In Victoria, British Columbia, books are hard to miss. They show up in homemade little libraries, no two alike, that visitors from the Alaska-run cruise ships docked in the harbor stop to browse. They fill a bank building more than a century old, now a bookshop; they cross the counter at a second-hand shop where a dog named Rocco greets browsers; and they fill a shop where customers have bought books since the 1960s. And through Oct. 18, a week belongs to the authors who come to town.
Victoria’s literary culture dates back decades. Emily Carr, the Victoria-born painter, was also a writer, and her first book, “Klee Wyck,” won a Governor General’s Award when it was published in 1941. Nearly five decades later, a University of Victoria literary magazine called “The Malahat Review” gave Yann Martel, who would go on to write “Life of Pi,” his first published short story.
Neighbors stock the little libraries
A volunteer-run network has mapped at least 1,061 little free libraries across the region that share books, and the map also lists 34 for plants and seeds and 29 for puzzles and board games. Even cruise passengers from the Alaska-run ships docked in Victoria stop to browse the shelves, and they come from around the world.
On Sept. 29, the network’s Pocket Places Project delivered its 150,000th book, “Trudy’s Healing Rock” by Gitxsan author Trudy Spiller, to the Queen Mary little library near 108 Dallas Rd. Teale Phelps Bondaroff, a Saanich councilor who volunteers to lead the project, said neighbors do most of the stocking. “The vast majority of little free libraries are stocked by the people who live around them,” he said. “Someone brings a book along when they take the dog for a walk, or tucks a few books into a bag when they head out for coffee.”
Bondaroff makes his rounds by bicycle, towing a trailer full of books. “Every time I go out to top up the little free library collections with my bike trailer full of books, I meet people who stop to ask what I am doing, tell me about their local library, or just strike up a conversation,” he said.
Bookshop customers browse, then order what is missing
Browsing is the main draw at Munro’s Books, Jessica Paul said. Customers know the booksellers are “voracious readers ourselves and love recommending books,” and that is “something that you cannot get from an algorithm when shopping online.”
When a title is not on the shelves, the shop orders it. Munro’s stocks 25,000 to 30,000 titles, but “there are millions of other books available to order, and we special order dozens of books for customers every day,” Paul said. Most orders arrive in two to three weeks.
Customers often say they’ve shopped at Munro’s since the 1960s, when the store sat on Yates Street, Paul said. “There is something incredibly special about seeing the love of books and our bookstore be passed on to the children and niblings, and grandchildren of customers we’ve known for years,” she said. The store is co-owned by its workers.
Russell Books offers a request list first. Staff checks every new and used book that comes in against it, and customers whose names are on it can buy the book before it reaches a shelf, Jordan Minter, a member of the Russell Books team, said. Customers in a hurry can ask for a new copy to be ordered. Minter said one former employee wrote children’s books, and “people used to bring in the book that he signed to them when they were children and get him to re-sign that same book so they could pass it on to their children.”
Alex Cruikshank of Bastion Books credits the city’s makeup for its readers. Victoria has three post-secondary institutions, the provincial government and a large retired population, Cruikshank said. “This means we have a large concentration of readers whether it be for school, work or pleasure.” Booksellers from other parts of British Columbia travel to the Times Colonist Booksale every year to buy stock.
Some visitors come just for Rocco, the shop’s dog. “It’s lovely to be part of people’s lives; we have customers who include us in their holiday traditions purchasing books for birthdays, graduations, Christmas and other milestone occasions,” Cruikshank concluded.
A festival fills the week with authors
The Victoria Festival of Authors, now in its 11th year, runs Oct. 12 to 18 with 50 authors across 21 events. Venues include Langham Court Theatre and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, and the program features Ruth Ozeki and Suzanne Simard.
Festival producer Laura Trunkey said the events are “more like live podcasts than readings.” She added, “The primary focus is on ideas.” A children’s event, KidsFest, is set for Oct. 17 at Fernwood Community Centre.
Salt Spring Island has a society for readers
The book culture continues just a short ferry ride from Victoria on Salt Spring Island. Paper Covers Rock calls itself “Salt Spring Island’s not-so-secret society for readers and writers.” Since 2021, it has hosted more than 30 authors. Its writer-in-residence program offers a free private guest house, now occupied by Andromeda Romano-Lax, author of “The Spanish Bow.”
Reading retreats bring up to 12 people together, and the society’s free Silent Book Club meets for a quiet hour of reading on the last Sunday of every month. Applications for the next residency close Nov. 15.
The final chapter
Ask around Victoria about why books are so beloved, and you’ll get a different answer every time. Books, from bookstores to festivals, are part of life and culture in the Garden City. Whether you’re a resident or just visiting, you can’t help but fall in love with reading again.
Jennifer Allen is a retired chef turned traveler, cookbook author and nationally syndicated journalist; she’s also a co-founder of Food Drink Life, where she shares expert travel tips, cruise insights and luxury destination guides. A recognized cruise expert with a deep passion for high-end experiences and off-the-beaten-path destinations, Jennifer explores the world with curiosity, depth and a storyteller’s perspective. Her articles are regularly featured on the Associated Press Wire, The Washington Post, Seattle Times, MSN and more.