Photo by Amy Shamblen on Unsplash
Each year the Australian Booksellers Association’s (ABA) encourages bookshops across Australia to throw a party for Love Your Bookshop Day, held on Saturday 11th August 2018. This national celebration reminds us why local bookshops continue to play an important role in Australia, encouraging a culture of reading and supporting local writers and publishers.
Here’s a roundup of some events and happenings at your local bookshop this Saturday.
Visit loveyourbookshopday.com.au to find out more.
Readings
On Love Your Bookshop Day, Readings is offering customers the chance to win free books for a year. Just follow the three simple steps below.
Step one: Visit one of their seven shops on Saturday 11 August.
Step two: Buy a book, any book.
Step three: Fill out a competition form at the counter and tell them in 25 words or less why you love Readings. You’ll then go in the draw to win a Book of the Month subscription – a free copy of either a fiction, non-fiction or children’s Book of the Month, every month for 12 months, starting from September 2018. The book will be available to pick up in your shop of choice each month.
Abbey’s Bookshop
131 York St, Sydney NSW
Blind Date’s are tough, but this year Abbey’s is making it much easier by hosting a Blind Date with a book in store. There will also be mini Love Your Bookshop Day cupcakes and lucky dips.
Aesop’s Attic
70 High St, Kyneton VIC
Aesop’s Attic will host children’s book based art and craft activities from 10am until 11am to celebrate Love Your Bookshop day. Jill Barclay, author of the book Illustrator, will also appear as a guest author at 2pm. There will also be giveaways and second hand books will be 50% off.
Art Gallery of NSW Shop
Art Gallery Rd, The Domain, Sydney NSW
The Art Gallery of NSW Shop is ‘calling all bibliophiles’ to come down for dress ups, storytime, prizes, giveaways and treats. There will also be an Art scavenger hunt with bookish clues hidden around the gallery for you to find.
Storytime for kids will be at 10.30am, 11.30am and 2.30pm with art mini-activities and free colouring-in bookmarks probvided by Faber-Castell Australia.
Avid Reader
193 Boundary St, West End QLD
There’s also the traditional Avid Bakeoff, judged by owner Fiona Stager. Bring your cake in by 11.00am for a midday judging. Local picklers and fermenters are invited to enter in a pickle competition.
Anita Heiss will again be giving book advice in the Book Advice Booth and the first twenty customers who spend over $50 get a free showbag. Double Loyalty points will also be given on the day.
Beaufort Street Books
567 Beaufort St, Mount Lawley WA
Authors Cristy Burne and James Foley will visit Beaufort Street Books.
Cristy Burne will be in from 10.30-11.30am to read from her latest junior fiction novel Off the Track. She will also teach everyone how to make a bush survival whistle – and there’s prizes for who can make the loudest whistle.
James Foley will arrive from 1-2pm for a very special early launch of book three in the S. Tinker series, Gastronauts. He will also be making body related things with the audience. It’s a free event but parents are asked to please register their child by calling or emailing.
Better Read Than Dead
265 King St, Newtown NSW
Staff at Better Read Than Dead will dress up as some of our favourite book characters. There will also be Love Your Bookshop themed cupcakes, a customer review writing competition, and a ‘why I love my bookshop’ competition.
Author visits and events are planned throughout the day; Storytime at 10:30am with Matt Cosgrove and Macca the Alpaca; and book launch of Natural Born Loser by Oliver Phommavanh at 1.00pm.
Boobook on Owen
1/68 Owen Street, Huskisson NSW
Down the South Coast of NSW, BooBook on Owen will be hosting a Pepper Pig Party, Book Busking, a raffle to win a coffee table book (with all proceeds going to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation) and invites book lovers to join them for some cake and coffee in the sun.
For more events, visit loveyourbookshopday.com.au/events
