Hold Fast Bookshop

This Bookshop is located on a canal boat, across from The Canary. Hold Fast has many books from children’s fiction to adults fiction, while also stocking non-fiction books like; essay collections, self-help, music, nature and politics. Although the books are the main focus, the shop also sells plants, gifts, cards and has a seating area on the roof, where you can read and look at the surrounding dock. It’s a beautiful boat and the owners were on the till the day I went in. I talked to them about the publishing company called Fitzcarraldo, as the book I was buying - ‘Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead’ by Olga Tokarczuk – was done by them, and they told me she had just published a new one. It was blue skies that day and the clouds were the colour of butter mintoes.

Village

This Bookshop is situated in and above Welcome Skate Store at Thornton’s Arcade. Village is a specialist bookshop with a focus on Magazines, Zines, Art and Photography. They stock many of these publications like Dazed, i-D, Purple, Granta, Fashion Photography For America 1999-2016 by Juergen Teller and many more. They also stock some vintage editions of magazines like the first issue of Vogue Russia Россия* amongst others, and often have art installations in their gallery inside the shop. When I went, I didn’t get the name of the artist, but the art consisted of; swirls and general intricate patterns shaped out of uncooked rice on the floor, more details drawn on canvas, intricacies with a toy dog drawn on and a web-like sculpture on the wall, a book of poetry – annotated. Like the other shops they also sell cards/prints by photographers. *The cover had a young Kate Moss on in pink with Amber Valetta.

Colours May Vary

This Bookshop can be found in the Corn Exchange on the balcony floor. Colours May Vary focuses more on non-fiction, stocking books on Philosophy, Music, Politics, Art, Mythology, Nature, Culture, Cooking, and how many of these things intersect with books like ‘Capitalism, A Horror Story: Gothic Marxism and the Dark Side of the Radical Imagination’ by Jon Greenaway. Along with it’s books, this shop also has an impressive selection of Magazines and zines  on Art, Architecture, Fashion and more. They also sell gifts including mugs, notebooks, calendars, cards, candleholders, stationery etc. This shop is something I thought about when making the decision to move, as it signified a true interest in things I am passionate about, and that the culture is pulsing.

The Bookish Type

This Bookshop is located on Great George St. The Bookish Type is a self-described Queer Indie bookshop, so specifically stocks books with LGBTIQA+ themes or authors. This selection ranges from fiction, YA, poetry, memoirs, essays, kids, zines, non-fiction and plays. They also sell stickers and cards and have some initiatives to help those in need including a Pay It Forward scheme which helps people who cannot afford some of the books. There is an incredible variety with authors from all over the world, when I visited the store there was a book called ‘Blue Hunger’ by Viola Di Grado that I couldn’t get at the time but will be heading back there soon. The book was about loneliness, grief, and a deep excess of emotions on longing and love. I’m always looking for new authors and this one sounded promising, almost like a Xiu Xiu song and the cover, like a photo by Antoine d’Agata.