Picked up this title "Books, Baguettes & Bedbugs" from the library last month, and surprisingly I found myself enjoying the memoirs of Jeremy Mercer. It tells of a time when Mercer finding himself penniless in Paris after escaping from his hometown in Canada due to some threats to his life. Somehow, he found himself spending time in an odd English bookstore called Shakespeare & Co. where the world of books, writers and quirky characters crossing paths.
His account of life in the bookstore where the owner George Whitman taking on poor writers who has not made their mark in the publishing world; allowing them to stay free-of-charge and only insisting that they perform basic chores there seems so inspiring to me
Never in my life I would think there is such a place where people from all the world come and share their ideas with each other; although living in not so comfortable setting. George Whitman's idea that his bookstore is a utopia for poor writers and book lovers really appeals to me. The little story gems of Mercer meeting several characters including 92 year old George's romances with the younger women in his bookstore was incredibily unbelievable but yet somehow still feels credible in such an unusual place.
His stories of him trying to earn money from selling back cheap CDs, writing short stories for unwitting tourists and buying Louis Vutton bags for Chinese syndicates were quite entertaining. I never thought one could survive in Paris doing such 'work'... hahaa.
The finale of the story sees George reuniting with his young daughter, Sylvia with the help of Mercer. I did some searching in google and found that Sylvia has taken over his bookstore and managing it quite well. A really nice end to the story.
Paris, the city of lights has always enchanted me. I have been there three times, 1997, 2000 and in 2004 (my wife loves the place totally). Next visit, I shall definitely drop by this quirky little bookstore in the heart of Paris, left bank opposite of Notre Dame. Well, at least just to soak up the atmosphere that Mercer had protrayed......
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