I do adore bookshops and this one is a real treat for the eyes. There are paper cuttings directing…read moreyou to the fiction section and even free cake offerings! This place is almost my perfect bookshop (more comfy sofas to sink in to please)! I think they even have gigs here which is just a thing of dreams! Can't wait to return to actually purchase something, as last time i got extremely distracted with photographing every corner of it.

Rare and secondhand books are my thing, so I was bound to like it. I didn't know that it would be…read morelove at first sight though. Off the beaten track from the city's main shops, Colston Street is rapidly becoming the new cool, lined with retro boutiques, classy bars and one-off jewellery shops. The perfect location for a super cute second-hand bookshop, with a few other interesting kitsch bits and bobs thrown in for good measure. The space is compact, but I am drawn across the smooth wooden floors by the magnetic appeal of ALL THE BOOKS. For a mish-mash of different subjects (fiction and non-fiction) they're all well organised and some costs just a few quid. I suspect the selection is so good because of the proximity to a. University of Bristol English Literature department and b. University of Bristol Drama department. The quality classics, playtexts and poetry anthologies stand testament to that. The proprietor is too cool for school and is heard to blast out Dylan or Joni Mitchell from his laptop whilst reading and drinking coffee (exactly what I aim to do when I own my second hand bookshop). Saying that, he's enthusiastic and helpful (despite his nonchalant demeanour) and has been known to offer you a free slice of cake with a purchase.

All my life I have greatly enjoyed reading books but almost as much as I enjoy reading them I enjoy…read morefinding them. Never been one to peruse the clean cut aisles of W H Smith or Ottakers for instance, or to click through pages of Amazon - oh no, I prefer the real mc coy. Book shops like this one are a dying race and it's a shame. These books are all pre-loved and you can really feel it; the notes in the margins, the underlining of key points or simply the messages in the inside cover. Avon Books is an old fashioned affair complete with well spoken gent behind the till and a musty smell of ciggies. The stock is mostly on the subjects of war, espionage, natural history and philosophy but you can root out a few gems too. Recently I found the entire Gray's Anatomy for just a quid! Try and beat that.

It was the owner sitting outside having a quiet smoke that made me want to have a look inside this…read moreshop. A proper old bookshop, run by a proper bookish booklover, it's lovely for browsing, and is well organised if you're looking for something specific. I love buying books this way, rather than brand new from shiny big high street bookshops, and Avon Books does a good job of providing a classic library atmosphere to satisfy the old-fashioned among us. True to its local name, it stocks a good section of books about Bristol's history, which I'm sure get picked up by tourists on their way back from the Suspension Bridge. The classics section is large, so students of English Literature, take note: this is a good place to come if you need to stock up on books from your reading list.

I prefer my bookshops musty and interesting, so the glowing sign of this place is hardly a beacon…read morein my eyes. Nevertheless, the other day, I stepped inside to have a browse. To be honest, it's a little better than most other discount bookstores I've been in - there are the standard kids books and biographies, but they also have a selection of other literature, through, granted - you' wont exactly find yourself spoiled for choice. I think you'd be hard pushed to find any groundbreaking or provocative literature lying around, but if you're just on the look out for a quick read, I'm sure you could pick up something suitable for a few pennies in here.

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.

I love this place. I really wish waterstones would follow this shops example!…read more The stock usually rotates, but I have found quite a few steals here!!! It used to be the £2 book shop and now the £3 bookshop. But again, that's still a steal. On occasion, they do stock rare editions, but you will probably be in there for a couple of hours before you find one :p

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.

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.

Thank you Anna for your help with helping finding books that were autism,diverse and inclusive for…read moremy daughter she is absolutely thrilled my bank account maybe not haha. you were amazing and a absolute asset to the store as Alice really appreciated your help and it made the end of our day she is looking forward to using the book for her art.

Where am I? Where am I going?…read moreWhat shall I do when I get there? Stanfords can help. The place to go when you are going places, Stanfords houses maps of a trillion kinds from sightseeing in Las Vegas to walking in Andalucian hills (check out the staircase down to the lower floor for a huge map of Bristol as wallpaper) as well a wide selection of travel literature including all the Lonely Planet/Rough Guide series. They also handle the OS customised map service here - where you can have a map made of anywhere - say you want your favourite walk but it usually takes two maps to see the whole thing? You can get a customised map of the area you need. Also good to use as a moving-in present as you can get a map centered around your house! They often have authors signing books and talks by travellers and writers in store - David Attenborough is there next week, I'll be the one weeping in the corner too afraid to say anything to him.

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.