The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop: Review

I love books. Obviously, I'm a book-blogger. I also love books about books. And The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop: a memoir, a history by Lewis Buzbee is a delightful little book about books. And booksellers. And the history of both. It is also a memoir about Buzbee's life-long love affair with both books and bookstores. He relates how he first fell in lust with books and found himself following the path of bookseller and book rep. His joy in the written word and the places which sell it is evident. His musings on the lust/love that those who cherish books feel is absolutely dead on target. I relate on almost every level. The historical bits about how books and booksellers came into being are just a tad too much (I found myself skimming these sections after about half-way through), but other than that the book is perfect.

I, being a lover of the vintage book, wish that he had spent a bit more time on the importance of used bookstores, but one can't have everything. And he makes a good case for the brick and mortar bookstore continuing as long as there are like-minded people who love books and love being surrounded by books. There's nothing like walking into a bookstore and losing oneself among the stacks and rows of books. And either you undertand that feeling or you don't. It's not something that a book lover can explain to someone who can't stand to read. My husband doesn't get it. But, then, I don't understand the hours he can spend researching just the right audio/visual equipment.....

This is a book that I would love to own. I couldn't select suitable quotes because I would be selecting half the book. It looks like this needs to go on the "must own" list. Maybe Santa will slip it in my stocking next Christmas. Four stars.