More Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops

‘Can you recommend a book of spells to raise pets from the dead?
Just animals you understand – not people. I don’t want my husband coming back.’

Jen Campbell, bookseller at Ripping Yarns and author of ‘Weird Things Customers say in Bookshops’ is back with, well, more weird things customers have said to some poor, confused bookseller.

-- What’s it about? --

See above. Essentially, it’s 121 pages of brief dialogues between customers and bookshop employees, ranging from the slightly unusual to the outright bizarre.

-- What’s it like? --

Mildly entertaining. From customers who think Shakespeare is fictional and Harry Potter might have killed Voldemort, to customers who sincerely believe it’s acceptable to discuss the show more contraceptive choices of the bookseller, there’s plenty of material here to make you laugh and shake your head in mild disbelief.

Rather wonderfully, this book contains a ‘weird things customers have said at weird things customers say in bookshops book signings’ chapter. There’s only three pages of these, but they’re really quite marvellously odd.

-- Final thoughts --

Another excellent stocking filler – thanks, Santa! – and a great gift for the librarian / bookseller / customer services representative in your life. Though there are references to a few books and authors, these are always extremely well known ones, so the likelihood of readers becoming as perplexed as some of the customers featured within *should* be slim. I’ll leave you with this nugget of joy:

CUSTOMER (eagerly): I really liked Fifty Shades of Grey. (Pause) Do you have an illustrated version? show less

I'm half playing hooky from a few other books that are requiring more than a few cognitive timeshare slices - two are review copies and I have a review partially written for one I just finished - and humor helps. I'd read the first Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops and thanks to my Goodreads memory, I realized it was six years ago! Ms. Campbell left me a comment on April 17 (2013) that her sequel was coming out the next day, but one book led to another and 600+ books later...I'm finally getting to it! I also need to make amends for my two word "review" (it was "Too funny") back in 2013 ...

Delightful, and head-scratching at times, all rolled into a quick read, you'll chuckle and shake your head. Ms. Campbell has sorted her show more collected weird things into those said in the bookshop where she works (worked?), said in other bookshops, and a few said at her book signings for the first book. Here are a few teasers to tempt you:

The other day, a customer asked me [Ms. Campbell] what my favourite ‘weird thing’ was. I told him that changed all the time, but I have a particular fondness for the person who asked if Anne Frank had written a sequel to her diary.

(In another bookstore, a customer wanted to know what the bookseller would pay for a signed copy of said Diary and was pleased to learn "a billion dollars"!) I thought that anecdote was funny and also keyed on what she said: I rarely have "favorites"...because they, too, change all the time. How about?

CUSTOMER: Do you have audiobooks on sign language?

Or,

(Elderly female customer is looking at the chart) CUSTOMER: I can’t believe everybody’s reading this Fifty Shades …
BOOKSELLER: I know. I take it it isn’t your cup of tea, then?
CUSTOMER: Oh, no dear; been there, done that – no need to read about it!

And this gem from Phoenix, Arizona:

CUSTOMER: Do you have a large print Bible on cassette? My mom’s hard of hearing.
[submitted by] Steve Laube: A Christian Bookstore, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Back in 1959, Art Linkletter collected the darndest things kids said, and Ms. Campbell collected her weirdest things adults and kids said. Have fun! show less

While not quite as funny as the first book, this one still had me chuckling out loud, and despairing of the human race in equal measure.

Got to wonder though... How many of these were people who read the first book and thought they'd go into (or phone) the shop with some weird thing to say just to get into the book? I guess there's still a part of me that refuses to believe people really can be *that* stupid, lol.

I didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would because I was put off right away by the Anne Frank "joke". This put me in a mood and I couldn't help pick out every tasteless thing they decided was worth including. I did find myself shocked at the audacity of some people---I will be sure to be much nicer to my local booksellers!

Collection of customer questions and comments at the author's bookshop as well as other book stores. Mostly funny; except for the distasteful one about Anne Frank as a ghost-writer.

A bit hard to believe these remarks were actually were spoken by real people; some seem made up. But then... I haven't worked in a book store.

A lot of the entries are very funny. I laughed out loud while reading plenty. But some entries feel mean-spirited, and some were less funny and more disturbing. There were a few entries that were, to me at least, outright offensive, though YMMV. And while I had some fun reading this, it didn't make me think or change my perspective or offer any deeper meaning. Ultimately, it was cute and fun, but forgettable. I won't be seeking out the first volume.

This book was nearly as good and funny as the first one. It was completely hilarious. A must-read for every bookworm (and bookseller). It's a pity it's so short. Or maybe it's good for the mankind.