I have to give a major shout out to Paramount Books - a fantastic independent bookstore nestled in…read morethe sometimes overlooked and forgotten Shudehill area of town. Ok so there may be a million KFC ripoff takeaways and a few random shops that have seen better days around it but Paramount stands out as a well looked after 2nd hand book store with loads of character! I was pulled in on a wet and windy Monday by their comic book sale - in fact there's a whole area in the back dedicated to rare comics and graphic novels (fantastic selection) - inside there's a fantastic selection covering everything from music and film to politics, history and philosophy - really good to browse and possible pick up a tome to take home (wow that rhymes...) The best part of this place is the owner who basically is exactly what you'd be looking for if casting this place in a Hollywood movie. With glasses dangling from his neck and a scholarly look as he sorts the shelves - the classical music in the background makes you really feel what a unique place this is in the world of chain stores and amazon. Make sure you check out Paramount soon and enjoy a slip back into yesteryear!

Thank the lord for Paramount Book Exchange…read more One of the few independent bookshops left in Manchester, it's a strictly DIY affair run by a genuine book lover. The sign outside suggests it's only open Fridays and Saturdays but it's usually open Monday to Saturday unless the owner has popped out for something. The lively window displays give a great indicator of what's in store with stacks of new, vintage and secondhand books everywhere. Fans of cult fiction, sci-fi, horror, crime noir, queer fiction, biographies and pop culture will find much to treasure here as the stock leans more towards William Burroughs, Poppy Z Brite and Neil Gaiman than Harry Potter. There's also a small selection of 60s-90s vinyl for crate diggers. All they need is a coffee machine and I'd happily move in!

Ashton wh smith is the worst disrespectfull workers when im sending a package especially the indian…read morewomen that works there she is the worst loud mouth and worst attitude i have ever seen in a worker she starts arguing with you be talking to a diffrent worker she will just start talking inbetween for no reason instead of focusing on her own customer

A pretty nice WH Smith location for a small town, although it isn't the new-style, modern format…read morewhich is mainly in larger towns and cities, and shopping malls, it still remains a pretty good store, located inside Ashton-Under-Lyne's The Arcades' mall. The book selection is pretty good, it's the best bricks and mortar retailer in the town if you're looking for books, the prices obviously are more than Amazon. It also is home to a decent selection of stationary and the post-office. The typical old-fashioned WHSmith decor in older stores remains, the carpet is less than ideal as it looks ragged and dirty, I much prefer the wooden style floors in their newer stores. Still a pretty decent WH Smith location, useful location within the town offering some decent services. 3*

A beautiful little shop on the corner right outside Alty Market. I've been in here a couple of…read moretimes but still not bought anything - although I've been temped by the flat pack cardboard tanker for cats both times... There's a lot of beautiful things in here. Like Moth on Burton Road, but more gifts for men and more colourful. There's jewellery, kids toys, cards, home accessories, etc. A perfect place to wander around or pick up a present! The only downside is it's a bit on the pricey end.

Excellent business whether you are a buyer or a seller - a fair price is usually offered…read more Alas, this place is no more - the Church Street premises in Manchester city centre have now closed - property developers have finally called time on it... nothing lasts forever even if it feels like it has been around for ever.

It's good to see that a market book stall can still exist. I think we all have in our hearts that…read morelittle love of standing on the street and browsing through second hand books to find something good to read. I know I certainly do. Manchester Bookbuyers is a great independent bookshop in the new Church Street Market. True, it's all abit new at the moment and it could probably do with a few months of wear and tear to truly become one of those street bookstalls with loads of character, but it's great that it's here nonetheless. Always worth a visit if you're trying to find a bargain of a book or want to get a tiny bit of cash for books you no longer want.

Although the front part of this former record shop is now the Art of Tea, the Didsbury Village…read moreBookshop still remains in the back room! It's a great little shop that's crowded with endless rows of bookcases, each holding a huge variety of secondhand and collectable titles, including lots of coveted vintage Penguin paperbacks! For some reason, the shop also does a great line in books about classic Hollywood icons. I've picked up everything from straightforward biographies of Clara Bow and Jean Harlow to a slightly odd biography of Jayne Mansfield written by her psychic here! The prices aren't cheap at around £2 6 per book. But there really are some great one-off titles here that you'd struggle to find elsewhere. The man who works here is very chatty and will happily recommend titles to you. His mind seems to function like a human stock control system, too. So he can usually tell you whether or not there's a particular book in stock, saving you hours of rifling through the shelves!

