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

Sweetie Miller may be a bookshop / newsagents (that bears an uncanny resemblance to another local…read morebookshop / newsagents), but as far as I'm concerned, it's all about the sweets and chocolate...baby. I think it's physically impossible to come out of this shop empty handed. It's certainly that way for me. Having gone in with the notion to buy a box of chocolates for a friend, I came out with a box of chocolates, three bags of Werther's Original Chocolates (my Cheepers' review explains all) and five Curly Wurly's. [Guess who Mr Dentist is going to absolutely love next month?] I couldn't resist. The Werther's Originals were only 99p, and the Curly Wurly's were unbeatable value at not one, not two, or even three, or indeed four...but FIVE for 89p. Yes, this excited me greatly. And it should excite you too. As well as the bargainous sweetie section, Sweetie Miller also stocks stationery, books, cards, magazines and all that sort of jazz. And they're all cheap as can be (except the magazines...they're just average price, but hey, we can't have it all, eh?). Now, where did my Curly Wurly go? (Apologies in advance Mr Dentist...)

This shop is in Bow Street Mall and always seems busy. I guess it can be best described as a…read morenewsagent. They carry a large variety of sweets, mainly boxes of chocolates and packs of chocolate bars and maybe just a bit cheaper in price than other shops in town. So especially good to pop into at Christmas time. The other section of the shop that interests me most is the book section. They have an alright range of books, and you can certainly find something interesting at a very good price. The only downside I can think of is can be quite awkward to move around the sweet displays near the front the of the shop when there are a lot of people about.

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.

I'd never heard of this newspaper before, which I felt was a bit odd, given the 'Ulster' part of…read morethe title. What is even odder, however, is the fact that it's a Lisburn-based paper essentially all about Lisburn. Yep, there's the story about residents battling against the Lisburn Tesco extension plans, a report on how one of the finalists of the Rose of Tralee competition works in Lisburn (despite hailing from Newry), and an article on a guy from Lisburn who has been chosen to be a rep for Bushmill's Whisky. Oh, wait...what's this? A page five story on how a Lisburn student is off to spend six months on a placement in Florida's Disney World Resort (as part of her Travel and Tourism Foundation Degree) seems to fit in with the 'norm' of the rest of these stories, but the picture beside it tells a slightly different story. It's off two girls (one of which is the Lisburn girl), and a guy. And I just so happen to know the guy. What are the chances?! He's not even from Lisburn (though he isn't included in the report, just the picture), but I still found this pretty darn hilarious. The rest of the newspaper is solely focused on Lisburn news, although an article on A Level results does branch out to include a report on Hunterhouse College (it's in south Belfast...I know, my sister went there). Pages upon pages of what's been happening in Lisburn - The Property News informs the reader of houses for sale / to let in Lisburn, the Lonely Hearts ads are all about singles based in Lisburn, and the sports section provides accounts of Lisburn-related activities. Someone please tell me...why the heck is it called the 'Ulster Star'?!

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!

Finaghy News as it is now known is the latest version of the local newsagent that has been there…read morefor as long as I can remember. I have fond memories of running in here to buy penny chews during a game of 'hide and seek' as an 8 year old and although it has changed in name and shelves have been switched around over the years the shop is still run by the same family and still has some of the same faces working there that would reach up and get me the 'special' sweets I couldnt reach if I had enough pocket money as a little school boy. Stocking all the usual goods like milk, bread, eggs, newspapers etc the shop will always have a place in the local community and will surely keep its place as one of the cornerstones of Finaghy crossroads.

In the midst of hopping on and off buses, listening to my younger sister reminisce about times gone…read moreby (she used to go to school in the area), and us hoofing it from place to place on a somewhat humid (yet sunny) day in south Belfast, I was in dire need of a refreshment. Just the one, mind you. Finaghy News was that beacon of light in the mist of humidity, hollering at us to come yonder and buy an ice lolly from its decent supply. And that is precisely what we did (whilst my sister reminisced even further), as I picked up a raspberry flavoured lolly, and my sister chose a chocolate and mint one. I also selected a magazine from a decent range, and purchased the goods, before stepping outside to enjoy my ice lolly. [while being attacked by wasps] Thankfully the fifty pence's worth of lolly didn't mind being prematurely binned, and by this stage, both the raspberry flavour and the newsagents had served their purpose, so all was good.