If you're in a rush, heading to get your train and then realise....damn I need a newspaper, soft…read moredrink, sweets or other snacky things then this is your place. I've been using Great Victoria Street station for many a day and I always need to stop by this little newsagent for a coke and the paper. Rail News not only has a clever pun but a solid range of magazines and local/national newspapers. I used to call in and buy a can of proper man coke and Kerrang magazine back in my younger days (I wouldn't read it now if I was paid). These days it's the Time, The Irish News and a bottle of diet coke (See, see how I've grown up) Prices are typical of shops in the area, they are quick and have what you need. They also stock a range of sandwiches if you're in need of a bite and nowhere else is open.

There are not many Eason's stores around these days but this one seems to be thriving, set in a…read morecentral location they've given the interior a real facelift - it's bright and vibrant and seems to be doing the trick when it comes to drawing the Belfast punters in. Eason's are specialist's in stationery and magazines, especially niche ones. I popped in here last week to grab a birthday card and to be honest I was a little disappointed with their selection but I suppose there's dedicated card shops for that sort of thing. One thing I noticed is that Eason's seems to have moved with the times, selling electronic goods and essential office supplies such as printer cartridges. On the lower floor there's a huge book selection that would rival Waterstones. Belfast actually doesn't have that many big book shops so if you still haven't succumb to a Kindle this will be your idea of heaven. This Eason is really well staffed so if you're looking for something in particular I would just ask one of the many attentive assistants (who are also pretty quick on the checkouts). All in all it's nice to see a familiar name in the city centre, I'm sure at some point the majority of Northern Ireland picked up their school stationery and chose that all important pencil case from an Eason's branch.

Easons claims to be a bookstore, but it is not a bookstore in the traditional sense of the word. It…read moreis a corporate store than sells art supplies, stationary, newspapers, chocolate, fizzy drinks etc. I am a fan of old rickety bookshops which you have to bump into people to get past. This is not one of them. Though they do have cheaper priced books than old bookshops, they can still be gotten on the internet so again if all you need is a book, try the internet. If you want the experience, go to an oldfashioned book shop. Not a fan

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...

What About is my ultimate guide to what's on in Belfast. Now this is a magazine I can really get in…read moreto. It's full of useful, informative and interesting articles about what's new and happening in and around both Belfast and Northern Ireland. It's a handy, pocket sized magazine which you can carry everywhere with you. It even features a really handy pull out map showing the locations of various tourist sites around town. These maps have proved more than valuable to me on a number of occasions. I used to work in Sheldon Gallery in Belfast and we'd often get tourists in looking directions to here, there and everywhere so I soon realised that the easiest thing to do was nip round to the local What About stockist and hand them one of these maps and mark out City Hall and directions of how to get to wherever they wanted to go. Voila! Problem solved, happy tourists. Bless them. So not only is it a life saver, but its also a great wee read and if I'm ever stuck for something to do around town then a I know that a quick peek at What About will show me the best events happening throughout the city. 5* keep it up What About!

Every single Friday after school. Without fail. For more years that I care to remember. My mum,…read moresister and I. "Did what?", I hear you cry. Visited The Wingrove of course. I mean, what else? It was almost a family tradition, deep rooted in the hearts and minds of my younger sibling and I. We automatically knew Friday meant sweetie day at The Wingrove. Ahh, good times. The Wingrove was one of those newsagents where everyone knew each other, and we were served by the same old wee woman every week. The old-fashioned layout of the confectionery was situated in tiers at the counter, and even though we went for nearly the same packet of sweets every week, many minutes were spent gazing in awe at the sheer variety of these candied goods, packed full of dear only knows what. (I can tell you, not much has changed...I'm probably even more indecisive now. Or maybe not). I honestly have no idea how my mum put up with two sugar saturated young girls, who were practically bouncing off the ceiling. Those 'E' numbers have a lot to answer for. On occasion, ice lollies were permitted, and maybe even a magazine if we were lucky. The Wingrove also supplied a small number of greetings cards (that kept my mum happy), and a few toys (I can't remember how many times we had to prise my sister away from the dolls). Oh, those were the days... The Wingrove has recently undergone a facelift, with a brand spanking new sleek black and white sign, as well as a furniture rearrangement (well, you know what I mean), which was incredibly strange to see when I popped in for the first time in I don't know how many years. I'm so chuffed to see The Wingrove still going strong, feeding and amusing lots of happy school children. Thank goodness for the lack of 'E' numbers these days mind you, that's all I can say...

