“I spent most of my life as a teenager wandering around bookshops and loved being in that environment,” says Paul Sweetman, who in 1986, with his wife Inge, co-founded City Books. “We stock all types of new books and have many signed books, mostly from our busy events schedule. We are also the booksellers at the Charleston festival as well as their short story festival, Small Wonder. Our philosophy is to make the shop completely relaxed, with lots of quirky nooks and crannies, so it’s perfect for browsing.”
Top five sellers
•Manhattan Beach Jennifer Egan
•Home Fire Kamila Shamsie
•This Is Going to Hurt Adam Kay
•The Stopping Places Damian Le Bas
•The Burning Chambers Kate Mosse
Five recommendations
• I Was Told There’d Be Cake Sloane Crosley
“Hilarious tales of trying to be an adult in modern New York.”
• The Resurrection of Joan Ashby Cherise Wolas
“The best debut novel of the last few years – accomplished and topical. We can’t wait for Wolas’s second, due later this year.”
•Alone in Berlin Hans Fallada
(translated by Michael Hofmann)
“The astonishing story of one man’s battle against the horrors of life under the Third Reich.”
•The Wolf Nate Blakeslee
“A gripping look at the clash of landscape and culture, documenting the lives of reintroduced wolves in Yellowstone Park.”
•Tidy Emily Gravett
“A witty and absolutely charming story about Pete the tidiness-obsessed badger, which spreads an important environmental message.”
City Books, 23 Western Road, Hove BN3 1AF; city-books.co.uk
