Film Book

I have the habit of collecting cinema tickets, and they looked quite tackly on my wall and wardrobe. So I decided I wanted to do something with them.

I made a book, with softer covers than usual as well as a little room on the spine to allow for thickness and flexibilitiy - the soft covers mean I can bend the covers back and write with ease.

On every page I will stick in the cinema ticket and write a reiview of what I remember of the film.

Here's what I have so far.

Paignton's Well Read

Paignton – a bustling, touristy sea-side town, resplendent with arcades and charity shops. Paignton offers to a tourist every part of what a British holiday should be, including sticky rock and postcards. It also offers to those holiday makers who want to escape from their holiday escape, in the form of three bookshops in which are contained hundreds of journeys to embark upon.

 

Of the three, Parkside Books is most ideally situated right among the arcades. On your way to Lidl you may pop into Parkside and pick up value books, too. ‘Budget Fiction’ a sign proclaims in the window. This shop does exactly what it says on the tin.

 

Our second bookshop is perhaps not so perfectly situated but draws in booklovers regardless. Flying the flag for independent bookshops, The Torbay Bookshop was busy as I stepped in. Colourful, personable and welcoming, the bookshop offers the unique advice-over-the-counter with friendly staff that is so hard to find in big chain bookshops. That, and the shelves are continually updated. The shop has a clear layout and offers, as any good bookshop should, a book ordering service from reliable and nifty resources. It is efficient and yet holds a lot more personality than some other shops out there. And what about the book signings and other literature based events? The Torbay Bookshop is rather brilliant. Why not enjoy a Thornton’s coffee whist contemplating a possible purchase?

 

Readers may have noticed a distinct lack of bookshops of the second-hand variety in Paignton. Not to fear! Situated close to The Torbay Bookshops lies your redemption. Epicentre has a distinct hand-made quality to it, and you would be excused of thinking, as you step in, that this was somebody’s living room. Deep, comfortable sofas entice readers to perch in bliss and contemplate the vast array of books on the walls. Books surround every surface and they all seem hand-picked. It has books whose condition makes it seem unread, practically new: and it has those delicious old books that mark this shop from the rest. You may notice that a coffee machine lies behind a homely counter, and that there is a menu offering delectable dishes at moderate prices. Epicentre is a gem of Paignton, offering creative workshops and a variety of good quality books. Doubly satisfying, is you are a vegetarian, for there is no mention of meat anyway on the menus.

All good things come in threes, someone once may have or may have not said. The bookshops in Paignton cater to every kind of book browser, including vegetarians and chocoholics. It offers the best of books, in a variety of different shops, and it is a town that is very definitely well read.

  

 The Torbay Bookshop

Epicentre

Dartmouth Community Bookshop

I remember seeing the Harbour Bookshop swathed in scaffolding, and my heart plummeted. This bookshop of literary significance had just become another victim to the decline of independent bookshops. Goodness knows what terror may spring up in its place.

      

But, a beacon in the dark: hand written signs, pointing up the dank and narrow alleyway running alongside the late bookshop, proclaiming books could be found.

      

Emerging from the alleyway into a pretty street, the sun shone relentlessly onto a bright and bustling, paint-fresh bookshop.

     

 It wasn’t just the warmth of the sun that comforted me after such a blow. I knew, stepping into the shop, that here was a project I wish would exist in every town. Condensed into a small shop were books, smelling factory fresh, delicately chosen to sit proudly on the shelves.

     

 Dartmouth Community Bookshop’s Facebook page proclaims its simple aim – to retain the tradition of a book lover visiting a bookshop; of the encounters with books that can’t be found anywhere else, especially not on the internet. It also outlined the importance of staff and customer relationships, the advice and guidance from the expansive knowledge of the staff.

      

With the increase of buying on the internet, Dartmouth Community Bookshop stands as a beacon for the magical aura and unique experience of independent bookshops.

      

After the shock of Harbour Bookshop’s untimely death, Dartmouth was left without a bookshop from which the most avid readers could keep up with new and popular publications. The community rallied and were supported by similar projects. Shelf by shelf and person by person the community built a shop that stands proudly within Dartmouth, and retains the important literary links with the town and its people, providing Dartmouth with great and new delights for the entire town to devour.

     

 I took away with me four Book Time magazines and a warm feeling in my heart. There are people out there determined to keep the light burning brightly for independent bookshops, and the importance of loving books. It truly is a place to remember how books can delight not only a book lover, but a whole community.

Dartmouth Community Bookshop

12 Higher Street

Dartmouth

Torbay

Website