15+ Books about Bookstores: Funny, Inspiring, and Unique Reads
If you’re a reader who loves stories that take place in indie bookstores, then boy is this the list for you.
I’m a bibliophile who’s obsessed with hunting down the best and most beautiful independent bookshops in the world (you can check out my long list of recommended bookstore posts from all over the US and Europe). So of course, I love when books take place in bookshops. I’ve spent a lot of my reading time this year hunting down books in this specific genre, and I’m finally ready to share my recommendations with you.
This list includes both nonfiction and fiction books about bookshops, and include cozy reads, humorous collections, and heartfelt tales. I’ve intentionally featured lots of international titles and books in translation.
I can pretty much guarantee that if you love this genre, you will find something you’ll love on this list, whether you’re looking for a feel-good read, a book to make you laugh, or a book to chase away your dreams of opening your own bookshop with a hefty dose of reality. As always, I’ll keep it real with what I think of the book and what type of reader I think will enjoy each one.
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Whenever possible, I recommend buying books at local bookshops or through Bookshop.org, because shopping there puts the profits right into the hands of indie bookstores all over the country.
The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell
The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell gets one of my top recommendations for books set in bookshops. It’s a non-fiction memoir written by the owner of a bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland’s famous book town and host of the annual Wigtown book festival.
He first began this book as a diary, writing down his daily observations about the customers and goings on in his shop. He also made a daily account of his earnings, both in-store and online. By the end of the year, he realized he’d essentially written a book that gives a real world look into the oft romanticized profession of running a bookshop.
This year inside Shaun’s world is funny, entertaining, and escapist. Shaun is a bit misanthropic, but in a relatively harmless way. The book is full of his dry observations about the silly and often stupid things people do in bookshops. He is perhaps ungenerous in his judgments of customers, but his passion for bookselling is clear in every page.
This is NOT an idealized account and will quickly disabuse you of any notion you might have that opening a bookstore would be an easy solution to all your problems.On the contrary, I found myself developing a bit of secondhand anxiety when reading each day’s profits, and wanting to go spend every last dime I have in an independent bookshop.
I love that I get to recommend this fun read twice — on this list and as one of my recommended books set in Scotland.
Tip: As of 10/4/24, this ebook (as well as the sequels) are included in your Everand subscription.
Related: Not sure about Everand? Read my detailed and honest Everand review.
A Novel Bookstore by Laurence Cossé
A Novel Bookstore is a book I’ve never seen anyone talk about. Translated from French, it tells the story of a man and woman who, shortly after meeting, decide to open a bookstore in Paris committed only to selling “good” novels.
Little do they realize that this approach to bookselling will draw not just anger, but put them and everyone associated with the shop in physical danger. It’s part romance, part thriller, part cozy bookstore novel. It’s incredibly hard to categorize, but a truly fascinating read.
This book set in Paris is entirely different from every other book about bookstores I’ve ever read, which alone makes it noteworthy. It’s a fascinating investigation of why we read, what makes a book worth reading, and the impact of what we read on our lives, minds, and culture.
The Bookseller of Venice by Giovanni Montanaro
The Bookseller of Venice is another book translated from its original language, this time Italian. It was first published in Italian and only released in an English language version in 2024.
The author, Giovanni Montanaro, wrote the short novel after Venice’s worst flood since 1966 — the acqua granda of 2019, when water levels exceeded 180 cm and badly flooded hundreds of Venetian homes and businesses.
The Bookseller of Venice tells the story of Vittorio, who runs a fictional Venetian bookshop called the Moby Dick. The shop and shop owner are fictional, but they are very much inspired by the many real independent bookshops in Venice and Montanaro’s conversations with them after the floods wiped out much of their book stocks and livelihood.
This is a quick read — not much exceeding 100 pages — but it’s a great little novella, filled with a love and respect for Venice, Venetians, and books alike. Plus, I love that he includes a guide to the real Venice bookstores at the back of the book.
In addition to this being a great book to read about books, it’s also among my favorite books set in Italy.
The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
Here’s another book about books, and this time it’s set in Scotland. While so far my recommendations have focused on the realistic, sometimes harsher, realities of bookselling life, this one is straight up cozy vibes. This is the novel to pick up when you don’t want to read about reality; you want the fairy tale.
In The Bookshop on the Corner, a shy librarian on the brink of losing her job takes a big risk — she buys and sets up her own mobile bookshop and moves to Scotland to share books with the people in a small, Scottish town.
