Yet another Brighton convenience store/corner shop, North Street Food and Wine is a little more…read moreconvenient than most corner shops for me, being directly on my way back home from the North Laine area. I often seem to end up here on my way home, if money's tight, picking up some cheap grub, and for that this store is absolutely fine. Just don't expect anything too fancy: it is just a convenience store. Run by the same people that run All Sorts across the road, North Street Food and Wine is definitely the better of the two shops. They have more on offer, not just booze and magazines, and it can legitimately replace a cheap food shop if you're just looking for microwave pizzas and crisps. I have to admit the occasional horrible food binge: every now and again, food like that is all I really want, making this the right place to go. As stated above, this is a convenience store: don't expect the world from the stock. If you're looking for anything beyond cheap, tasteless snacky bits and pieces, you should be shopping elsewhere. Also, offering lots of cheap food but smacking on a huge card handling fee is not my idea of a fair deal. Especially when it seems to change depending on who's serving... In the end, North Street Food and Wine is convenient and has a larger stock than most convenience stores, so it is a lot better than many of the convenience stores that dot Brighton's shopping landscape. Just don't expect healthy food, or anything out of the ordinary.

This convenience store looks very similar to the one opposite the road(All Sorts? Or All In Here? I…read moreforget...), so I guess they're owned by the same people. If so, then this store is the better of the two (although lacking an internet cafe, but then why would you need another one 30 seconds away?!). Here you'll find your usual array of cheap snack foods, as well as a few basic grocery/household items. They also sell individual fresh fruit pieces, displayed outside, which can be quite handy if you're on the go.

James Ellroy or David Peace? Hunter S. Thompson or William…read moreS. Burroughs? Banana Yoshimoto or Haruki Murakami? Carson McCullers or William Faulkner? Whatever authors you're into, City Books is a brilliant independent bookshop that's head and shoulders above Borders, Waterstones and other chains in the city. It's so small a coach party would have to visit in groups of ten but they manage to pack a lot of great fiction into that wee space. There's a lot of new releases, classic and cult fiction, crime, sci-fi, horror and womens fiction as well as a small selection of childrens books, cookbooks, travel books and art and design tomes downstairs. They also sell a fantastic range of greetings cards and Moleskin notebooks. The staff are all genuine book lovers so if you want something recommending, just ask. In summer, they often have a table outside offering reduced paperbacks and throughout the year they run a series of author events and readings at The Old Market - two minutes down the road. Nick Cave read from his recent novel here a few weeks ago and they have lots of authors lined up between now and Christmas. Speaking of Santa, I could probably do all my Christmas shopping here....

Books aren't for schmucks! I have written about both of Brighton and Hove's main libraries and how…read morebooks are a fantastic way to beat the credit crunch: "Libraries are a great way to be entertained and educated in times of economic hardship. Although the credit crunch sounds like a really boring breakfast cereal, it may have actually affected the way you spend money." Yeah I just quoted myself, what of it? I am going to contradict myself somewhat by now reviewing a bookshop and describing it as a great way to beat the credit crunch when I previously stated that the BEST way to do this is to get the same books from the library for free. However, you can't get all books from the library. There are some books that are too niche or just not there, so it is therefore necessary to hunt them down elsewhere. The internet is great for this, but a) the internet isn't a place in Brighton, and b) sometimes it is nicer to go out, see real people and support local businesses. Books and records are fantastically physical. It's not the same buying downloaded books, or music: it might be quicker and easier but it is ebbing away the physical way we consume. Books are records can be kept, shared, or sold on. They also give a home a real personal quality and show others what sort of person you are. City Books is a great example of a local business that we should be supporting. Not only does it give you the chance to buy books that you might not be able to get elsewhere and keep up the great tradition of reading, but they also offer an interactive experience with regular readings and book launches by established authors. It is inexpensive, educational and inspiring.

Apparently, Oxfam is the largest retailer of second-hand books in Europe, selling millions of…read morecopies of well thumbed paperbacks every year. There's lots of individual shops dotted across the city but this branch is the biggest and it's entirely devoted to books. There's a small selection of vinyl, CDs, videos and DVDs but the majority of shelf-space is given to the magic of storytelling. Outside the shop there's always a selection of books in wooden crates for £1.99 or 99p whilst the inside stocks a varied selection of old and modern fiction, history, geography, travel, food, theatre, film and biography. There's also a few rare and collectible books which are usually priced £10 and upwards. A must stop for bookworms.

