The Haunted Bookshop

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Both suspect that they were lured to Philadelphia to set up something far more serious and that the suitcase is dangerous. Will they get back in time? And what is in the suitcase? And how does it all relate to the mysteriously disappearing volume of Carlyle? This was a delightful good time, with diverting soliloquies by Mifflin on books and scenes of domestic bliss with his wife and little dog Bock.

One of the most amusing chapters was the Corn Cob Club, a gathering of booksellers discussing the trade. In this instance they debate whether booksellers have an obligation to steer customers to quality works, or simply sell what they want. As you might guess, Mifflin was in the former group. In another soliloquy, he declaims:. I want to give people an entirely new idea about bookshops. The grain of glory that I hope will cure both my fever and my lethargicness is my conception of the bookstore as a power-house, a radiating place for truth and beauty. I insist books are not absolutely dead things: He dreams of stocking a fleet of traveling Parnassus stores that will scatter through the country.

Although Mifflin appears to be a bookstore version of Don Quixote with dreams of grandeur, how many of us have felt some of the same things as we prowled the aisle of a wonderful old bookstore? Yet he bests younger Gilbert, and awakens to the real world dangers facing young Titania. But will he make it in time? The Month in Reviews: March Bob on Books. You are commenting using your WordPress.

You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Here is a small part: In another soliloquy, he declaims: Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Email required Address never made public. God, Life, and Beauty. Kristen Twardowski A Writer's Workshop. All the way around sans a rambling letter mid book that seemed stuck in like a footnote???

I thought this a most worthy and enjoyable reading experience.

Sep 27, Beverly rated it really liked it. A love letter to booksellers, The Haunted Bookshop says,"In every bookstore, small or large, there are books we have not read; books which may have messages of unsuspected beauty or importance. They may be new books, they may be of yesterday, or of long ago. We have what you need, though you may not know you need it.

Jul 01, Miriam rated it liked it Shelves: I seem to be the only person to like Morley's first book, Parnassus on Wheels , better than the sequel. I mean, I get that his callow-youth-ness was deliberate, but I didn't care much about him nor was I rooting for him to get the girl. You can do better, Titania!

The German spy plot was pretty silly, although it probably held up better in the WWI era. It was fun, though, and all the part I seem to be the only person to like Morley's first book, Parnassus on Wheels , better than the sequel. It was fun, though, and all the parts about books were good. View all 9 comments. Jun 15, Sketchbook rated it it was ok. Here's his valentine to lovers of books and bookshops. What are spies doing at the shop in Brooklyn?

Reading the same book, of course. An early work from the likeable Morley is excessively cute. It reads like a YA story as W1 spies in Brooklyn seek to plant a bomb in a book that will be given to dullard President Wilson as he heads by ship to the Peace Conference. This ode to bookstores, "one of hu "Read, every day, something no one else is reading," said the civilized Christopher Morley.

This ode to bookstores, "one of humanity's great engines," has a barking dog who nabs the culprit and has a final woof. This is a charming homage to the world of second hand booksellers, set in the time immediately after WWI.

Roger Mifflin reprises his role begun in Parnassus on Wheels but is now stationary with his now-wife Helen in a bookstore in Brooklyn, not rolling along the roads of the country as an itinerant bookseller. The story allows for frequent philosophical musing on the place of books in the then modern world, the place of the seller as an educator of the masses. If this sounds heavy, it most defin This is a charming homage to the world of second hand booksellers, set in the time immediately after WWI.

If this sounds heavy, it most definitely is not. The novel is light and fun with a smile on most every page. Some of the thoughts about the publishing industry seem surprisingly modern. It seems some things never change. There is a mystery and a romance to top off the tale. Highly recommended as a period piece but I recommend reading "Parnassus on Wheels" first. View all 11 comments. Jul 08, Richard Derus rated it liked it. Well-loved books from my past Rating: And I can't help myself, I am charmed and beguiled by the book, by the memories it holds, and by the sheer anti-German fervor of it.

This book and Parnassus on Wheels were in my maternal grandmother's library. She died in , and I chose these two books to be mine because I liked the titles. I read t Well-loved books from my past Rating: I read them over that summer, while I was staying in California with my father and stepmother.