This is the Hallmark book of your dreams, with a cute (PG) romance, in which big risks pay off with big rewards.
Tip: As of 10/4/24, you can listen to the audiobook on Everand.
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
One of my favorite cozy reads, 84, Charing Cross Road is an absolute classic book for book lovers. It’s an epistolary book in which we get to read the letters exchanged between the author and the owner of a rare books shop in London.
Over the years covered in this book, Helene writes to request obscure copies of books, in letters that are full of wit and gentle teasing. While the responses begin with typical British formality, eventually, Hanff’s wit and charm wear down the shop owner’s reserve, and the pair develop a warm friendship.
This is one of my favorite cozy books to read, and as a bonus, you can finish it in one sitting. Then, you can cuddle up under a blanket and watch the delightful film adaptation starring the inimitable Anthony Hopkins as the British shop owner.
Tip: if you ever make it to London, the real life Charing Cross Road bookshop is one of my must-visit London bookstores.
Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell
Here’s another book about bookshops that you can finish in a single sitting. Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops might as well be a book of memes. It’s a collection of the strange, random, and often hilarious things that people have said in bookshops. So there’s no overarching story here, just a collection of funny happenings to read about.
It all started when Jen Campbell started sharing online about the things she experienced as a bookseller. Before she knew it, other booksellers started sending her their funny anecdotes, and she eventually collected them all together in this delightful, entertaining book.
It’s fun, light, and all but guaranteed to give you a chuckle or two (especially if you’ve ever worked in retail).
Tip: As of 10/4/24, this title is included on Kobo Plus
The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods
In Dublin, on Ha’Penny Lane, once stood a bookstore. Where it went? Nobody knows. That’s what Henry has come to Dublin to find out, and to track down the lost manuscript of Emily Bronte’s rumored second novel.
Martha lives in the building next door to the missing bookstore, hiding out to escape from an abusive marriage. As the two lives collide, together they begin to uncover the lost story of Opaline, an antiquarian book dealer from the 1920s, and solve the mystery of the missing bookshop.
The Lost Bookshop is a novel told from 3 perspectives across two timelines, with the story spanning from Ireland to England and Paris. If a little underdeveloped for my taste, it’s still charming, undemanding, and heartwarming to read. Plus, the magical realism hits just the right note to remind you of the magic of reading.
Tip: As of 10/4/24, the audiobook is included in an Everand subscription.
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
When I initially picked up The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George, I was expecting another cutesy, cozy read. Just look at the premise — a man who runs a Paris bookstore on a boat, and he has the ability to choose exactly the right book for people who come into his shop. Like a book pharmacist.
But this book ended up not being a book of questions that have simple answers. Time reveals that the only person Monsieur Perdu can’t seem to cure is himself. It’s about love, loss, heartbreak, and grief. It’s about facing the emotions that rise within you without numbing or running from them.
It really is a beautiful book. My one major disappointment was that the novel so frequently referenced in the book is a fabrication of the author’s imagination and not a real novel I could pick up next.
Fun fact, this book is set in France but was originally published in German. (I do love my books in translation)
The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald
The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald is, by all appearances, your standard Hallmark fantasy novella about opening your own bookstore in a new-to-you-town. Except instead of the warm reception Florence might have expected as a newcomer and a bookseller, she quickly finds an enemy who seems determined to shut her shop down.
This is a short and mostly sweet read for book lovers, with a combination of escapism and reality all wrapped up in one. Plus, it’s been made into a cute movie you can watch after reading.
Tip: As of 10/4/24, you can read the Ebook and audiobook on Everand
The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks by Shauna Robinson
The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks is a newer release (2022) novel about bookstores that is a great combination of sweet and smart. Maggie Banks is a 28-year-old extrovert who hasn’t been able to figure out what she wants to do in life. When her best friend asks her to come cover her Maryland small town bookshop while she takes maternity leave, Maggie wonders if this could be the chance she’s been waiting for to figure out the kind of life she really wants to live.
This novel reads like a cozy Hallmark rom com (very PG), but it also tackles a deeper issue — book snobbery. You know, how some people in the reading community look down on genre fiction as not being anything worth reading. So in many ways it’s the antithesis of A Novel Bookstore and a great exploration of what reading is all about.
Plus, unlike many popular books about bookstores, this features a racially diverse cast of characters and is written by a biracial woman — something noteworthy in a genre primarily dominated by white writers and characters. It’s a charming read and one I think deserves more online attention.
