bookshop
Reading has become for me what music once was.
So on 11 February 2023, I set myself a little challenge: wherever I go, I’ll step into a bookshop and pick one book to take home. If there are staff picks, I’ll choose from those. If not, I’ll grab something that’s clearly been put on display, or just ask for a recommendation. I also make a point of varying my choices, exploring as many different genres as possible. Still, the bookshop must focus on selling new books and novels, it’s simply easier to compare those, at least for now.
By the way, this might just be the perfect opportunity to finally send that poor book off the shelf where it’s been gathering dust for years 🙂
I rate the bookshop for its selection, design, and the overall customer experience, while the book itself is judged purely by my personal taste. Of course, luck often plays a part in which title I end up with. And just to be clear: three stars is still a very good rating. My scale is set against my absolute favourite bookshops, the rare few that earn a full five stars.
I’ve bought far more books than I can possibly read (the curse of working full-time…). So quite a few are marked “not read. yet”: To decide what’s next, I hand the choice over to chance: I roll a dice. I love letting the dice decide such things for me.
Just a note: this is only my personal opinion. My taste often wanders off in directions quite different from the general public. And if someone feels tempted to call me the Swiss version of Favell Lee Mortimer… well, I can’t really argue with that.
As you can probably tell, I’m still shaping these texts and I welcome any feedback. Nothing here is set in stone, re-evaluation is always possible. My hope is that, in a few years, this website will have grown into a useful and inspiring reference.
Thank you to all the wonderful booksellers: your shops are treasure chests, and the world would be far poorer without them.
My rating is as follows:
| ∗ | ∗ | ∗ | ∗ | ∗ |
outstanding |
| ∗ | ∗ | ∗ | ∗ |
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very good |
| ∗ | ∗ | ∗ |
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good |
| ∗ | ∗ |
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|
okay |
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∗ |
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needs improvement |