A store full of stories
Editor’s Note: We feature the brilliant recommendations of our partner, the Champaca Bookstore, in the Read section twice a month. FYI: Champaca is an independent women-run and founded bookstore and children's library in Bangalore.
Every reader romanticises the idea of owning or running a bookstore. Here’s a list of books to help you do just that.
Written by Shakti Swaminathan, a teacher, writer and journalist.
“Working here would be my dream job,” is something we often overhear at Champaca. Many people who walk in have nurtured a dream to be the ‘bookshop person’ akin to Meg Ryan from ‘You’ve Got Mail’.
I did too. My fantasy was a mash-up of Meg Ryan who ran a cute little bookstore and Julia Roberts from Notting Hill who found love between the shelves. But my dream was unravelling in reverse. The original plan was to bump into my future partner at a bookstore, our interests in books aligning before the stars did. But the career came first, partner shortly afterwards and trotting behind was the cute golden retriever. All that remained was to become the founder of the perfect bookstore and spend the last few years of my fast-disappearing youth gushing about books to readers!
Dreams are pretty but balancing account books are not. I realised early on that I didn’t have the acumen for running my own business. So instead, I made it a habit to ambush independent bookstores every time I got the chance to travel, and bask in their goodness. During a family holiday to London, I even sneaked in a bit of me-time to run a bookshop for a day, on Airbnb. It gave me a taste of a life that I always envisaged: to be surrounded by books and to share my love of reading to those who came by.
But the dream refused to die down. Instead, it lingered and grew, gnawing at my heart. One random Tuesday afternoon last January, I succumbed to it. After putting to rest a decade-long career in teaching, I sat down to mail my favourite bookstore. Today, I sit amidst piles and piles of books, the canopy of an avocado tree, and inspiring company. For a person who judges people by their bookshelves, bookstores by their bestseller rack, and has no love for romance novels? (the irony!) it was love at first sight, the only kind I believed in.
While we continue to live our ‘You’ve Got Mail’ fantasy through Champaca, there is a question that begs to be asked. Do you think Kathleen (Meg Ryan) is happy now? She shut her store and found love, but for love did she have to shut her store?
In a jungle of Amazons, aren’t we all glad that we have a Champaca? :)
If you are curious about the lives of booksellers, I have put together some books that will give you a glimpse.
The Bookshop Book by Jen Campbell. From the oldest bookshop in the world to the smallest you could imagine, this book examines the history of books, talks to authors about their favourite places, and looks at over three hundred weirdly wonderful bookshops across six continents.
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. Imagine you are the owner of a bookstore and you are having a hard time, the business is failing and you suspect that someone is stealing your prized first editions. Just when you think things can’t get any better, you find a baby outside your door. What do you do?
Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books by Cathy Rentzenbrink. This is a moving, funny and joyous exploration of how books can change the course of your life, packed with recommendations from one reader to another.
This is the canon: Decolonise Your Bookshelves in 50 Books by Joan Anim-Addo, Deirdre Osborne, Kadija Sesay. This book disrupts the all-too-often white-dominated 'required reading' collections that have become the accepted norm and highlights powerful voices and cultural perspectives that demand a place on our shelves.
If you love picture books, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Norris Lessmore by William Joyce is a modern masterpiece, showing that in today’s world of traditional books, eBooks, and apps, it’s the power of story that we truly celebrate.
Life at Champaca
Join Champaca for the book launch of ‘Snakes, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll’ by Romulus Whitaker. There’s a wonderful discussion on 'AI and the Real World' between Appupen and Prashant Srivatsa. You could also check out other events happening at Champaca here.
If you’re in Bangalore, we invite you to come to our lush, leafy store, attend the events and browse through our shelves with cold tender coconut water/ a hot cup of coffee, as per the whims and fancies of the ever-changing Bangalore weather!
And as always, you can find us, our book recommendations, and keep up with our upcoming events, on our website, Instagram, and Twitter!
