About.
North Books in Hay-on-Wye, founded by Julie North in 2022, is a beautifully curated independent bookshop with a strong focus on contemporary fiction, Welsh literature, environmental and fantasy. A cosy place to browse and grab a coffee, with a well-thought-out selection.
Jules has recently started chronicling the life of an independent bookseller in a small book town in her blog on Substack…
What people are saying
North Books featured in Country Homes & Interiors in this piece about rural bookshops by Kitty Corrigan, Hay-on-Wye resident and author of The Irish Bakery.
Julie Brominicks, in Hay-on-Wye for an event at North Books, writes for Nation Cymru…
“It’s not Hay’s fault I tend to rock up in a heatwave. Bus-rattled, sweat prickled and stewed to a vicious lethargy. I’m rubbish in hot weather. Hay (Y Gelli) can be tetchy too. Not to say I haven’t had lovely hospitality here…”
Our team
Jules
“Bookshop owner is my reincarnation as I spent the first part of my career as a journalist. Reading-wise, I enjoy classic fiction (mainly by women writers, though not exclusively) and my roots are in English literature, though I’m reading work in translation for our newest book-group and am enjoying it.”
Founder
Sophie
“I’m the fantasy and romantasy girl! I can be found with my head stuck in a book usually involving shadow wielding warriors, dark brooding castles, and a fiery female main character. I’m also a horse lover, so spend most of my time pretending I’m riding through a fairy filled forest rather than in the rain! I love sharing my favourite books with other fantasy lovers, and helping others get into the genre – I promise there’s a fantasy book for everyone!”
Rosemary
“My reading knowledge is a ragbag of both fiction and non-fiction. Anything by or about 19th- and early 20th-century women grabs my interest and for comfort I go for books about living simply in nature. Then classics and literary fiction. Favourite authors include George Eliot, Lauren Groff, Henry James, Marc Hamer, Nick Hayes, Ursula Le Guin, Robert Macfarlane, Judith Mackrell, Philip Pullman, Carlo Rovelli, Rebecca Solnit, Francis Spufford, Jane Stevenson, Colm Tóibín, Nicola Upson. That list is in alphabetical order because I was once a librarian and habits die hard.”
Lu
“I enjoy reading widely across fiction, poetry and non-fiction. I’m always on the lookout for recommendations from our customers as well as working my way through the advanced reader copies (proofs) of books that come into the shop. I love disappearing into the world of a book and exploring different ideas and perspectives. Genres I particularly enjoy include nature-writing, queer literature, horror/folk horror, literary fiction and memoir. As well as reading I enjoy writing. I also sing in several bands and am part of a folk-dance group.”