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Bookish People Paperback – August 2, 2022

by Susan Coll (Author)

3.7 256 ratings

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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
Includes discussion questions for book clubs

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From the Publisher


	Bookish People	Real Life and Other Fictions

Customer Reviews	256	—
Price	$4.40	$17.99
Description	This big-hearted screwball comedy features an intergenerational cast of oblivious authors and over-qualified booksellers and captures the endearing quirks of some of the best kinds of people: the ones who love good books.	In this comically surreal, warmhearted journey, a failed journalist and aspiring novelist embarks on a road trip to rediscover her past, and investigate sightings of a mysterious Mothman creature.

Editorial Reviews

Review

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

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. -- Sarah Pekkanen, New York Times bestselling co-author of The Golden Couple

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. -- The Washington Post

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. -- Booklist

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

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

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! -- Angie Kim, internationally bestselling author of Miracle Creek

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. -- Lisa Zeidner, author of Love Bomb

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. -- Kirkus

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). -- Leslie Pietrzyk, author of Admit This to No One

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. -- Newsday

About the Author

Susan Coll is the author of seven novels, including Bookish People and The Stager—a New York Times and Chicago Tribune Editor’s Choice. Her third novel, Acceptance, was made into a television movie starring the hilarious Joan Cusack. Susan’s work has appeared in publications including the New York Times Book Review, the Washington Post, Washingtonian magazine, Moment Magazine, NPR.org, and Atlantic.com. She is the events advisor at Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, DC, and was the president of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation for five years. Visit Susan online at susancoll.com; Instagram: @susan_keselenko_coll; X: @Susan_Coll; Pinterest: @susancollauthor

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Muse (August 2, 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1400234093
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1400234097
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.4 x 1.2 x 8.4 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #447,619 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,334 in Women's Friendship Fiction
- #11,613 in Contemporary Women Fiction
- #24,046 in Literary Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
3.7 256 ratings

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Susan Coll

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Susan Coll is the author of seven novels including REAL LIFE & OTHER FICTIONS AND BOOKISH PEOPLE. Her novel, Acceptance, a satire of the college admissions process, was made into a 2009 television movie starring Joan Cusack and Mae Whitman. Her other books include The Stager, Beach Week, Rockville Pike, and karlmarx dot com. Her work has appeared in publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR dot org, atlantic dot com, and The Millions. She works at Politics & Prose Bookstore and was the president of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation for five years.

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3.7 out of 5

256 global ratings

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BobDavis

Laughed so hard

Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2024

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I laughed so hard when I was reading this book that I had a coughing fit. Susan Coll knows bookstores, and she certainly knows how to skew (with loving kindness) the personalities that work in them, the authors and wannabe authors, the neighborhood Chatty Cathies, and the customers who come in saying, "I'm looking for a book." Loved it all. (Deb Bruno)

One person found this helpful

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E. Bailen

Meh.

Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2024

Neither the book nor the characters were very engaging. The ending was too trite, It was a slog to finish.

2 people found this helpful

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Colorado Avid Reader

It could be vorse!

Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2024

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A lot of stuff happens in this one. People die, they shoot themselves in the foot, and the vacuum cleaner has a continual issue. It could be vorse!
I loved Sophie’s little hideaway. There’s lots to like about this one,but it is slow going from time to time.

One person found this helpful

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W. S. Walcott

Tries Too Hard

Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2023

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As a bookish person, I hoped this book would be right up my alley. I mean, it takes place mostly in a bookstore, everyone in it wants to write a book, and it name drops some great literature. Besides that, it’s a mess. I think the author has some good characters here, but the conflicts are mundane or contrived and just not interesting. On the plus side, the story is a breezy, quick read, but, I couldn’t wait for it to end.

4 people found this helpful

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Mark Tercek

Fabulous, smart, funny -- for book lovers and bookstore lovers everywhere!

Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2022

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This is a wonderful, smart, and big-hearted novel! I loved it!! It's a perfect read for our crazy, divisive world where literature seems forgotten. The characters are charming and intelligent, the plot is twisty and engaging, the setting is delightful. I wanted to stay in this world for a long time and was sorry when the book was over. I fell in love with these delightful, book-loving people; how they bring meals to the homeless poet on the bench outside; how they have joint custody of a turtle named Kurt Vonnegut Jr.; how they riff on writers and life and love and our modern world. But how, in the end, they have literature, they have one another, and they have their own stories about finding love and meaning in their bookish worlds. So many funny scenes about writers and wanna be writers! So many inside jokes about the publishing world! So much heart and soul and intelligence! Truly, this is a great book.

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Jeannine D.

This one took awhile for the pacing to pick up.

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2022

Sophie Bernstein owns an independent bookstore in Washington DC, but she’s not sure how long she can continue with it. Grieving her recently departed husband, despairing over the state of society, and fearing her son will never find his footing, she’s ready to move into the hidden nook in her store. Everything seems to be beyond her, from retrieving her car from the impound lot, to not being able to figure out a dating app or the store’s vacuum cleaner, to the day-to-day running of the store; she’s forgotten why she found such joy in her business in the first place.

Clemi has recently been promoted to events coordinator at the bookstore, with all the drama that entails. She doesn’t think she’s remotely able to handle life, much less the demands of the store. But she stands firm on the booking for renowned and reviled poet Raymond Chaucer, despite Sophie’s fear of violent repercussions if the event goes forward (after all, there must be a reason every other bookstore in the country canceled him).

Over one rainy summer week, both Clemi and Sophie will learn what’s important, what’s not, and why the bookstore is so important.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I’m not a big fan of this book. I blame it on the fact that I was never able to connect with the MC. Sophie isn’t portrayed like any 54-year-old woman of my acquaintance, but more like what a Gen Z might think a middle-aged woman is like. I have no idea how old the author is and I’m not trying to suggest she’s a Gen Z, I’m saying that I’ve never met anyone almost my age so full of angst and neuroses that she’s nearly incapable of functioning. Mid-50s should not translate to not knowing how to use tech or operate a vacuum. I’d understand if it was due to her grief, but that didn’t seem to be the case. It got to the point I wondered how she managed to run a successful business for so long.

Most of the action takes place in Sophie or Clemi’s heads. It’s all thinking – and while I love a good character-driven novel, so little actually happened to move the plot along that I found myself skimming to find action. Raymond Chaucer, despite being an unlikable character, was a relief from the constant barrage of anxiety from the female MCs. Plus, he was kind of fun. Heck, I would have liked more from the homeless guy that lived outside the store. I really enjoyed his brief appearance.

Finally, at about the 75 or 80% mark, things started happening. And when events got moving, it was like an avalanche. From the NPR interview to the final scenes with everything running amok in the bookstore, I really enjoyed the story. I wish the entire book had been like that – my rating would have been much higher.

In the end, I rated this book 2.5 stars. ⭐⭐+

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for providing the ARC of this book. I’ve left my review voluntarily and honestly.

5 people found this helpful

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Lisa B.

Pretty great

Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2024

Took a while for me to get into this book. Liable scenes and characters. Again, it took a while to get into the good bits.

One person found this helpful

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John

Insightful, Funny Novel

Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2022

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I'd read reviews of Bookish People in The Washington Post and Kirkus Reviews, and both were raves. I loved this book. The characters are nuanced and interesting, Coll's sense of comedy is always razor sharp, and the bookstore setting is appealing to any inveterate reader--but I was surprised to find myself moved by this novel, too. I can see why the Washington Post and Kirkus Reviews both loved it. Coll manages to lovingly poke fun at the literary world and Washington, D.C. in a way that's amazingly accurate. A shot of liquor is described by a bookstore employee as tasting like "Lady Macbeth's tears," she invents a DC literary cafe called Verb, there is a breed of dog (Bernedoodles) that look like Bernie Sanders, and a tortoise that looks so much like Kurt Vonnegut that they suspect his soul might be trapped inside of it. I thoroughly enjoyed the cleverness of this novel, and highly recommend it.

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