This year has been declared Liverpool Year of Reading with city-wide events being hosted
Aldous Books in Bluecoat Chambers in Liverpool City Centre is a source of antique and rare books(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Social media has completely changed the way we interact with the world around us, especially how we consume stories.
In an effort to combat the recent lows in reading statistics across the UK, the National Literacy Trust and Liverpool Learning Partnership named 2026, Liverpool Year of Reading with city-wide events being hosted at accessible and well-known venues like Liverpool Central Library.
The city’s independent bookshops are also playing their part in helping to relight the spark for reading across Liverpool, and we went to find out more about the work they’re doing.
First up we spoke to Aldous Books which took over from the former Kernaghan Books around two and a half years ago.
Aldous Books in Bluecoat Chambers in Liverpool City Centre is a source of antique and rare books(Image: Liverpool Echo)
The picturesque shop in the city centre’s Bluecoat Art Centre is a source of antique and rare books, promoting the sustainable purchasing of books and improving levels of consumerism across the city.
Specialising in antiquarian books, the store has a more niche market but the business makes an effort to “keep reminding people about all the literature of the past as well.”
Just up the road on Bold Street is the famous News from Nowhere. The radical and community bookshop has been open since 1974 as a non-profit, and gives people the opportunity to become more aware about the ethical dilemmas surrounding our world and societies.
We spoke to a member of their cooperative, Maria Ng, who has worked at the store since the mid 1990s. She explained that reading is a way that we find out about the world around us and the other people in it.
Maria Ng has been part of the team behind News From Nowhere since the mid-1990s(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
Maria said: “Being able to pick up a book and read it at your own pace is something that is never going to go away.”
Speaking about how social media can have a positive impact on reading, she spoke about the way book lovers have used social media to talk about books and find out about new releases.
Asked what the city could do to support the reading community, Maria said: “Community libraries are hugely important. They are a way for people to access free books.”
The art of writing and books has been around for centuries, acting as a string from the very beginning of human life to the people who walk our streets today. The final bookshop we interviewed was Henry Bohn Books.
Owner Michael McCabe spoke to us about the business he has built, which has spanned nearly 40 years and called several different Liverpool locations home.
Now settled on London Road Michael said that reading really is extremely important.
He said: “Even everyone walking around with a phone in their hand is still reading something on it.”
Michael McCabe from Henry Bohn Bookshop on London Road(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Asked about consumerism and the importance of second-hand bookshops, Michael said he believes more second-hand book shops would mean more people would be able to afford more books.
An example he gave was George Orwell’s classic Animal Farm which is almost triple the price to buy new than to buy second-hand. Michael spoke with passion about his work and love for books, saying the business is run by “just me and my wife.”
While the way people consume literature has changed, the city of Liverpool continues to provide its people with businesses and co-operations which make books accessible for everyone, while keeping the planet in mind and helping our environment.
Books are a literary fire fuelled by history, talent and a love for writing. The independent bookshops in the community help to light the spark in readers and keep the fire alive.