Customer (holding up a book): What’s this? The Secret Garden? Well, it’s not so secret now, is it, since they bloody well wrote a book about it!
Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops was a Sunday Times bestseller, and could be found displayed on bookshop counters up and down the country. The response to the book from booksellers all over the world has been one of heartfelt agreement: it would appear that customers are saying bizarre things all over the place - from asking for books with photographs of Jesus in them, to hunting for the best horse owner’s manual that has a detailed chapter on unicorns.
Customer: I had such a crush on Captain Hook when I was younger. Do you think this means I have unresolved issues?
More Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops has yet more tales from the antiquarian bookshop where Jen Campbell works, and includes a selection of ‘Weird Things...’ sent in from other booksellers across the world. The book is illustrated by the BAFTA winning Brothers McLeod.
Another book of funny/creepy/how-do-these-people-even-survive-in-real-life book-related anecdotes collected by Jen. Some come from her shop, some from other shops/libraries, and a few even came from incidents during her signings. This book needs no explanation. Just more goodness that wasn't included in the first volume.
Self-aggrandizing full-disclosure: The anecdote I submitted is on page 94. Heehee.
Here are a few more I recently collected at work:
Customer (woman in her mid-20s): I just read all the 50 Shades books and I need something else to read.
Me (gestures to ENTIRE TABLE of books with similar plots): Well, these are all similar in type.
Customer: Oh, but not the sex. There was too much sex. I really liked the suspense. Do you have a suspense section?
(I think she and I have very, very different ideas about what "suspense" is)
Customer: I need to return this Bible and buy a different one.
Me: Ok, which translation do you need? (the Bible she is returning is KJV)
Customer: Translation?
Me: Yes, there are different translations - King James, New Living, New International, New Revised Standard, The Message, and so on.
Customer: Well, I just want plain old English.
(So I rounded up a few NIV and NRSV versions).
Customer: Ok, I'll take this one. It's organized by the books of the Bible.
(So was the one she returned - I have no idea what she meant)
Dear FTC: The author sent me a complimentary copy. It came by Royal Mail!
No comments:
Post a Comment