• Welcome to Pitshanger Books

    A warm welcome to our website. Please feel free to explore the site and let us know what you think of it.

  • Your local independent bookshop

    Located on lovely, leafy Pitshanger Lane. We stock over 3000 titles. As well as books, we sell cards, wrapping paper, stationery and games.

  • Serving our community

    Everybody that works here lives locally. We all love the area and we all love books so please feel free to ask if there's anything you need.
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What's new?

  • What's new?
  • Radio 4

The Pitshanger Bookshop is open again!

Our opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm.

In order to comply with safety guidelines we ask that only one customer or family group comes into the shop at a time. We are providing hand sanitiser and gloves so that you can safely pick up books and other products. 

If you are isolating and are unable to visit the shop, please contact us and we can arrange home delivery. 

For any enquiries, please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Thank you for your support

 

 

 

Book of the Week

The Boy with Two Hearts by Hamed Amiri

Image for The Boy with Two Hearts : A Story of Hope - BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week 29 June - 3 July 2020

A powerful tale of a family in crisis, and a moving love letter to the NHS. Herat, Afghanistan, 2000. Amother speaks out against the fundamentalist leaders of her country. Meanwhile, her family's watchful eyes never leave their beloved son and brother, whose rare heart condition means that he will never lead a normal life. When the Taliban gave an order for the execution of Hamed Amiri's mother,the family knew they had to escape,starting what would be a long and dangerous journey, across Russia and through Europe, with the UK as their ultimate destination. Travelling as refugees for a year and a half, they suffered attacks from mafia and police; terrifying journeys in strangers'cars; treks across demanding terrain;days spent hidden in lorries without food or drink; and being robbed at gunpoint of every penny they owned. The family's need to reach the UK was intensified by their eldest son's deteriorating condition, and the prospect of life-saving treatment it offered.

Book at Bedtime

Brixton Hill by Lottie Moggach

Image for Brixton Hill

As Rob reaches the end of a seven year stretch inside, he winds up in an open prison in Brixton. Each morning, he exits the prison gates and begins the short walk to a local charity shop, where he spends the day in the backroom sorting through other people's discarded belongings. All he needs to do is keep his nose out of trouble and in just a few months' time, he'll be out for good. One morning in the bustle of commuters on Brixton Hill, Rob notices a well-dressed woman trip over. He helps her up and they exchange a few words before parting ways, but she's made a lasting impression on him. From that day on, Rob keeps an eye out for her - and always seems to get lucky with a sighting. Despite coming from very different worlds, the pair slowly become acquainted and Rob gets increasingly desperate to hide his current residence from her. But who exactly is this woman who seems to have a growing interest in him? Rob must be very careful - one false step and it could set him back years . .

Pitshanger Bookshop has been a feature on Pitshanger Lane for nearly 20 years. My name is Fiona Kennedy and I've owned the shop since August 2011.

There are 4 of us working here at various times: myself, Hazel, Ruth and Vanda. We all live locally and love the neighbourhood. And of course we all love books too! You can see what we're reading at the moment on the right hand side of this home page. We love chatting about books, making recommendations, and hearing what our customers recommend too. We offer a friendly service so please feel free to approach any of us if you need help or advice when you're in the shop. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Coming up

  • Watch this Space
Image result for book event pitshanger bookshop

We have several events coming up over the next few months but we are just firming up details.

More to follow.....

What we are reading

  • Fiona is reading....

    The Motion of the Body Through Space

    Image for The Motion of the Body Through Space

    One of the things I admire about Lionel Shriver is the fact that each novel she writes tackles a completely fresh and different idea. This couldn't be more different from 'We Need to Talk about Kevin' dealing as it does, with a middle aged man who suddenly resolves to run a marathon, much to the unease of his wife. And as his training develops and fitness improves, his relationship with his wide takes a corresponding downturn.

  • Hazel is reading....

    Guest House for Young Widows by Azadeh Moaveni

    Image for Guest House for Young Widows : among the women of ISIS

    This is a very thought-provoking book. Azadeh Moaveni talks to women who left their homes and families to join ISIS. She is trying to find the motivation for doing this whilst also giving an historical account of those times. It can be difficult to read and I found my opinions changing all the time. I also kept thinking about the issues raised even when I had finished the book.

  • Ruth is reading....

    After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell

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