CORNER SHOP (HB)

Babita Sharma was raised in a corner shop in Reading, and over the counter watched a changing world. Along with the skills to mop a floor perfectly and stack a shelf, she gained a unique insight into people, products and politics - and into an institution that, despite the creep of supermarkets and online shopping, has found a way to evolve and survive. This is the remarkable human story of the corner shop, overlooked yet omnipresent, humble yet vital.