Whenever I go to the airport I always leave insanely early just in case I get caught in traffic or…read morethere is a big line as soon as you get in. Unfortunately, this means that on most occasions when the traffic is fine and the lines are minimal I have much too much time to spare before jumping on the place. Luckily for me there are plenty of newsagents, cafes and bars to browse through. On my latest trip through the Brisbane Domestic Airport I found myself gravitating towards News Travels not just to spend some time before my flight but because it looked fresh, clean and surprisingly spacious for an airport newsagent. News Travels had a wide range of books and magazines to rummage through and a good selection of kids colouring books and the like. There was your general selection of lollies, mints and other snack food. The books and magazines were quite cheap but food and drink still had those typically high airport prices. What I found nice was the selection of carry on luggage available to buy as well. All of these things and more were arranged nice and spaciously around this rather large store. It was nice to be able to have more than one person in each aisle as we flicked through magazines in search of something to entertain ourselves. Check News Travels out next time you have a little time to spare before your flight. You won't regret it.

Airport coffee. Airport prices. You all know what I'm talking about. Low quality black gold and…read moreoften burnt taste for inflated prices that you submit to out of supply and demand. Well, when flying Qantas from Brisbane you no longer need to be raked over hot coals for a meager coffee, thanks to the newly opened Watermark Books. They've been open only two or three weeks and as well as supplying you with a decent range of books and stationary to keep you entertained once in flight, there's a café kiosk pouring Campos Coffee at standard café prices ($3.60 for a small coffee) as well as a small selection of cakes, quiches and muffins. And the real bonus, kids? Their long communal tables situated mid-store. Set your phone up as a hotspot, pop up that laptop or iPad, order your coffee of choice and enjoy a peaceful power work session before your flight departs.

Pleasant place to hang out and wait for your flight. Campos…read morecoffee, books and cake are present so happy place for me. I'm partial to Campos that's what drew me in initially. Book cafes are also a love of mine so I thought I'd give it a go. Coffee was fine, not the best I've ever had but totally drinkable. Got a caramel tart which while diabetes-inducing was pretty good. My coffee came with a tiny choc chip cookie on the rim (free things will win me over no matter the scale!) - so cute! Service was good and friendly - the guy who served me was pleasant despite still being at work at 5pm on a Friday afternoon. Sat. Ate. Caffienated. Paged through books I had no intention of buying.... Not a bad way to wait around for my flight!

Have you heard the expression, "match made in heaven"?…read more On my last rendezvous in Fortitude Valley, quickly become Brisbane's Mecca for exceptional coffee. I was taken back by the smooth taste of flat white order that may have come about by accident. I asked for an almond flat white, since I wasn't too excited about the soy milk on-hand. Now, I am putting my reputation as a coffee snob and caffeine addict on the line with this next comment...but! " I believe with all my heart that Black Star (Rev - Espresso) Coffee and almond milk hand crafted by the lovely young lady barista at Foundry Records, is the bomb, hands down the best in Brisbane".

From the owner: Foundry Records and Cafe are Brisbane's local dealers in caffeine and vinyl (records not the old…read morefloors from Auntie Tracey's kitchen). We think there is nothing greater in this world then losing yourself in the immersion of your favourite record. To take this to the next level, do this while you slowly sip on some of the best coffee in the world. We love music and all things music, but there isn't enough time in the day for all of it. So, we have become avid lovers of the magic powers of the little brown bean that delivers the finer things in life.

Had a lot of books to donate found Cystic Fibrosis shop and looking forward to donating them here…read morewent today and was disappointed by one of the staff he just said put them up here no help whatsoever and started going through them throwing them which was not nice, and then another older gentleman came with a trolley and helped us. He was lovely and excited to see we had some music books as he said we don't get many of them. We had also sorted them into their genre and none were torn and dirty. So disappointed by what we saw. Yes I have worked as a volunteer so I do know what is exceptable and not. A lot of them were brand new. I just hope they are going to help people less fortunate than us. Just sad to see how these were handled.

