Why We Love Bookshops: The Better Reading Team

Happy Valley Bookshop

Saturday, August 11 is Love your Bookshop Day and across the country bookshops will be throwing a party to celebrate. There are some very creative things planned for all ages and if you’d like to be part of the fun then you can check out what’s happening at your local bookshop by visiting the Australian Booksellers Association website.

You will not be surprised to learn that at Better Reading we have a soft spot for bookshops – big, small, niche, iconic, pop up, second hand – we love them all. These social hubs support books, the publishing industry and give readers the opportunity to connect with stories. So, on this day of celebration we’d like to share with you what we love most about these very special places.

Cheryl Akle, Director:
Bookshops have always been a big part of my life, so they hold a special place in my heart and I love to see people still embracing them wholeheartedly. They are what I consider to be the front line of connecting people with stories and I spend as much time as I can wandering around bookshops, taking in the atmosphere. I’m always looking to make new discoveries, but I also regularly return to old favourites…

Liz Durnan, Website and Social Media Editor
I love book shops – they’re the heart of the high street. I love spending weekends browsing the aisles, looking at the covers, reading the endorsements, seeking out well-read staff for authentic recommendations, and seeing what other people are buying. It’s an experience in itself and only by supporting our bookshops can we keep that alive.

Muse Canberra

Amelia Meaney, Marketing Coordinator:
Growing up, I spent so many wonderful hours slowly browsing the shelves of my local bookshop or sitting in a quiet corner and flipping through the latest book to catch my eye, and bookshops still mean so much to me today. They’re places of discovery, escape and joy, and there’s nothing like that thrill you get when you find just what you were looking for!

Rachael Versace, Marketing Coordinator:
Walking into a book shop feels like coming home, because there’s an inexplicable warmth and safety that these shops foster. They are a sensory delight – the musky smell of the books, the vibrant colours of the covers, the texture of the pages and spine. To step into a bookstore is to be simultaneously soothed and stimulated – a feeling that no other store could ever possibly inspire. 

Melissa Wilson, Children’s and YA specialist:
There is nothing I would rather do than visit an atmospheric bookshop – it can be big, small, new or have been around for years, but it has to give you that special feeling like time has stopped and discovering new books to read is all that matters. Of course, I have a real appreciation for bookshops that create wonderlands for children, book clubs, kids’ recommendations on the shelves and lots of love for favourite reads from the booksellers.

Hill of Content Bookshop

Mary Ryan, Children’s and YA contributor:
For me bookshops mean children’s stories, in particular picture books and I can spend hours smiling, sighing, laughing…just perusing the shelves. I love it when I see familiar characters and old favourites, some I can never read enough, like Possum Magic I know off by heart.

 Carol George, Website Editor:
‘A bookshop is my Aladdin’s Cave, full of riches beyond my wildest dreams.’

From all of us at Better Reading, thanks to all those who make bookshops possible, to all the wonderful book sellers and to all the people who support them so that they can continue to bring us stories. Now get out there and celebrate what an important place bookshops are!