#BookstoreoftheWeek – Winstone’s of Sherborne and Sidmouth

Three year old Winstone’s has already made it’s mark as a must visit for all booklovers in Dorset, Devon and beyond. Owner Wayne Winstone and Helen Stickland, supported by family, bring a wealth of experience in making their bookshops as welcoming and enjoyable as the books inside.

The first Winstone’s bookshop opened in Sherborne and is home to over 9,000 titles covering all the popular genres with a particular strength in children’s books.

Wayne Winstone says, “As a bookseller there is nothing more satisfying than seeing a child engrossed in a book……we want to develop in children a life long love of books and reading.”

We hear you, Wayne!

In two years, Winstone’s has been twice named the South-West Independent Bookseller of the Year at the Bookseller Industry Awards. Last summer, the lucky town of Sidmouth got a Winstone’s to call their own. Both shops enjoy Winstone’s continuous effort to engage with the community through a strong local events programme, support for schools and events with writers and artists. Just this month, the Sherborne shop is hosting an event with the Antiques Roadshow’s, Marc Allum!

Winstone’s is also a venue for book clubs and societies or those who just want to curl up with a good book, a locally-sourced cake and a great cup of coffee.

“Our coffee is a blend of South American Arabica beans from carefully selected farms in Costa Rica and Brazil (which gives the coffee a hint of hazelnut). To these we add some Arabica from Ethiopia which helps give your coffee a fully rounded taste. We also blend in a small amount of the best Robusta beans from Uganda. This gives the coffee a great “crema” as well as an earthy red wine type of flavour.”

We need some now!

The staff of both stores have a background in book-selling, coming from Waterstones, Blackwells, Booklore and Ottakar. They know a good book when they see one and will be happy to recommend if you find yourself a bit overwhelmed with their wonderful selection! Make sure to take a look at their We Are Currently Loving… on their website. If you have something in mind, you’re sure to find it but if not, they will order it and usually have it to store for you within 24 hours.

Winstone’s – bringing together communities and their favourite books since 2012.

Winstone’s Sherborne

8 Cheap Street, Sherborne, Dorset DT93PX

01935 816128

winstonebooks1@gmail.com

Winstone’s Sidmouth

10 High Street, Sidmouth, Devon EX10 8EL

01395 579969

winstonebooks2@gmail.com

Twitter @winstoneSid

Opening Times

9.00-5.30 – Monday to Saturday

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Bookstore of the Week – Salts Mill Gallery & Bookshop

Happy New Year ladies and Gentlemen!

We would like to introduce you to our first Bookstore of the Week of 2015…

*Drum roll Please* 

Salts Mill Gallery & Bookshop in West Yorkshire.

Salts Mill Gallery & Bookshop is set in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Saltaire, in a Grade II Listed historic mill building built in 1853 by Sir Titus Salt. Home to four galleries (the Mill is home to a permanent exhibition on David Hockney’s work), a selection of places to eat and drink, and spaces to rent Salts Mill creates a hive of culture truly underpinned by history.

The main bookshop is upstairs and has an eclectic mix of books on all subjects. Housed in a beautiful and spacious stone hall, it retains clear traces of its industrial past; the stone floor, cast iron columns, metal pulley and huge windows.

Little history trivia for you, the quality of light was important to the cloth-manufacturing processes in the mill.

Occupying half of one of the huge galleries on the second floor of the West Mill, the bookstore has the luxury of displaying a significant number of titles on tables rather than shelves. Exposing the eye to a rainbow of covers and encouraging even the most prudent to pick-up a book (or two).

It can be quite a busy place, especially at weekends, so there is a satisfying buzz about it, but it’s also a space made for quiet browsing. The shop is enhanced by all the artwork on the walls; many are Hockney prints but some are the work of other artists.