Really good pricing on cook books and others and what a great experience it was it was like going…read morebonkers in a candy shop I meant what an enjoyable experience from Kate richardson

The best and worst thing you could ever give me is a Folio books voucher…read more I will be elated for days greedily thinking about all the books I have had my eye on, but when the time comes to pick the one book that gets to come home with me I start to panic. Will it be the limited edition Graphic Novel? the book on the history of Swiss Design? the vintage tattoo encyclopedia? the hilarious cat flip-up book?? Of course Folio books has such offerings and a whole load more. It's shelves are groaning with fat glossy art books on show and a large range of fiction to boot. to make matters worse for my wallet, I have recently discovered their online store (+ $9 postage anywhere in australia!) Goodbye money! Hello GREAT RAILWAY MAPS OF THE WORLD (Mark Ovenden, 2010)

If you walk near Albert Street or you're a QUT student, you'll no doubt have fallen across Folio…read moreBooks, but have you gone inside? This guy is just a place with wall-to-wall books on everything from design to art, fashion, food, photography, poetry, design, and just about every topic that's ever been written about. They also have a pretty sweet collection of fiction and some truly fantastic journals and diaries bound to look like antique books. So good. The trouble is picking a section in which to start browsing, because you get turned around and dazed with so many book and category choices. A kind of strange thing that stands out about Folio Books for me is that everything is shiny and new. I like a little bit of history to my books but this isn't an antique store, I must remind myself, so I shouldn't be too judgmental. This place has a ridiculously extensive range of books to delight and inspire.

Whatever band I've been in, we've always ended up rehearsing at Via Studios. Its one of the most…read morecentral spaces where band members from all parts of Brisbane can come together, jam out, or practice. There are ten room at Via, all air conditioned and professionally sound proofed. It's very rare to hear any noise spill from rooms next to yours and if does its probably someone has left a door open. Each room is also stocked with high-end PA systems, microphones and leads. If you wish to record one of your sessions call in and they'll work on setting something up for you. Via staff are very approachable and technically savvy and will try their best to help you if any issues occur with your own equipment. Via has made sure that they have stocked up on enough basic hardware to aid when strings breaks, batteries run out or the when the bassist has forgotten his leads. Because, as we know 90% of musicians are starved, Via has a small range of chips, lollies and drinks at cheap prices that even the most skint of singers can afford. After rehearsal is done you can pay an extra charge to store your good on site as the studio has a 24 hour monitored security system. For $17.50 an hour or $50 for a block of four, Via, with its in house equipment, easy locality and good rooms is worth every note.

Gametraders is one of my favourite stores at Chermside, as they often get in retro video game…read moreconsoles such as the Nintendo 64, the Gamecube, the PlayStation 2 and the original Xbox. They also have a large selection of video games for older consoles. You should definitely avoid Gametraders if you have an addiction for Pop! Vinyl Figures, as they sell hundreds of them, in addition to merchandise for franchises including Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Doctor Who and Star Wars. They also have a large selection of board games and card games, many of which you would not find at most toy and department stores. Gametraders also sells comic books, anime DVDs / Blu-ray's, a small selection of clothing and various video game / TV show props, which would be perfect for cosplay. You will often be able to find items that Gametraders are selling for less online, though they offer convenience and a unique retail experience, which EB Games is finally catching on to, with the launch of their new Zing Pop Culture stores.

Video games are expensive - and don't really have anything to do with videos anymore now I think…read moreabout it. Gamestraders has a very clever model based around letting you trade in your old games to help offset of that brand new $100 game YOU HAVE TO HAVE RIGHT NOW. Other game stores do this too, but Gamestraders seems to be a bit more generous with their refund. Don't get me wrong, they then turn around and sell your traded in game for heaps more than they paid you, and it's pure profit (they only have to pay the manufacturer for new games so selling second hand games is heaps more lucrative than selling new). There's a decent range, and parents and partners can feel slightly better about watching their loved one trade in that game that cost a fortune just a week ago (trust me, you never really go back and play a game once you've finished it).

I can't say I buy a lot of adult books from here (unless the Brisbane Writers Festival is on when…read morethe Library Shop spills out into the Breezeway selling all the books of the festival) but I do really enjoy the range of children's books on offer. I came here to do my Christmas shopping for my niece and nephew last year and found so many lovely, original kids books that I wanted to buy. I also like their range of wrapping paper, which could be cut up nicely to make cards, however, it's very expensive! I took a piece up to the counter with another purchase recently and had to tell the cashier I didn't want it when the price came up on the scanner. I can't remember exactly how much it was, but it was enough to stop me from buying it and the cashier agreed that it was very expensive. If you want to splash out on wrapping and cards here, do so with monetary caution. I'll be sticking to buying books here.

Oh how I love this bookstore. It's beautifully laid out, the range is extremely carefully curated…read more(which you'd expect considering it's the State Library) and the range of add on products are just enchanting. You can grab a takeaway coffee from the adjoining cafe and wander through the stacks to your hearts content. I usually find something I just can't do without, and as my husband is a writer it's a great place to pick up a new Moleskin for him. This place definitely doesn't rest on any State Library laurels, it's a thriving business and destination in its own right and well worth visiting.