INDEPENDENT bookstores across the Geelong, the Bellarine and Surf Coast are inviting readers to be part of a global movement.<\/p>\n
The Global Book Crawl encourages readers to journey through their local bookstores in the hopes of discovering a new favourite read, rediscovering an old love and being part of the global, local book community.<\/p>\n
Readers collect passports from participating stores and earn stamps by visiting others.<\/p>\n
Torquay Books owner Lynne Main is the driving force behind bringing the event to the region.<\/p>\n
After seeing stores in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane have success last year, one of the organisers suggested Main bring it to her hometown.<\/p>\n
“With Lorne over the summer having all those struggles that they had, which would have then impacted further along the coast, I just thought, what a wonderful way to bring all of our bookshops together,” Main said.<\/p>\n
“Hopefully people will see these bookshops, they’ll visit them, and they’ll know that they’re there.<\/p>\n
“We’ve got all these wonderful little independent bookshops all along the coast and the beautiful Book Bird in Geelong for people to go out to.”<\/p>\n
Maid said independent bookstores are more than just retail spaces; they are places where community is created.<\/p>\n
It is a sentiment echoed by The Book Bird manager Charlotte Guest.<\/p>\n
She said independent bookstores each have their own identity, curated to the specific tastes not only of staff but also the readers who patron them. She said these stores are also able to build collections more diverse and unique from chain stores to better meet the needs of their community.<\/p>\n
“Booksellers are such forces of knowledge that customers time their visits to come in on their specific days so that they can consult ‘their’ bookseller absolutely, which is just so gorgeous, and it’s something that we really encourage,” Guest said.<\/p>\n
“We each have our specialities and then areas of interest, which means that customers that share those passions will come in to see their individual almost like their literary consultant, and we remember.<\/p>\n
“Instead of it being more anonymised and corporatised, we make a real point of remembering individuals, their reading journeys and how their taste changes over time – and their kids, their kids names, and all of what they’ve been reading because our store had the privilege of guiding them through those years and seeing their reading developed.”<\/p>\n
Main said she hopes that avid and casual readers can get involved with the book crawl and discover more independent sellers in their areas.<\/p>\n
With 10 stores participating in Bellarine and Surf Coast alone, there are plenty of new stories to be read.<\/p>\n
“We just want to try and get a few more people to go and love some of the bookstores in the other towns, not just in Torquay or just in Barwon Heads or just down at Port Fairy,” Main said.<\/p>\n
“They can come and find some others too. They’re all quite different and unique as well.<\/p>\n
“Every one of our little bookstores is really, really loved by the community and well supported by the community, even when there’s no tourists here.”<\/p>\n
The Global Book Crawl runs from 20-26 April. Readers can collect their passports from participating stores and are eligible for “bookish” prizes after receiving six unique store stamps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
INDEPENDENT bookstores across the Geelong, the Bellarine and Surf Coast are inviting readers to be part of a global movement. The Global Book Crawl encourages readers to journey through their local bookstores in the hopes of discovering a new favourite read, rediscovering an old love and being part of the global, local book community. Readers […]<\/p>\n