Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the Mimidae family.

Today I went book shopping. A few weeks ago, I discovered this little bookshop in Mont Albert, in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. It's called the Mockingbird Bookshop and it's owned by a Canadian (I think, I didn't actually ask) lady who not only works there almost every day, but personally selects every book that is sold in the shop. As a result, it has a very small, very exclusive, range of books. There are a few books I don't like (Da Vinci Code, anyone?) and there are many books that, if I was doing the ordering, would be in pride of place, but aren't there at all.

Nevertheless, it makes me happy that there is someone out there that does this. I'm a big fan of Borders, simply because it's massive and has almost every book I could ever want on its illustrious shelves. But this is something else. It's a bookshop for the love of books, not for commercial gain. The owner's tastes are slightly different to mine, but no one's perfect - and really, I don't care. I'm overjoyed to have discovered a kindred booklover. There aren't enough of us out there.

When I go to Borders, they keep. trying. to. recommend. me. books. And I'm like, fuck off! Because they make no effort whatsoever to ascertain what kind of book I'm interested in, and just point me towards the bestsellers. Jodi Picoult, Dan Brown, Bryce Courtenay, Khaled Hosseini. As authors, yes, they have their strengths, but been there, done that, didn't like it the first time.

So, if you're ever in the area, drop into the Mockingbird Bookshop. It's on Mont Albert Road, which runs parallel to the railway line, right near the station. If you are truly a booklover, you won't regret it.