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Slay with Jasmine Elmer

Join us in conversation with ancient world expert, Jasmine Elmer on the ancient legends of female slayers and the hidden mythology of dragons in her book, Slay.

Thursday 23rd July

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2026 Events

We're working on it.

Lots of exciting things planned for 2026!

Check out our current events

Upcoming Events

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Latest Titles

Saturday morning bookshop tour.

We're in the shade - escape from the heat with us and get a recommendation for a book to read under a giant tree in the park. 😎

#bs5 #bookshop #indiebookshop #bookstagram #bristolbookshop

Saturday morning bookshop tour.

We're in the shade - escape from the heat with us and get a recommendation for a book to read under a giant tree in the park. 😎

#bs5 #bookshop #indiebookshop #bookstagram #bristolbookshop

Bristol is celebrating Pride this weekend, so stop by and take a look at some of our newest LGBTQIA+ additions across all genres. Happy Pride! 🌈

#indiebookshop #bristol #bristolbookshop #bookshop #bookstagramuk #bookstagram #bristolbookstagrammers #bookshopsofinstagram #bs5 #shoplocal #bristolbusiness #bristolpride

Bristol is celebrating Pride this weekend, so stop by and take a look at some of our newest LGBTQIA+ additions across all genres. Happy Pride! 🌈

#indiebookshop #bristol #bristolbookshop #bookshop #bookstagramuk #bookstagram #bristolbookstagrammers #bookshopsofinstagram #bs5 #shoplocal #bristolbusiness #bristolpride

Packed shop for our event last night with Rowe Irvin and Anne Keer 💚

It was a great evening being introduced to their incredible debut novels and talking about nature as a fierce and complex character, about the boundary between animal and human, resistance & escape, giving up as a reasonable response in some cases and how we need to assess our relationship with nature.

Thanks to both @bog__daughter and @anne.keer for their time and sharing their thoughts.

Thanks as always to our incredible audiences and continuing to show up for books.

Next up is Daisy Johnson - Thursday 9th July.
Dont miss it!

#authortalk #bristolbookshop #indiebookshop #independentbookshop.

Packed shop for our event last night with Rowe Irvin and Anne Keer 💚

It was a great evening being introduced to their incredible debut novels and talking about nature as a fierce and complex character, about the boundary between animal and human, resistance & escape, giving up as a reasonable response in some cases and how we need to assess our relationship with nature.

Thanks to both @bog__daughter and @anne.keer for their time and sharing their thoughts.

Thanks as always to our incredible audiences and continuing to show up for books.

Next up is Daisy Johnson - Thursday 9th July.
Dont miss it!

#authortalk #bristolbookshop #indiebookshop #independentbookshop.

We're very excited about our July line-up - they are the perfect way to round off our summer of events before we take a break for August.

Get a ticket to something great.

🔥Novels in the Wild with Rowe Irvin & Anne Keer.
Thursday 2nd July
Join us in conversation with Rowe Irvin & Anne Keer on their novels.
Set in nature, on escaping into the wild, resistance and finding places to belong.

🔥Long Wave with Daisy Johnson.
Thursday 9th July
From Booker Shortlisted author of Everything Under, Daisy Johnson's new extra-ordinary novel - The Long Wave. Join us in conversation with Daisy on her new book.

🔥Slay: Ancient legends of female slayers and the hidden mythology of dragons with Jasmine Elmer.
Thursday 23rd July
Join us in conversation with ancient world expert, Jasmine Elmer on the ancient legends of female slayers and the hidden mythology of dragons in her book, Slay.

#authortalk #bristolevents #bristolbookstagram #bristolbookshop #indiebookshop

We're very excited about our July line-up - they are the perfect way to round off our summer of events before we take a break for August.

Get a ticket to something great.

🔥Novels in the Wild with Rowe Irvin & Anne Keer.
Thursday 2nd July
Join us in conversation with Rowe Irvin & Anne Keer on their novels.
Set in nature, on escaping into the wild, resistance and finding places to belong.

🔥Long Wave with Daisy Johnson.
Thursday 9th July
From Booker Shortlisted author of Everything Under, Daisy Johnson's new extra-ordinary novel - The Long Wave. Join us in conversation with Daisy on her new book.

🔥Slay: Ancient legends of female slayers and the hidden mythology of dragons with Jasmine Elmer.
Thursday 23rd July
Join us in conversation with ancient world expert, Jasmine Elmer on the ancient legends of female slayers and the hidden mythology of dragons in her book, Slay.

#authortalk #bristolevents #bristolbookstagram #bristolbookshop #indiebookshop

Our final July event - and it's female dragon-slayers!

We're very excited to welcome Jasmine Elmer to the shop to talk about her new book, Slay: Ancient legends of female slayers and the hidden mythology of dragons.

Thursday 23rd July
Doors: 6.45pm
Event start: 7pm

Ticket includes entry to the event and a free drink.

