Durham by the Book
The City’s best reading spots
Whether you’re warming up for the DU performative male contest or a genuine frazzled English student, these are some of the best spots in the city to park up with your book or a pick up a brand new one!
I have admittedly given at least half of my student loan to Collected over the last couple of years. Collected is an indie bookshop along the Riverwalk specialising in works written by women and queer authors. They have amazing coffee, cake, regular bookish events and the loveliest staff if you’re looking for recommendations.
While the DU boat club may hate you for constantly being in their way the riverwalk is undoubtedly one of the best backdrops to any novel or inspiration for your next piece of pastoral poetry! There are benches dotted along the length of the riverwalk so pick your spot, Cathedral and bridges in sight, listen to the river lapping and forget about those looming formative deadlines.
Another fantastic indie bookshop in Durham located just near Costa on the high street is People’s bookshop. People’s prides itself on being one of the first radical bookshops in the North-East, selling new and used political titles. They also host ‘Durham students for Palestine’ events and work with the yearly Miners’ Gala sharing working-class stories from in and around Durham!
How could I not include the Durham student holy grail that is the Oxfam bookshop. Just opposite Jimmy Allen’s, the Oxfam hold hundreds of used fiction and non-fiction titles as well as some second-hand instruments so if you fancy sticking to your weekly budget and feeling good about donating to charity, have a look in!
Just in the Durham marketplace, Bookwyrm is Durham’s own indie, queer owned and queer focused bookstore. They often host crossover events with Durham’s queer community ‘The Marra Project’ to join trans craft sessions and chats as well as offering regular bookish events specialising in books by small authors and independent publishers.
Finally, why venture elsewhere when Stevo boasts the best cozy atmosphere (and couches) in Durham. With the newly restocked College library (across Platform Three and Central,) there are plenty of titles to check out if you’re looking for something to pick up; or bring your current read, grab a Starbucks cuppa and settle into one of the best seats in the house.
With so many small-owned spaces championing queer and female work in Durham to choose from, why would one ever need to step foot into a dreaded chain bookstore (or be shouted at by Café staff who just want to clean your table!) I hope after reading this, you find more time to support local indie bookshops, pick up a new read, make your favourite cozy drink and lose yourself in those pages.