My sister and I went into The Paper Shop in search of an ice lolly, and came out with two…read morenewspapers, two magazines and a packet of Werther's Originals Chocolate Caramels. Isn't it always the way? My sister had decided she wanted an ice cream (it was sticky, very warm, headache-inducing weather, and she was slightly below par bless her), so spotting the ice cream sign on The Paper Shop's window, I decided it may just be a good call to pop in and have a look (not sure what gave me that idea...). Once we were in, I got incredibly distracted by the newspaper section, and spent a good few minutes examining the plethora of papers. Meanwhile, my sticky sis was attempting to climb into the drinks fridge in order to cool herself down. Sometimes I pretend we aren't related... Refocusing on the job in hand, I pointed her in the direction of the ice-cream counter, but was met with a reluctant smile, and a "well, I kinda wanted an ice lolly more than an ice-cream" verbal explanation. Indecisive should be her middle name... I then decided to examine the magazine section, which was pretty vast I must say, and pick up a few for the journey home. Noting that The Paper Shop was much more expansive than I had first realised, I spotted a huge card section too. However, today was not a greeting card day, so my attention was once again diverted back to the magazines. Feeling somewhat satisfied with my reading load for the next while (and as an English graduate, I am utterly ashamed with myself, and hope the newspapers justify me in some way), I went to the till, only to be distracted for the third (or fourth? Eh, who knows) time that day by the Werther's Originals Chocolate Caramels that I haven't found anywhere for months. Ooooh excitement. Plus they were down to £1.49. Yes, this had indeed been a productive trip. No ice lollies, but Morelli's down the street had the curious ability to persuade my sister that she did actually want ice cream. Oooh man...

I am technically from Antrim (despite being on the periphery between it and County Down), but I had…read morenever come across this newspaper until yesterday. And I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. Covering a whole matter of issues, from UFF statements to Crumlin's new Tesco store, and from stories on animal cruelty to an article on the exorbitant charges in relation to hospitals (all included in this particular edition), the Antrim Guardian features a whole lot more than any newspaper I've ever read. You've got your family announcements (death notices and the like), careers section (including information and advice on career choices / how to cope with exam results), Classifieds, 'What's on in town' (a guide to entertainment etc), a Trades and Services Guide, Appointments (which is really just the job's section), Motor Showcase, pages and pages of pictures and a sport's section. Flip. As if that wasn't enough, they dot loads of little random stories throughout the paper, mainly with regard to legal enquiries / court cases. One such story that particularly caught my eye was a case on assault, with the charged pleading guilty to attacking another man. Apparently this was linked to his relationship with his girlfriend, with whom he had been having problems. The best bit (and this totally made my day) is when the defence says, "You can not be in love and be wise. The defendant decided himself to go and speak to the other male in person to sort things out." Excellent. You would really need all day to read the Antrim Guardian, and despite only incorporating stories from the county itself, it is a long read, and incredibly thorough. It is a great local paper, and I felt I got my money's worth for the £1 I spent on it.

The shop has recently move about 200 yards from its original home, to a brand new shop, it's not…read morethe biggest but it has a good range of essentials, they have lotto terminal, pay point, a small sand which/deli bar, and a wide range of old school hard boiled sweets

Simpson's fitted the bill quite nicely for the purpose of magazine and sweet buying, and it was…read morequite an agreeable little shop really, so the outcome = happy Lynne, writing equally happy review. Deceptively big (I *love* these kinds of shops, sad that I am), Simpsons stocks a large variety of magazines and newspapers, including a Northern Irish fashion magazine that I have been unable to find elsewhere (review to come shortly). Once I had found this, my eyes were quickly distracted by the stand filled with offers on different confectionery, and in particular the 3 for 60p Chewits offer (I'm such a sucker for, well, anything chewy). Joining the queue, I realised that the back of the shop extends back much further than I had originally noticed. I picked up a packet of chewing gum, had a joke at the til, and went on my merry way. To happily write this review, you see.

Like its sister newspaper North Belfast News, the Andersonstown News is of better quality than you…read moremight expect for a local paper. (And, like the North Belfast News, I used to work for these guys so am hereby declaring both an interest and a soft spot.) The paper comes out twice weekly, on a Monday and a Thursday, and has plenty of news, features, letters, texts, photos, notices, ads, classifieds and sports to keep you well occupied for the less than a quid it costs. I'm not particularly fussed on the editor's Squinter columns, which are a bit long-winded and go on about his dislike of smokers more than anything else. (As a letter to the paper once said, Squinter, know your audience. No, it wasn't from me.) There was also a bit of a furore last year when a blistering editorial taking local politicians to task for always focusing on Troubles-based issues rather than social ones such as the deprivation apparent in much of west Belfast was swiftly criticised by the local Shinners and just as quickly retracted and apologised for. This was a real pity I thought, as the original editorial had made some very salient points that yes, West Belfast MLAs should have to answer. Sadly, as this incident shows, the paper and Sinn Fein go hand in hand, and I for one would like to see local journalism branching out into something a bit less predictable. That said, I can and do recommend the Andytown News as it's fondly called - if you're looking for local news in west Belfast you'll find most of what you need here.

Andersonstown News is a collection of newsagents located throughout Belfast. They specialise in…read moreselling sweets, crisps, cigarettes and newspapers (as you would expect with a typical run of the mill newsagents) so if your looking for something else you are best of avoiding this shop. I went in to get a newspaper out of one of these shops recently and was stunned by the thick broad Belfast accent compared to my wee culchie Fermangh accent which you are more likely to hear on a Hugo Duncan show than up in the mean streets of Belfast. People round me were in full blown conversations and I had no idea what they were saying, I felt like an outsider in my own country! However I persevered, bought my paper and got out as soon as possible. The shop is handy but unless your from here you can feel quite intimidated by the locals.