Fantastic second hand book store at the back of the Art of Tea. Literally crammed floor to ceiling…read morewith books of all descriptions and in the type of environment perfect for rummaging through old books, especially when you have a couple of hours spare. This shop is situated directly behind the Art of Tea as part of a four piece (alongside zero and the Picture framing service) avant garde nod to commercial shopping. The perfect one stop shop for your creative needs and caffeine addled brains. Have a good rummage through the countless number of books (thankfully listed by style and subject matter) then pop next door to grab a brew and purvey your literary acquisition. I found a bargain on a Stanley Kubrick hardback perfect condition and sold for a very good price considering it's quality. This part of Didsbury Village is slowly but surely re emerging from years in the wilderness and this type of book shop is exactly the type of thing Didsbury currently needs.

WHSmith is certainly a staple of the British high street, it seems there are very few towns and…read morecities in the country to lack a WHSmith store. It's a brand you pretty much expect to find wherever you go. This store fits that quota, it's nothing too exciting/different, it's your typical, average WHSmith. The store is a little dark, and while it isn't as modern as some of their newer stores, the store isn't as old-fashioned as some of their older ones which aren't very easy on the eye either. It is in a good location within Bolton town centre, it is a couple of minutes away from most shops in the town centre as well as Bolton Interchange. The prices are a little high, but they do have a satisfactory selection of books/drinks, nothing too impressive but if you're thirsty in town and looking for a quick beverage or to put on your lottery, without much of a queue and/or without having to go into a larger store such as one of the nearby supermarkets, this isn't too bad. The staff seemed friendly enough. 3*

Three floors! Three floors of... stuff! I don't know that I have ever been in a WHSmith that…read morespans three floors. Although three floors doesn't necessarily mean that it is bigger or contains more stock than the average WHSmith. Actually, it feels a bit cluttered... when we walked in it actually felt a bit like a location of The Works rather than a WHSmith. We didn't go upstairs, but the main floor has magazines, cards, stationary while the bottom floor has books. We were actually there looking for books and while they have a decent selection, it isn't as large as some of the other stores I have been to. Also if you have a large shopping bag or back pack, you may want to watch turning around and moving about as some of the spots in the store are quite narrow. It can be difficult to find a staff member, especially if you are on the bottom floor and the staff are on the other floors. I only saw stairs to access the other floors, so I'm not sure if it is accessible for all customers.

Manchester Souvenirs & News have had locations popping up all over the city of late as the…read morenewsagents' chain look to expand - this is probably one of my favourite stores they have in the city, and I do like it much more than their newer locations at Arndale Centre Exchange Square, Shudehill and Deansgate, as well as their other location at the other side of Piccadilly Gardens. Refurbished of late to include a Post Office, this is one of the latest opening Post Offices in the area which is open from 6 in the morning to 6 in the evening throughout the week, opening a couple of hours later on Sunday and 8 - 8 on Saturday. The Post Office inside this newsagents is all the more important especially with the Town Hall's refurbishment meaning the Post Office there is out of action for now, and this one does seem a little quieter with less queuing compared to the other Post Office in their other store at Piccadilly Plaza. Despite being located in an older building on Mosley Street, close to Primark and Metrolink services, the inside of the store is pretty modern including multiple friendly staff working the store and Post Office checkouts as well as a pretty decent drinks/news selection, although I do find the prices to be a tad higher compared to nearby. 4* - A very innovative idea to add a Post Office into this store after the Town Hall's closer for refurbishment was announced which meant there would still be a Post Office on Mosley Street, while still being a useful store in a good and central location too.

Waterstone's in Altrincham town centre is probably one of my favourite stores within the town…read morecentre especially after the closure of the Carphone Warehouse store which was virtually opposite this one. It is a fairly large and modern store and it does stand out more than most within the town centre's shopping street, especially with the dark nights drawing in through these cold winter months and it is one of the larger stores on George Street anyway. It does shut early but this is common in the town centre and I did find the store again to be a little understaffed considering I did visit at quite a busy time (Saturday, the run-up to Christmas). 3* - Nice book-store for a big town, obviously it is a chain and I feel a little uneasy about paying higher prices at a chain compared to online retailers unless it is at an independent book-store, again this store doesn't compare to larger branches in larger towns and shopping centres but still it isn't a bad alternative if you don't fancy heading into Manchester from Alty.