Salts Mill Bookshop is the kind of shop you could linger in all day, the placement of everything is designed so that book covers and spines sit in intriguing harmony. We couldn’t recommend visiting more highly, but we do suggest taking someone with you, party to share the love, partly to make sure you don’t buy one of everything…

Follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

Planning a Visit?

Salts Mill,
Shipley,
Saltaire,
West Yorkshire
BD18 3LA,
UK

Tel: 01274 531163 (General Enquiries, Galleries, Cafe in to the Opera, Salts Diner)

Fax: 01274 531184


Email : post@saltsmill.org.uk

Find out more at http://www.saltsmill.org.uk/

#BookstoreoftheWeek – X Marks the Bökship

Our #BookstoreoftheWeek is, in their own words, ‘like a bookshop, but not’, it’s X Marks the Bökship!

X Marks the Bökship is a bookshop and project space for independent publishers in London. Born and raised sharing a space with Donlon Books, X Marks the Bökship grew up and moved to Cambridge Heath Road from 2008 – 2014 before finding it’s current home at Matt’s Gallery in Mile End.

They specialise in works by indie publishers,works and projects by artists and designers, journals and discourse. They promote contemporary publishing activity through book launches, events and production resources that bring together individual practitioners to create a local publishing community. A treasure trove for the rare, the beautiful and the ‘I don’t know how I ever lived without this book’ book. All of which you can buy on their online shop.

The bookshop host I’VE NEVER READ HER, an amazing bookshop focusing on short fiction & essays by women, every second Wednesday of the month. Everybody welcome, just bring a bottle (or not) and your thoughts. This incredible club also host screenings and events around the texts that they read.

Interesting alternative bookshop, with a lot on offer. Give them a visit!

X Marks the Bökship

^ Matt’s Gallery

42 – 44 Copperfield Road
Mile End
London E3 4RR

https://twitter.com/MattsGallery

https://twitter.com/Bokship

Bookstore of the Week – London Review Bookshop

This week we are celebrating a gem in the heart of London; the London Review Bookshop.

Nestled in Bloomsbury, a (Rosetta) stones throw from The British Museum it is a peaceful place for book lovers to meet, browse a multitude of titles and snack on delicious tea and cake. Oh, the cakes! When you visit make sure you leave time for a cup of tea and room for a slice of their Flourless Chocolate Cake.

This store may be but a baby by London standards, opening it’s doors in 2003, but it’s all the better for not fitting the Dickensian mould. London Review Bookshop was included in the Independent’s Ten Best Bookshops in the world for providing endless nourishment for London’s minds and waistlines. Founded by the magazine of the same name, the London Review Bookshop fills its two floors with fiction, non-fiction and rare edition books; a treasure trove for book lovers. The lovely staff can not be faulted and will help you find your way around characters, clothbounds, criticism and cake. The London Review Bookshop is your best bet for books that can’t be found elsewhere, their sections are comprehensive and crammed with diverse and interesting subjects and titles. It really is all about the books and you’ll feel like Belle from Beauty and the Beast as you can grab a stepladder to reach something wonderful from the top shelves. The café and bookshop atmosphere is great for studying, catching up on emails or writing the next great British novel. Although, if you write it in the London Review Bookshop, the next great British novel will be about carrot cake.

Whether they come for the books and stay for the cake, or come for the cake and stay for the books, the London Review Bookshop have built up a loyal customer base, who can tell you why it is more than worthy to be our #BookstoreoftheWeek much better than we can:

Now that you are convinced, take a look for yourself, find them at:

• 14 Bury Place, London, WC1A 2JL
• +44 (0) 20 7269 9030
• bookshop@londonreviewbookshop.co.uk

And on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

 

To Dublin, with love.

 

To Dublin with love, this week’s #BookstoreOfTheWeek is Hodges Figgis!

Hodges Figgis is the largest and oldest bookstore in Ireland, founded in 1768. It’s noteriety is such that it even got a mention in James Joyce’s Ulysses:

”She, she, she. What she? The virgin at Hodges Figgis’ window on Monday looking in for one of the alphabet books you were going to write.”

