Chichester: Book City

Chichester, West Sussex is twenty minutes from my family home, and a city I know and love well. It's most famous for it's world-renowned Festival Theatre, which has been the springboard for some of the best recieved shows at the West End, and launched the careers of countless writers, actors and directors.

As a city, it's as compact as you can get - you can cover the centre in one ten minute stride.

Drama may be the lifeblood of Chichester, but it boasts some respectable literary links. One of my favourite spaces in Chichester is the stunning Cathedral, which features some truly beautiful modern art inside. A famous site is the Arundel Tomb - a sarcophagus of the tenth earl of Arundel and his wife - unique in that they're depicted holding hands. It inspired one of Philip Larkin's most famous poems, mounted by the side of it.

Aside from the well-stocked Waterstones on West Street, which a particularly good local interests section, and an inviting upstairs well laid out for a few hours sneaky reading, there's the brilliant second hand shop Kim's Bookshop on South Street (the original town planners didn't have a flair for street names). I've found some beautiful editions of classics; there's a lovely section of illustrated botanical tomes, and a great pulpy selection. It strikes the balance between facilitating the functional, determined bookshopper with serious search designs, and the casual browser, needing that element of chaos and the unexpected delight of finding something bizarre.

If you can get to Chichester, and have a day to spare, visit. It's great for shopping, for modern art (check out the Pallant House Gallery for some impressive exhibitions) and music; Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnson's grew up in Chichester, and every day on the streets you can see talented folk living up to his precedent. But what I like most about Chichester (predictably enough) is that it's a great city for readers; plenty of green spaces, tucked away corners and coffee shops for reading and talking books. My favourite reading space in the city is in front of the statue of St Richard at the front of the Cathedral - I think he would approve.

Norwich: Book City

I promise this post wasn't sponsored by the Norwich Tourist board or whatever. I spent 3 good years living and studying in Norwich, most famous for Colman's mustard, Alan Partridge and being 'A FINE CITY' (Stephen Fy). For those unfamiliar with the city, it's well worth a day or weekend trip: it has really great food and bars (but fairly horrible clubs), excellent live music, and is brilliant for Vintage - there's a really good trail of shops running from the city centre to Magdelen Street...

Off piste! Sorry. It's really great for books. 

The Book Hive on London St

As well as being the stomping ground of great writers, it's amazing for buying books. My favourite bookshop in the world (apart from Barter Books in Alnick, Northumberland, which deserves and may get its own post) is the Book Hive on London St. It's an amazing space, where you can just tell that each book is lovingly placed and ordered and spotlighted for very good reasons. 

When I lived there I spent ages looking at the displays and finding books that the staff had obviously read and loved and wanted to share. They have a fantastic array of art books, and a GREAT upstairs for proper fiction that makes you feel clever. They often have readings and events on from one of the numerous Norfolk-based creatives. (And it's parallel to my favourite bar in the city, Frank's Bar, which does a Shakshuka I still dream about...) You'll definitely find something brilliant to take home by a homegrown talent. The staff are the business too, and clearly love to read, so ask for their recommendations or what they've been reading lately. 

Well worth your time as a book lover in Norwich is trawling through the innumerable charity shops. The indisputable King is Oxfam Books on Bedford St, (Oh! Coincidently on the same street as Frank's!) which boasts a big fiction section, loads of sheet music and a good range of retro comics. The staff are (usually) friendly and helpful, and if you sweet talk them will go a-hunting through the sacred upstairs to find more obscure texts if you like. Another good bet is the Oxfam on Magdalen St, which has furniture, so if you fancy a big creaky reading chair to sip whisky and read Proust on, you're sorted. It's a favourite location for students to do their end of year book drop, so expect lit criticism, philosophy tomes and history books pencilled with notes of desperation and despair. Just how I like my secondhand books. 

So if you like books, go to Norwich. It's a couple of hours from London, less from Nottingham and Liverpool, and is really lovely. You might end up buying my old copy of Old Goriot.