A daily newspaper with a round-up of all Cumbrian news as well as national and international news…read more The paper also features daily pull-outs, such as Night-life (every Thursdays) with a very comprehensive what's on guide and sporting Life (mondays) with all the sport results from the weekend. Readers can also choose to have news updates sent to their email or mobile and daily video news blogs are also available online.

The News & Star is a great local paper. It's always packed full of information and is a good source…read moreto find out what's happening in the community. Most of their articles are also available for free on their website but I prefer the printed paper as there's much more information there.

Books, books and more books. There really is nothing like a book store in England. NOTHING. Ok,…read moremaybe there is, but I digress. This is not your borders, not your B&N, I was a lovely book shop with wall to wall books, including the newest craze, Adult coloring books, and yes, I picked a new one up! They didn't have the foul language one I was looking for, but they did have Notes from the Universe, which was just as nice.

Just another chain discount bookshop. However, this is good for buying presents, as you get more…read morefor your money. They also sell children's knick-knacks, and a basic selection of artists' materials upstairs. Around Christmas time lots of seasonal stuff is in, such as crackers and wrapping paper.

Support your independent bookshop. Knowledgeable staff. Great source of discounted children's…read morebooks. I always use Bookends to order books in. They get them for you the next day, and I can order in advance over the Internet and collect them and pay at the shop. They have a loyalty scheme, so you can collect stickers in exchange for a voucher which you can use at Bookends or at Bookcase (their sister shop which sells second hand books and classical music CDs).

This book shop is situated betwen the Town Hall and the Cathedral and from the outside looks quite…read moresmall but looks can be very deceiving! Once you go inside you will find lots of books about Carlisle and the local area as well as books that have just been published too. There is a wonderful children's section that has lots of different and discounted books to choose from. They have a great children's section too. They also sell calendars and notelets and address books and other things that make ideal presents for those people who are sometimes hard to buy for. This floor is just the tip of the iceburg. Downstairs there are three more rooms crammed with books. You could spend ages just browsing around. the staff are very knowledgeable and very helpful. They are also good at stepping back and letting you look without feeling pressured into buying. I always come here for my books as I feel it is important to support your local independent book shop.