Up until the end of last year I had no idea that Bookshop.org existed. Listening to one of Holly Tucker's podcasts she interviewed Andy Hunter about his mission to promote and support local and independent bookshops.
There is an alternative to Amazon. And it makes a difference.
“It's not really about disrupting an industry, It's about reinforcing an industry.”
We all know of bookshops that were our favourite in childhood and then disappeared from the high street. With the last year or so and the effects of a pandemic, it became even more important to help our local businesses survive and thrive.
So they too don't disappear. That's where Bookshop.org comes in and plays a part in shopping online but yet still supporting the independents.
Andy talks about the importance of books on his life and his favourite throughout the years as he was growing up. It made me think of the books I read and the memories I had. The ones that stand out for me is The Magic Faraway Tree, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys and everything by Enid Blyton.
The earliest memory I have is a little burgundy coloured trolley, with white wheels and handle, that was filled with Ladybird books. I must have been about 3yrs old and it was my most precious collection. People bought me books to add to my collection and I trailed that trolley backwards and forwards from my house to my nana's.
As the years have gone on I've indulged my love of books even more. Growing up I loved a Thursday evening when the mobile library rolled into the street around the corner and I was able to step on board and relish the smell of the books and the dim light, trying to narrow down my choice.
At first I was only allowed to check out one book at a time and you can imagine how I felt when that increased to three!
Nowadays my pile of books just keeps on growing and my subject matter has widened considerably. From Noam Chomsky, Elizabeth Gilbert and Graham Norton to David Kessler, Taylor Jenkins Reid and Bernardino Evaristo, I read a lot.
There's nothing better than spending the day reading a book from start to finish. That's quite a luxury these days don't you think?
But definitely something we should always make the time to do more of.
Find out more about bookshop.org and check out the other podcasts from Holly.
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