GEM IS READING

So those titles sound more dramatic than they actually are. And the actual topic of what I want to talk about today is relating to bookshops and the types of content I post in the book community.

I recently visited a brand new bookshop that has opened in my area. It's actually been open a little while, and is a little small independent bookshop. In all honesty I couldn't tell you the name of the shop. I have no idea. And I didn't notice it anywhere either. It obviously will have been on the outside of the shop but I didn't see. But regardless, I am always here for celebrating and supporting the opening of independent bookshops.

Now... now, now, now... here comes the part I don't want to write. I didn't like this bookshop. And I didn't think that was possible. I am sorry. That doesn't mean that it doesn't sell good books and it also doesn't mean that I don't wish it to be open for a long time or to be accessible to readers. But I think that is my issue. As a reader, I went into this bookshop and I was just... confused. I didn't know which books were where and there was no real distinction of what was being sold. A lot of the books were very hard to read too, on the shelves, making it harder still to find the books I was looking for.

They didn't have the book I went in for, because I did have in mind if they had the book I wanted, I would purchase it from them in support of an independent seller. But they didn't have it. They did however have my favourite book, and the book that got me back into reading as an adult, and for that I will give them huge props because that tells me that they are not only selling brand new titles. I do also believe they are selling secondhand books too because there was a Stephen King book on one of the shelves that had the most incredible cracked spine. And the only books I could differentiate amongst the shelves were the romance books but that was only because the covers of them are so bright and colourful compared to other genres. And it raises the question of, if I can feel intimidated as a frequent reader then what does that do to someone who is not as familiar?

It feels right too to mention, a friend of mine purchased the book I chose for the July book club pick from this very shop, so the issue truly is not with the book selection they offer, I don't think.

Now I want to be clear, I don't think this shop has to do anything groundbreaking to make it clearer the books they sell and where to find them. A simple post it note on the shelves with the genres would work completely fine. But there was nothing. A lady was also in the shop at the same time as me and she was looking for children's picture books, and couldn't find them. They were on a bookshelf at the side of the till. Probably one of the most distinct book formats and they simply blended into everything else.

Now my thoughts on this bookshop are formed from many view points. I guess the biggest one is my jealousy that I myself don't own a bookshop, and thinking about how I would make a bookshop look and feel if I myself owned one. I say this with a little bit of humour, but also seriousness that owning a bookshop is the ultimate dream and goal as someone who shares their reading online. But also as a reader and content creator for reading, I like to make reading as accessible as possible for everyone. I don't talk in jargon, I read mostly paperbacks (which are usually cheaper), I read openly and honestly with my reading pace and the fact I think I am a slow reader in comparison to others, and I am trying to promote a quality reading experience rather than a quantity one.

And I do just worry not only for the seller but for the reader too, what happens in shops that feel unaccessible. I don't mean in a literal sense, but rather in the sense of feeling intimidated. Not only does it work against getting people into reading but, I feel it works against the shops success because people could get put off.