A groundbreaking and seminal chronicle of the hidden history and mythology of female dragon slayers from ancient world expert and author of Goddess with a Thousand Faces Jasmine Elmer. The dragon is a monster with a rich history of symbolism in almost every culture. In the stories that have been passed down through time, dragons lurk in the great wild, in dark, unknown and mysterious lands that exist on the periphery of human civilisation.

Only the bravest of souls dare venture into the darkness to vanquish the dragon - and so often the tales have only shone light on the men. But what if there is so much more to this narrative? Jasmine Elmer shifts the spotlight to the daring and victorious female dragon slayers that have been written out of history. Combining historical research with mythological retelling, Slay is a celebration of the dragon - and the woman that conquered the monsters - that has never been done before.

**Slay is a distinctive and revelatory historical and mythological exploration of dragons, the stories and cultures around them, and the fierce women who slayed them.**

#authortalk #bristolbookshop #bristolbookstagrammers #bristolevents

Our final July event - and it's female dragon-slayers!

We're very excited to welcome Jasmine Elmer to the shop to talk about her new book, Slay: Ancient legends of female slayers and the hidden mythology of dragons.

Thursday 23rd July
Doors: 6.45pm
Event start: 7pm

Ticket includes entry to the event and a free drink.

A groundbreaking and seminal chronicle of the hidden history and mythology of female dragon slayers from ancient world expert and author of Goddess with a Thousand Faces Jasmine Elmer. The dragon is a monster with a rich history of symbolism in almost every culture. In the stories that have been passed down through time, dragons lurk in the great wild, in dark, unknown and mysterious lands that exist on the periphery of human civilisation.

Only the bravest of souls dare venture into the darkness to vanquish the dragon - and so often the tales have only shone light on the men. But what if there is so much more to this narrative? Jasmine Elmer shifts the spotlight to the daring and victorious female dragon slayers that have been written out of history. Combining historical research with mythological retelling, Slay is a celebration of the dragon - and the woman that conquered the monsters - that has never been done before.

**Slay is a distinctive and revelatory historical and mythological exploration of dragons, the stories and cultures around them, and the fierce women who slayed them.**

#authortalk #bristolbookshop #bristolbookstagrammers #bristolevents

❤️ It's Independent Bookshop Week!

It's independent bookshop week every week for us happily, but come and get some treats!

🎉Free £5 National Book Token with every purchase
🎉Free stickers and chocolates
🎉Free Small City Bookshop Tote bag with £50 spend today and tomorrow (Sat and Sun)
🎉The Children's Book Project collection station is out
🎉Watch me struggle with the bunting

----------------------------------------

#IBW #independentbookshopweek #bunting #BS5 #bristolbookshops #indiebookshops #summerreads #cbp #childrensbookproject

❤️ It's Independent Bookshop Week!

It's independent bookshop week every week for us happily, but come and get some treats!

🎉Free £5 National Book Token with every purchase
🎉Free stickers and chocolates
🎉Free Small City Bookshop Tote bag with £50 spend today and tomorrow (Sat and Sun)
🎉The Children's Book Project collection station is out
🎉Watch me struggle with the bunting

----------------------------------------

#IBW #independentbookshopweek #bunting #BS5 #bristolbookshops #indiebookshops #summerreads #cbp #childrensbookproject

🎉Event Announcement - Daisy Johnson!

Thursday 9th July
Doors: 6.45pm
Start: 7pm
Tickets from £7 with a free drink.

The BEST way to spend an evening!

'Daisy Johnson is one of the best writers in this country' Max Porter

*The Long Wave*
A hypnotic and haunting novel of motherhood, loss, and the invisible ties that bind us together, from Booker Prize-shortlisted Daisy Johnson.

Close to the shore is the island: uninhabited, wild, with only a stormbeaten lighthouse for shelter. Ori was found there as a small child with a handful of stones, no memories and no mother. When she has a baby of her own, the job of motherhood feels immense and sleepless nights begin to shatter her grip on reality. Her head fills with the sound of stones knocking against each other and the mystery of her past begins to unravel, opening a path to the mother she lost, and the mother she could become.

Years earlier, on a sweltering summer day, ten-year-old Ruth sees a woman and her baby walk into the river and disappear. But she is the only witness, and the water yields no trace. Ruth’s mother, Edith, locks her daughter away – first to restrain these wild imaginings, and later, when she falls pregnant, to hide the shame. Ruth longs to escape and dreams of the nearby island, where she and her baby can finally be free.

Told with mythic power and lyrical precision, Long Wave is an extraordinary novel of longing and loss, rebirth and survival.

#authortalk #bristolevents #bristolbookshop #booksaremybag #bookstagram

🎉Event Announcement - Daisy Johnson!

Thursday 9th July
Doors: 6.45pm
Start: 7pm
Tickets from £7 with a free drink.

The BEST way to spend an evening!

