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!

This is the only shop in Chorlton that sells brand new books. Although the bars on the windows…read moredon't entice you into this bookshop, I would advice you to go in and have a browse. Although this is quite a small store they manage to pack quite a lot in, including a range of current and classic novels. These are shelved around the edge of the front room, and in the middle there is a table with many discounted books ranging from travel guides to recipe books. In the back room there are non-fiction books including foreign language books and dictionaries. The staff are really friendly, and if they don't have the book you're looking for then they can order it for you. They also have a gift wrapping service, and a great selection of arty cards including ones with Quentin Blake illustrations which I love. Let's hope that the giants of Amazon and co. do not force this lovely traditional bookshop out of business.

Toni Morrison Alice Walker…read moreJeanette Winterson Angela Carter Raymond Carter Richard Yates Cormac McCarthy Annie Proulx Carson McCullers It might be smaller than the travel section of Waterstones but Chorlton Bookshop is a lovely independent bookshop stocked with fine fiction and poetry. I've only visited half a dozen or so times but the fact I've never left empty-handed speaks volumes about the owner's selection. As well as a lots of classic British and American fiction, there's a strong, wee selection of African-American fiction, womens fiction, crime noir and books by critically acclaimed local authors. If I remember rightly, it was Chorlton Bookshop where I bought a copy of Jackie Kay's excellent debut novel Trumpet many moons ago. Since then, the Chorlton based author has produced some compelling books of poetry and short stories but I'm still holding out for her second novel. C'mon, Jackie! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiEyuJTyAlI

Magma Magma books is possibly one of the coolest shops I…read morehave been into in a long time! Why you may ask? Because it sells MOOMINS merchandise and books!! They sell all sorts of cool things here like books, magazines, swirly notebooks, cuddly toys (moomin ones!), eco friendly stuff which comes in the shape of recycled objects made into something else uselful, the mother board coasters are pretty snazzy! Like the other shops on Oldham street, its only small but the layout is perfectly set out to seem like there is so much space! I love it!

Situated on Oldham Street, but a hop and skip from the Night and Day Café lies this fantastic…read morebookshop. I've been visiting this place for ages, even if it's just to browse through the store and short list future gifts. I've recently acquired some American Film Making/Studies from there (the Steven D. Katz shot by shot/cinematic motion - books that are usually pretty hard to get hold of unless you're on the net. This is one of those places where the staff know what they're talking about and can help either find what you're looking for or influence you enough to take a punt on their own expertly led recommendations in the vast array of different books and magazines in this store (increasingly rare in the accountant led 'United Chaindom'). It's a shame many more shops were as enthusiastic and passionate as the folks behind magma...I know they can't all be this way but it's currently unfairly balanced. One large chain book store dominates now (and with unfortunately less choice, more celebrity led airport reading fodder) and with supermarkets getting in the act of the book market (albeit with a truly disturbing 'array' of 'books') we should be thankful that places like this are still open in our cities. A large section of this shop sells magazines which are more like the aforementioned coffee table books the higher echelon of mags if you will. Film, Architecture, Typography, Illustration, Photography, Graphics, Fashion, Art, Design, Cities all these creative acts and scenarios collude together in the books and magazine range. They sell a top mag called 'Specialten' which is a 'bi-monthly collection of short films, music videos and exclusive interviews' which comes with a DVD for the media. Just reminded myself to pick up the next edition as I type this... This shop (alongside one or two in London village possibly the other two Magma's as it happens) was the only such store to stock Daniel Johnstone's graphics/drawings books (and as such is referred to in the fantastic Daniel Johnstone documentary). Reanimate your creative synapses and spare at least half an hour to imbibe the glorious fractions of the arts world we don't see as much as we should. It's always a pleasure to walk into a store like this, find what you're looking for (or see something jump out at you which grabs your interest by the book ends) and after downpiping your debit/credit details into the 21st Century piggy bank walk from the shop, freshly acquired book in hand. Rifling through the pages of a new 'Ilva Table book' in a nearby boozer/café is one of life's great, small pleasures.

One of the most impressive bookstores I have seen through my travel around many cities in the world.read more

This Waterstones is one of two branches in the city center of Manchester, and is probably the…read morebetter branch out of the two, beating the Manchester Arndale branch which is both smaller and busier than this one, located on Deansgate fairly close to St Anne's Square and Market Street, opposite House Of Fraser, or as it's known to locals, Kendals. This store seems to have more of a vintage vibe, more old than new but still the vibe is quite nice for a bookshop, and they did have a selection of books. The store is set over several floors, as I recall there were 3 floors with lift access, in a rather old looking lift, which didn't look very pleasant and escalators available, and there was also a nice store guide to say what is on which floor, which was helpful. The layout of the books also seemed a lot nicer than some Waterstones stores I have visited, pricing seemed reasonable at most RRP prices, but still every book I noticed, was near enough all cheaper on Amazon, especially with delivery charges, which is one thing Waterstones needs to compete with. I'd normally come to Waterstones to take a look, and a read of books without buying, and buying what I like on Amazon, although I'm sure most people use Waterstones as a library, my friend even previously got banned from the Arndale store, for going in every week store, and just sitting in there from open to close, and reading books, without buying, so don't do it too much! There wasn't a lot of staff here I noticed, other than the tills, it would have been useful to see a few staff dotted around then, especially on the main floor, I think is called "Ground" where customers enter and exit the store onto Deansgate. This store is quite a nice Waterstones store and is a very large size and deserves a solid 3 stars, albeit sadly I feel I can't go any higher due to issues with the distribution of staff, pricing not being competitive with retailers such as Amazon and the lift looking something from Victorian Britain.

