I came here recently to fulfill another passion of mine; reading. Well, obviously, it's a book…read moreshop. But I'll get to the point. This store is certainly a handy locale for the many students that Leeds houses, and has a huge collection of virtually every specialty, it seems. With the exception of feminism and gender studies. Imagine my disappointment when browsing the various obscure specialty subjects on offer here, only to find a distinct lack of books surrounding my particular subject of interest. There was barely a book in relation to the subject, and I was directed to try and seek out material in psychology, of all categories! So, some of you may chirp in that it's neither a particularly popular subject, nor a common one, which is as may be. However, since I know that both the Universities offer courses in Gender Studies, and the various surrounding elements (of which there are many tangents), I thought this was a little disappointing. They aren't out on a limb though, it seems the only place I've found which actually caters to this subject has been the Oxfam books in Headingley. Even Borders, when it was still around, went from having a Gender Studies section to a smattering of books lumped in with Social Studies and lesbian writing. I shan't give up my search in any case! However, in spite of the lack of material in that particular area it has to be said that the store has a lot to offer. With many other specialty subjects catered for, a wealth of popular and classic fiction, and some interesting gift style items (see the Leeds pubs posters and similar) this shop would satisfy most of the general custom it supplies. Staff have always been as friendly and helpful as I've needed too, so all in all, one can't complain too much. If you're looking to expand your mind thoughts, this place is certainly somewhere to start. With the exception, of course, in gender studies.

A relic to what it was like to be a student in the days before Amazon, a visit to Blackwell's makes…read moreyou feel like proper student even if the closest you've ever been to higher education is getting caught in an Otley run trying to walk home on a Friday night. The shelves are packed high with textbooks and academic tomes on every subject imaginable, and there's a good selection of non-academic works too. Books are both new and second hand, and you can get money in exchange for bringing your old books in for resale. The only downside is the price, and many students seem to use it as a venue to preview books before ordering them for cheaper online.

Emmaus is a charity shop specialising in second-hand furniture and books. The charity supports…read morehomeless people to "move on from homelessness, providing work and a home in a supportive, family environment. Companions, as residents are known, work full time collecting renovating and reselling donated furniture. This work supports the Community financially and enables residents to develop skills and rebuild their self-respect." (www.emmaus.org.uk). The furniture is generally of a high quality and very reasonably priced with some quite charming vintage-style cupboards and shelves. The books are very cheap at 50p for paper backs and £1 for hard backs. Although there isn't a huge amount of books, what they do have covers a wide variety of types and genres. I would definitely recommend checking out Emmaus if you're looking for decent furniture at an affordable price, especially if you want something with a bit of character. It's great to know you would be giving unwanted furniture a new appreciative home while supporting a very worthwhile cause.

This branch of Emmaus is great. It sells second hand furniture and a few books in support of this…read morecharity helping people out of homelessness. There is a larger branch on the edge of the town centre but it is a bit out of the way. This one provides cheap, good quality furniture whilst making people aware of the cause. They have tables, shelves, sofas and lamps. The staff are pretty friendly and if you can't find what you want here, are happy to point you in the right direction of the larger shop.

Burley Road Offy is one of those little shops that not only sells booze, newspapers, chocolate and…read morefizzy drinks like most off licence's do, they also sell a load of other random bits. For example, they sell plastic footballs, soap, shampoo, air freshener, cotton wool. . .they even had a very odd looking plastic box of hair ties and bracelets on the counter selling for 29p each. They looked suspiciously second hand and like they might have once belonged to the lady who works there. But fair enough, may as well try and make some money out of unwanted bits. The alcohol selection is vast. I even spotted a bottle of 20/20 in there, the poison of my youth. Urgh. If you don't know it's a strong fruit liqour that tastes like alcoholic fruit squash, undiluted. They did have loads of spirits and wines as well though, so if you're in the area and after some tipple for your weekend gathering.

I'm very fond of this little off licence. It has a hand-written metal sign outside listing its main…read moreproducts and a somehow retro-looking Irn-bru awning. The couple who run it (I'm assuming they're a couple because I want them to be!) seem lovely and always want to help. One of my favourite things sold here is the box of old cards that I imagine have been gathering dust for a good couple of decades. They are only 30p each and some are very charming and rather specific - 'Happy Birthday Sister-In-Law' and the like. They do have a good array of booze at decent prices - I often pop in here en route to house parties. They also sell most grocery essentials, junk food and cigarettes.

This newsagent does the job. It is easily recognizable by its large Yorkshire Evening Post sign and…read morelight-up neon 'Open' sign. It sells a range of grocery essentials, newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, crisps, chocolate, sweets, ice cream, greetings cards, toys and bits and bobs. The woman who works there is friendly and very helpful. It is a standard corner-shop size, and though well-stocked, if you're looking for something very specific you may have to look elsewhere, but it serves the tin of beans, paper, bread, milk and chocolate bar needs of be-slippered locals well.

There are rumours that Jared, owner of OK Comics, hatched from an egg from atop a volcano. I cannot…read moreconfirm this, but I can say that a world without OK Comics would be a a world without joy. Everything a comic book lover needs is nestled in this cosy little store. Downstairs you have the latest releases (as I like to call it, the Wednesday Wall) plus back issues from some of the bigger publishers. You also have graphic novels, trades, and manga - often some of it at a discounted price. - perfect for people just getting into comics. Upstairs is like a comic museum. 50p back issues in classic cardboard boxes and even more trades to whet your whistle. This is a great place if you're looking for that one issue to complete a story arc. Back to Jared and co. The staff are some of the friendliest and most knowledgeable that you could ever come across. I've been in other comic book stores around the country (and world) and very few can compare to the awesomess of the OK staff. If you're a comic book fan, get your fleshy behind to OK Comics. If your interest in comics has been piqued by recent box office smashes, then let your legs escort you to OK. Is that enough gushing? You want something negative? Ok, well, I heard that at the stroke of midnight the comics in the store come alive and contribute to 60% of the grafitti in the city centre.

