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Day 1: The Adventure Begins...

The project that started as a random, offhand comment ("I reckon it'd be pretty fun to visit every gay bookshop in the UK, don't you think?") sometime last year. The project that grew legs when said queer bookshops were pinned on Google Maps...and were then joined by bookshops owned by friends because of course we should say hello if we're passing anyway...and were then joined by even more bookshops because "that looks cool" and "well it's on the way".

Two freewheeling bisexual flatmates battling their natural inability to keep to a timetable (and their equally natural inability to leave a bookshop having only bought one book). One antisocial car that voices her opinions on anything coming even remotely close to her through loud and insistent sensor beeps. One bag of roadtrip snacks that spilled into a second overflow bag of roadtrip snacks before the party even set off. One banging playlist that's growing longer with each stop as our new Bookseller friends each add a recommendation to the list. Welcome, to the Queer Book Tour...

A group of items laid out in a collage, including assorted flyers for literary events, a tote bag from the bookshop Far From the Madding Crowd, and two books: Invisible Sun by Charles Stross and Lady Eve's Last Con by Rebecca FraimowThe outside of a sandstone bookshop. On the left of the image there is a white timber shop window with a green canopy above, and on the right is a sign with the text 'Far From the Madding Crowd'

Our first stop was Far From The Madding Crowd in Linlithgow, run by the lovely Sally. One of our personal favourite bookshops, Sally has a varied and fabulous array of book events that you should absolutely check out on the shop website. She almost managed to persuade us both to go for some highbrow literature to start the trip off on a solid note...and then Alicia was given lesbians in space and the choice was very much made for her. What can we say, she's a simple gal with simple desires.
Bookseller Song Pick - The Sneak Song - The Bookshop Band


The outside of a bookshop. On the left of the image there is a black painted wall, with a sign featuring a white square with an upside down triangle inside in black, and the words 'Category is Books' underneath. On the right of the image is a shop window filled with books and tote bags.A tote bag from Category Is Books, with two books laid atop it, 'Sunburn' by Chloe Michelle Howarth and 'Til Death Do Us Bard' by Rose Black

Our next stop was Category Is Books in Glasgow, another beautiful space we've been to many a time. This shop has one of the greatest assortment of stickers and pin badges available to buy, and is worth a visit for that alone before you even get to looking at the books. We successfully resisted the temptation to throw our plans and bank accounts to the wind and buy multiple books from here so, pat on the back well deserved methinks.

Bookseller Song Pick - This Is How We Walk On The Moon - Arthur Russell

In the foreground, the funnel of a ferry, in red, with a large letter 'S' on the side. The view is looking from the rear of the ferry towards land in the distance.

We then had a jaunt across the rest of Scotland, heading westward to the port of Cainryan to meet our mid-afternoon ferry, which would whisk us to our third stop of the day, in Northern Ireland. 

A square pink sign board on a black wall. The signboard reads Paperxclips, Queer Books, Queer Haircuts, Queer Coffee, 3rd FloorTwo book laid out on a bedspread, on the left is 'Harrow the Ninth' by Tamsyn Muir, on the right is 'Destination Unknown' by Bill Konigsberg. In the centre, between the books, is a flyer for Paperxclips bookshop

Paperxclips in Belfast, perhaps the most exciting of the day as it's the first on our list we've never been to before! It isn't just a bookshop, it's a whole queer space where you can get your hair cut, sip some coffee, or just soak in the good vibes. We're both suckers for a bookshop with a comfy armchair in the corner. They also have a lending library shelf crammed with books that can be borrowed and read for free.

Bookseller Song Pick - Washing Machine - Cheap Dirty Horse

Tomorrow we'll be exploring more of Northern Ireland and trying to resist adding any more bookshops to the list. Time will tell whether we're successful or not...

A poster on a white wall which shows a man drawn in the style of Tom of Finland sits wearing only a leather hat, with a book covering his manhood, and his hand positioned ina way that suggests self pleasure. Text beneath reads 'pleasure your shelf'. The poster has a white background.

Daily Roundup:
Miles Driven: 140
Books Bought: 3
Fields of Farm Animals Pointed Out: 12
Cool Buses Spotted: 2
House Prices Guessed: 1
Google Trivia Consultations: 3
Bird Species Identified: 3
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