This is the best 2nd hand book store I have ever been to inside the UK. The range is massive, from…read morethe latest bestseller through to the classic novel, and there's always, always something that I want to buy. The prices are pretty decent less than half price of the RRP in a lot of cases, including for almost brand new books. It's pretty fun to rummage around looking for something to read, and you feel pretty good too - I mean, it's recycling, right?! They also buy your unwanted books back from you, but be aware - they only take soft back fiction, which I discovered after hauling down my hard backs, manga books and nonfiction! Really worth a visit if you're in the area.

This small Waterstones is an invaluable resource to students too late to take books out from the…read moreneighbouring university library. Here, the friendly sales assistants can track down and order those important university textbooks for you to arrive within days. Don't forget to visit the nearby student cash machine before visiting - the books from here aren't cheap, but you can be assured you'll be buying and ordering the right editions for your syllabus. Non students are also welcome here, where they have a good range of mainstream books too.

I know, you're thinking, Waterstone's, books, yawn, we know what it does…read more However despite being in the middle of the brain-dead Broadmead shopping centre this shop is a little gem purely because of the passion of its staff. Yes I come here to get a book I know about, and it has a pretty good stock of classics and new books and they can order anything in you like. However, the love comes when you have time to browse. This is when you should have a look at the side shelves at the end of the sections and the tables in the middle. The staff carefully pick out titles on a theme - perhaps Russian writers or books about serial killers in America - and have little reviews underneath. Now I know all Waterstone's do this but this shop seems to have a knack for finding some very interesting books. I discovered The Master and the Margarita here (I know! What was I doing all this time?) and for that they will always have my respect.

The Here Gallery is such an assuming little place. They are fully stocked with tonnes of inspiring…read morearty things; books, posters, wallpaper, stickers and lots more, that always makes me really smiley when I'm here. There is a gallery downstairs which exhibits interesting work, from local and international artists. They always welcome submissions for their consideration, and you can tell they are quite select with the work they choose, as the work shown always is quite spectacular. If you're a little down in the dumps or facing a mind block with your own artwork, this place will really help re-jig your mind.

Stokes Croft's got a few flowers poking through the grey concrete, the Here Shop is one of them. A…read moregallery and bookshop, they've got an often changing range of contemporary art. They do exhibitions by visiting artists, with pen drawings of slightly alien looking organic shapes (that description's ripped off their website) by a Yugoslav-American Yellena James currently on display. Whatever is being shown the gallery is always a warm and quiet respite from the traffic on Stokes Croft. The bookshop side of things is similarly left-field and varied. They have loads of children's books, as well as books on graffiti, manga, and an eclectic mix of other subjects. You really have to go along to get a proper sense of the sort of thing they have. It feels like one persons just taken their personal interests and made a shop around it. I like this about the shop, you get exposed to things you might not otherwise get exposed to. The Here shop is kookish and neat, a nice play to wonder round for half an hour or so.

I've lived in Bristol all my life and always enjoyed going in BOTL. Although it smells of mould and…read morehas had many of the same books on the shelves for years, the prices are very reasonable and there is a wide selection of material. The owner is always polite and helpful, which made it rather depressing to overhear him enjoying a tediously racist and homophobic conversation today with a friend at the front desk. Once they'd set the world to rights about the perils of representation in media of 'ethnic minorities' and gay people being able to live openly, they went in for trans folk. 'Middle aged men dressed as women' was the sneering phrase. As I paid for my copy of the NRSV Apocrypha, thanked the owner and wished both gentlemen a good day, I thought 'what a shame, I suppose they don't want my type or our money here'. In the interest of balance, I should repeat that this is a lovely little bookshop, and a Bristol classic. Perfect for those who have a soft spot for out-of-date and unloved items

Whenever I go to a second hand book shop, I am reminded of Helen Hanff's philosophy in 84 Charing…read moreCross Road. She believed it was selfish to keep hold of books that you'd read and were unlikely to read again. You were better to pass them on to friends or give them to shops like Beware of the Leopard. So whenever I look through the crates and crates of books I think how fantastic it is people have paid their books forward. It's worth taking your time to search every nook and cranny of this shop to find the hidden gems. Because there's a complete mix of genres in Beware of the Leopard, I love going iin with an open mind and coming out with something completely unexpected. Beware of the Leopard is spread over two sheltered units so don't miss out by forgetting to pop across the walkway.

