Cosy, quiet, and calm, independent bookstores are underrated havens of fuzziness on our UK high streets. None more so than Hungerford Bookshop – an award-winning treasure trove of new and old releases that stock everything from best-selling page turners to the secondhand and antiquarian. It’s escapism personified.

From the moment you step inside the quaint high street store, their love for reading is palpable. And if there’s anyone who has the inside line on what’s hot and riveting right now, it’s owner Emma and her dedicated team of booksellers who go out of their way to help customers meet their bookish match. If you can’t make it into the store, they sell online and take pre orders too. Not got that sizzling romance you were after? Not to worry. They can order it in for you.

But it’s their stellar events that set them apart from the rest. They are pretty darn legendary. Previous book events and talks have seen the likes of Anton Du Beke, Sebastian Faulks, Jeffrey Archer, Shirley Ballas, and Rick Stein drop by for a chinwag. They have a gamut of big name authors on call, so it’s always well worth keeping your beady eye on their events page.

Book subscriptions are having their moment on BookTok right now (the booming book community on TikTok in case you didn’t know). Get in on the action with Hungerford Bookshop’s very own Bespoke Book Subscription. As a bookworm, it doesn’t get much more exciting than receiving a carefully chosen book, beautifully wrapped, and delivered to your door each month. The clue’s in the name – it’s bespoke, people. So that means novels are chosen based on their knowledge of the recipient’s reading tastes, or genres they’d like to explore further. Pretty cool, huh?

If you’re looking for a special gift, they can help with that too. Check out their Book Hampers which they hand curate, box up and present with a nice little ribbon on top. Chocolates and bookmarks are popped in totally free of charge. Magic.