Shelf Life Books and Zines

Shelf Life Books and Zines Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Shelf Life Books and Zines, Book shop, 188 Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff.

Shelf Life is a not-for-profit community book and zine shop in Cardiff, specialising in feminist, activist, q***r and DIY publications, new fiction and radical children's books.

๐ŸŽ‰ WE'RE (NEARLY) TWO YEARS OLD! ๐ŸŽ‰Tomorrow is our 2nd birthday - two whole years since we firdt opened at the doors at (...
04/08/2022

๐ŸŽ‰ WE'RE (NEARLY) TWO YEARS OLD! ๐ŸŽ‰

Tomorrow is our 2nd birthday - two whole years since we firdt opened at the doors at (rip โ˜น๏ธ), can you believe I've kept it going (with a huge amount of support and encouragement) this long?? I can't! ๐Ÿ’–

To celebrate, swing by tomorrow (Friday 5th) and/or Saturday 6th wearing your Shelf Life merch and you'll get a cool 20% off your shop! (This includes tees and totes only, badges sadly not included because we would maybe go bust!) You can still snag a beautiful tee too, online and irl (all sizes in stock st the time of posting!)

We'll also have some other treats in the shop tomorrow so come on down and say HAPPY BIRTHDAY/PENBLWYDD HAPUS to us in person, we're open 10-5pm as normal (closed Sunday and Monday, don't forget!) ๐ŸŽ‚

I should also remember to take more photos and screenshots of people with our merch, please do send 'em if you've got 'em! ๐Ÿ’•

It suuuure is muggy out in CF5 today! ๐ŸฅตRumour has it the best way to beat the heat is to stay inside with a fan, a good ...
22/07/2022

It suuuure is muggy out in CF5 today! ๐Ÿฅต

Rumour has it the best way to beat the heat is to stay inside with a fan, a good book (hint hint) and a rocket lolly or three! ๐Ÿš€ ๐Ÿญ

What's on your hot weather reading list? More importantly, what's on your top 5 ice lolly list?? I'm a big Twister fan myself...

Our hot weather choices are:

Dreamland by
A sweaty page-turning very-near-future dystopia set in Margate, tackling climate disaster, social injustice and corruption, with a sweet coming-of-age q***r love story to lighten the load ๐Ÿ”ฅ

The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
A summery collection of enjoyable stories from the creator of the Moomins, set on a remote Finnish island ๐Ÿ

Careless by .author
A coming-of-age anti-love story about 15 year old Bess, living in foster care and newly pregnant, set against a hot and sticky British summer in the '90s โ˜€๏ธ

๐Ÿ’ซ HEADS UP BOOK CLUBBERS!๐Ÿ’ซThe votes are in and our next read will be The Odyssey by Lara Williams. We'll be meeting on W...
05/07/2022

๐Ÿ’ซ HEADS UP BOOK CLUBBERS!๐Ÿ’ซ

The votes are in and our next read will be The Odyssey by Lara Williams. We'll be meeting on Wednesday 3rd August in the usual spot in the Corp, the 'nook' seating area inside next to . Here's the blurb:

Meet Ingrid. She works on a gargantuan luxury cruise liner, where she spends her days reorganizing the merchandise and waiting for long-term guests to drop dead in the changing rooms. On her days off, she disembarks from the ship and gets blind drunk on whatever the local alcohol is.

It's not a bad life. And it distracts her from thinking about the other life she left behind five years ago. Until one day she is selected for the employee mentorship scheme - an initiative run by the ship's mysterious captain and self-anointed lifestyle guru, Keith, who pushes Ingrid further than she thought possible.

But sooner or later, she will have to ask herself: how far is too far? Utterly original, mischievous and thought-provoking, The Odyssey is a merciless takedown of consumer capitalism and our anxious, ill-fated quests for something to believe in. And as its title suggests, it is a voyage that will eventually lead its unlikely heroine all the way home. Though she'd do almost anything to avoid getting there...

Book your spot (it's free!) via the link in our bio (or by searching SHELF LIFE BOOK CLUB on the .ltd website) and pick up a copy from us with 15% off or paid forward if you need it. ๐Ÿ’›

See you next month! ๐Ÿค“

๐Ÿ•’ TEMPORARY CHANGE OF OPENING HOURS ๐Ÿ•’Through the summer, the shop will be opening 12-5pm on Tuesdays. Sorry in advance f...
01/07/2022

๐Ÿ•’ TEMPORARY CHANGE OF OPENING HOURS ๐Ÿ•’

Through the summer, the shop will be opening 12-5pm on Tuesdays. Sorry in advance for any inconvenience!