This was where I bought my copy of Dark Side of the Moon years & years ago! I went home, shut my…read moredoor and put the record on, and I don't really remember much after that. But this shop symbolises everything the Independent Record shop should be; the staff will always chat to you about music and ask you what you like so they can recommend stuff to you, or keep music behind the counter for when you next go in. If you're lucky enough to find this shop open you are in for a treat, they are always playing something you won't have heard before, and my advice is, buy the music they recommend to you. But finding this shop open is a game in itself, I had the misfortune of stopping by earlier today to find they have shaved even more opening hours from their week. So now it's just Fridays & Saturdays, which gives it more of a market stall feel. I hope by doing this they will get the business they need to stay open. So stop by at the weekend and start digging into the boxes of old records they have in the back! You'll find a Zeppelin album you didn't even know you needed.

An independent second hand record shop on Cotham Hill, The Beat Goes On is a rare find nowadays…read more Specialising in vinyl, they've got a big collection of second hand music, both on wax and on cd. Their range isn't massive, but there's definitely a few gems in here and it's worth really taking your time and having a peruse. Like the hardware store just around the corner, they've managed to cram an awful lot of stuff into a small premises, and it gets really crowded with just a few people in here. It's got a nice feeling to it - a bit messy and untidy but in a good, hippy and shambolic way. Definitely a shop that's well worth supporting, come and find a gem and spend a happy Sunday afternoon in musical bliss.

With park street, and indeed alot of the top of town, you will somewhat surprisingly find that…read morethere are not that many places to pick up a paper or get some chewing gum (or even some sweets if you need to satisfy your sugary craving!) Lexie's gives you the option to get those everyday desirable things, without having to walk all the way down to the tesco's at college green. Unless you live near the bottom then it would make more sense for you to go to tesco unless you want a bit more excersize! A nice clean shop, and stock's everything you would expect it to, very friendly inside.

Paint the picture - It's a warm day, you have spent most of the afternoon shopping and your hands…read moreare raw from carrying so many bags. The sun is beaming down as you face the dreaded walk up Park Street. You are nearly at the top. The Will's Memorial building is shading the sun from you, yet you are starting to feel faint from all this exercise. No worries, Lexi's is here! Pick up a sweet treat, a cheap and cheerful sandwich or a ice cold drink all for a fraction of the price that any other shop would sell. Fantastic.

What a fantastic find this book shop is. Hidden down at the bottom end of the main street where it…read moreis buried among the Estate Agents and charity shops it is easy to miss it, but it is a really excellent place to find really cheap books. We always pop in here when we're in town and I always find some excellent bargains. The book range changes all the time and usually they only have 1 or 2 of each book, so its hit and miss but there is often plenty of works by well known authors if you are looking for fiction and an interesting range of information books too. Their kids books are very good and they have a good range of board books for very young children. They often have special offers for example buy 2 books for £5 etc. The staff are very friendly and the shop is rarely crowded.

There aren't many branches of Foyles, so when you see one, grab a book, take a seat on a very…read morecomfortable chair and wile away a slow day with a cuppa. When the upstairs cafe first opened a few months ago, it felt like a trial, with takeaway cups and little else in the way of snacks. There's now more on offer, and if you're a coffee snob (like me), you can enjoy drinking from a bit of crockery rather than a cardboard tumbler. You would think a bookshop is a bookshop, but I've found books here I haven't seen elsewhere. I confess, most of my books are on my iPad these days, but this is a great place to find giant coffee table books that would look great on the giant, industrial-looking coffee table I wish I owned. Local books are here, too, and there's a space for authors to do talks and book readings, plus a modest gallery. And if you're looking for unique cards and wrapping paper, though sometimes pricey, look no further.