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The Bookseller

As in one who sells books...

About Me

Here I go again then, summing myself up in a few brief words... Well, my real name is Matthew. I live in Edinburgh and manage a bookshop, in a contemporary art gallery, which might just be the best job in the world. I do dramatic things in my spare time, not like skydiving, ice-surfing or extreme ironing, more like plays, musicals and that sort of thing. My girlfriend is the lovely, lovely ultra-sassy Mhorbhairne (sorry to disappoint all those gals and guys hoping to marry an ultra-rich, playboy bookseller) and we have a membership at the zoo. I live pretty much in the centre of Edinburgh with the imaginatively named Zophie who will manage a theatrical or performing arts venue of some sort in the not too distant future. I have a first class honours degree from 'an old University' in a useless but interesting subject (English with Religious Studies, if you must know, and I'm not in the least bit religious, nor have I read any Jane Austen. Ever. Though I do like the BBC adaptations) My friends are bright, witty and vary in looks from middling to stunning just as all friends should. Gosh, yes, life is grand indeed. So what's about to go wrong? There's got to be something...

My Interests

Theatre... going to, putting on random acts of and even the bloody buildings themselves. Current Affairs... now I sound like Masterquiz with Angela Rippon (which I vaguely recall from those heady pre-Neighbours days of childhood)

I'd like to meet:

Well-mannered bright young things for dinner... and maybe more. Well, maybe not dinner... or indeed more. But interesting, funny people, with Guardian reader sensibilities and a well-thought out ability to rant at the minor distractions of life would be nice. Artistic souls might be nice. A poet or two. I know a couple already, but you can never know too many poets I find.
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Well... for those of you who don't know the depths to which the United Kingdom will plummet, I give you our entry in this year's Eurovision Song Contest. It is an unutterably dire cheesefest of immense proportions with more double entendres than Mrs Slocombe's pussy. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you... SCOOCH!

Music:

I'll be interested in whatever you're listening to and why, tell you what I think of it. If I hate it it'll get stuck in my head for days. If I like it I'll immediately forget the name of the song, band, record label and year of release. I do like a bit of stringed accompaniment though.

Movies:

I think they'll find this section should be called 'Film' Ah yes, I'm a pedant that's for sure. Movies is just so Terminator II don't you think? Yes, I like 'movies' All kinds. I like that French philosophical art-house stuff, but I'm also guiltily attracted to Air Force One. You judge me.

Television:

I have a lovely widescreen one, which is good, because BBC News 24 does widescreen. I seem to be watching a lot of More4 these days. Loved that Attenborough thing recently. Oh, and I watched a whole documentary on BBC Four the other night, which must mean I'm getting older and better educated

Books:

Currently sitting on my desk is Dawkins The God Delusion which I ordered for the bookshop but have briefly nicked. I read Neil Gaiman's The Anansi Boys over Christmas, which was excellent. Next-up is an old John Irving and a long-overdue look at The God of Small Things (it's only what, ten years since it won the Booker) Suggestions are always welcome!

Heroes:

Heroes? Um... Wolverine please. Another frighteningly American section don't you think... so probably I should say Maya Angelou for her spirit, George Bush jnr for his avante garde determinism and two-times Oscar winner Tom Hanks for his optimism in the face of extreme weakness. Villains would be Global Warming (Boo!) Demographic Implosion (Hiss!) and Vaccine-free Pandemic Viruses (Boo-Hiss!) Oh, and I've added Mel Gibson... just out of spite.

My Blog

The Bookseller of Baghdad

Dear Friends, As you know, I'm not given to blogging, but occasionally I read something that I think is worth your time and effort that I'd like to share. This report in The Washington Post ...
Posted by The Bookseller on Tue, 13 Mar 2007 04:07:00 PST