I sometimes enjoy reading a book about books and book lovers. This is a wide church of course. There are very different members of this club. I came across this book through Daunts Bookshop inviting me to a talk Robin Ince was giving. I very nearly went but the trains had other ideas; it was a strike day and I didn’t feel strongly enough to circumnavigate this difficulty.
I hadn’t heard of Robin Ince which is not surprising as he is a stand-up comedian and a passionate lover of books, writing and thoughts on many subjects in which I have no interest e.g. the occult, horror, science fiction, astrophysics, comics. I could go on. But, his love of bookshops and reading created a bridge and a connection which meant I enjoyed his book.
He was taking a tour of 100 independent British bookshops, (hurray for indie bookshops) giving very ad hoc, informal, interactive talks and, of course, signing and selling his latest book. As a non-driver he was travelling by train and being collected and delivered by helpful booksellers. His tour was both appealing and joyful, meeting many delightful people, learning how they struggled and survived during lockdown times and sharing new bookish discoveries.
Our interests occasionally collided. He does rate the work of Ursula Le Guin and I did long ago read ‘The Wizard of Earthsea’ although I wouldn’t now. I haven’t really read fantasy for a long time. There was a quote from Emily Dickinson that I recognised and a reference to the art of Georges Braque. I think Robin Ince and I might be able to have coffee together … he does eat a lot of cake! … but maybe conversation might stumble if it were lunch. It is a happy book to read, as it would be from one book lover to another, however different