To read: within the queer community, known as an instance in which two or more people drag, roast or insult each other for filth. But that’s not the type of reading I’m talking about today. I mean reading books — we all either loved to read or hated it growing up. Some of our brains work differently from others, so we’re either naturally geared up or we’re not.
To a degree, we can train ourselves to enjoy it, but I’ve always been envious of people who have the ability to plough through a book a week. With the advent of audio and e-books, it’s become easier and more accessible for everyone to enjoy a good book, and it feels as though the love for this pastime is stronger than ever.
The boom in technology over the past few decades definitely slowed the pace around the industry, as we’ve seen our favourite bookshops and libraries close either for good or move online.
Well, that’s changed. I’ve talked a lot in the past about how life is just one big cyclical motion — and it feels like reading is coming full circle now. I never would have thought as a kid I’d ever be, of all things, an award-winning Sunday Times best-selling author, but here I am working on my second book and optimistic after seeing how all generations are falling back in love with the romance of reading.
I never would have thought as a kid I’d ever be an award-winning Sunday Times best-selling author, but here I am working on my second book
Not just reading, but all those classic moments that come with it. Readers are becoming more likely to pop into Waterstones to get a feel for their next book, spending hours at a time shuffling through titles and covers, checking out the forewords or back covers for reviews. Even libraries which were once associated with forced work, looked at more as classrooms, are back to being these magical spaces filled with knowledge. It’s great to see them being celebrated again.
Libraries are seeing a resurgence with the help of BookTok — the TikTok movement that focuses on reading. People are visiting them with the excited idea of finding a new story, a new subject. I might be romanticising this a little but, I think it’s incredible.
We all used have those water cooler moments talking about our favourite reads or TV shows — well bring those back! Sure, with the advent of hybrid working, there might not be that much going on in offices any more, but we have social media to do that now.
Everyone was worried about the digitisation of literature but we now have concrete evidence that it’s helped make reading more accessible to people and in fact pushed sales up overall.
The UK saw its highest ever level of books sold in 2022; the Netherlands sold the most books in over a decade last year. High streets up and down the country have obviously been struggling for some time now, but maybe this is one of the keys to bringing us back into town. Pushing the idea of building a community around a product more than trying to shove sales down our throats could help us all out of the house and off Amazon once and for all.
We’ve seen this work with “hot” restaurants or places like the Apple Store, or streetwear brands that do special weekly drops. Is this the official return of the bookshop?
I hope so.
Explore the very best of London's street art
On the note of getting out more… we’re in the middle of the London Mural Festival which is a stunning showing of over 100 murals across London. It’s on until September 29 and features some of the world’s best street artists.
I’m not talking Banksy any more. Some of these pieces are unbelievably creative. From Oak Bloke’s almost surrealist interpretation of mythology and the human condition to Tea Jurisic’s incredible piece at Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, there’s so much to explore.
I would strongly suggest heading to their website, creating your own little map of artists to explore and making a day out of it.
Like I said a couple of weeks ago, September is a time for living, for exploring, for starting a new chapter in the right way and what better way to do that than with art.
Track of the Week: 4U — Martin Ikin, Matroda, Sian-Lee