'Daisy Johnson is one of the best writers in this country' Max Porter

*The Long Wave*
A hypnotic and haunting novel of motherhood, loss, and the invisible ties that bind us together, from Booker Prize-shortlisted Daisy Johnson.

Close to the shore is the island: uninhabited, wild, with only a stormbeaten lighthouse for shelter. Ori was found there as a small child with a handful of stones, no memories and no mother. When she has a baby of her own, the job of motherhood feels immense and sleepless nights begin to shatter her grip on reality. Her head fills with the sound of stones knocking against each other and the mystery of her past begins to unravel, opening a path to the mother she lost, and the mother she could become.

Years earlier, on a sweltering summer day, ten-year-old Ruth sees a woman and her baby walk into the river and disappear. But she is the only witness, and the water yields no trace. Ruth’s mother, Edith, locks her daughter away – first to restrain these wild imaginings, and later, when she falls pregnant, to hide the shame. Ruth longs to escape and dreams of the nearby island, where she and her baby can finally be free.

Told with mythic power and lyrical precision, Long Wave is an extraordinary novel of longing and loss, rebirth and survival.

#authortalk #bristolevents #bristolbookshop #booksaremybag #bookstagram

Join us in conversation with Rowe Irvin & Anne Keer on their novels - set in nature, on escaping into the wild, resistance and finding places to belong.

Thursday 2nd July
Doors: 6.45pm
Event: 7 - 8.30pm

*Life Cycle of a Moth by Rowe Irvin*

LONGLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS' CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2026

AN OBSERVER BEST DEBUT OF 2025

Myma, do you hear it? Myma, do you hear? Myma?Maya and Daughter live in complete isolation in a secluded woodland, their days aligned with the light and changing seasons, a complex pattern of routine and ritual. One day, when Daughter is almost sixteen, a red-haired stranger steps into the confines of their territory. Where there was always two, suddenly there are three - and the carefully constructed world that Maya has built to keep her daughter safe may not survive it.

*The Wildness by Anne Keer*

As the Enlightenment dawns, Hannah Sentance finds herself increasingly disturbed by her husband Walter's unyielding desire to transform the land around their estate into an elite Gentleman's Park. Local people will be evicted, an old way of life lost and an ancient oak tree felled. A symbol of resistance, wildness and a young woman's love affair with nature, the tree embodies Hannah's struggle for a way of belonging.

But how can she - and it - survive?

#authortalk #bristolevents #bristolbookshop #independentbookshop #bristolbookstagram
@bog__daughter @anne.keer

Join us in conversation with Rowe Irvin & Anne Keer on their novels - set in nature, on escaping into the wild, resistance and finding places to belong.

Thursday 2nd July
Doors: 6.45pm
Event: 7 - 8.30pm

*Life Cycle of a Moth by Rowe Irvin*

LONGLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS' CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2026

AN OBSERVER BEST DEBUT OF 2025

Myma, do you hear it? Myma, do you hear? Myma?Maya and Daughter live in complete isolation in a secluded woodland, their days aligned with the light and changing seasons, a complex pattern of routine and ritual. One day, when Daughter is almost sixteen, a red-haired stranger steps into the confines of their territory. Where there was always two, suddenly there are three - and the carefully constructed world that Maya has built to keep her daughter safe may not survive it.

*The Wildness by Anne Keer*

As the Enlightenment dawns, Hannah Sentance finds herself increasingly disturbed by her husband Walter's unyielding desire to transform the land around their estate into an elite Gentleman's Park. Local people will be evicted, an old way of life lost and an ancient oak tree felled. A symbol of resistance, wildness and a young woman's love affair with nature, the tree embodies Hannah's struggle for a way of belonging.

But how can she - and it - survive?

#authortalk #bristolevents #bristolbookshop #independentbookshop #bristolbookstagram
@bog__daughter @anne.keer

Saturday morning bookshop - new Maggie O'Farrell is out and Bristol Urban Nature Maps back in stock! Grab one while this batch lasts.

Come and talk to us about books.
New events going up on the website too!

#booksfortheweekend #booksaremybag #bristolbookstagram #indiebookshop #independentbookshop

Saturday morning bookshop - new Maggie O'Farrell is out and Bristol Urban Nature Maps back in stock! Grab one while this batch lasts.

Come and talk to us about books.
New events going up on the website too!

#booksfortheweekend #booksaremybag #bristolbookstagram #indiebookshop #independentbookshop

Towering stacks of books for a temperant Saturday morning.
New fiction, non-fiction and enough children's books to keep them busy long enough for a nap.
Kathy Burke out in paperback and in a beautiful indie exclusive edition

It's perfect book-buying weather.
Come down and see us.

#bristolbookstagram
#bristolbookshop
#indiebookshop #booksfortheweekend #bristolbusiness

Towering stacks of books for a temperant Saturday morning.
New fiction, non-fiction and enough children's books to keep them busy long enough for a nap.
Kathy Burke out in paperback and in a beautiful indie exclusive edition

It's perfect book-buying weather.
Come down and see us.