If it’s good enough for James Joyce and all that.

The green and gold front is enough to excite any booklover who finds themselves outside it’s beautiful Dawson Street windows. Inside, there is a vast array of books, events and lovely staff who will lead you to your book if you can’t find it amongst the shelves. The store has everything you could ask for (and, if they don’t have it, the staff will usually order what you’re looking for just for you!) Once you visit once you’ll be yearning to visit again so be sure to sign up to the Hodges Figgis loyalty card for super savings! They used to have a coffee shop but closed it to make room for more books. MORE BOOKS. Hodges Figgis are a bookstore after our own heart.

A literary and cultural delight, the three floors are filled with packed bookshelves marked as Gaelige and a wide range of books from Irish authors who they consistently champion. Beyond Dawson Street, the Hodges Figgis Dublin City University store provides literary procrastination (and actual university textbooks) to students including our own Emma (but we’re not biased we swear, see for yourself!)

-https://abramsandchronicle.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.php

56-58 Dawson Street
Dublin 2

+353 (0)1 6774754

Opening Hours:

9am-7pm Mon-Wed, Fri

9am-8pm Thur

9am-6pm Sat

noon-6pm Sun

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hodges-Figgis/381680888618026

https://twitter.com/hodges_figgis

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers…

It is that time again…

It’s time for Bookstore of the Week! 

This week we are celebrating a little North London gem; Picked Pepper Books.

A specialist children’s bookshop,cafe and events space in the the village like Crouch End, they host daily pre-school events and after school groups; like their Young Illustrators and creative writing groups.They also have a a fantastic book group!

This little store is the place to be for little readers this half-term they even have a Halloween special Once Upon a Story Time! *Spooky*

We think that Pickled Pepper Books deserves a huge round of applause for the work they do to encourage and create young-readers. They go above and beyond the scope of such a little space. So for being small but mighty Picked Pepper we are giving you a massive HIGH FIVE!

SO grab your grown-up and take a stroll to discover storytelling, make and do, film screenings, author/illustrator events (psst…Mum & Dad they also do great recommendations…)

But if you can’t make it there be sure to sign-up to their newsletter and follow them on twitter! They can also be found on Facebook.

Find them at 10 Middle Lane, Crouch End, London, N8 8PL

http://pickledpepperbooks.co.uk/

Magma – #BookstoreoftheWeek

Oh happy day!!

It is time for Bookstore of the Week! Today we are taking a peek inside Magma.

This dynamic bookstore has three locations, two in London and one in Manchester (you lucky things.) We could be a little biased, but, we have a soft-spot for their Clerkenwell store… *pictures are from this location*

Magma is a story of two disheartened book lovers who wanted more than 3 for 2’s and floors upon floors of books. Although that is the dream for some, Marc and Montse wished for something more…Inspiring.

Something more…Vibrant.

Something more…Niche.

Something more…well, just MORE…

The small space they began with (they started their venture in Covent Garden back in 2000) forced them to be selective about their products & although they have expanded through their two other stores, and their range of titles along with it, their selectivity remains. Meaning Magma is a collection of handpicked books & gifts (and t-shirts!) that can’t help but enthuse. A haven for design savvy, Magma, is engaging and open. Plus, we love them because they love our books!

Magma, thank you for following your dream & for getting over the fight about Bjork *you’ve gotta read their biography to get that joke…http://www.magmabooks.com/content/service/biography.asp*We think you are champs. Three cheers for Magma!

Hip Hip, Hooray!

http://www.magmabooks.com/

Magma Clerkenwell
117-119 Clerkenwell Road
London EC1R 5BY
United Kingdom

T +44 (0)20 7242 9503

enquiries@magmabooks.com

Stepping out of London and into Bookstore Of The Week…

Stepping out of London for this week’s #BookstoreOfTheWeek and venturing all the way to literary Bath into the wonderful Topping and Company Booksellers!

