Lisa Jewell to chair 2026 Harrogate crime writing festivalMasham girl, 12, completes tour of all North Yorkshire librariesNumber 36 buses to turn into mobile librariesThe bookshop owner going into bat for Knaresborough’s independentsThe bookseller spreading the joy of imagined things7 unmissable independent bookshops in Yorkshire

Last week the Stray Ferret explored how many people are rediscovering the joy of physical books – and this reading renaissance goes hand-in-hand with an increase in the amount of independent bookshops on the UK’s high street.

In 2022, the Bookseller’s Association reported a record amount of indie stores opening their doors, a number then surpassed in 2023, with 51 shops starting to trade.

North Yorkshire has always been a hotspot for independent businesses, and bookshops are no exception to this rule – here are just some of the highlights to pop into for a browse.

Castlegate Books, Knaresborough

(Image: Castlegate Books)

Tucked into a corner of Market Place, Castlegate Books has been a firm fixture on the Knaresborough high street since 2008.

Owned by Gary Cooper, the shop stocks new books online and in store, as well as selling a range of greeting cards and postcards of the local area. National book tokens are also redeemable in-store.

According to the Castlegate Books website, there’s over 100,000 titles available online, with free UK delivery offered.

Castlegate Books is located at 13 Market Place, Knaresborough, HG5 8AL.

Reading Roots, Wetherby

Reading Roots

Reading Roots joined Wetherby’s collection of thriving independent businesses in 2022, when Kiera Andrews was visiting family and spotted an empty store in the town.

Located centrally, the shop sells a diverse selection of fiction and a non-fiction books, including travel, sport, history – and a section all about Yorkshire.

The shop even offers work experience placements, collaborating with local schools in the area to inspire the next generation.

Reading Roots is located at 29 Market Place, Wetherby, LS22 6LQ.

Little Ripon Bookshop, Ripon

The Little Ripon Bookshop

It’s Little Ripon Bookshop’s 15th anniversary this year – a true testament to an enduring love of books. A family-run enterprise, it first opened their doors in 2009, and expanded into the shop next door in 2018.

Stocking a range of new releases and old classics, as well as children’s titles and a range of stationary, cards and gifts, the bookshop is a firm fixture of Ripon’s independent retail scene.

It also hosts book clubs for adults and children, plus evening talks by local authors.

Little Ripon Bookshop is located at 12-13 Westgate, Ripon, North Yorkshire. HG4 2AT.

Imagined Things, Harrogate

Imagined Things bookshop in Harrogate

Imagined Things

Imagined Things opened its doors on Montpellier Parade in 2017 to much fanfare and rightly so; it was Harrogate’s first independent bookshop stocking new books in nearly twenty years.

A lifelong bibliophile, owner Georgia worked as a radiographer at Harrogate District Hospital for six years before deciding to pursue her passion for all things literature.

The shop stocks an eclectic range of genres to suit different tastes, and can post books to anywhere in the UK.

Imagined Things is located at 21 Montpellier Parade, Harrogate HG1 2TG.

Criminally Good Books, York

(Image: Pixabay)

Criminally Good Books is a relative newcomer to the York streets, but due to its unique twist of stocking all things crime-related, it has already built up quite the reputation.

The quirky window sticker depicting the classic chalk outline of a body – surrounded by books of course – sets the theme and is an eye-catching to the shopfronts along Colliergate.

Whether you’re a fan of a thriller, or prefer a non-fiction deep dive, there’s a diverse range of authors and subjects to choose from. The first floor boasts an events space, hosting book clubs, author meet and greets, and even a burlesque show.

 Criminally Good Books is located at 14 Colliergate, York, YO1 8BP.

The Stripey Badger, Grassington

(Image: Instagram @thestripeybadger)

If you’re looking to browse the books and have a bite to eat, The Stripey Badger ticks both of those boxes.

An award-winning café and bookshop all rolled into one, it’s located in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales village of Grassington – or as All Creatures Great and Small reboot fans might know it, the fictious Darrowby.

The shop is filled with many different genres, including children’s books, and they regularly host open mic poetry nights, book clubs and more.

The Stripey Badger is located at 7 The Square, Grassington, BD23 5AQ.

Books For All, Harrogate

Books For All

Looks are deceptive with Books For All in Harrogate – while the shopfront gives the impression of being small, there’s actually three floors crammed with a vast array of second hand books.

First opened in 1998, the shop reports to be the oldest, and only, second hand bookstore in the town centre.

It’s estimated they have over 20,000 to choose from – alongside a selection of vinyl and CDs – but they’re always looking for new titles to add to their collection.

Books for All is located at 23A Commercial St, Harrogate, HG1 1UB.

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‘Reading an actual book is a welcome change’ – are people returning to print?

(Image: Pixabay)

‘You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me’ – although this quote is attributed to author C.S Lewis who published his last novel in 1956, it seems as though it is no less true today.