There's nothing I can add to the previous review except that I cant believe it's closed down…read moretoday,I'm not sure why but I hope it reopens soon, it'll be missed in ballyhackamore.

Have always found the staff friendly and helpful in this store, and they are always willing to let…read moreyou have a closer look at any of the jewellery. You are greeted with a hello however they are not over bearing either and are happy to let you browse. The reason why I have dropped a star on what otherwise would be a 5 star experience is the fact they charge you 5p for a bag - now I know 5p isn't a massive sum and won't break the bank especially if you are spending £100 on jewellery but it's more the principle. The carrier bag tax was introduced to reduce the plastic bag usage - the bag provided is a paper/cardboard bag therefore are exempt from the tax - it's just being greedy!

This store is not long open. It's right beside argos and Victoria Square. It's the biggest pandora…read morestore I've been in most places have a Pandora section in the jewellery shop but it's tiny. The service in here is amazing there so helpful. It's the only store I shop in now.

Cinematically the vision of this newspaper would be a wide shot over-looking the grounds of Queen's…read morewhere everybody has stopped in their tracks to read some breaking news which changes the face of Queen's and Belfast forever. Sadly The Gown probably isn't going to be the first publication to break some earth-shattering exclusives, leaving it acting more as reading material over lunchtime if you don't have any reading left to do before class. It is a good publication but I did lose a bit of respect when it published a picture of a swearword spray painted with graffiti on a road. They already have a potential audience of however many thousands and I don't think they needed to do this. Though with respect to them, they publish any letters of complaint that they get and they did publish one about this which for me showed that their heads are in the right place. I do pick up the Gown whenever I see it about because it does have some very good reviews of films/music as well as listing the gigs coming up in the Student's Union. This is certainly the start of something great for the Gown. A newspaper should be inventive, and should have great journalism. If the Gown can take the next step up from a student newspaper, it could make people stop in their tracks because it really does deserve it.

For a university publication, its as good as it gets. With twenty five years of publishing on…read moreQueen's campus it certainly has covered most student issues, union debates and topical residential kerfuffles over its time. Now coming out every fortnight it manages to talk straight to student and give them what their looking for in terms of features, political reviews and basic hard news. The one thing I do miss about this year's Gown, which has only published issue so far is the absence of The Hood. This was a section at the back of the paper which was anonymous and could simply slag student union reps, authority figures and keep the whole thing on good Belfast banter terms. It is sadly missed for a good laugh and to print what everyone else is thinking!

MSM magazine is published and produced by The Rainbow Project and is a specialist magazine for gay…read moremen (men who have sex with men hence MSM) Now, before you go thinking I'm about to review some sleazy porno mag, think again! MSM is a great (and free!) magazine which features interviews and articles exploring all aspects of physical, mental and emotional health, there's reviews and fashion pages (how could there not be!) there's great informative advice and support as well as photo galleries from the gay scene. It's compacted in to a handy pocket size mag and even includes the brilliant 'Gay O Scopes' for those astrology buffs out there. I'm 100% behind this fabulous and funny publication. I'm proud of the open and accepting gay culture we have in Belfast, long may it continue!

I was fortunate enough to do an internship with this company, working for their business website…read moreInsideIreland.ie. I came across a small advertisement which wanted a person to work as a journalist for two months and it was an enlightening experience, one which has not only boosted my CV but also encouraged me to look more closely at the journalism route which I had lost all interest in after a dreadful open day at school. The office is small, but feels like a proper team office where everyone knows eachother and everyone is working towards the same goals. It made me think about writing my own magazine but as yet I have not actually thought any more about it.... However, Adman Publishing also makes a publication Belfast Beat which is a free magazine that specialises in entertainment and arts for Belfast. I did not get to work on this (thankfully) as to run a free magazine sounded like way too much work for me! Adman I feel is in the process of becoming a big company and hopefully will be able to expand to something bigger and better. I am glad I was a part of it, and hopefully if they do expand I'll get to work with them again.