#bristolbookstagram
#bristolbookshop
#indiebookshop #booksfortheweekend #bristolbusiness

What a great evening!
Thanks to @clairellynch and @anthonyshapland for braving the heat and the transport to get to us for a really fascinating event.

We've been championing these two exceptional debuts since they came out and so were thrilled they came together to chat about their books and queer history in fiction.
We cant recommend them enough.

We have a few signed copies of both books in the shop, while stocks last.

Thank you to Andrew Kelly for masterful guidance through a great conversation, and thanks to everyone who, as Claire noted, chose us over a beer garden. We salute you all.

More events to be announced for July - sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear.
Some exciting plans coming to fruition for autumn as well!

#authortalk #authorevent #bristolbookstagram #bristolbookshop #bristolbookstagrammers

What a great evening!
Thanks to @clairellynch and @anthonyshapland for braving the heat and the transport to get to us for a really fascinating event.

We've been championing these two exceptional debuts since they came out and so were thrilled they came together to chat about their books and queer history in fiction.
We cant recommend them enough.

We have a few signed copies of both books in the shop, while stocks last.

Thank you to Andrew Kelly for masterful guidance through a great conversation, and thanks to everyone who, as Claire noted, chose us over a beer garden. We salute you all.

More events to be announced for July - sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear.
Some exciting plans coming to fruition for autumn as well!

#authortalk #authorevent #bristolbookstagram #bristolbookshop #bristolbookstagrammers

🌞Sun's out Books out.

🌞It's warm, it's sunny and it's a long weekend. This means perfect reading conditions.

🌿We have perfect books for reading in the park, your garden or in the house with the curtains closed.

🌍Come and see us at the shop, it's been a big week for newly published books and we have them all (almost).

-------------------------------------------

#bookrecommendations
#indiebookshop #bristol #bs5 #bristolbookshop #bookshop #bookstagramuk #bristolbookstagrammers #bookstagram #bookshopsofinstagram

🌞Sun's out Books out.

🌞It's warm, it's sunny and it's a long weekend. This means perfect reading conditions.

🌿We have perfect books for reading in the park, your garden or in the house with the curtains closed.

🌍Come and see us at the shop, it's been a big week for newly published books and we have them all (almost).

-------------------------------------------

#bookrecommendations
#indiebookshop #bristol #bs5 #bristolbookshop #bookshop #bookstagramuk #bristolbookstagrammers #bookstagram #bookshopsofinstagram

We're in a whirlwind of great events and are now only just catching up on sharing some pics!

Thank you to @saba_sams for an amazing evening last week, discussing her novel, Gunk. Now out in paperback and a few signed copies left!

Thanks to @ellen__jones and @elizabethlovatt for last night on Queer Histories, Queer Futures. For sharing their stories and thoughts. It was a great evening.

Thanks to everyone who came. Truly lovely audiences.

Next week is Queer History in Fiction with Claire Lynch and Anthony Shapland. Not miss it.

#authortalk #authorevent #bristolevents #bristolbookstagram

We're in a whirlwind of great events and are now only just catching up on sharing some pics!

Thank you to @saba_sams for an amazing evening last week, discussing her novel, Gunk. Now out in paperback and a few signed copies left!

Thanks to @ellen__jones and @elizabethlovatt for last night on Queer Histories, Queer Futures. For sharing their stories and thoughts. It was a great evening.

Thanks to everyone who came. Truly lovely audiences.

Next week is Queer History in Fiction with Claire Lynch and Anthony Shapland. Not miss it.

#authortalk #authorevent #bristolevents #bristolbookstagram

Join us in conversation with Anthony Shapland & Claire Lynch on their novels, A Room Above A Shop and A Family Matters, and how fiction can raise awareness of our LGBTQ+ history.

With Andrew Kelly from Bristol Festival of Ideas.

Thursday 28th May
Doors: 6.45pm
Start: 7pm
Tickets from £7 with a free drink!

A Family Matter by Claire Lynch
WINNER OF THE NERO BOOK AWARDS GOLD PRIZE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025
A mother following her heart. A father with the law on his side. A child caught in the middle. 1982 Dawn is a young wife and mother hemmed in by village life.
Then Hazel appears like a torch in the dark. Their attraction is instant and suddenly Dawn’s world is more joyful, and more complicated, than she ever expected. 2022 Maggie has always lived with an absence where her mother should be.
Her father never speaks of her and it feels impossible to ask. Then an official letter arrives with news from the past, and Maggie must face a truth far bigger than just her family’s secret.

A Room Above a Shop by Anthony Shapland
When two quiet men form a tentative connection neither knows where it might lead. M has inherited his family's ironmongery business and B is younger by eleven years and can see no future in the place where he has grown up, but when M offers him a job and lodgings, he accepts. As the two men work side by side in the shop, they also begin a life together in their one shared room above - the kind of life they never imagined possible and that risks everything if their public performance were to slip.

