Harriet is our shop owner and founded the shop in 1990. She loves to travel and is, obviously, passionate about books!

She recommends:

We Have Always Lives in The Castle by Shirley Jackson

A brilliant (and short!) book by an American author whom I had not previously come across. This was the last novel she wrote, before her death in 1965 and is quite chilling but absolutely gripping and beautifully written.

£ 8.99 Paperback

Andrew is the manager. He keeps things ship shape. He loves sports, music and a good yarn...

His current favourite is:

Promised Land: A Northern Love Story by Anthony Clavane

Supporting Leeds Utd since the 1960s has never been easy and the traumatic ups and downs are vividly brought to life in this fascinating book. Part memoir, part social history and most definitely the best book on football for some time, Promised Lands was the worthy winner of this year's British Sports Book of the Year.

Paperback £8.99

Kim looks after our fiction section and keeps her eyes peeled for great new books to recommend. Nothing gets by her.

She was impressed by:

By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham

The author “The Hours” has returned with yet another superbly written book. Peter Haris is a happily married New York art dealer is thrown by the arrival of his troubled, much younger brother-in-law. The themes of family, ageing and sexuality are often explored by authors, but this book stands out as Cunningham manages to create a great deal of suspense despite his economy with words. This is one of my favourite books I have read in a long time and the quality of all my future reads will be compared to this.

£ 16.99 Hardback

Jennifer is a voracious reader; she keeps the kids' department full of good reads and fun books.

She was enchated by:

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Without a doubt the best book I have read this year. This story of a magical competition within the confines of a black and white circus, is so spellbindingly good that you cannot help wishing the circus really did exist, and you could become one of the rêveurs who follow the circus everywhere it goes.

Hardback £12.99

Amy is the go-to-gal for anything art-related, but she also loves poetry and the classics.

She was bowled over by:

The Death of King Arthur by Simon Armitage

Armitage's translation of the alliterative 'morte Arthur' maintains the cut and thrust atmosphere of the original Old English, bringing to life all the political intrigue and chivalry of Arthurian legend with wonderful linguistic skill. A great book for poetry lover or novice alike.

Hardback £12.99

Susan is one of our longest serving staff-members. She reads many a book, but travel and gardening are her passions.

She couldn't get enough of:

The Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes

Holmes' thrilling group biography reveals the poetry of the science and scientists of the extraordinary era which shaped our world.

£9.99 Paperback

Emma enjoys a funny read more than anything, but she's also a big cookery fan. Ask her advice on kids books too, she's well informed.

Her latest find is:

The Milkman in the Night by Andrey Kurkov

My book of the year! His prose is such a joy to read, it's easy to forget how intricate and complex the plot is. The atmosphere of modern day Kiev and the freezing temperatures are vividly brought to life. I would recommend this book to anyone. Superb!

Paperback £12.99

When it comes to sport, politics and history, just ask Bill, he's full of answers. He knows a thing or two about theatre, but he's never dramatic about it.

He thinks everybody should read:

Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick

This compelling account of life and death in the People's Democratic Republic of Korea is eye-opening and often heart-rending. Demick's perceptiveness in describing the inner life of individual North Koreans – their stories of starvation, discrimination and political brutality – both enthralls and horrifies. This journalist's view of survival in one of the world's least understood countries is one of the books of the year and winner of the BBc Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2010.

£ 8.99 Paperback

Clarissa writes the blog and looks after this here wee website. She runs the Classics Bookclub, so is always on the look out for an overlooked gem. Art and interiors get her going too.

She absolutely loved:

Just Kids by Patti Smith

Excellent! Patti Smith is a really likable, surprisingly down-to-earth, narrator and she paints an intense portrait of her late friend and former lover Robert Mapplethorppe. Life in seventies New York and the Chelsea Hotel scene, home to Ginsberg, Burroughs and Warhol, is vividly brought to life. Hendrix, Edie Sedgewick and Janis Joplin all make an appearance. The book's resounding message however, is both Smith's and Mapplethorpe's dedication to their art and to each other.

£ 8.99 Paperback