OK comics is a valuable addition to the independent shops in Thornton's arcade, providing a broad…read moremix of genres from the predictable sci-fi to a hardback Moomin book nestled in the window. The shop has a clean, light feel and is tidy and organised enabling enjoyable browsing through their many high quality comics and unusual books. The staff are friendly and welcoming, even if, like me, you are a bit clueless about the world of comics, having ventured in there looking for a present for my dad! This is a shop with a real sense of identity adding to the buzzing scene of quirky shops in Leeds'city centre, and having won the Leeds Guide retail legend award, it clearly offers a quality range of products and offers excellent customer service.

Chris Bray, Probable a down right insult a Book called…read moreNecrophilia once upon a time other wise known an older version of a book unknown The Silence of the Lambs the year it was written which has nothing to do with HR.Gigers Alien an old price list perhaps government employed 1980's watershed 10'oclock news the landlord Andrew Murphy Crowley. Debora Marc Bolan 1970's the real one I mean Debora the name above.

Guaranteed, you'll wake up on a Saturday morning, hung-over and gasping for a lovely cup of tea and…read morebacon sandwich (or fried egg sandwich if you're a veggie, or maybe just fried bread for vegans...?) and you'll stumble, zombified and monosyllabic to the kitchen to discover: No BREAD! No MILK! GAH! In comes Mistrys. Mistrys was our saviour for two years, granted you needed to live near it to put it to good use, but it is a lovely little grocery shop with all the basics that you could need. They sell most things you could need in an emergency - bread, tea, milk, sugar, booze, vegetables, real chicken (albeit not free range), shower gel, deodorant, cigarettes, condoms and more - you get the picture. It is a family-run business and they are all extremely helpful and friendly whether you are a regular customer or not! Every so often we would get a free gift for spending over a certain amount, which is always a bonus! Granted it was a big bar of their own-brand chocolate, but it was actually pretty good. The prices may be higher than other stores, but they have saved me on more than one occassion. So, pop in to Mistrys for all your basic needs.

It's no Tesco, don't get me wrong. It is tiny and a little more expensive than large brand…read moresupermarkets. However this has never bothered me. My mates in Misty's ( I say mates, they probably don't know my name!) are such nice brothers. Absolute geezers with some wicked gags! I go in and buy a chocolate bar even when I'm not hungry just to say ciao so there smile can brighten up my day! On a serious note, Mistry's stock loads of choccie bars,sweets, fizzy drinks crisps and other snacks along with a small selection of cigarettes, alcohol, magazine and groceries! To anyone living around the Victoria Road area it a nice break from the very busy co-op supermarket and sells all the essential bits and pieces along with the odd treat (which is always a drumstick lollypop for me!). If you like a bevvy buy your wine here. With 2 bottles and other deals the vino is very cheap. I would advice walking here as you will find it hard parking.

J. News is a newsagent on the corner of Kirkstall Lane and Morris Lane. It is well stocked and…read moremeets the local community's needs for newspapers and magazines, kitchen cupboard and fridge essentials, as well as a small range of sandwiches, greetings cards and wrapping paper, stationery , sweets, crisps, chocolate, cigarettes and a small selection of alcohol. It also sells mobile phone sim cards for a range of networks for only 99p...handy! And it prides itself on stocking the very local Kirkstall Matters magazine. It is open every day - for over 12 hours Monday to Saturday and 6 hours on Sunday.

This shop has rude staff that refuse to honour Paypoint Offers on smartphones, even though they are…read morelisted as doing so on the on the website. Wasted petrol to get there as well.

I'm not the biggest fan of Oxfam on the whole, as charities go it is the one that has most…read moreobviously become more of a business. In many cases the Oxfam shops sell second hand clothing at ridiculous prices under the guise of vintage, and I've even seen Primark clothing on sale there for a little more than it sells brand new! But Oxfam books is a shade different. Here there are literally hundreds of different books on sale. As with the standard Oxfam shops, some of these are a little overpriced, but with so much variety it's hard not to find a bargain in here. There are lots of popular texts, but also some really quirky old books, which have that lovely antique vibe. I wanted to find some specialist literature based around gender studies and feminist non-fiction and found a far better range and highlighted section than even Borders - which had merged those texts in with lesbian erotica! Oh the irony! Every item that I chose to purchase was super cheap and it was pleasing to know that some of my money, however much, should go to a good cause. A great gem of a bookshop for wee Headingley.

Oxfam Books is jolly good indeed. It is rather large and has clearly labelled sections with areas…read moreincluding gender studies, philosophy, gardening and much, much more. It's the kind of place you could spend forever in, browsing, reading, then curling up in a corner engrossed! It has a lovely, library-like feel to it with many other people flicking through pages and browsing the shelves. For the most part the books are very good value for money and the huge selection means you are absolutely guaranteed to find something you want to take away. They also sell a tasteful range of greetings cards. The staff seem lovely and you get the impression they really enjoy their job. Next time I have some pennies to rub together I'm definitely heading over there to stock up on books in preparation for springtime reading under a tree in my local park! Can't wait!