Unfolding in South Wales against the backdrop of Section 28, the age of consent debate and the HIV and AIDS crisis, this is a tender and resonant love story, and a powerful debut.

#bristolevents #authortalk #bristolbookshop #indiebookshop

Join us in conversation with Anthony Shapland & Claire Lynch on their novels, A Room Above A Shop and A Family Matters, and how fiction can raise awareness of our LGBTQ+ history.

With Andrew Kelly from Bristol Festival of Ideas.

Thursday 28th May
Doors: 6.45pm
Start: 7pm
Tickets from £7 with a free drink!

A Family Matter by Claire Lynch
WINNER OF THE NERO BOOK AWARDS GOLD PRIZE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025
A mother following her heart. A father with the law on his side. A child caught in the middle. 1982 Dawn is a young wife and mother hemmed in by village life.
Then Hazel appears like a torch in the dark. Their attraction is instant and suddenly Dawn’s world is more joyful, and more complicated, than she ever expected. 2022 Maggie has always lived with an absence where her mother should be.
Her father never speaks of her and it feels impossible to ask. Then an official letter arrives with news from the past, and Maggie must face a truth far bigger than just her family’s secret.

A Room Above a Shop by Anthony Shapland
When two quiet men form a tentative connection neither knows where it might lead. M has inherited his family's ironmongery business and B is younger by eleven years and can see no future in the place where he has grown up, but when M offers him a job and lodgings, he accepts. As the two men work side by side in the shop, they also begin a life together in their one shared room above - the kind of life they never imagined possible and that risks everything if their public performance were to slip.

Unfolding in South Wales against the backdrop of Section 28, the age of consent debate and the HIV and AIDS crisis, this is a tender and resonant love story, and a powerful debut.

#bristolevents #authortalk #bristolbookshop #indiebookshop

Join us in conversation with two powerhouses in the queer community, Ellen Jones and Elizabeth Lovatt to talk about their books, queer history, identity, community and the future of equality.

Outrage by Ellen Jones

Complete equality for LGBTQ+ people should be our benchmark. But despite massively increased visibility in mainstream life and culture, the queer community is facing unacceptable levels of prejudice and danger – from the rise in homophobic and transphobic violence to the rollback of hard-fought-for rights across the globe. In this groundbreaking, compelling and immensely readable book, writer and activist Ellen Jones exposes the discrimination queer people continue to face in all areas of life, from marriage to mental health, education to ageing, religion to sport and much more.

Thank You for Calling the Lesbian Line by Elizabeth Lovatt

Thank You for Calling the Lesbian Line is a remarkable piece of work.' Kerry Hudson, Observer
Elizabeth Lovatt reimagines the women who both called and volunteered for the Lesbian Line in the 1990s while also tracing her own journey from accidentally coming out to disastrous dates to finding her chosen family. With callers and agents alike dealing with first crushes and breakups, sex and marriage, loneliness and illness (or simply the need to know the name of a gay bar on a night out), this is a celebration of the ordinary lives of queer women. Thank You for Calling the Lesbian Line is a timely and vital exploration of how lesbian identity continues to remake and redefine itself in the 21st century and where it might lead us in the future.

#bristolevents #bristolbookshop #authortalk

Join us in conversation with two powerhouses in the queer community, Ellen Jones and Elizabeth Lovatt to talk about their books, queer history, identity, community and the future of equality.

Outrage by Ellen Jones

Complete equality for LGBTQ+ people should be our benchmark. But despite massively increased visibility in mainstream life and culture, the queer community is facing unacceptable levels of prejudice and danger – from the rise in homophobic and transphobic violence to the rollback of hard-fought-for rights across the globe. In this groundbreaking, compelling and immensely readable book, writer and activist Ellen Jones exposes the discrimination queer people continue to face in all areas of life, from marriage to mental health, education to ageing, religion to sport and much more.

Thank You for Calling the Lesbian Line by Elizabeth Lovatt

Thank You for Calling the Lesbian Line is a remarkable piece of work.' Kerry Hudson, Observer
Elizabeth Lovatt reimagines the women who both called and volunteered for the Lesbian Line in the 1990s while also tracing her own journey from accidentally coming out to disastrous dates to finding her chosen family. With callers and agents alike dealing with first crushes and breakups, sex and marriage, loneliness and illness (or simply the need to know the name of a gay bar on a night out), this is a celebration of the ordinary lives of queer women. Thank You for Calling the Lesbian Line is a timely and vital exploration of how lesbian identity continues to remake and redefine itself in the 21st century and where it might lead us in the future.

#bristolevents #bristolbookshop #authortalk

The shop is heaving under the weight of all the signed copies, sprayed edges & exclusive editions.

New books everywhere. Come and see!

#bristolbookstagram #bristolbookshop #bookshopsoftheworld #booksbooksbooks #newbooks

The shop is heaving under the weight of all the signed copies, sprayed edges & exclusive editions.