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It was a trying period. The escape into a whimsical, crabby, loving relationship between the couple before and after their marriage was welcome, and the stuff about books My father was a very proud Nordic Aryan. I used the period-perfect anti-German caricatures in this book to get up his nose in a way he couldn't complain about without getting his titty in the wringer of freedom of speech and encouraging reading etc etc.

Hours of fun for me, I can only imagine how ready to murder me he must have been. So it's unlikely I'll reread the books now, but what joy they afforded me then! Given the sheer meanness of my appreciation for them, I think it wisest to leave these two entertainments in the groves of memory as lovely flowers beside the path leading to adulthood. Sep 27, Marts Thinker rated it it was amazing Shelves: This classic mystery was a real page turner, very exciting, and for the book lover there was alot of additional knowledge on the history of various books, authors, etc.

The plot, which focuses on some unusual happenings at the Mifflin's bookshop, was well presented and though it appeared to be a bit slow at times with Roger Mifflin expounding on books and their importance coupled with many elements of the book trade, the information was so interesting that I don't believe the volume deserves any This classic mystery was a real page turner, very exciting, and for the book lover there was alot of additional knowledge on the history of various books, authors, etc.

The plot, which focuses on some unusual happenings at the Mifflin's bookshop, was well presented and though it appeared to be a bit slow at times with Roger Mifflin expounding on books and their importance coupled with many elements of the book trade, the information was so interesting that I don't believe the volume deserves anything less than 5 stars View all 5 comments. Jul 01, Cyndi rated it really liked it. If you go to this book looking for ghosts you'll be disappointed but if you go to it looking for humor, a mystery and interesting characters straight out of the end of WWI then this is a good choice.

President Wilson is headed out to the peace talks at the end of the war. The trip is the opening terrorists have been waiting for. The Haunted Bookshop, so named because the owner is haunted by all the books he hasn't read I can identify, Dude has lost track of a book.

He is happy someone loved t If you go to this book looking for ghosts you'll be disappointed but if you go to it looking for humor, a mystery and interesting characters straight out of the end of WWI then this is a good choice. He is happy someone loved the book enough to steal it. It is also the Presidents favorite book. This was an excellent book and s fun read! One of my favorite parts was the prescriptions the bookshop owner put on his bulletin board.

He called them his 'bibliotherapy'. He listed books for when a person needs happiness, or if you have trouble sleeping, etc. Some of them quite deservedly so. And this is one of those. Roger Mifflin runs a secondhand bookshop in just-post-WW1 Brooklyn, and expounds at great and rather tedious length on his philosophy of bookselling. Aubrey Gilbert works for an advertising agency and falls in love with Roger's "apprentice", the beautiful daughter of the advertising agency's biggest client.

A copy of Carlyle's "Cromwell" keeps vanishing f Many - most? A copy of Carlyle's "Cromwell" keeps vanishing from and reappearing on the bookshop's shelves. The basic story is a slightly silly, but perfectly serviceable, thriller involving Aubrey, the bookshop, and German spies.

The Haunted Bookshop by Christopher Morley

It also contains much to interest the dabbler in social history, with the descriptions of lodging houses, cheap restaurants, and other details of life in New York a hundred years ago. Unfortunately, the author couldn't resist letting Roger babble on about books, bookselling, and reading, at quite appalling and utterly irrelevant length, leaving the story hanging at often inopportune moments.

And his thoughts, alas, are repetitive and not really very interesting.

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The author would have done better to have saved the philosophising for an essay and left the story uninterrupted. Oct 18, Kathrina rated it it was amazing Shelves: Required reading for every booklover. I had to wait a day before writing this review so I wouldn't gush too embarrassingly. The book contains a trite, amusing little mystery, interesting in it's parallels to current history and acts of terrorism. Yes, the pen is mightier than the sword, and I wonder if the secret service keeps an eye on copies of Team of Rivals and Lush Life, Obama's recent reading picks.

But the book is magnificent when Morley lets Mr. At times I felt I was readin Required reading for every booklover.

At times I felt I was reading current blogs on bookseller sites: I've always believed that booksellers do not deal in "merchandise", though my beliefs are strongly challenged after repeated inquiries for Twilight, Charlaine Harris, and Lost Symbol, just as Mifflin is discouraged by "that book about the boy raised by Monks. I like his idea that the uncommon customer acts as our "unconscious agent of book-destiny," leading us to an author we haven't yet met.

