New Zealand Bookshop Day was celebrated Saturday by more than 60 Kiwi indie bookstores. In addition to hosting in-store events, booksellers promoted this year's theme, "Bestsellers of the Decade." The public is now voting on 20 bookseller-selected titles to choose their Bestseller of the Decade. #NZBookshopDay posters declared "Love Books, Shop Local" and "He Whakatā He Pukapuka--A rest means a book," as well as "It's not hoarding if it's books" and "Love your brain. Read books."
Mary Wadsworth from the Dorothy Butler Children's Bookshop in Auckland said: "We're hoping that our customers will get the message that they're doing something incredibly positive by shopping locally and also how important it is to support New Zealand writers and illustrators. We think the Top 20 Bestseller of the Decade competition will really help remind people about that."
Here are a few highlights from #NZBookshopDay:
Paradox Books, Auckland: "Paradox Books is celebrating NZBooksellers Day today and every day."
Time Out Bookstore, Auckland: "We've had a very busy and exciting #nzbookshopday filled with spooky cookies, chilling costumes, villainous doggies and scarily cool give-aways. Thanks to everyone who celebrated with us..."
McLeods Booksellers, Rotorua: "Happy chaos in the shop this morning, even a queue waiting outside door before 9 a.m. in great anticipation of our annual treasure hunt for @nzbookshopday!! Some very happy book lovers! Thanks for your continued support."
The Twizel Bookshop, Twizel: "We love any excuse to party--and you know what they say, ain't no party like a bookshop party, cos a bookshop party is lit(erature). But seriously, wherever you are in NZ, head down to your local indy bookshop to help them celebrate."
Unity Books, Wellington: "Wellington, you love a mystery! You completely cleared out our Blind date NZ Bookshop Day books by halfway through the day yesterday! Thanks for being so keen and for trusting your booksellers with your hard earned reading time, it means a lot :)"
Wardini Books (multiple locations): "Happy National Bookshop Day! Thank you SO much for your support and to all of you who have submitted your brain. We are awed, ecstatic, thrilled and very moved by the buy in you guys give to our crazy ideas. These are the Havelock North brains because that's where I am right now--we'll post the Napier brains soon." And: "Thank you people of Napier for your National Bookshop Day brains!"