Have I ever mentioned that I'm a bookworm? And I like markets? That would make this pretty darn…read moreperfect then wouldn't it. St. Ann's Square, that perfect little spot for the quaint and quirky stalls making up markets of Christmas, flowers, art, food and fashion, is also home every now and again to an exchange of literature. I'm afraid there aren't any definite dates, you simply need to find out when the book market is on from the website. Keeping track of Manchester magazines like Large and CityLife will help with this. (We don't talk about Manchester Confidential any more.) As we all know second hand books can be cheap as chips, and this is your opportunity to grab some rare and unusual reads. Come here for something to take on your next holiday or if you're stuck for a subject to write an essay on. There's plenty to choose from, and I don't know about you but for me there's just something about books which have already been read several times that makes them all the more special. It was here that I managed to get a first edition copy of a Victorian novel I was including in my thesis, which is probably worth a fair bit of money now. Literary nest eggs. Now there's a concept I'll happily get on board with.

Fantastic place. I'm from London but I've spent the last four or five years living in Manchester…read more People are forever asking me what I think of Manchester, and I always say that its got everything. One of the few things it really lacks though, is second hand bookshops. Browsing the second hand bookshops in London is a great day-trip in itself, but in Manchester you rarely find a good second hand book, let alone a place with a good number worth looking at. I should mention The Art of Tea in Didsbury here, which is probably the only exception to the rule, apart from Manchester Book Market. I study English literature so you can imagine this is pretty close to my heart. Not only can you get rare books for good prices here, but they genuinely have a wide selection so if it's a classic you're after then you've a good chance of picking it up for a couple of squids. They've usually got all Dickens (who could want anything more) as well as plenty of other classic works. Spend £10-£20 quid and get yourself half a dozen quality books. Plus some great editions. I too picked up a gem in a colour-illustrated copy of Oliver Twist.

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.

Amazing place that accepts you for being you. *Warning* @ Social Refuge where they treat you…read moredifferently if your not like them. I visited this coffee shop recently and left feeling pretty uncomfortable with how I was treated. From the moment I ordered, the staff came across as dismissive and noticeably colder toward me compared to other customers around me. There were a few interactions that felt unnecessarily sharp, and it gave the impression that I wasn't particularly welcome there. I want to be fair, but as a straight customer, the difference in tone and attitude didn't go unnoticed. Whether intentional or not, it made the experience feel exclusionary rather than inclusive. It's a shame because the space itself has a lot of personality, but the service made it hard to enjoy. I'd hope they work on creating a more welcoming environment for everyone.

I get the irony by starting with the quote "don't judge a book by its cover" but tbh this is…read moreexactly what I've been doing every time I've walked past this place in the past few months... Whether it was because the area of town is a bit random, the building a bit unattractive and me thinking it was more of a bookshop - something just seemed to be putting me off. But today in my meeting with Matt F we decided to give it a go and what a great decision it was! First off this place is huge and a labyrinth once inside - one half hipster bookshop, the other half cool cafe with a real nod to health (check out the menu on my pics). A really lovely environment with working fountain and a variety of places to sit. The food was excellent too - my breakfast pancakes were probably the best I've had in Manchester so far which is saying something. Quick note that they don't do sides - at one stage I thought I was going to turn into Jack Nicholson in '5 Easy Pieces' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wtfNE4z6a8 but thankfully the guy sorted us out with a side of toast after I asked nicely...repeatedly... Very friendly staff, great venue. I'll be back soon to work/eat/drink coffee/read a book - or all at the same time!

This is a very interesting store in Manchester near the Manchester Piccadilly train station, about…read moretwo blocks away. It has an array of things, including books, records, but also clothes. Very cheap, as everything is used. What makes it worth visiting is its charm as an "anything goes" type place..I bought CD's and a few books there. I thought the owner was friendly. It's fun to rummage through these things. Take a half hour or so and have fun browsing.

HELP WANTED! I'll be traveling to Manchester, Liverpool, and London for a week in late November and…read morewould really appreciate some good recommendations for music shops, bookstores, coffee shops, and places to eat! I really like places that are quirky and out of the box so if you live in any of these areas and have suggestions please reach out! Thanks! :) -Amberly

One of the best shops I have been to. A great selection of comics plus a continual supply of…read morespecial offers.

When I lived on Oldham Street many moons ago, I used to pop into Forbidden Planet on a weekly basis…read moreto pick up new copies of The Sandman, The Invisibles and other cool comics. These days, I only venture in now and again for something specific, like Reinhard Kleist's awesome graphic novel based on the life of Johnny Cash - I See A Darkness. For me, the layout and interior of Forbidden Planet lacks the ambience and wow factor of somewhere like Dave's Comics in Brighton but their range of comics, manga and graphic novels is faultless. For true fantatics and collectors, they also stock a massive range of cartoon, comic and pop culture memorabilia including tee-shirts, games, videos and toys. Personally, I have my eye on one of Frank Kozak's toy smoking rabbits complete with eye patch.

The gentleman who operates the shop is always welcoming and helpful when I send or collect parcels…read morewith Yodel or FedEx. The shop is well presented and very clean.

When I came into Mirage News I thought it was just a bog standard newsagents. Crisps, sweets,…read morecigarettes, bottles of fizzy pop and few newspapers. That kind of thing. That's certainly what it looks like from the outside. And it does sell all of those things. But what it also does is tobacco. So what I'm talking about is cigars. In fact a couple of cabinets full of the things, with a wide range of types. They also sell tobacco, in flavours such as apple, banana and toffee, all weighed out to the amount you would like. They also sell paraphernalia like pipes and lighters. The guy serving is nice enough too. What Mirage News is really great for is its tobacco though.