Humor

20 Things Overheard In Bookshops

Claire Handscombe

Staff Writer

Claire Handscombe moved from Europe to DC in 2012, ostensibly to study for an MFA in Creative Writing, but actually – let’s be honest – because of an obsession with The West Wing. She is the author of Unscripted, a novel about a young woman with a celebrity crush and a determined plan, and the editor of Walk With Us: How The West Wing Changed Our Lives. She also hosts the Brit Lit Podcast, a fortnightly show of news and views from British books and publishing. Blog: the Brit Lit Blog. Twitter: @BookishClaire

View All posts by Claire Handscombe

Jan 11, 2020

Bookshops are wonderful places. Obviously, they’re full of books, which is enough to make them wonderful, but they’re also full of interesting people who love books. Our kind of people, in other words. And it’s always fun to eavesdrop on those people.

Standing outside my local bookshop . Overheard a pearl of wisdom. 'It's not a shop. It's the door to a thousand new worlds.' We just have to open the doors. pic.twitter.com/ENkRyWBrm7
— Matt Johnson (@Matt_Johnson_UK) March 31, 2018

Kudos to the person who thought of this response immediately and not in the shower the next day. https://twitter.com/TheGrimRecapper/status/846891403019902976 I can see how this would get heated.

Just overheard furious argument in Totnes bookshop over philosophical implications of this notice pic.twitter.com/MrvDtaSGnA
— MrsMills (@MrsMillsST) August 31, 2013

When asking for recommendations, specificity is key.

*Overheard in a small bookshop*
CUSTOMER: Do you have any books that take place in Europe?
CLERK: Um…Europe? Like, anywhere in Europe?
CUSTOMER: Yeah, like Italy. Or France.
CLERK: Yeah…sure. Historical or contemporary?
CUSTOMER: Yes.
— William Gerrard (@Bill_Gerrard) December 22, 2019

Like this would stop us…

Overheard in @DCist outside ECB:

“Let’s go in and look around.”
“You have like a thousand books at home that you haven’t read!”
“I don’t want to read, I just want to shop for books!”https://t.co/4n925D7bsV
— East City Bookshop (@eastcitybooks) August 31, 2019

No, no it’s not.

Overheard at @eastcitybooks: "You have lots of books at home; we're not going to buy any more right now." Is that… is that how this works?
— Claire Handscombe (@bookishclaire) October 21, 2017

Although I can see how it would be confusing…

Overheard in bookshop: Little boy: "Daddy, you always say we've got enough toys, well don't you have enough books?"
— Neuroskeptic 🇺🇦 (@Neuro_Skeptic) March 29, 2014

This person has their priorities right. But I hope they got cake too.

Overheard in our bookshop "I stopped in West Dulwich to buy cake & have ended up with books" That's our customers
— Dulwich Books (@DulwichBooks) March 26, 2014

Relatable.

I want to live in this bookstore. Overheard in the aisles: “buying a book is just the expensive way of adding it to my “want to read” list” lol. So accurate… pic.twitter.com/t1givOVJSx
— Meredith Mapes (@alaskandoggirl) September 25, 2019

So young, so much still to learn…

Just overheard outside the store, two boys walking by with their skateboards:

"Dude, I didn't know a bookstore could be so fuckin popular, man."

😎
— City Lights Books (@CityLightsBooks) July 16, 2019

Unsure what to buy for someone else? Just get them all the words. They can make their own book. https://twitter.com/ameliadimz/status/943178006570373121 Parenting done right.

Overheard a customer speaking to her daughter:
“We’re not going to go book crazy today… just moderately nuts”
— East City Bookshop (@eastcitybooks) August 25, 2019

This is how you warm an author’s heart.

Exciting first-time author moment: in a little independent bookshop, I overheard some unsuspecting customer ordering my book. An odd coincidence, but a welcome confidence boost!
— Eleanor Parker (@ClerkofOxford) December 14, 2019

Yep yep yep.

'Bookshops always smell so good' overheard this morning…and thoroughly agreed with.
— David Burbidge (@burb58) December 3, 2019

We believe in you too, Eric!

While browsing the YA section in this bookshop, I muttered “soon” while thinking of my book.

Shout out to the dude in back of me who overheard and said “you’ll get there one day man!”

May you all have the confidence of a random kind bro who fist bumps your waking daydreams.
— Eric Smith (@ericsmithrocks) September 9, 2019

Where do you stand on this hot-button issue?

Overheard at bookshop: booksellers intently debating whether HOW TO SPEAK KLINGON should be shelved in sci-fi or foreign languages section.
— Molly O'Neill (@molly_oneill) June 29, 2013

Yep, we’re old.

Overheard in the bookshop: a teenager, on seeing a road atlas "Wow, a sat-nav on paper!"#BookshopLife pic.twitter.com/mD1D8CdD5S
— Broadhursts Bookseller Legacy (@BroadhurstBooks) September 10, 2018

It’s definitely this simple.

overheard in bookstore: "if only I had a moleskin, I would write a novel."
— Margaret Killjoy 🏴 (@magpiekilljoy) July 6, 2019

I mean…fair point?

Overheard from passersby:

Person 1: "What is that shop there?"

Person 2: "A bookshop"

P1: "What do they sell?"

P2: "Books"

P1: "What… *just* books?"

P2: "Yeah, just books"

P1: "Do they sell ice-cream?"

P2: "No"

P1: "Bit stupid in the summer not to"#BookshopLife
— Broadhursts Bookseller Legacy (@BroadhurstBooks) August 12, 2019

Ah, yes, don’t we all… https://twitter.com/belmontbooks/status/1211003535367774208

Want more? Give @overheardindie a follow on Twitter!