Independent Bookshop Week, 2017.

Oh yes my bookish friends, it's that time of year again! The magical folks at Books Are My Bag are celebrating independent bookshops all over the country. 

Last year I celebrated IBW 2016 with a post answering a series of questions that were circulating around the bookish web and was so excited to see some of my favourite book bloggers also taking part. 
I then shared another post about mine and my family's favourite books!

This year, the gang at BAMB are doing Independent Bookshop Week with events, shout-outs and awards. Also their Bookshop Crawl last weekend looked excellent! 

I am currently on a little holiday so cannot fully participate in the crawls and events - however, I have been visiting and loving the independent bookshops near me this week! 

The photos above and below are of Hare & Hawthorn Bindery & Bookshop in Hastings old town - just off the funky George Street and not far from the sea. I was so happy to come across it this week, and to find so many treasures within. 

I'm in Winchester for the rest of this week; a perfectly bookish little city, full of history and exciting arty places, not to mention events (I'm in town for the infamous Hat Fair!). 

The city is big on its classics - they have an 'Austen Trail' which of course includes the house where Jane Austen spent the last 8 years of her life. This house can be found behind the cathedral, near the boys' college. 

P&G Wells is not far from Jane's old house on College Street, and it was a shop I'd frequent when in need of texts for uni - they had a pop up on campus too, which was always fun to visit. 

Kingsgate Books & Prints is around the next corner, tucked under Kingsgate Arch. A lovely place to find not just new favourite books (stacked beautifully along the wall for passers by to peek at) but also maps and postcards and artwork - maybe to put on the wall of your office/library at home...

And then of course there's the famous Winchester Bookshop, the place to go for antiquarian and second hand books. I went there a few times at uni - once on a date, actually - and treated myself once to some beautifully bound Shakespeares. 

I spotted this on my wanderings through the cathedral grounds - my beloved alma mater created this beautiful book-bench! 

(Apologies for the half-baked photo, I was too shy to ask the bloke sitting on it to move...)

Happy Independent Bookshop Week, everyone. I urge you all to get out and explore your towns and cities for indies, and maybe support them by buying your next reads there! 

Keep an eye on BAMB for their upcoming events and awards this week, and I also highly recommend signing up to the Bound newsletter; always a treat to find in my inbox. 

And FYI guys, Bookshop Day is happening on the 7th of October! 

Okay, I'll stop pushing all the bookishness on you now...for a short while, anyway...