New books everywhere. Come and see!

#bristolbookstagram #bristolbookshop #bookshopsoftheworld #booksbooksbooks #newbooks

📘Sarah's Staff Pick for May is Paradiso 17 by Hannah Lillith Assadi

Paradiso 17 is the story of a man’s endless search for home after he is exiled from Palestine in the Nakba of 1948. It's an intimate tale of family but also educated me about the history of this period and is of course so timely now.

With Sufien's search for home, the novel takes us through the decades and around the globe and has a soft, hypnotic feel.

I read all of the Women's Prize Longlist and this was in my top 2!

#womensprizeforfiction #paradiso17 #bs5 #indiebookshop #bristol #bristolbookshop #bookshop #bookstagramuk #bristolbookstagrammers #bookstagram #bookshopsofinstagram #staffpicks

📘Sarah's Staff Pick for May is Paradiso 17 by Hannah Lillith Assadi

Paradiso 17 is the story of a man’s endless search for home after he is exiled from Palestine in the Nakba of 1948. It's an intimate tale of family but also educated me about the history of this period and is of course so timely now.

With Sufien's search for home, the novel takes us through the decades and around the globe and has a soft, hypnotic feel.

I read all of the Women's Prize Longlist and this was in my top 2!

#womensprizeforfiction #paradiso17 #bs5 #indiebookshop #bristol #bristolbookshop #bookshop #bookstagramuk #bristolbookstagrammers #bookstagram #bookshopsofinstagram #staffpicks

Introducing one of our new team members: Meet Mal!

Hi, I'm Mal!

As a poet and theatre-maker, I love books that play with expectations, challenge form and transform the ways we see the world. I'm particularly fond of writers who find the sparks of magic (or menace!) in our everyday encounters. My stack includes stories of young women discovering rocky routes to autonomy, spoken word poets who've unlocked the key to making their work sing on the page, short stories that bend reality, and a cook book that'll change how you look at everything in your kitchen.

I look forward to meeting you, and getting to know which little worlds you love and helping you find new ones to delve into.

#staffpicks #bookrecommendations #bookrecs #indiebookshop #bristolbookshop #bookstagramuk #bookshopping #booksbooksbooks

Introducing one of our new team members: Meet Mal!

Hi, I'm Mal!

As a poet and theatre-maker, I love books that play with expectations, challenge form and transform the ways we see the world. I'm particularly fond of writers who find the sparks of magic (or menace!) in our everyday encounters. My stack includes stories of young women discovering rocky routes to autonomy, spoken word poets who've unlocked the key to making their work sing on the page, short stories that bend reality, and a cook book that'll change how you look at everything in your kitchen.

I look forward to meeting you, and getting to know which little worlds you love and helping you find new ones to delve into.

#staffpicks #bookrecommendations #bookrecs #indiebookshop #bristolbookshop #bookstagramuk #bookshopping #booksbooksbooks

The wonderful Sophie Mackintosh!
Long one of our favourite writers, it was such a treat to hear Sophie talk about her new novel Permanence, her inspiration and writing process.
We will await the story of the sad couple in the woods...

Thanks to everyone who came and made the evening as great as always.
Big thank you to @sophmackintosh for spending the evening with us.

Lots of events coming up in May - grab a ticket!

#bristolevents #bristolbookstagram #bristolbookshop #authortalk #authorevent

The wonderful Sophie Mackintosh!
Long one of our favourite writers, it was such a treat to hear Sophie talk about her new novel Permanence, her inspiration and writing process.
We will await the story of the sad couple in the woods...

Thanks to everyone who came and made the evening as great as always.
Big thank you to @sophmackintosh for spending the evening with us.

Lots of events coming up in May - grab a ticket!

#bristolevents #bristolbookstagram #bristolbookshop #authortalk #authorevent

Bookseller Lucy here, sharing one of my favourite reads from this sunny spring.

The Coin by Yasmin Zaher (Winner of the 2025 @dylanthomasprize): There are echoes of Miranda July in this compelling, complex dive into the world (and mind) of a nameless Palestinian woman making her way in New York City. The first person narrative weaves a tight and tangled web around the reader, taking you on a journey into the depths of our heroine's compulsions and obsessions at a frenetic, sometimes relentless, pace. I love novels that give you an insight into women's internal worlds, no matter how chaotic - something that this book 100% delivers!

Bookseller Lucy here, sharing one of my favourite reads from this sunny spring.

The Coin by Yasmin Zaher (Winner of the 2025 @dylanthomasprize): There are echoes of Miranda July in this compelling, complex dive into the world (and mind) of a nameless Palestinian woman making her way in New York City. The first person narrative weaves a tight and tangled web around the reader, taking you on a journey into the depths of our heroine's compulsions and obsessions at a frenetic, sometimes relentless, pace. I love novels that give you an insight into women's internal worlds, no matter how chaotic - something that this book 100% delivers!