I'd like to call myself an agent of book-destiny, shedding light on the books that hold up despite a lack of advertising. Sounds rather angelic, no? This is the first time I've ever been tempted to read a book a second time right away. But the pull of book-destiny will assert itself too strongly, and I know I'll be led, instead, to read a handful more Morley titles as I can find them why are they going out of print?! Mich sprachen besonders der Sprachstil, die eingestreuten Weisheiten bzw.

Wer das Buch gelesen hat, kann sich vielleicht denken, was ich damit meine. Maybe different in tone from Parnassus on wheels but I still liked it. The plot isn't really original and maybe it is? Mr Roger Mifflin and his wife Helen ran The Haunted Bookshop together — living upstairs above their shop was a delight and a pleasure for them both. Mr Mifflin spent his days wreathed in cigar smoke, enjoying the customers and their pursuits for the next best book.

His explanation on the name of his bo Mr Roger Mifflin and his wife Helen ran The Haunted Bookshop together — living upstairs above their shop was a delight and a pleasure for them both. His explanation on the name of his bookshop was unexpected, with a little sign at the entrance for all to see. And the day a young man by the name of Aubrey Gilbert entered The Haunted Bookshop to sell Mr Mifflin some advertising was the beginning of an adventure which could have had a disastrous ending… Originally written in The Haunted Bookshop is an absolute delight.

The war and the effects the Germans had on London are mentioned with Mr Mifflin sure the war would not have happened had the Germans read his books, some special titles in particular. The long and sometimes tedious discussions were interspersed with a slowly weaving plot which crept up gradually, to gather speed and shock in the conclusion. I very much enjoyed this unexpectedly wonderful book, and have no hesitation in recommending it to all. Nov 01, Eleanor rated it liked it Shelves: What's not to like! Sep 03, Kwoomac rated it liked it Shelves: This book is a follow up to Morley's Parnassus on Wheels.

Here rather than a traveling bookshop, the setting is a bricks and mortar shop in Brooklyn.

I was definitely disappointed with this second book, starring the same characters. Where the first book made no mention of WWI, this book beat me over the head with it. It was written in Lots of lecturing by Roger Mifflin, the protag of Parnassus. The tone is very anti-German. Where I found Mifflin to be lovable and passionate and maybe a tad This book is a follow up to Morley's Parnassus on Wheels.

Where I found Mifflin to be lovable and passionate and maybe a tad eccentric in Parnassus, here I found him to be a long-winded bore. I felt like I was trapped in a room with a boring history professor. There was no way for me to escape. I have found I can't generally skim because I'm sure I'll miss something critical unless it's gory, then I skip away , so I slogged through many speeches on war. I kept chanting as I read along: The author had a section about the masks we wear around others, always hiding our true selves.

I felt like he was trying too hard and should've stuck to the lighter tone of Parnassus. Then, the focus moved from Mifflin to our hero, Aubrey Gilbert. Aubrey has romantic feelings for Titania, the beautiful young woman working in Mifflin's shop. Aubrey is sure there's something underhanded and possibly dangerous going on in the bookstore , so he decides to investigate before anyone Titania gets hurt.

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Aubrey works at an advertising agency, and he can't seem to turn off that part if his brain. In every situation, he thought of a way to sell a product.

I quite enjoyed those bits. That part of the story was fun and earned it another star. Back to what I didn't like. I hated the treatment of the dog Bock in both books. Okay, I'm not a horse person, so I could kind of see that he considered the horse a working animal needed to pull the caravan but to just give away a dog you've had for ten years! And he gives him away to a stranger! Maybe I'm taking this too personally.

A few years ago, I saw a picture of a grizzled old chocolate lab in the local paper. He was ten years old and free for adoption. I took one look at those sad brown eyes and knew I had to have him. My husband was less sure.

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We had another lab and two cats already. When I called to get the story on Bodhi, I was told the owners were a young couple who were moving to Florida. They took Bodhi's year-old mother with them and brought Bodhi to the pound. Separated him from his mother! Once my husband heard that, it was a done deal. Bodhi was the best dog ever!

