Any book-buyer's favourite type of bookshop- simple, with a good selection of generally underpriced…read morebooks and a helpful but quietly-reading-until-you-want-him owner. Would be four or even five stars if only it were larger, so we could spend even more time browsing in the gentle silence of an undiscovered gem!

I believe that Ottakar's has now been taken over by Waterstones. This branch is very small (but…read moreperfectly formed!). There are a lot of books packed into a very small space, but everything is logically laid out, orderly, methodical and easy to find. The non-fiction section is quite impressive for a small bookshop in a small city (town really). Staff are always helpful and friendly, the book 'accessories' section is also good (bookmarks, labels etc.) and the children's section is pretty good too, quite comprehensive. Adult fiction is relatively small but then this is an area that is covered to some degree even by supermarkets so I would say it is less important. A good little shop.

W.H. Smiths: great for picking up a paper and a bottle of water. Possibly not the place for an…read morehour's browsing without any clear objective in mind. Their stock of books is limited (although their business and language sections are actually pretty good and the crafting section is okay). The magazine and newspaper sections are probably as good as you're going to get in a high street newsagents and should be fine unless you have very specialist requirements. I find their stationery to be rather overpriced even in relation to the likes of Staples, and when you factor local pound shops into the equation, I'm not sure why anyone would ever buy printer paper or pens or files here. Unless they were really in a big hurry, of course.

My top tip for shopping at The Works: don't buy your diary straight away in the New Year or before…read more Wait till the end of January and get it for 50p at The Works! Also they often have rather nice kids' craft kits that a crafty adult might find quite handy. As far as the fiction section is concerned, you're often better off buying the classics here rather than the 'upmarket' bookshops. There are some real bargains to be had. Also hold off as far as buying celebrity biographies is concerned, as they often wind up here (but deeply discounted from their original RRP prices). It's also good for a few stocking fillers at the last minute for Christmas, and 'educational' toys - not that most kids will thank you for those - only their parents!