Photo courtesy of @oldtownbooks on Instagram
Ally Kirkpatrick, owner of Old Town Books in Alexandria
While many people associate reading with summer at the beach or pool, the publishing industry flips into high gear in the fall and winter with new releases.
We talked to Ally Kirkpatrick, founder and owner of Old Town Books, about curling up with a good read when the weather gets cold and finding the perfect book to give as a gift.
Old Town Books was founded in late 2018 on South Union Street. During the pandemic, the bookstore moved to 130 S. Royal St. — a larger, brighter space. Then, this fall, Kirkpatrick opened Old Town Books Juniors at the Belle Haven Shopping Center.
As a small independent bookstore, Kirkpatrick said that her shop has been blessed with a huge amount of support from local residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the pandemic isn’t over, and Kirkpatrick is strongly encouraging local book-lovers to shop early, pre-order books that are coming out soon, and be flexible in their holiday reading choices.
Choosing a book for someone else this holiday season? “I always ask who they’re buying for,” Kirkpatrick said. “Are they a hardcore reader, or are they just getting back into reading?” Age, interests and other factors also come into play.
For gifts for hardcore readers, head to the tables in the front of Old Town Books to pick up the newest releases.
If you aren’t sure whether someone has already read a book, consider getting a signed copy. “It feels special and that makes it more giftable,” Kirkpatrick said.
Another option is to purchase a book you personally love as a gift. Or, choose a gift book, but add a few things to the package, like a greeting card, a bookmark, a pen or an ornament — all of which you can pick up at the bookstore.
For children, Kirkpatrick suggests getting a classic book that the whole family can gather around. Reading a book out loud can bring families together on cold winter evenings.
Kirkpatrick has a personal preference for physical books, she said, particularly for gifts. “I think that people read differently when they read a physical book,” she said. “Physical books also bring people together in a way that ebooks and audiobooks may not do. When you go to a place for book club or a place to get a gift, it’s about the physical experience.”
Of course, a lot of readers do love ebooks, and Old Town Books offers books through Kobo, a platform-agnostic ebook supplier. You can also gift an audiobook subscription to Old Town Books through LibroFM.
For physical books, Kirkpatrick strongly recommends pre-ordering books when you know there’s a book coming out that you want to read or gift to be sure you can curl up with that book as soon as it’s available.”
WHAT ARE YOU READING?
I’m reading a bunch of books that will come out in 2022, for our book clubs and events, so that’s a fun part of my job. I'm currently reading To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara. It comes out in January, but is available for pre-order, which helps us gauge interest in a book and stock enough copies, so we greatly appreciate them!
WHAT ARE SOME PARTICULARLY GIFTABLE BOOKS AVAILABLE NOW?
For giftable picks out now, our whole team recommends The Sentence, the latest from Pulitzer Prize-winning author (and independent bookstore owner) Louise Erdrich. The Sentence is out Nov. 9 and will appeal to lovers of literary fiction. It's also our December book club pick!
I also recommend Jocelyn Nicole Johnson's debut story collection, My Monticello, for fans of contemporary literary fiction and short stories. Johnson is a Virginia-based author on the rise, and the collection is already slated for a television series adaptation.
For nonfiction readers I'd suggest a signed copy of the new Mary Roach, Fuzz, which is about "when nature breaks the law." In Roach's signature style, it explores the intersection of people and wildnerness and the mishaps that can ensue.
