Cute, quaint, quirky, cosy and homely little bookstore-come-cafe (:…read more It's average opening hours are 11-6 during which time you can grab a slice of cake, tea, coffee etc, have a peruse through some books, and chill on their big comfy sofa! I find a lot of coffee places just don't really want you stay and they have hard, uncomfy furniture to reflect that. But not here! This place often has events that extend its opening hours, too. My favourite is the 'big comfy folk club' which are folk and acoustic sessions hosted on the 1st and 3rd Friday of the month. Next one is on 4th March and tickets are only a fiver! Brilliant intimate venue, and the performers usually stick around for a while afterwards which is nice (: OH ALSO, WINE! The big comfy book shop serves alcohol! Live music + book shop + cake + red wine = total winner. See you on the 4th!

I really like The Big Comfy Bookshop!…read more It is a quant used book shop that is family owned. The owner spent over a year compiling books to open his shop, and ever since has kept a good variety of books that are unique to customers, or a popular search result of a used book. There is always fresh coffee, tea options, beer and wine, and some sort of snacks like crisps or cake for sale. Seating is available to hang out with friends for a little while or to start tucking into your future purchase. Also I noticed that live folk music nights and game nights regularly occur here too! Great place!

This book shop is located on Gosford street as the name would suggest and is in the heart of the…read moreUniversity campus. The shop stocks lots of second hand books. The range of books in there is huge and you can often find that little gem of a book! The books are usually very reasonably priced.

Situated in the recently opened Fargo development in Coventry, with a name like Astral Gypsy, you…read moremight expect this shop to be full of incense, worry dolls, magic wands and other mystic paraphernalia. It ain't. Once inside you realise that you are in a Manga fan's dream world. This shop are big on Japan. Graphic novels feature big. If you are a budding artist yourself they stock Copic Ciao pens, which are entry-level quality shading markers with a chisel and a bullet tip. While we're on artists supplies they have a large Moleskine range too. Prints and paintings are also on offer. The shop is owned by artist Al Davison (look him up, he's certainly lived a life), and stocks many of his works and publications. This place oozes authentic small town USA indie book store charm.

My favourite bookstore in Coventry to wander around browsing for new books. I often go in planning…read moreto buy one particular book and end up leaving with a bag full. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. It's always worth checking out the Staff Picks shelf for great books you might otherwise miss. The Costa Coffee shop on the first floor is a great place to chill out with a coffee after a book buying spree. If you can manage to get one of the comfy sofa's by the window you could easily spend a couple of hours in there drinking coffee and watching the world go by in Coventry's Lower Precinct outside.

The Smithford Way Waterstones is like an oasis of intellect in the middle of a mad and crazy…read moreshopping area. The store is spread out over three spacious floors of which the ground and first floor are mainly fiction. That could potentially be a point of improvement. I was surprised to find only 2 shelves on Philosophy in the Religion/Philosophy section. The staff is very friendly and very interactive and you can be sure to find a good recommendation either through staff picks or just by talking to them. Great way to kill a couple of hours if you're getting bored, like me, in the city centre. :-)

The words 'secondhand bookshop' are emotive to some of us. We picture a dark, musty treasure trove…read moreof books on dispirate subjects, with beatiful binding, artistic typography, suptuous illustrations, beautifully written words and hidden treasures waiting to be discovered as we potter around on a lazy afternoon. Unfortunately, this is the other kind of secondhand bookshop, full of old mills and boons, bonkbusters, chicklit and that celebrity biography you never really wanted in the first place. Now don't get me wrong, there's a market for this stuff, but if you're a discerning reader you may as well go hunting round the charity shops on the same street - they're cheaper, better laid out, better stocked and more friendly. On the other hand, if you're looking to sell paperbacks in a hurry, this might just be the place to go.

Another chain of stores, this is quite a small shop. It sells the usual stationary and art stuff…read more It has a good selection of kids books at reasonable and bargain prices. You can get your cheap diaries and calendars too.

Nostalgia and Comics has been in Birmingham longer than I can remember. Even the Batman Returns and…read moreT:2 massive posters have been there since release. On my visit today it was bursting to the seems with Star Trek, Doctor Who and Lego merchandise with tee's, Models, Comics, Books Mugs and Posters. Its always had a mezzanine balcony and currently this is home to Back Issues. I felt guilty for not buying anything and just having a look around.

Great comic store, located next to the Beetham Tower/Radisson Blu. It's fairly large store with…read moreupstairs section. You don't have to be comic lover to visit, they do sell posters, collectibles, action figures and more items. I come here often to get me some Superman issues and maybe look around for some collectibles or cool stuff.