Happy Earth Day! 🌍🌎🌏

To celebrate, we're highlighting some stellar new nature writing – gardening, tree histories, water and waterways, birding, "a year in the life" stories. Just a few of the many different ways we interact with our planet. What's your favourite?

#earthday #indiebookshop #bristol #bristolbookshop #bookshop #bookstagramuk #bristolbookstagrammers #bookstagram #bookshopsofinstagram #bs5

Happy Earth Day! 🌍🌎🌏

To celebrate, we're highlighting some stellar new nature writing – gardening, tree histories, water and waterways, birding, "a year in the life" stories. Just a few of the many different ways we interact with our planet. What's your favourite?

#earthday #indiebookshop #bristol #bristolbookshop #bookshop #bookstagramuk #bristolbookstagrammers #bookstagram #bookshopsofinstagram #bs5

Its Record Store Day so go & support your local independent record shop.

We highly recommend a visit to our neighbours @cherrywavesvinyl!

#recordstoreday #bristolrecordshop #bristolbusiness #shoplocal

Its Record Store Day so go & support your local independent record shop.

We highly recommend a visit to our neighbours @cherrywavesvinyl!

#recordstoreday #bristolrecordshop #bristolbusiness #shoplocal

✨📚 We have lots of special editions and signed copies in the shop atm! There's always something slightly special about a signed copy ✨📚

❤️Perfect for gifts, or for keeping for yourself.

❤️Sarah is particularly absorbed in London Falling - Patrick Radden Keefe. She has not spoken to her family for a few days now.

❤️We have 2 Lenas left! They have a cute drawing inside.

✨📚Pop in and discover them while they’re here ✨📚

#independentbookshop #signedbooks #specialeditions #bookstagram #booklover #readmore #bookish #bookshopfinds #giftideas #supportindie #bookcollection #BS5 #indiebookshopsofbristol

✨📚 We have lots of special editions and signed copies in the shop atm! There's always something slightly special about a signed copy ✨📚

❤️Perfect for gifts, or for keeping for yourself.

❤️Sarah is particularly absorbed in London Falling - Patrick Radden Keefe. She has not spoken to her family for a few days now.

❤️We have 2 Lenas left! They have a cute drawing inside.

✨📚Pop in and discover them while they’re here ✨📚

#independentbookshop #signedbooks #specialeditions #bookstagram #booklover #readmore #bookish #bookshopfinds #giftideas #supportindie #bookcollection #BS5 #indiebookshopsofbristol

We're hiring!

We're looking for a part-time bookseller to join our small yet mighty team.

The role is 10-15 hours per week across 3 days, including Saturday. We're looking for someone who is passionate about books, reading and can't stop talking about them.

Send a CV and a cover letter including a short one-paragraph review of a book you've read recently to us at hello@thesmallcitybookshop.co.uk, by Friday 24th April.

Interviews will be held at the shop over the week commencing 27th April.
We are a Real Living Wage employer.

#bookshopjobs #bristolbookshop
#bristolbookstagrammers

We're hiring!

We're looking for a part-time bookseller to join our small yet mighty team.

The role is 10-15 hours per week across 3 days, including Saturday. We're looking for someone who is passionate about books, reading and can't stop talking about them.

Send a CV and a cover letter including a short one-paragraph review of a book you've read recently to us at hello@thesmallcitybookshop.co.uk, by Friday 24th April.

Interviews will be held at the shop over the week commencing 27th April.
We are a Real Living Wage employer.

#bookshopjobs #bristolbookshop
#bristolbookstagrammers

We had such a great evening and we were so mesmerised by Brigit that we forgot to take any pictures.

If you were there, you know. If you weren't, you should have been!

Thanks to @brigitannamcneill for sharing her words and wisdom on the natural power of healing - it was a lovely way to spend an evening. We could have listened to her read for hours.

Thanks to everyone who came, as always.
There are loads more exciting events coming up over April and May.

See you there.

#bristolbookstagram
#authortalk
#bristolevents #bristolbookshop

We had such a great evening and we were so mesmerised by Brigit that we forgot to take any pictures.

If you were there, you know. If you weren't, you should have been!

Thanks to @brigitannamcneill for sharing her words and wisdom on the natural power of healing - it was a lovely way to spend an evening. We could have listened to her read for hours.

Thanks to everyone who came, as always.
There are loads more exciting events coming up over April and May.

See you there.

#bristolbookstagram
#authortalk
#bristolevents #bristolbookshop

We've been flooded with exciting new fiction recently! Here's just a taste of the gorgeous new titles we have in stock.

From historical Hungarian epic to queer NYC summer romance to lyrical Scottish fever dream to 1980s Houston and beyond, the whole world awaits in these tomes.

#newfiction #indiebookshop #bristol #bristolbookshop #bookstagramuk #bristolbookstagrammers #bookstagram #bookshopsofinstagram #bs5

We've been flooded with exciting new fiction recently! Here's just a taste of the gorgeous new titles we have in stock.

