Today, 10 October, marks Love Your Bookshop Day. If you are reading this page, chances are you have some idea of the perilous state of bookstores in Australia. As this article in The Conversation details, the number of stores nationwide halved from 2013 to 2023. Independent bookstores fight on many fronts: a decline in reading levels and the undercutting by discount stores and online behemoths are just two of their battles. Today is not the day to dwell on the dire (this article details some of the proposals being put to the Federal Government that could give greater certainty to indie booksellers) but to take part in a rare marketing ploy for good. Indie bookstores do more than stock the latest frontlist bestsellers: they champion local and debut authors, create organically welcoming community spaces (which, being Neighbourhood Review, we are all about), host book clubs, and can provide personalised recommendations that carry the impressive weight of coming from someone who knows exactly what they are talking about. So, this weekend, here’s where we suggest you pay a visit.
Gertrude and Alice Cafe Bookstore. Bondi Beach
Two books at the top of our house’s reading pile this week reminded me of exactly why this 25 year-old store is such a rightful institution in the local literary scene.
The first was Billie King, the debut novel of nurse turned cookbook author Shannon Kelly-White, which the shop has supported and championed, as they do so many local titles. This cracking feminist Australian western was also discussed this week at the Bondi Literary Salon [BLS], the store’s book club, which I have attended for the past four years. If not for the novel being displayed so prominently in the store, and the glowing recommendation of it by the store’s indefatigable owner, Jane and bookseller Nikki, I would not have heard of it, nor read it, and the loss would have been entirely mine.
The second was Dear Zoo, the Rod Campbell children’s classic and current favourite of my one-year-old daughter. Jane gave me the book, along with a gorgeous card, three weeks before I gave birth. Every time I read it to my daughter (and we are currently averaging about six times a day) I am reminded of how lucky I feel to be part of the BLS club. Through it, I’ve read books I never would have selected otherwise, and in doing so have broadened my go-to list of authors and genres significantly. It’s made me change my mind, or at least rethink my opinion on certain books, and I promise that if you are craving an antidote to the algorithmic echo chamber of social media, come spend 90 minutes here. I’ve witnessed instances of respectful disagreement that negotiating tables can only dream of. If you want to come share a glass of wine, some cheese and thoughts on Sense and Sensibility, I’m hosting the chat next month (tickets here). You can also follow Gertude and Alice’s Substack here.
Abbeys Bookshop. Sydney CBD
So frequently does our family visit here, one of the staff notices how swiftly our daughter’s hair grows. A bookstore that is equally expansive in its offerings of fiction and non-fiction is a rare treasure trove indeed (Abbey’s is described as “an Aladdin’s Cave for readers). Given its location, mere steps away from the QVB and Town Hall, it is amazing how easy it is to spend a quiet, peaceful hour roving through their collection. The staff here are also fabulous at ordering in books: bizarrely, I have one on pre-order in the paperback version as a gift for my husband, with an expected arrival time in Australia of Christmas 2027.
Upstairs at Abbeys is home to the Galaxy Bookshop, with scores of fantasy and science fiction, as well as the Language Book Centre, which stocks textbooks and guides to learning a language, but also plenty of novels and non-fiction reads for native speakers or more advanced learners (I am quietly confident you won’t find another bookstore in Sydney with as much of the backlist of French novelist David Foenkinos, par exemple.
If you’re looking for a crime novel - thriller, classic, cosy, modern - Abbeys again has a range that is difficult to beat. I was introduced to Josephine Tey, Celia Fremlin and Seicho Matsumoto thanks to this store.
The Best Little Bookshop in Town. Cronulla
The staff recommendations here (in a rotating shelf towards the front of the store) should be your first stop in this busy and charming beachside bookshop. I’ve plucked titles ranging from Milan Kundera to Maggie O’Farrell from them. They also have a great classics section too: I spotted and devoured The Return of the Soldier after a short conversation with the shop’s owner, which began by discussing Richard Flanagan’s Question 7, in which West is central to its premise. Visit all year around, but I especially love popping in here before a beach trip. Delightfully for my fellow insufferable morning people, it generally opens at 8am too.
Constant Reader Bookshop. Crows Nest
With a standalone children’s bookstore, this is an easy recommendation for anyone with little readers to buy for. The adult store also has a brilliantly-curated non-fiction selection, especially in matters of politics and history, and a great back catalog of general and literary fiction.
Harry Hartog. Penrith
Beautifully styled with the best classics section I’ve seen in a bookstore in Sydney. Their second-hand bargains are well worth seeking out: on my last visit, I got short story collections by Zadie Smith and William Boyd for $10 apiece, as well as a hard-to-find copy of Love at Six Thousand Degrees by Maki Kashimada.