This Thursday March 2 is World Book Day and while the global event encourages children to read for pleasure, there's no age limit on a love of books.
As well as the National Centre for Children's Books in Ouseburn, Seven Stories (which has a shop too), the North East is packed with brilliant bookshops, from converted chapels to former rail stations. Since the coronavirus pandemic, many have defied the odds to cement their place in the industry amid competition from Amazon and chain bookstores.
But they need our support to keep going - especially when up against the pressures of the cost of living crisis. So, here are eight of the most highly-regarded independent bookshops in the North East which you can visit not just this World Book Day, but at any time of the year.
Read more: Ultimate list of over 100 brilliant books every child should read for World Book Day
Forum Books
Forum Books is not only regarded as one of the best bookshops in Northumberland but was last year named the best independent in Northern England at the British Book Awards. Situated inside a former chapel in the village of Corbridge in the Tyne Valley, you can browse the shelves for inspiration or get a curated recommendation from one of the booksellers - some of whom have written books themselves.
The shop also does book signing events and talks, and authors can use the pulpit which still stands from when it was a chapel to address the crowd.
If Corbridge isn't convenient, Forum Books owner Helen Stanton has opened two more bookshops in the North East since the Covid pandemic: The Bound on Park View in Whitley Bay and the Accidental Bookshop on Narrowgate in Alnwick. For more information on Forum Books, visit the website.
Barter Books
One of the best-known and most unique bookshops in the North East, Barter Books inhabits the old train station in Alnwick. It's easy to spend an afternoon getting lost among the shelves and spending much more than you'd intended.
However, the good thing is you can bring the books back and trade them in. As well as thousands upon thousands of books, some of which you'll struggle to find anywhere else, Barter Books has a model train running overhead, a café, and an ice cream parlour.
For more information, visit the Barter Books website.
Cogito Books
Tucked away on the cobblestoned alley of St Mary's Chare in Hexham, Cogito Books celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2021. Inspired by the Descartes quote "cogito ergo sum" (I think, therefore I am), the bookshop aims to provide a haven of peace lined with roughly 10,000 titles.
For more information, visit the Cogito Books website.
Olive's Book Club
Olive's Book Club is one of the newest independent bookshops in the North East - so new that it doesn't yet have a physical shop, but that's something its owner is working towards. A queer, feminist, anti-ableist and anti-racist online shop that started on Instagram.
For more information, visit the Olive's Book Club website.
Keel Row Bookshop
The longest-established antiquarian and second-hand book shop in the North East, Keel Row specialises in signed and rare books and has plenty that you won't find in any of the other shops on this list. Set in a rambling Victorian townhouse in North Shields, there are a lot of local interest books too including books on the history and topography of Northumberland, Durham and Newcastle.
For more information on Keel Row Books, visit its website.
Collected Books
Collected Books opened on Durham's Riverwalk in September after starting from a van named Cordelia. Run by former museum curator Emma Hanlett, Collected specialises in women's words which you can browse with a coffee made in store.
For more information on Collected Books, visit the website.
The People's Bookshop
This tiny independent bookshop in the Attic of Saddlers Yard in Durham is run entirely by volunteers. It aims to provide visitors with radical literature encompassing everything from the miners' strike to the Russian revolution and has a mix of brand new and second hand literature - it's even loved by former Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn.
For more information on the People's Bookshop Durham, visit its Facebook page.
Bookwyrm
Durham has plenty of choice when it comes to independent bookstores and Bookwyrm is another relatively new addition in the city's Market Hall. Run by married couple Chris and Miles and specialising in LGBTQ+ literature, it also stocks books by small authors and independent publishers.
For more information on Bookwyrm, visit its Facebook page.
What is your favourite bookshop in the North East? Let us know!
Read next
World Book Day character ideas to help you create a stunning costume
Where can you spend World Book Day tokens? Full list of retailers and new £1 books available
Northumberland village "under siege" in new book by award-winning Newcastle writer
Joint winners celebrate victory in inaugural film prize celebrating the North East
I visited the pretty Northumberland village with secret streets and a Game of Thrones-style pub