In 2022, the UK’s book market experienced an unprecedented boom, with over 669 million physical books sold, according to a Publishing Association report. 2023 brought a 2.6 percent drop in sales, but the industry still raked in a staggering £1.83 billion per annum.

The generation fuelling many of these sales might surprise you. People aged between 13 to 24 overwhelmingly contributed to 2022’s record-breaking year, counting for 80 percent of purchases, research from Nielsen BookData found.

(Image: Pixabay)

It appears that Gen Z and later millennials – who have often been described as ‘digital natives’ – play a major role in this increased popularity for print.

Growing up so heavily influenced by the internet and social media could be one reason the younger generations have fallen back in love with reading – but are there any other factors that make flipping through the pages of a book attractive to so many?

‘We see such a lot of positivity and joy in our bookshop’

Gill Edwards, owner of The Little Ripon Bookshop, thinks that reading trends have shown a marked change since the Covid-19 pandemic.

She explained:

“We spent months delivering books to people in Ripon and beyond who were isolating, and I think they were very thankful for this service and have since become loyal customers.

“I also think that many people picked up a reading habit during lockdown which has continued and they have turned to books rather than screens because so much of life is now screen based and reading an actual book is a welcome change.”

The independent bookshop offered Zoom book clubs when restrictions were first put in place that still run to this day, alongside their face-to-face meetings which are described as ‘thriving and full’.

With The Little Ripon Bookshop’s 15-year anniversary approaching in July, Gill has many years of experience in the industry to reflect upon.

The Little Ripon Bookshop

She believes that a preference for physical books endures because customers like to be able to browse the shelves, read the first page and even see the typeface, discovering what appeals to them.

She added:

“This is particularly important for children, and we work hard to make sure that the young people of Ripon have somewhere to find their next favourite author.

“There’s been a lot of media noise about the decline of the high street, but we see such a lot of positivity and joy in our bookshop.

“New customers seem thrilled to find us, and visitors to Ripon often say they are delighted to find an independent bookshop.”

A new chapter for independent bookshops in Yorkshire

The region has enjoyed something of a boom of independent bookshops of late, reflective of the wider UK trend in which the industry has seen year-on-year growth since 2017.

Last year, four Yorkshire bookshops were shortlisted for Independent Bookshop of the Year – Imagined Things in Harrogate, Halifax’s The Book Corner, Kemp’s General Store & Bookshop in Malton, and Wave of Nostalgia in Haworth.

It appears that the indie market shows little signs of slowing; earlier this week, the Stray Ferret reported that Paper People Books will soon be opening in Pateley Bridge.

Kerry Thorpe, owner of Paper People Books

Commenting on the launch, owner Kerry Thorpe said:

“Reading should be fun, not a chore and we want people to feel happy and spread a bit of joy when coming into the shop.

“We feel everyone needs a book in their lives, we are all so busy and sometimes it’s just great to switch off, read a book and really escape.”

The next generation of book-lovers

If this emerging trend of favouring physical books continues to grow or if another technological innovation finally usurps print, remains to be seen in the habits of consumers.

Generation Alpha encompasses those born between 2010 and 2024 – perhaps they’ll be the next generation of book lovers, and will continue to fuel the thriving independent bookshop scene across Yorkshire and beyond.

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Harrogate primary school launches campaign to fill new library

St Peter’s CE Primary School in Harrogate has unveiled its new library.

The library aims to give children a place to build and nurture their love of reading. It was funded by the Friends of St Peter’s and a grant from local charity the Johnson and Mukherjee Trust. St Peter’s worked with York outdoor play company Playscheme to develop the design.

To celebrate the opening, the school and the Friends of St Peter’s have launched a wish list campaign in partnership with independent Harrogate bookshop Imagined Things, which aims to restock the school library with additional books.

Debbie Phillips, the manager and school’s co-ordinator from Imagined Things, said:

“We love partnering with local schools and encouraging that love for reading within their communities. We’re so excited by St Peter’s new library and can’t wait to help fill it with new books.”

Head teacher Paul Griffiths

Paul Griffiths, headteacher at St Peter’s, said:

“Reading from physical books in an inspiring environment is incredibly important to us all St Peter’s. It is at the heart of our focus on enabling children to become fluent, confident, lifelong readers, giving them access to all the wonderful opportunities available to them now and in the future.

“That’s why we are we are truly delighted to have been able to provide such a wonderful child-friendly and exciting space within our school.”

St Peter’s is a member of Yorkshire Causeway Schools Trust and is housed in a Victorian building formally home to Harrogate Hospital. The primary school is now looking at plans to further develop its nurture space The Nest.

Anyone can support St Peter’s library by visiting Imagined Things Bookshop on Montpellier Parade to buy a book of their choice that will be placed in the new library, including a personalised note if they wish.

