, canceled author events, British ovens, readers, vacuum cleaners, and Russian tortoises. The perfect read for bookish people everywhere!

Take a bookstore owner who is sick of books, a pompous poet who has managed to get himself canceled, and a crew of overqualified millennial employees, then add a week of political upheaval and a rare celestial event. The result is Bookish People, a sharp yet tender comedy of bookstore manners. Susan Coll has written a love letter to bibliophiles everywhere with too many hilarious parts to list--though the tortoise named Kurt Vonnegut Jr. may be my all-time favorite literary pet.

The wacky world of books and the people who love them, as seen through a week in the life of a Washington, D.C., bookstore. As much fun as Coll has with vacuum cleaners--a truly surprising amount--it's literary humor where she slays.

There's not a wittier, zanier, smarter book about books and the people who love them than Bookish People. After reading about this single screwball week in the book biz, you'll want to hug your closest bookseller (and maybe apply for a job).

What could be more fun than a week of chaos at a Washington, D.C., bookstore? Nothing, at least not in the hands of this queen of literary comedy, once a bookstore events manager herself. Hipster employees, self-involved writers, cruel tow-truck drivers and a malodorous store pet are all present and accounted for.

Sadly disappointed 😞

I loved this book cover. It is so cute and caught my eye. The premise seemed very interesting so I used my audible credit and got it the same night I saw it. Sadly, I am very disappointed. Though it is interesting at times it became rambling. I went to lunch at work and half way through the hour I realized she was going on, and on, and on about vacums. I sadly am throwing in the towel and am going to DNF.

fluffy

comedic read. maybe not funny enough and not serious enough for me. though lots of references to interesting authors.

Not

I really could not get into this book. I made it to chapter 4 and just quit.

Did not meet my expectations

I generally love all books about bookstores and book collectors, in fact I collect them but this one just did not grab me . I tried to identify what it was that did not meet my expectations without much success. The plot was a bit sketchy but life in a bookstore can be that way... some of the characters were a bit strange as were some of the readers. I did finish it but it doesn't have a strong finish.

No real plot

Interesting but no real plot just many subplots. If I had to choose a plot out of the subplots it would be over coming fear but that is not right