http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/david+edwards/the+ebb+26+flow/8873855/ The…read moreWaterstones book signing tour continues this week. Swansea, Aberystwyth and Camarthen. Come and see David Edwards in store Fri 23rd March.

This was a great source for Welsh language books and music when I was in Aberystwyth in the 1980s…read more Now it specializes in trinkets with a Welsh theme. The selection of books is tiny, although the majority are Welsh-language children's books. On the positive side, the employees still seem to be young native Welsh speakers. There is a new "branch office" down the street, called "Pop y Pethe," which looks like it might be a used book annex. Unfortunately, it was shuttered when I was there.

The prices are high, but it's a student town - and this place stocks a lot of useful books for…read morestudents. The staff range from remarkably polite, helpful and knowledgable to incoherent, grunting goths who sit there reading Lovecraft. However, if there's a book you want, there's a good chance they'll have it at a reasonable price, and it's a nice, roomy shop in a good location.

The usual Oxfam mixture of the very best of their donations (what happens to the rest?) and several…read moreshelves of overpriced gifty tat. Ok, it's for charity, but it does feel more and more like Oxfam are making less use of their donated items and more time competing with other high street businesses. Not my favourite place to shop.