Christmas present shopping when you're a student isn't always easy. While I'm happy to survive on…read moresecond hand and sale bargains when shopping for myself, presents are another matter. No-one wants a 'half price' sticker on their Christmas book. This is where Oxfam Bookshop comes in. Unlike the badly organised book sections of some charity shops, consisting of a few shelves of dog-eared trash-lit, this is a proper bookshop. It is organised into well kept subject sections, and also has a good music section with both vinyl and CDs (a rarity in this digital age). The staff seem friendly and knowledgable, and I could happily while away too many precious minutes here - sadly I had to push on with the present buying, but came away with a beautiful nature photography book for a photographer friend, for the bargain price of £2.99 (ok, the text is Russian, but that's all part of the fun..)

All in here was a life saver for me when I randomly found myself in need of pen and paper at 3:00…read moream one very late evening. I jumped on the N25 and soared into Brighton hoping that I wouldn't have to go all the way to the 24/7 Asda at the mariner... After several rather disappointing stop off's at other corner stores, I thought I'd put "All in Here" 's name to the test... To my delight, they not only had pen and paper, but in a good deal of variety too, with a mix of pencils and large notebooks sitting alongside ball points and 100% recycled jotters. Fantastic! And the range of bits and pieces isn't limited to stationary either, with plenty of random goods on offer. They also have the standard array of soft drinks and snacks too, and a well stocked set of alcohol shelves. There's a good selection of corner shops on North Street, but this is the one for me, seeing as they saved me so royally that evening.

All in here has a good selection of soft drinks and alcohol, and the wine and beer stock is…read moreparticularly good. You'll also find your usual newsagents products, like newspapers, magazines, snacks, cigarettes, and some convenience items. Service is friendly.

Hove Park Stores is a small newsagent-cum-general store just by the train station in Hove. It has…read morethe usual selection of newspapers, chocolate and snacks, fruit and vegetables, but distinguishes itself by the great selection of sandwiches, some of which are made, if not on site, then certainly by hand - when I went the selection included brie and grape, chicken masala and bacon with mixed leaf salad. They also sell samosas and chicken curry wraps of various types, all of which are really inexpensive compared to buying a similar thing in a cafe. They're very friendly in here, and are also open quite late, which would be great for commuters coming off the late train. They also often have a good fruit selection, with more unusual things like pomegranates and star fruit on occasion, although you couldn't rely on them having them in. Generally though, it's a good bet for a quick lunch or dinner that's a bit more interesting than your usual newsagent fare.

On lazy Sundays, there's nothing I like better than going for a long walk along the beach then…read morepicking up a couple of paperbacks from the West Pier bookstall. Last time I found a copy of J. Robert Lennon's hilarious novel about an obsessive compulsive mailman and this morning, I managed to scoop two recent Walter Mosley novels. Situated by the West Pier, the bookstall is open every weekend throughout spring, summer and autumn - unless there's heavy rain - and specialises in great quality, secondhand books. All the stock is in crates and there's usually a great mix of paperback and hardback fiction, poetry, biographies, true and literary crime and local interest books. The owner is clearly a bookworm himself and is happy to recommend titles if you're looking for something new and compelling.

I used to live near the West Pier on Montpeiler road and would regularly use the beach as my back…read moregarden on sunny days. This was also a good excuse to have a snoop around the crates of the West Pier Bookstall and pick up a second hand read whilst I enjoyed the sun. There is a good range of fiction and a selection of biographies that have just dropped off the current flavour of the moment. The prices are reasonable as is the quality of the books (nothing worse than a tattered paperback disintergrating from a gust of sea wind!) The propieter is an amicable chap and will try and open execpt in really adveerse weather conditions. I haven't directly been to check out his wares in a while, but noted that he was still going strong as I passed him last weekend. being a little out of the way, you also find that his prices are a littlle more reasonable than similar establishments in the North Laine.

Right within the station, Hove Station News is a vital resource for anyone like me who travels up…read moreand down to London or anywhere else. It's the place I stop for a packet of fags, a newspaper or a snack on my way through. Keeps quite long hours, which is very handy.

Small traditional newsagents but with a reasonably wide selection of magazines (albeit with limited…read morenumbers, so they may run out of anything specialist if you don't get in there quickly after publication day)! They also sell confectionery, tobacco and drinks. Staff seem to be very variable - some helpful, others seemingly roped in to help out, and less helpful.