Is it just something to fill the time?
An escape?
A long-needed exhale at the end of an exhausting day in exhausting times?
There are endless reasons we reach for books.
For me, it’s because the world is noisy. It’s filled with misinformation, labels, and screaming.
On those days, I crave comfort. I’ll reach for a small-town story where nothing much happens, and that’s enough.
Other days, when the noise feels especially sharp, I turn to books that help me understand.
Stories from people with values opposite to mine, cultures different from mine, because I want to feel compassion.
I want to see through someone else’s eyes, even just for a few chapters.
That’s the gift of reading.
Books let us be incredible versions of ourselves. They let us live a thousand lives, escape our own, or find courage to challenge and inspire.
Books give us freedom.
We’re opening a bookshop not just because we want to, but because we have to. Because we couldn’t not.
So come visit us.
Find your story.
- Antoinette Forbes, Founder of Lost in the Reads