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Review: Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival celebrates its 20th year

Lauren Crisp is a book editor, writer and keen follower of arts and culture. Born and raised in Harrogate, Lauren recently moved back to North Yorkshire after a stint in London, where she regularly reviewed theatre – everything from big West End shows to small fringe productions. She is now eager to explore the culture on offer in and around her home town.  You can contact Lauren on laurencrispwriter@gmail.com 

2023’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival got off to a killer start on Thursday with the announcement of the winner of the Crime Novel of the Year, awarded to M.W. Craven for The Botanist, the latest in his Washington Poe series.

But this was just the start of a truly arresting line-up: a celebration of all things murder and mayhem (fictional, of course) and one of the biggest crime-writing festivals there is, now in its twentieth year. The Old Swan, its halls and gardens once walked by Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crime herself, was ready and raring to play host to the “Glastonbury of Crime”.

Whether author, agent, publisher, blogger, reader or author, every visitor had one thing in common, and that was books. For four whole days, the festival hustles and bustles with people from far and wide who love books, want to talk about them, hear about them and meet the minds behind them. There was a tangible buzz about the place; a camaraderie and shared excitement among the reported 17,000 ticketholders.

Even the A-List of the crime-writing world gets right into the mix, mingling with their readers. You might, as I did, run into Val McDermid in the corridor, or spy Richard Osman browsing the shelves of the Waterstone pop-up. I heard excited word of Richard Armitage, actor and now debut author, charming guests at Saturday’s author dinner. I was lucky enough to chat to Shari Lapena, writer of the smash hit The Couple Next Door, and to hear about her latest penning, Everyone Here is Lying.

It was great to see some local authors on the panels, too. A.A. Dhand, writer of the Bradford-based DI Harry Virdee series (with a TV adaptation in the works) spoke of his hometown’s influence on his writing. Yorkshire-born debut author Heather Darwent got a golden ticket to the much-coveted New Blood panel (a choice of the year’s best debuts) to share her book, The Things We Do to Our Friends.

Talking of new blood: this is also very much a festival for the new kids on the block – the debut authors for whom this is an exciting new adventure, and the aspiring writers, who must truly be in their element, surrounded by stars of the crime-fiction world, sharing their processes and secrets to success. It’s a crash course in the process of writing crime fiction, from those authors who plan methodically with spreadsheets and pie charts, to those who simply invent as they go, with no apparent idea of where their writing will take them. It’s enough to make anyone want to (try to) write a novel.

I met audience members who had travelled from the other side of the world, and locals who’ve visited since the festival’s infancy, recalling its much smaller scale when it first began. Today, the festival’s programme is mammoth, set to appeal across the fanbase of the myriad of sub-genres found in crime fiction, from detective novels to domestic noir to police procedurals and everything in between. With interviews, panel discussions, book signings, incident rooms, meet and greets and more, there is such a constant stream of entertainment that even those not into crime writing would likely still find themselves engaged and inspired (but of course, a love of crime, intrigue and bloody murder is encouraged).

2023’s big names included the inimitable Ann Cleeves (who received the Outstanding Contribution Award), Jeffrey Deaver (on his whopping 42nd novel), Lee and Andrew Child (the now-collaborators on the multi-million selling Jack Reacher novels), and Lucy Worsley (whose recent biography of Agatha Christie throws new light on the Queen of Crime’s time in Harrogate).  I also enjoyed Lisa Jewell and Ruth Ware in conversation, the Murder Most Joyful panel (creators of so-called ‘cosy’ crime, who, with their gallows humour, were just as amusing a bunch in person as on paper) and the Never-Ending Golden Age discussion, which delved into the enduring appeal and influence of Agatha Christie and her peers.

If you love crime fiction and want to get up close and personal with the masterminds, this is the festival for you. My first visit was an open and shut case: it was criminally good.

Tomorrow we will be publishing Lauren reviews one of the highlights of this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival – a talk by well known TV historian Lucy Worsley on Agatha Christie. 

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Harrogate district libraries will not ban or censor ‘offensive’ books

North Yorkshire Council has said it will not ban or censor books that readers find offensive in its libraries.

Novels have increasingly become tangled-up in the so-called culture wars, particularly in the United States where thousands of books have been banned in school and public libraries due to complaints about race or LGBTQ+ themes.

The trend has spread to the UK with research published this year by the UK’s library association, the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, finding that requests to ban books in the UK have increased significantly in recent years.

Its survey of librarians reported a third have been asked by members of the public to censor or remove books and 82% said they were concerned about the increase in the requests.

But North Yorkshire Council, which runs libraries in the Harrogate district, has said it has only received one request to ban a book in the last five years.

Boroughbridge Community Library

The book in question was Hilary Bonner’s crime thriller Deadly Dance and the request related to graphic descriptions the reader found upsetting.

The council declined to remove the book on the grounds that it follows the approach of CILIP, which says access to information should not be restricted. Its guidance states:

“It is the role of a library and information service that is funded from the public purse to provide, as far as resources allow, access to all publicly available information. Access should not be restricted on any grounds except that of the law.”

The council added that its own policy does not permit the removal of any books at the request of an individual or group and that library staff do not label items to warn customers about potentially offensive or harmful content.

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