From historical Hungarian epic to queer NYC summer romance to lyrical Scottish fever dream to 1980s Houston and beyond, the whole world awaits in these tomes.

#newfiction #indiebookshop #bristol #bristolbookshop #bookstagramuk #bristolbookstagrammers #bookstagram #bookshopsofinstagram #bs5

🎉Event Announcement!

Join us in conversation with Isabel Waidner on their latest novel: As If.

We love this novel - come and chat about it with us!

7th May
Doors: 6.45pm
Start: 7pm

Tickets: £7 and include a free drink.
Available online or in the shop.

*As If*
As If follows two characters as they swerve onto the road not taken – a deeply empathetic, tragicomic novel that reckons with the absurdity of modern lives

Two men meet in a flat in London. They are total strangers and yet they look remarkably alike. Lewis is grieving his dead wife; Korine is hiding from his very-much-alive one. Lewis never had children; Korine is an ambivalent parent at best. Lewis is an erstwhile actor, too depressed to attend the big audition that has just fallen into his lap. Korine has tried a dozen dead-end jobs but never pursued his acting dreams.

Two men living mirror image lives. Each seeking a second chance to get things right. Each wanting what the other has.

As If is an existential farce about the road not taken. Surreal and slyly poignant, suffused with ironic melancholia, it is a parable for the twenty-first century everyman: a character trapped in reality’s hall of mirrors, endlessly searching for something to live for.

**Isabel Waidner**
Isabel Waidner is the author of five novels – including Sterling Karat Gold, which won the Goldsmiths Prize and was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction and the Republic of Consciousness Prize, and Corey Fah Does Social Mobility which was shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award. They teach in the School of the Arts at Queen Mary University of London.

#bookshopevents #authortalk #stories #storytelling #bristolevents #bristolstorytelling
#indiebookshop #bristol #bristolbookshop #bookshop #bookstagramuk #bristolbookstagrammers #bookstagram #bookshopsofinstagram #bs5

🎉Event Announcement!

Join us in conversation with Isabel Waidner on their latest novel: As If.

We love this novel - come and chat about it with us!

7th May
Doors: 6.45pm
Start: 7pm

Tickets: £7 and include a free drink.
Available online or in the shop.

*As If*
As If follows two characters as they swerve onto the road not taken – a deeply empathetic, tragicomic novel that reckons with the absurdity of modern lives

Two men meet in a flat in London. They are total strangers and yet they look remarkably alike. Lewis is grieving his dead wife; Korine is hiding from his very-much-alive one. Lewis never had children; Korine is an ambivalent parent at best. Lewis is an erstwhile actor, too depressed to attend the big audition that has just fallen into his lap. Korine has tried a dozen dead-end jobs but never pursued his acting dreams.

Two men living mirror image lives. Each seeking a second chance to get things right. Each wanting what the other has.

As If is an existential farce about the road not taken. Surreal and slyly poignant, suffused with ironic melancholia, it is a parable for the twenty-first century everyman: a character trapped in reality’s hall of mirrors, endlessly searching for something to live for.

**Isabel Waidner**
Isabel Waidner is the author of five novels – including Sterling Karat Gold, which won the Goldsmiths Prize and was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction and the Republic of Consciousness Prize, and Corey Fah Does Social Mobility which was shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award. They teach in the School of the Arts at Queen Mary University of London.

#bookshopevents #authortalk #stories #storytelling #bristolevents #bristolstorytelling
#indiebookshop #bristol #bristolbookshop #bookshop #bookstagramuk #bristolbookstagrammers #bookstagram #bookshopsofinstagram #bs5

It's Saturday and our last day open across the weekend. It's time to start stockpiling books.

#bristolbookshop #booksfortheweekend #bristolbookstammers #bookstagramuk #shoplocal

It's Saturday and our last day open across the weekend. It's time to start stockpiling books.

#bristolbookshop #booksfortheweekend #bristolbookstammers #bookstagramuk #shoplocal

Our event calendar is full to bursting with some incredible events over April and May.

Get yourself a ticket to one or many.
Tickets to all events are £7, and include a free drink and a great evening.

Tickets available for all events on our website or in the shop.

#bookshopevents #authortalk #stories #storytelling #bristolevents #bristolstorytelling
#indiebookshop #bristol #bristolbookshop #bookshop #bookstagramuk #bristolbookstagrammers #bookstagram #bookshopsofinstagram #bs5

Our event calendar is full to bursting with some incredible events over April and May.

Get yourself a ticket to one or many.
Tickets to all events are £7, and include a free drink and a great evening.

Tickets available for all events on our website or in the shop.

#bookshopevents #authortalk #stories #storytelling #bristolevents #bristolstorytelling
#indiebookshop #bristol #bristolbookshop #bookshop #bookstagramuk #bristolbookstagrammers #bookstagram #bookshopsofinstagram #bs5

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