31-Dec-2020
BY SOUTHGREY.CA — In April, Booknet Canada, a non-profit organization that develops technology, standards, and education to serve the Canadian book industry, reported on the impact of COVID-19 on book reading, borrowing and buying in Canada. The results of a short survey, painted the picture of a whole society of Canadians doing more at-home activities than ever before. In addition to consuming more TV, browsing the internet, listening to music and playing games, 58% of those surveyed, said that they were also reading more.
It's no surprise, especially since, in the first few months of the pandemic, our leisure time and the nature of our social activities changed drastically. In March, we reported a number of 'winners' in the new normal. From puzzle and game retailers to hardware and building centres, some pastime suppliers were doing quite well, thank you very much (read What are you doing during the COVID-19 pandemic?). But while libraries were struggling with safety measures to open their doors and allow physical visits, book reading, ordering and discussion online was flourishing.
Our Grey County Reads contest wrapped up in March, seemingly timed to take full advantage of this latest wrinkle in our behaviour. Five Canadian-authored books competed to win bragging rights for 2020. This years contenders were:
In the end, it was Open Up the Wall by Geoff Bowes that emerged as winner. A close contest, well advocated by each of our readers, Grey County Reads provided us with a stellar list of quality book titles with detailed synopses for all of the stories involved.
Once again, we need to thank our readers and everyone who participated in this, the most successful edition of our contest to date.
Now it is time for the next Grey County Reads competition. This year, six books will vie for the 2021 championship:
Advocates will begin their analyses on January 12. Voting will begin February 22. What will be the next great book to read in Grey County? Stay tuned for more information to come. For now, read about each of the six Chamber of Commerce communities involved in this year's contest on the pages of Grey County Reads.
Comments are disabled.
At South Grey News, we endeavour to bring you truthful up-to-date local community news in a quick and easy-to-digest format that’s free of political bias. We believe this service is more important today than ever before, as social media has given rise to misinformation, largely unchecked by big corporations who put profits ahead of their responsibilities.
South Grey News does not have the resources of a big corporation. We are a small, locally owned-and-operated organization. Research, analysis and physical attendance at public meetings and community events requires considerable effort. But contributions from readers and advertisers, however big or small, go a long way to helping us deliver positive, open and honest journalism for this community.
Please consider supporting South Grey News with a modest donation and let us know that our efforts are appreciated. Thank you.
Subscribe for FREE to get the latest local news delivered to your email box.
.jpg)
