Rye, famed for its annual Literary and Arts Festival, does not have a bookshop! I find this outrageous...

I moved to the area around 15 years ago when Rye was littered with bookshops (and tea rooms) but now there are none (bookshops, that is, there are still plenty of tea rooms).  It's such a shame.  Nowadays, book lovers have to travel to Hastings or Ashford to visit a bookshop - and they're not exactly spoilt for choice in those towns either. 

Unfortunately for me, living and working in a small village that is not particularly well served by public transport, getting to a bookshop is no mean feat. When Books Are My Bag launched I successfully missed the 'giveaways' at all the bookshops in the big towns (I was at work on those days) and, the next time I went near a big town that had a bookshop, all the bags had been snapped up. 

On a visit to Ashford yesterday, I visited Waterstones (one of only a few booksellers in such a big town) where I was advised by a very helpful young man that I could write a blog for bookbridgr and maybe, just maybe, get my grubby mitts on a bag (they, too, had run out)...

So, my favourite bookshop right now is the Ashford branch of Waterstones where the staff are clearly helpful and resourceful.  Thank you to the chap who suggested this to me. I bought several books whilst I was there, just to keep me (and them) going. I love bookshops, always have, always will.  It's just such a shame that Rye lacks one.  All I need is a small lottery win to remedy this, of course!