Tip: As of 10/4/24, you can read the Ebook on Everand
Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller by Oliver Darkshire
If you are an antiquarian book lover and/or a lover of language, then Once Upon a Tome is honestly one of the best books about bookshops you can read. It’s a non-fiction (though admittedly hyperbolic), humorous account of what it’s like to work in one of London’s oldest antiquarian bookshops, Sotherans.
In it, Oliver recounts how he became an unlikely antiquarian books apprentice. You’ll learn all about the antiquarian book trade while being entertained by anecdotes featuring the colorful characters working or coming into the shop.
It’s a delightful, escapist read, with some of the most delightful use of language I have read in a very long time. The perfect read for a former English major.
How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry
Emilia Nightingale’s father has passed, leaving her his bookshop in their small English village. Developers are hounding her to sell the building, but Emilia doesn’t want to give up on her father’s dream just yet.
How to Find Love in a Bookshop is the perfect cozy bookstore read, with colorful small town characters, a little romance, and lots of love for bookstores and independent bookshops. There’s nothing too heavy or too serious in it, so it’s good when you need a break from more demanding books.
Related: Ever wondered if Audible is worth it? Check out my analysis and money-saving hacks, plus my picks for the best 50 books included in Audible plus.
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
Days at the Morsaki Bookshop is a Japanese book in translation that has become wildly popular in recent years, so of course I had to see what all the fuss was about. This one is short and sweet and has a very different feel from the others on this list.
The protagonist is a twenty-five year old woman named Takako — she was recently dumped by her boyfriend, who also happened to be her coworker. Takako needs a change, so she quits her job and accepts an invitation to stay with her uncle to help him run his secondhand bookshop in Tokyo.
Takako isn’t a reader. She isn’t an anything (except maybe a depressive), but over time, living and working in the bookshop begins to open her up to the life she has been missing out on. By living with her uncle and working in the bookstore, Takakao begins to learn about who she is and what she wants. This book about bookstores is straightforward and uncomplicated, with a sweet uncle/niece relationship at the heart of it.
Tip: As of 10/4/24, the ebook and audiobook are included on Everand
The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay
The Printed Letter Bookshop tells the story of three women, all at different stages of life but equally pivotal ones. The youngest is Madelyn, a successful lawyer at a Chicago law firm who unexpectedly inherits her aunt’s indie bookstore.
While she initially plans to sell, as she gets to know the shop, the two other women who work there, and by extension her own aunt, Madelyn starts to question whether selling is the right way to go.
It’s a good read that has women’s lives at its center — their desires, their mistakes, and their struggles.
Tip: As of 10/4/24, the audiobook is included in a subscription to Everand
The Echo of Old Books by Barbara Davis
In this book about bookstores, a young woman named Ashlyn inherits an antiquarian bookshop from her mentor and father figure. She also has the power of psychometry — when she touches books, she can feel the emotions of its previous owner(s). When Ashlyn comes across a pair of old books without authors and begins to read them, she realizes the authors of each were writing to each other, telling their side of the same story.
The Echo of Old Books is an interesting book in that it’s really three books in one — Ashlyn’s story running the bookstore and solving the mystery of the unknown authors, and each of the pair of books, each telling one half of a doomed love story.
This book moves along at a good pace and has an interesting plot to keep you entertained throughout. While I found the “twist” more obvious than surprising, I still really enjoyed reading it.
Tip: As of 10/4/24, the audiobook is available on Everand, and the ebook is available on Kindle Unlimited.
Bonus: Ajax Penumbra 1969 by Robin Sloan
You might have heard of the increasingly popular book called Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hr Bookstore. Well, I haven’t read it, and I’m not certain that I will, but people either love it or hate it. It’s an adventure tale centered around a 24-hour San Francisco bookstore, and sounds a bit like National Treasure if it centered books.
However, I did check out the short prequel, Ajax Penumbra 1969, mostly because I love books set in San Francisco, especially when they feature the 1960s. This is a really quick read that introduces us to Ajax Penumbra when he first encounters the 24-Hour Bookstore that would change his life. He is a recent college graduate and new acquisitions officer for an academic library, and he’s sent to find a book that for all anyone knows has been lost to time.
This book about bookstores is a quick read and a fun adventure, tying in San Francisco history and an underground adventure to find a sunken ship bookstore (some serious Journey to the Center of the Earth vibes). I think it’s a fun read if you’re looking for something entertaining and quick.
Tip: The audiobook is available on Everand as of 10/4/24.
As always, I’ll keep coming back to update this post as I find more graet books about bookshops. Until then, happy reading!
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