Travels by book
Kent Life|October 2020
As we celebrate National Poetry Day on 1 October, Kent Life looks at how the joy of reading helped lift us into other worlds during lockdown
Ana Sampson
Travels by book

As lockdown descended across Britain this spring, many of us turned to our bookshelves for comfort.

Though bookshops had to close their doors, a quarter of readers reported buying more books than before – aided by some of Kent’s wonderful independent bookshops such as The Sevenoaks Bookshop and The Margate Bookshop increasing their capacity to supply readers with stories by post.

Ebook and audiobook sales also boomed during those listless, confused early weeks, showing the public’s appetite for being lifted out of our enforced stasis.

I longed to read and found myself rather surprised to be pining for my much-maligned commute – a now halcyonseeming stretch of time during which I would not be clambered on or interrogated by my small children, and didn’t have to provide anyone with snacks.

Indulging in imaginary travel through the pages of my latest read as I sped towards the city became a guilty, unattainable fantasy.

Interestingly, although genres such as romantic fiction saw a surge in sales, crime books and thrillers initially saw the greatest boost. Propulsive plot lines and compelling twists were, it seems, most effective at keeping readers hooked and distracting them from the anxieties of rolling news.

Peter May’s Lockdown (Quercus) – written years before and rejected for publishers who felt its depiction of pandemic London was too far-fetched – was a notable success. Although these are stories in which dark things tend to happen, there is usually a tidy resolution by the book’s close and a comforting return to the status quo that can be a balm to readers in uncertain times.

Denne historien er fra October 2020-utgaven av Kent Life.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra October 2020-utgaven av Kent Life.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA KENT LIFESe alt
The choice of leaders
Kent Life

The choice of leaders

It’s a small, scenic Kentish market town on the border with Surrey, famous for not one but two great leaders. We take a look around Westerham

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2020
The eco-warriors
Kent Life

The eco-warriors

Awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2019 in recognition of its research in global nature conservation, the role of Kent-based DICE has never been more relevant

time-read
7 mins  |
November 2020
Kent's most CURIOUS MONUMENTS
Kent Life

Kent's most CURIOUS MONUMENTS

Our county can boast some of the most celebrated and downright unusual protected mouments in the country

time-read
6 mins  |
November 2020
Ghosts of a river's life
Kent Life

Ghosts of a river's life

Kent Life discovers an an other-worldliness about the marshes, creeks, and saltings of the lower reaches of the river Medway

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2020
The return of the son
Kent Life

The return of the son

The Unknown Warrior’s journey from the World War One battlefields via Dover to his resting place in Westminster Abbey is 100 years old this month

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2020
We will remember
Kent Life

We will remember

In a year when we got an inkling of what living through a war means, we remember the 75th anniversary of the end of the Great War

time-read
6 mins  |
November 2020
Age-old advice
Kent Life

Age-old advice

Just become a grandparent for the first time? Perhaps you need a little guidance, so here are some top tips about how to embrace your new family role

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2020
10 GOOD REASONS TO VISIT Medway Towns
Kent Life

10 GOOD REASONS TO VISIT Medway Towns

A vast Dockyard, a Napoleonic fort and a JCB diggers theme park - let’s visit Chatham and Medway

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2020
KENT'S CREEPIEST- GHOST STORIES
Kent Life

KENT'S CREEPIEST- GHOST STORIES

Here are 10 tales to make you shiver as we celebrate All Hallows’ Eve

time-read
7 mins  |
October 2020
Joking apart
Kent Life

Joking apart

From his home in Broadstairs, Royston Robertson comes up with satirical, topical and sometimes just plain silly cartoons

time-read
5 mins  |
October 2020