We've discussed how book clubs have changed the way they source books during the COVID-19 pandemic, but what kinds of books are they reading? For our "Book Clubs in Lockdown" survey (published in November) we asked respondents about their reading habits during the pandemic -- from how much time they're devoting to reading to what kinds of books have been on the agenda. The responses are illuminating.
When I was browsing in our local independent bookstore recently I happened to see a weighty edition of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women on the shelf in the children's classics section, and I grabbed it. It's on my list of parenting imperatives, of books I absolutely must read my daughters, and since Poppy is almost ten, I figure it's high time for Little Women.
Ever wondered what happens inside the bookstore when the last staff member turns the key for the night?
Thanks to Sean Ohlenkamp, an associate creative director at Lowe Roche Advertising in Toronto, and about 25 volunteers, we now know!
This year my husband and I unwittingly purchased what can only be considered a "Charlie Brown tree". If you sneeze, it loses needles. There's a gaping hole in the back that we've awkwardly pressed up against the wall, and it leans in its stand. And though I'd be the first to admit we still love it, I had to wonder if David Maybury, co-editor of Inís magazine, didn't have the right idea! He (and friends) constructed a Christmas tree entirely out of Irish picture books:
What's the best Christmas present you've ever received? One lonely Christmas - stuck in New York City and unable to get home to Alabama to see her family - Harper Lee spent the holiday with friends... and received a Christmas gift that would end up being a present to the entire literary world. In the short story "Christmas to Me" (McCall's Magazine, 1961), Lee writes about her experience:
