Village community in a three-bookshop town

Despite having now lived in Kent for almost a decade, until a month or so ago I'd never visited Faversham. I knew there was a creek, and I'd heard about the hop festival, but if I'm brutally honest I'd simply not heard anything to tempt me to visit when there were places like Whitstable or Canterbury nearby.

Then I met someone who lives in the town.

She told me it's home to three bookshops.

I rearranged my diary.

The Saturday I travelled to the north Kent town happened to be a market day blessed with blue skies and relatively warm temperatures, meaning bustling streets and great weather to show the area at its best.

My guide gave me a relaxed, meandering tour of the town, taking in market stalls, antiques, gift shops, the creek and various houseboats (I've a big soft spot for water and boats) and, most importantly, the three bookshops. But before I get to those bookshops I have to mention how friendly and attractive the town was. Maybe my guide cannily avoided the branded part of the town, but during my visit I was struck by the variety of independent shops, the character of the buildings themselves and just how welcoming the people were.

In most of the shops (book or otherwise) that we visited someone would say hello and exchange a few friendly words, and even in the street when a shopper heard me comment on an attractive building they paused to recommend a few more things I might like to look out for. Faversham had all the quirk and community appeal of a village, with the necessary distance to be found in a town.

But back to the bookshops. Our tour started down a quaint lane in The Fleur Bookshop. A charity shop run by The Faversham Society it was hard not to appreciate the fact I was in a town that was so much a community it even has its own community-run bookshop.

Set in a period building with beams and quaint features, the bookshop had a wide selection of more than enough to inspire my guide and I to begin a wonderfully booky conversation of past loves and those we're both yet to encounter.

Picking up Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall, I then continued the book conversation with the two lovely older ladies on the till as they disagreed over my choice of book: one loved it, the other thought it rather slow, but whatever I end up thinking of the book I certainly enjoyed their lively banter.

Next up was Bowstring Bargain Books. A decidedly more new establishment, here I was treated to a selection of discount titles in a light and airy shop that remembered to cater for the needs of us classics lovers as much as the more contemporary reader, not forgetting a well-stocked local interest section.

Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone caught my attention here, and once again I found myself treated to some friendly conversation with the bookseller, this time taking in music as well as books - always a good combination.

The delightfully named Past Sentence was our third destination. Ticking all the boxes of a secondhand bookshop to get lost in, this even offered a large selection of battered sci-fi - which always gets a big thumbs up from me. Ordinarily I'd probably have splurged on this genre, but it would have been very rude to ignore the rest of the shop, not forgetting my guide, who I was still happily chatting books with.

And so I continued through the winding shelves, never knowing if the next corner would be the last and enjoying the floor to ceiling shelves, with books crammed into every available space. Eventually we came to the final turn, and so our conversation rested on a book my guide had very much enjoyed, Tim Pears' In a land of plenty.

Having appreciated her recommendation of visiting the town it would've been rude not to open my mind to a new-to-me author too.

Satisfied with our purchases, all that remained to be done was the conclusion of our conversation - over hot chocolate and cake at Jittermugs. What better way to end a bookshop tour of the community?

The Fleur Bookshop
1B Gatfield Lane, Faversham, Kent, ME13 8NX
Tel: 01795 590621

Bowstring Bargain Books
6b and 6c Preston Street, Faversham, Kent, ME13 8NS
Tel: 01795 229263

Past Sentence
119 West Street, Faversham, Kent, ME13 7JB
Tel: 01795 590000

Returning to the joy of our childhood books

Children's books are, quite simply wonderful.

They're full of innocence and adventure, they introduce the young to reading and the 'old' will always have a favourite to fondly remember and encourage others to read. I particularly love them when I'm having a bad day as - depending on my mood - two particularly good pick me ups are The Secret Garden and Treasure Island.

But just because you see me reading a children's book doesn't mean I need cheering up, they can be a joy at any time and I despair of so-called grown ups who aren't mature enough to understand the pleasure to be found in a great children's read.

My latest children's book crept up on me quite by chance during a visit to Book-ish in Crickhowell, south Wales. I certainly hadn't intended my time in this bookshop to end up being a self-indulgent hour of children's stories, but as we all know, things seldom turn out as planned.

The visit had begun as most do at this time of year, running through the rain, avoiding puddles and then trying not to drip too much as I entered the beautifully arranged bookshop. But as I slowly dried off and began to explore it was impossible to not be influenced by the beautiful children's section taking up roughly half of the shop.

Dedicated to books and gifts, the front half of the room offers a selection of fun for reading adults and big kids, and I could've happily browsed in this area for some time. Indeed, I was there long enough to choose a new diary for 2014 and drool over the beautiful collection of Vintage books on display (a publisher I particularly enjoy).

But the children's section was calling. A children's book was playing on my mind, and hearing Mrs Book-ish (Emma) and the lady behind the counter talking, I simply had to ask for their advice in identifying the story (my misguided hunt for the book can be read here).

We already know I'm not shy when it comes to talking books, and booksellers are generally very friendly souls, so it didn't take long for me to have enlisted their help as I recalled what little information my memory had (I now know badly) retained.

And once a book conversation has been started it's impossible to stop at one, and so we continued. I can't remember all the children's books we talked about, but favourites were compared as we chatted in the middle of a wonderful children's section filled with books, toys and fictional characters to inspire young minds.

All of which left me craving the joy of a new children's adventure to immerse myself in. My experience in this age group is mostly of the classics, and so to choose a modern children's author to live up to my favourites was too tall an order for me to fill. Cue further children's book talk as I looked for a recommendation.

Thankfully, Mrs Book-ish was able to come up with the goods, recommending Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. Not an author I've wanted to try before, I bought the book partly out of curiosity about his popularity and partly because of how much I'd enjoyed our bookish discussion - I was clearly in the company of someone who loves their books.

Did I make a good purchase? Definitely.

Whether or not this book will make it onto my rainy day list I can't say until I've finished reading, but the fact I'm struggling to put it down leaves me reassured that tomorrow's adults will be able to look back on their own generation of children's books with as fond memories as we did that rainy day in Book-ish.


Book-ish
23 High Street, Crickhowell, Powys, NP8 1BD
Tel: 01873 811256
@Bookishcrick

Can you identify this book?

Visiting my sister for the weekend, we took an unexpected Sunday shopping trip to Abergavenny, and so an unexpected trip to The Abergavenny Bookshop.

Noticing my excitement as we approached the bookshop, my sister saw sense and took my young niece to a nearby cafe while her partner and I gorged on books - with me discovering I was in the company of someone who could actually spend longer browsing than me. But then, I was on a mission...

I had this idea that when I visited The Abergavenny Bookshop it would be to pick up a copy of Dylan Thomas' A Child's Christmas in Wales (because I thought it was set in the town, see below), and so as I wandered around this book was first in my mind.

Working my way through the recommendations, Christmas specials (my visit was a few weeks ago), children's, Welsh language and local interest books - of which there were many - and not forgetting the extensive selection of fiction and non-fiction, I kept an eye out for the book by Thomas, but had no luck. After a brief chat with the bookseller, who helped in my search, we realised the shop had sold out of the book, as I should probably have expected given the time of year and the closing down posters in the window. (At time of writing I believe there is hope for the future of this lovely new books shop.)

Despite being unable to find the book I wanted, The Abergavenny Bookshop still had a large selection of Welsh authors, and so instead I happily purchased Richard Llewellyn's How green was my valley, with several other local interest books picked up between the two of us. Indeed, in a bid to be unique in the fight for sales this bookshop definitely pushes ahead when it comes to Welsh interest titles.

However, despite my enjoyment of the shop I couldn't help but be a little disappointed at missing out on the book I'd wanted, so when we returned home I was shown my niece's copy to enable me to at least read the story. Which is why I need your help.

I'd been looking for A child's Christmas in Wales because I remembered being given it as a child but never getting beyond the first one or two chapters. Only the book I was shown at home was not the story I remembered.

The book I'd started to read was about a little girl who was put on a train to a place she did not want to visit. Before reaching her destination she sees a sign spelling out A-B-E-R-G-A-V-E-N-N-Y and decides to get off the train there instead.

After that all I remember is that at some point a box of coloured pencils appears (perhaps as a Christmas present) and the girl wanders the streets at closing time, at some point ending up outside a toy shop.

This story is the book I'd wanted to buy from The Abergavenny Bookshop. Can you identify it so that when the bookshop stays open I can return and buy the book?


The Abergavenny Bookshop
1 High Street, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, NP7 5RY
Tel: 01873 850380
@AberBookshop

An amateur adventurer

I've been visiting bookshops for a few months now, but the new year feels like a new start for my bookshopping adventure as a year of journeys to far flung bookshops stretches ahead of me. Already I'm planning visits north and west and mid, wondering how excessive it would be to go on holiday to meet a bookshop and just generally getting excited about all the bookshops in my future.

This idea probably played a significant part in how my next visit worked out, with what was meant to be a brief stop off at one bookshop on the way to my sister's instead taking me on a journey of more than 200 miles, two countries and three bookshops, in one day.

But I'm jumping ahead, because as I left the M4 to explore new (to me) country lanes my only thought was of Rossiter Books in Ross-on-Wye - would it be worth the drive? And would I even be able to find it with my poor navigational skills?

Thankfully, the answer to both of those questions was yes. Whether it's because Rossiter Books is in an easy to discover location or I have a bookshop homing device in my brain I couldn't say, but I drove into the town and my destination appeared in front of me, as did an empty parking space a matter of seconds later. This visit was meant to be.

On entering Rossiter Books my first thought was of surprise. I'd seen the three large windows on my way in, but as they're quite dark from the outside I'd not realised just how full of light the space would be. It was a beautiful and warming experience on a cold winter's day and one I'd very much like to replicate in my own home some day.

The bookshop was empty when I arrived, giving time for the bookseller and I to chat about what I might like to read next. One of his recommendations, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce, immediately captured my attention but before buying I wanted to take time to enjoy my surroundings and explore a little. As more customers appeared a friendly buzz filled the shop and before I knew it I was engrossed in Chris Hadfield's An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth. With signed copies available at cover price how could I not revise my choice of purchase?

Pausing to admire the selection of book-related goodies I also found myself unable to resist a Penguin tote bag of The Amateur Adventurer by Gandar Dower - given my endeavour it seemed appropriate.

As I got back on the road with my book and bag - and Rossiter loyalty card - by my side I really did feel like I was on an adventure, or some kind of pilgrimage, and before I knew it I found myself wishing I'd bought the two books instead of one.

This thought grew as I crossed the border into Wales and suddenly I realised I was on the road to Monmouth, home of Rossiter Books' sister bookshop of the same name. It would've been rude not to pop in and say hi, and pick up the book I'd left behind...

A smaller version of its big sister, this bookshop's large windows were hard to miss and seemed to glow golden on the gloomy winter day. Thankfully it also stocked the book that almost got away and so I was able to happily explore, being particularly pleased to discover another adventurer, Paddington Bear, taking a break from his travels to rest next to a couple of Arthur Ransome's titles in the well-stocked children's section.

Another pleasant discovery in Monmouth had taken place before I even entered Rossiter Books, as I unexpectedly discovered its next door neighbour was also a bookshop. And so I ended my trio of visits by exploring Stephen's Bookshop.

An unusual place, this initially appeared to be a good quality secondhand bookshop but also stocked a variety of new fiction, an 'airplane shelf' of battered pound books to leave behind once read, DVDs and computer games and a tempting selection of sweets. It was also a bit of a rabbit warren with the small shop front giving no hint at the length of bookshop corridor waiting to be explored.

Here I picked up a book by an author I've wondered about reading ever since Lata in A Suitable Boy praised their work: P G Wodehouse. I look forward to my first encounter with his writing in The Adventures of Sally - and yes, the adventurous title did help in my selection.

Three books happier, my mini bookshop adventure drew to a close as I finally got back on the road for my original destination, safe in the knowledge that while the day's bookshopping was over, stretching out before me is my own amateur adventure.

Rossiter Books
The Corn Exchange, 7 The High Street, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, HR9 5HL
Tel: 01989 564464
5 Church Street, Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales, NP25 3BX
Tel: 01600 775572
@RossiterBooks

Stephen's Bookshop
3 Church Street, Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales, NP25 3BX
Tel: 01600 713701

Who needs the sales anyway?

It's cold and wet and miserable, a time to be huddled up by the fire, warming our hands and feet and generally avoiding the outside as we recover from the extravagance of Christmas and the flooding and power cuts that came with it.

However huddling up at home isn't very exciting without a good book to keep you company, and not everyone was lucky enough to get one of those for Christmas. Fortunately, this doesn't have to be an expensive thing to rectify, as I discovered when I visited the seaside town of Whitstable in Kent.

I have to admit, visiting a seaside town in the winter wouldn't be high on my to do list, but I was invited along by the town's reporter, who offered to introduce me to the local bookshops and other delights of the town, and I'm very glad I accepted.

I'd heard about Whitstable before, but not really visited properly as stories of nightmare traffic and high prices in boutique shops had put me off. Visiting on a cold Wednesday afternoon, I can't answer to any of those complaints for a sunny summer day, but the regular prices on offer in the bookshops I visited would put the sale offerings of most high streets to shame.

First stop on my tour was the independent Harbour Books on Harbour Street. Selling remainders and full price books, I'd been a little wary of visiting this bookshop because of how much I dislike high street remainder bookshops, or should that be shops that happen to sell books. I really should have known better.

As a follower of theirs on Twitter I already knew Harbour Books regularly crafts some beautiful window displays (my photo doesn't do it justice), what I hadn't expected was a shop crammed with more books than I'd seen in a long time, most of them in a space no larger than my living room. Sure, the shop includes a back room and upstairs, but it was this colourful front room that captured my heart. From recommendations and local interest to general fiction and classics - not forgetting a bright and colourful children's section - there was most definitely something for everyone. And listening into the conversation at the till where the bookseller appeared to be ordering in new stock, I was definitely in a place that appreciates a good book.

And so I appreciated their bookshop even more, taking my time to explore the books before selecting The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin for a mere £2.99.

Following a leisurely walk through the town, my next stop was the secondhand and antiquarian Oxford Street Books. In contrast to my first stop, this bookshop was massive. Sprawling through many rooms, each with a different subject, this was a shop to get lost in, and so I did... wandering from science fiction to history, to crime and even a few shelves dedicated to naval and western fiction. I picked up Stephen King's The Stand for just £1.95 and The True Deceiver by Moomin writer Tove Jansson for 95p. Yes, I failed to stick to my one book limit, but at those prices how could I do anything else?

Pleased with my purchases, it was time to take a break and go for lunch at the Horsebridge Arts Centre. A wonderful resource for the community, I enjoyed some friendly banter with the staff followed by a warming jacket potato in their cafe. Then, so comfortable was I in my surroundings (I did have a couple of good books to read too) that I decided to dawdle a while longer and sample their cakes and hot chocolate. It was during this second trip to the counter that I noticed a bookshelf by the door. While I know this technically probably doesn't class as a bookshop, I found it impossible to ignore the shelves and soon found myself picking up Danny Wallace's Charlotte Street for a mere 50p - as it's raising money for the centre I doubled my donation.

And so, for less than £7, I came away from Whitstable with a haul of seven books. Rain meant I didn't get to enjoy an ice cream by the sea, but with bookshops like this to tempt me back we all know I'll be returning for a 99 once the sun returns.

Harbour Books
21 Harbour Street, Whitstable, CT5 1AQ
Tel: 01227 264011
@harbourbooks

Oxford Street Books
20A Oxford Street, Whitstable, CT5 1DD
Tel: 01227 281727

A gift for my Dad

We've all got that one person who they find it impossible to buy for at Christmas, for me that person is my Dad.

Every year I ask him what he'd like, and every year he tells me I don't have to give him anything. At a push he relents and tells me not to spend a lot, but if I want I can buy him a gift voucher. Which, quite frankly, is a pain.

Because of all the people I (willingly) buy gifts for my Dad is the one I want to find something really special for. We don't spend a lot of time together, and when we do meet up we don't always say a lot, but I know he's there for me and I hope he knows how important he is to me. And while I know you don't need a glitzy present to tell a person you care, it's nice to be able to give something to say thank you and show them they're special. Something that shows you took the time to think about them and consider what they might like. Unfortunately, when it comes to gifts for my Dad no amount of thought helps me to achieve such a present and this year was looking highly likely to be another exercise in gift voucher-buying.

Then I discovered The Aviation Bookshop in Tunbridge Wells. Just a stone's throw from the historic Pantiles area of the town, this thriving specialist bookshop felt like the answer to all my present-buying concerns. Because despite ending his career (very successfully) behind a desk, the early days of my Dad's working life were as an apprentice at A V Roe.

While I confess I don't know the details of his plane building apprenticeship, one of the things I do know is that my Dad worked on the last remaining Vulcan to grace our skies. A fact I was particularly proud to share with all my Kent friends when it took part in an airshow in the county this summer.

And so I set off to The Aviation Bookshop to find a meaningful Christmas present for my Dad.

Being fairly (totally) ignorant of the aviation world I'd anticipated a small shop with a few easy to spot books about the Vulcan. I'd walk in, talk to the bookseller and choose a gift. In reality it is a large shop, spanning several rooms filled with shelves of carefully arranged books.

Thankfully the second part of my plan - the bit involving help from a bookseller - saved me from disaster. I mentioned the Vulcan and immediately a selection of new and old books were collected from the shelves, including a few that were signed. We talked about planes, Avro (as I now know my Dad's former employer is known) and eventually I selected a fairly new book with some lovely colour photographs that even this ignoramus could appreciate.

With a little gentle prodding the bookseller then told me about the history of the shop, book signings and the service it provides to aviation fans all over the country so that I soon became fascinated - I'd love to one day bring my Dad along so I can see a proper enthusiast enjoy the setting.

In the meantime I'll be presenting Dad with his gift on Christmas day, but just in case he already owns the book I've also bought a gift voucher...

The Aviation Bookshop

31-33 Vale Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1BS

Tel: 01892 539284

Solving a gift-buying dilemma

An invitation to a festive tea party put me into a bit of a quandry earlier this month. I knew my host would be providing a selection of homemade baked goods and that - while it wasn't essential - many guests would be bringing their own creations to share.

Now I'm perfectly happy to take a hospitality gift when invited to a special occasion, what I'm not prepared to do is take along something that looks like it's been baked by a four-year-old. In fact, my creation would've been worse than that because at least a child is supervised by someone who knows their way around the kitchen. And so I got into a bit of a panic. I spent the train journey to Dulwich half hoping for a delay to give me time to think (remarkably Southeastern were punctual).

Which is the state of mind I was in when I entered Village Books. As is only natural, the simple act of entering a bookshop did help to calm me somewhat, but in the back of my mind I couldn't help but feel I shouldn't be enjoying myself until I'd chosen a gift to buy my friend. Fortunately, the bookshop had the answer.

Even while looking at the array of baking books I'd not fully appreciated what was in front of me until I saw Great British Bakes by Mary-Anne Boermans and the lightbulb in my brain flashed on. What better hospitality gift could there be for a book lover to give to someone with a passion for baking?

Relief washed over me and I was once again able to appreciate my surroundings - including the largest travel section I've seen in an independent (or possibly any?) bookshop, and I was particularly appreciative of the effort to encourage teen readers by giving them a young adult section all to themselves away from the kids. Now I just had to find a book for myself.

While browsing the fiction it was hard not to notice the buzz in the shop, with a regular flow of customers and friendly booksellers happy to help - one of whom I soon cornered to ask for advice. Wanting to be sure I'd chosen a good gift, and one that wouldn't already be on my friend's shelf, I needed reassurance about my choice and, naturally, we soon got talking about books for me to read too. Within minutes a small pile of recommendations was collected in front of me and I felt truly spoiled.

One of the things I love about meeting a new bookshop is that as well as being introduced to new books (many of which have now been added to my must-read list), old - or at least slightly less recent - reads can often be shown to me in a new light too. And so it was the bookseller's enthusiasm for Kate Atkinson's Case Histories that won the day - a book I've always meant to read, this seemed like the perfect time to finally take a copy home.

Books selected, it was time to pay. As I was buying a gift, I'd also picked up some tissue paper wrapping, but as I was paying the bookseller told me about their free gift wrapping service and - as you can see - did a much better job than I'd ever manage.

Having entered the bookshop a nervous mess, I left with a book for me, a gift for my friend and a smile on my face: I was ready for an afternoon of civilised socialising and more festive tea and cakes than I ever thought possible.
 

Village Books
1d Calton Avenue, Dulwich, London, SE21 7DE
Tel: 020 8693 2808
@bookshopdulwich