A new chapter in everybody's story of life
I shift the perilous tower of board games about a bit, to stabilise, and carefully balance my phone on top.
My hair isn’t perfect, but then, a lot about this situation isn’t perfect, is it? The school pupils I teach have been sent home, my children’s exams have been cancelled, the library has closed its doors – and the uncertainty about the next few months weighs on all of us.
We feel a little powerless. We want to do something.
In my case, this means pressing 'record' and reading stories! I have picked a light-hearted and hopefully uplifting story from my teetering pile of unpublished material (you may not know this, but all writers tend to have a lot of that!) and to post a video of me reading a chapter a day.
There is no book, no product, no profit. I am not infringing any copyright – simply bringing a story into children’s homes, with some optional activities alongside. If anything, children of the nation will be able to observe my gradual descent into scruffiness, which is my natural state – and maybe that will give them a much needed laugh!
Feel free to find all the instalments on my Facebook page if you have youngsters in need of entertainment.
We absolutely need to make sure that small businesses like these survive.
Many writers are sharing their work online in some way. Audiobook giants Audible have just announced free access to thousands of children’s audiobooks for the duration of the crisis, and there are many laudable efforts to keep the country reading.
What has really struck me is the inventiveness and initiative which local bookshops have shown in these trying times. Let’s be honest, the arrival of online shopping put considerable pressure on these places in the first place.
If you are anything like me, as we now need to shift more and more of our lives online, the thing you’ll miss most is browsing. Wandering alongside shelves and shelves of books, and the wee chat with a knowledgeable bookseller who can direct you to the book which is perfect for you, but that you didn’t know you wanted.
Well, good news! Some north of Scotland bookshops are more than measuring up!
Take Ullapool Bookshop, for example. In an innovative, nimble way, owner Katherine Douglas has set up a local delivery service for any orders over £10 (it only takes a couple of books to get to that if you’re looking at paperbacks) and shop staff are on a steep learning curve, posting almost daily videos to give you the browsing experience from the comfort of your own home.
The Highland Bookshop in Fort William has been incredibly innovative, creating Mother’s Day bundles (I write this on Mother’s Day) in collaboration with other local High Street traders, featuring books, toiletries, candles – and the cheeriest of cheery bookshop managers, Sarah Louise, delivered to the door by e-bike.
The staff have created self-isolation reading lists with suggested reading for a wide range of interests and are incredibly responsive on social media. We absolutely need to make sure that small businesses like these survive.
Another one which caught by eye is The Bookmark, a wonderful independent bookshop in Grantown on Spey, also delivering locally and posting beyond. Intrepid Marjory is such a fountain of knowledge and enthusiasm, and a real champion of the written word.
I had to laugh when the shop’s Twitter feed began featuring wheelbarrows – is that what their local delivery looks like, I wondered?
So there you have it! Innovative, back to basics, saving readers, saving small businesses and combating loneliness through interaction with our favourite booky hangouts.
BRAVO, I say!
Look out for: Marram by Leonie Charton. A non-fiction account of a pony-trekking trip across the length of the Western Isles, I am absolutely mesmerised by this memoir of love, loss and land. The writing is incredible, take it from me!
