'Bookshops are a beautiful thing in a community'

2026 is the Year of Reading - that's according to a new national campaign encouraging people to start a new chapter and rediscover the joys of a good book.

It's also Independent Bookshop Week's 20th anniversary this year, a week-long celebration of indie booksellers and the "vital role they play in the community".

Two bookshops in Yorkshire, The Book Vault in Barnsley and Truman Books in Farsley, Leeds, are among 20 venues selected by the Bookseller's Association as this year's "Bookshop Champions".

So in a year focused on flipping pages and delving into a good story, what role does the bookshop have to play in persuading the community to pick up a novel?

Located on Market Street in Barnsley town centre, The Book Vault is run by mother and son partnership Ivy Doherty and Keith Cowans.

The shop opened in 2019, in part to "bring access to reading back to Barnsley for all ages", Keith explains, after the closure of other local bookshops and a WH Smiths.

As a general stockist of fiction, non-fiction and children's literature, the customer demographic is broad, but previously skewed towards older adults, although the trend is shifting in recent years.

According the charity the Reading Agency, in 2025 more than half of UK adults describe themselves as "regular readers", with figures rising most sharply among 25-34-year-olds.

This re-engagement with reading among the younger generation is something Keith has noticed too - and has adjusted to accordingly.

"There's growing interest in the romance areas and "romantasy" in adult fiction," Keith says.

"It's always been there but TikTok and social media helps, in the sense of promoting particular authors and books.

"People are seeing those and they're coming in specifically to look for them."

The Book Vault now hosts a romantasy book club which launched in 2025, to cater for the growing love for the genre.

However, Keith stresses the younger generation have a broad range of reading habits.

"With younger readers, there is a risk of seeing them as one group who are only interested in one particular area," he says.

"Whether it's manga, classics, romance, they are coming in and have a lot of enthusiasm for reading and finding new things."

The Book Vault is launching a children's book club too, engaging with local schools to champion reading, having previously worked with Barnsley Libraries' events, including the Barnsley Book Festival.

What unites customers old or young is using books as a tool to suspend reality, Keith adds, which may speak to enduring popularity of handling a physical book.

"I think there is an element where people are looking for stories and places to escape to, to have a different feel of the world, or a different experience.

"I encourage people to come to shops rather than online, because they're so much better. It's a shop for everyone, essentially.

"You're able to come in, have a look around, browse, pick up books you might not be aware of."

Amanda Truman, owner of Truman Books in Farsley, had an extensive career in the travel industry before the Covid-19 pandemic forced her to pivot.

Moving from London to the outskirts of Leeds was a change, she says, but offered the opportunity to open a bookshop that could be "knitted into the community".

"It's a curious thing how much you become part of people's lives," she says.

"In general, people here do just welcome you in and chat - it's lovely."

The economic and political climate of recent years can be tough to manage, especially when "consumer confidence wobbles" but an appetite for a bookshop still endures, according to her.

"The beauty of books is it is a relatively affordable sort of entertainment that'll give you weeks of pleasure," she says.

"People really want in-person connection these days, they want to come out and meet like-minded people, chat with the authors whose books that they love.

"Physical media and real world experiences are just getting more important, not less. I think bookshops are a beautiful thing in a community."

As well as a bookshop and cafe, Truman Books also hosts events and reading challenges, which Amanda says are an important part of its offering.

"We support our local community, and our local community supports us, and it makes a huge difference to the world that we live in," she says.

"Rather than a high streets full of interchangeable, faceless corporations, I want to live in a place with personality and passion and community, and that's what independence brings."

Like The Book Vault, Truman Books has a large children's section, and works with local partners to engage with young people.

"I think getting kids excited about about books is crucial so we do an awful lot to try and lift up the next generation of readers," she adds.

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