We only had him for three short years, but it was the best decision ever. My sweet Bodhi boy. So anyway, back to the book. It bothered me that he just gave Bock away in Parnassus. Regarding the second book, let's just say I was not happy with Bock's role. On a positive and final note, I learned a new word, always fun. A librocubicularist is someone who reads in bed! In diesem Buch steckt wirklich sehr viel: Seine Frau Helen, die ich schon im Prequel super fand, bekommt in dieser Geschichte leider nur eine kleine Rolle.

Weltkrieg, der kurz vor dem Einsetzen der Handlung endete. Auch Spannung ist geboten, sodass der Leser auch in eine kleine Kriminalgeschichte verwickelt wird.

The Haunted Bookshop - Cambridge

Manche Titel entspringen dann der doch der Fantasie des Autors. Insgesamt hat mich das Buch genauso wie sein Prequel begeistert: Von mir gibt es 5 Sterne! Nehmt es in die Hand, ihr werdet es so schnell nicht wieder weglegen. May 01, Carolyn rated it really liked it Shelves: Although it is not essential to read the prequel to this book, Parnassus on Wheels , I highly recommend it as it helped me gain perspective and develop a fondness for Roger Mifflin and his wife Helen, which greatly improved my enjoyment of this novel.

Set in the country is beggining to recover from the effects of WWI, and the adventurers have given up their life on the road with the Parnassus, their travelling caravan of books, and are now living in Brooklyn above their bookshop, 'Parnassus Although it is not essential to read the prequel to this book, Parnassus on Wheels , I highly recommend it as it helped me gain perspective and develop a fondness for Roger Mifflin and his wife Helen, which greatly improved my enjoyment of this novel.

Set in the country is beggining to recover from the effects of WWI, and the adventurers have given up their life on the road with the Parnassus, their travelling caravan of books, and are now living in Brooklyn above their bookshop, 'Parnassus at Home'. Over the entrance is a sign that says 'Welcome! This shop is haunted' as Roger believes it is haunted by the 'ghosts of all great literature'. The shop is depicted as warm and comfortable with people are allowed to browse at will and settle down in comfy chairs to read the books, smoking if they wish so that there is always 'an all-pervasive drift of tobacco smoke, which eddied and fumed under the glass lampshades'.

Into this cosy world arrive two young people, Aubrey Gilbert, a young man working in advertising, hoping to find himself a new client in Roger and the beautiful heiress,Titania Chapman, daughter of a wealthy businessman whose father has sent her to work in the bookshop to learn about real life. Nature takes its course and Aubrey is soon smitten with Titania and finds excuses to visit the shop. While doing so he discovers some strange goings-on leading to him trying out some amateur detective work to uncover a plot involving some German spies.

A simple story set in a simpler world, I found it interesting for it's setting in Brooklyn just after WWI and for the charm of an old bookshop that has all but disappeared from our modern cities. View all 3 comments. Oct 29, Julie Davis rated it really liked it. I'm relistening to this and it is still perfectly charming. The love of books is wonderful and the sense of humor gentle but it makes me laugh.

As I mentioned in my original comments, below, one must simply be as the omniscient narrator tells us, "tolerant" of the little bookseller's political commentary. It soon turns into a mystery. Is the bookshop haunted? Or is t I'm relistening to this and it is still perfectly charming. Or is there something else going on, as the young woman's admirer a dedicated advertising man? I remembered that I began listening to this LibriVox recording some time ago and then stopped when beginning my Lenten podcast fast yes, SOME time ago!

I picked it up to finish it again and have been really enjoying the low-key mystery, the gentle humor of the advertising man who sees everything in respect to his trade even his love interest , and the amusing book theories put forth by the bookshop owner who would not recognize them as being amusing at all, although we do.

I have gotten somewhat tired of the bookshop owners continual monologues in the guise of letters to friends about peace versus war. Some is fine but he does go on and on. Overall this is short and a nice period piece that holds interest and introduces us to some interesting characters. I am going to backtrack when I'm done with this and listen to the prequel, Parnassus on Wheels. My third consecutive reading centered on the inter-World war period, Bookshop reflects the optimism and social consciousness of that period, but overlaps a period romance and a mystery.

That the mystery involves an international bomb plot will jolt modern readers.

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