They have a seemingly unending range, a selection of carefully wrapped signed copies and an atmosphere that is entirely unique to Topping & Company Booksellers.

The shelves are packed with books, none of which you’ll be able to put down. We’re a fan of any bookshop that understands our simple equation; cup of tea + good book = happiness, and with complimentary tea and books galore you’ll spend an ecstatic afternoon in Topping & Company. And when you finally emerge from a chapter and into the world, this treasure trove will undoubtedly have a gap or two in it’s many stacks and you’ll take a little bit of Topping and Company happiness home with you.

They have events galore with Will Self, Michael Rosen and Margaret Atwood making appearances in the book-lined walls over the next month! The staff are nothing shy of amazing, each one is well-read and delightful.Topping & Company also regularly feature their own themed selections offering something a little different. Currently, they’re celebrating The Topping Alternative Booker – 12 of their favourite novels that WEREN’T on The Man Booker list. It’s original, it’s enticing, it’s Topping & Company!

Don’t worry if you’re not near Bath, Toppings & Company Booksellers can also be found in Ely and are coming soon to St Andrews!

Find out more and hear from Topping & Company Booksellers here:

http://www.toppingbooks.co.uk/

https://twitter.com/ToppingsBath

https://www.facebook.com/ToppingsBath

The BEST Little bookshop we know.

We are throwing in a bit of a curve ball with this week’s Bookstore of the Week!

Today we are celebrating the online bookstore, Best Little Bookshop. This beautiful website may not be a bookshop you can walk into but it has the passion and heart of it’s more tangible companions.

Starting with the vision & passion to do something different with bookselling online & adding in the wish to recapture some of the magic & essence of professional bookselling Best Little Bookshop was born.

The idea is a simple one & we love it because it is driven by the simplest of things; a love of books, real books, real pages, that real book smell. AND not just a love of traditional fiction, but of the unique, the creative, the totally wacky (all things A&CB!). We were delighted to see Jim Curious, Lines For All Occasions, Hide & Eek AND Literary Listography on the home page. Each of these titles is an example of why bookstores (both online & on the high street) are so important. They are books that only work as tangible products. They are objects people WANT in their homes, that people WANT to share, that people WANT to give as gifts. They are the reason we love what we do!

So Best Little Bookshop we raise our glasses to you – THREE CHEERS to beautiful books! To books you can still write notes in the margins of & to books you can share with friends.

For amazing bookish gifts (one for you and one for someone you love) and to read all about their story visit them at http://www.bestlittlebookshop.com/

P.S – Send them a note if you can think of a great way to spread the Best Little Bookshop love & they’ll handpick a book just for you! E-mail them your ideas at mememe@bestlittlebookshop.com,

Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights.

BOOKSTORES REJOICE, it’s time to announce our BOOKSTORE OF THE WEEK!

This week we are celebrating our first store outside of London, because we know that there are some gems all over this little country of ours.Today we are celebrating Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights in Bath.

Mr B’s Emporium opened it’s doors back in 2006, and this beautiful little store, with BIG heart, has been an important part of the Bath scenery ever since. The store itself is charming; the cream shelves filled with books, the comfy armchairs and the toilets papered in book reviews! There is even a converted claw-foot bath book display, that adds a hit of eccentricity.

PLUS they have free tea and coffee for customers! What more could you ask for from a little indie bookstore.

Mr B’s was named the UK’s Independent Bookshop of the Year, for the second time, in 2011. So, if you are in Bath be sure to pay them a visit, and if you are not you still have the delight of their website! We think it’s the best bookstore website we have ever seen! There is something a little Harry Potter esque about it…

Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights we salute you for being an award winning little indie bookstore that is all heart & our Bookstore of the week.

P.S. Thank you for all the A&CB love Mr B’s! We spotted The Bear’s Sea Escape on your home page AND Kirby: King of Comics by Mark Evanier in your Excellence in Cover Design Award section!