Receipts From the Bookshop by Katie Clapham

Many of us dream of owning a bookshop but for Katie Clapham it happened by accident, when she moved back to the seaside town she grew up in and went into business with her mum.

Once a week, Katie sits behind the counter and chronicles the day’s comings and goings – mostly people who were actually hoping to catch her mother. The triumphs here are small but hard-won: a tea crisis averted, a book title correctly identified from a cryptic clutch of clues. Not to mention the emotional rollercoaster of being named the 7th Best Bookshop in the Country by The Times in a week where daily takings came to around 16.98.

Customers appear for a browse and a chat, in search of a recommendation or the perfect gift. Others enter the shop for more unexpected reasons – to borrow a screwdriver, locate a priest or simply to ask if there’s ‘a nice place for an omelette around here’. Each day brings its own joys and frustrations, though not always in equal measure . . .

Funny, surprising and affectionate, here is a bookseller’s year in all its weirdness and wonder – a life-affirming celebration of bad weather, good books and the irreplaceable role of a local bookshop.

A year in the life of an independent bookseller at a small family bookshop in a fading seaside town, for fans of Nina Stibbe

About the Author: Katie Clapham is the co-founder, with her mother, of independent bookshop Storytellers, Inc. She was named a Bookseller Rising Star in 2011 and Young Bookseller of the Year in 2012, and Storytellers, Inc. has been nominated for Bookseller industry awards seven times. Katie is also the author of several books for children and young adults. She lives in Lytham St. Annes with her family.

04 Jun 2026
 

Receipts From the Bookshop: A Bookseller’s Year by Katie Clapham ISBN 9781399629546