Johnston swaps PRH Ireland for Maldives to become bookseller

PRH Ireland press officer Aimée Johnston has flown out to the Maldives for a three-month stint at the world’s most remote bookshop. 

Johnston, 26, from Antrim, Northern Ireland, was chosen from thousands of applicants to run the Barefoot Bookseller pop-up shop, in the luxury eco resort of Soneva Fushi after PRH Ireland gave her a sabbatical for three months to take up the opportunity.

She said:  “I’m over the moon to be Ultimate Library and Soneva Fushi’s next Barefoot Bookseller. It’s one thing to wake up in paradise every day, but to get to work in one of the world’s most beautiful bookshop? That’s a dream come true.”

The shop, part of luxury resort Soneva Fushi on the island of Kunfunadhoo, was set up by Philip Blackwell as part of his Ultimate Library project creating book collections for luxury hotels. 

Johnston, who will also run the shop’s Instagram account and write a blog on her time in the Maldives, told the Times: “The whole experience has been pretty fun so far, all of the resort staff live on the island, so it’s always really busy and there’s always lots going on. It’s only just opened so we get a lot of repeat visitors and there has been a huge amount of excitement around it. People love to come in and it’s really gorgeous, so everyone’s so surprised by it.”