The rest of the week will remain the same:

Wednesday - Saturday: 10-5pm (with quiet hours 10am-12pm on Wednesdays)

โ˜€๏ธโ˜€๏ธโ˜€๏ธโ˜€๏ธโ˜€๏ธโ˜€๏ธโ˜€๏ธโ˜€๏ธโ˜€๏ธโ˜€๏ธ

29/06/2022

๐Ÿ’› LONG LIVE ROYAL MAIL ๐Ÿ’›

I've had a lifelong fascination with the magic of the postal service so imagine my delight when they asked if I wanted to do a little video of the shop for ! Sending and receiving good post is one of life's tiny joys and sending and receiving good BOOK post is an absolute double whammy mega joy! โœจ๏ธ

Big thanks to the friendly gang for editing my awkward robot persona into something so wholesome and fun, thanks to the very kind for his impeccable filming skills and, while I'm here, big up our shop postpeople who are a bunch of absolute legends! (Also, shout out to my house postman who is a gold level master of the game!) ๐ŸŽ–

Support your local post office! Be kind to your postie! Buy the Dennis the Menace stamps! Send your friends some nice things!

Okay, I'm done ๐Ÿค“๐Ÿ“ฎ

THIS WEEK'S BESTSELLERS Here's a stack of our bestsellers this week, we've got:๐Ÿ’œ I'm A Fan by ๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ A Little Gay History ...
23/06/2022

THIS WEEK'S BESTSELLERS

Here's a stack of our bestsellers this week, we've got:

๐Ÿ’œ I'm A Fan by
๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€๐ŸŒˆ A Little Gay History of Wales by Darryl Leeworthy
๐Ÿณ๏ธโ€โšง๏ธ The Transgender Issue by Shon Faye
๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ท๓ ฌ๓ ณ๓ ฟ Welsh (Plural): Essays on the Future of Wales
โ˜€๏ธ Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
๐ŸŒŠ Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
๐ŸŽ“ Chums by Simon Kuper
โ™พ๏ธ Unmasking Autism by
๐Ÿ’– Heartstopper 1 (and all of them!) By Alice Oseman
๐Ÿ‘ป Ghost Lover by Lisa Taddeo
๐Ÿง  The Q***r Mental Health Workbook by Dr Brendan J Dunlop

All available in the shop and online (link in bio!) for UK postage ๐Ÿ“ฎ

Just over a week to go until our next book club where we'll be discussing Burnt: Fighting for Climate Justice by . It's ...
21/06/2022

Just over a week to go until our next book club where we'll be discussing Burnt: Fighting for Climate Justice by . It's 150 pages so still plenty of time to get reading, sign up via the link in our bio and come grab a copy ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ

WEDNESDAY 29TH JUNE
7.30pm - 9pm(ish)

It's free to attend and we'll meet at the rear seating area inside . The kitchen will be slinging out some tasty pizza too if you're squeezed for dinner time! ๐Ÿ•

โœจ๏ธ INDEPENDENT BOOKSHOP WEEK โœจ๏ธThe very best week of every bookseller's year starts tomorrow - it's only bloody 2022! ...
17/06/2022

โœจ๏ธ INDEPENDENT BOOKSHOP WEEK โœจ๏ธ

The very best week of every bookseller's year starts tomorrow - it's only bloody 2022! To celebrate we'll be handing out these ยฃ5 vouchers with every purchase over ยฃ10 to come back and spend with us on your next visit! ๐Ÿ’›

Swing by and get yourself a treat! ๐Ÿญ

๐Ÿ“• WE'RE DOING A BOOK SWAP!๐Ÿ“—To celebrate in a couple of weeks, we're teaming up with the very excellent to do a sunny ...
10/06/2022

๐Ÿ“• WE'RE DOING A BOOK SWAP!๐Ÿ“—

To celebrate in a couple of weeks, we're teaming up with the very excellent to do a sunny (hopefully!) book swap in the park! We'll be setting up at in Thompson's Park in Canton on Sunday 19th June from 11am 'til 1pm so come on down, bring a book and take another one home with you! ๐Ÿ’ซ

Get it in your diaries *right now*! โ˜•๏ธ๐Ÿ“šโ˜€๏ธ

๐Ÿ’ฅ ABOLITION ZINE WORKSHOP: SUNDAY 12TH JUNE ๐Ÿ’ฅWe're collaborating with on an Abolition themed zine workshop on Sunday 12...
09/06/2022

๐Ÿ’ฅ ABOLITION ZINE WORKSHOP: SUNDAY 12TH JUNE ๐Ÿ’ฅ

We're collaborating with on an Abolition themed zine workshop on Sunday 12th June at Corp Market. We'll be looking at what abolition activism looks like in 2022, the history of the carceral and colonialist institutions in the UK and what we can actively do to f**k s**t up. Everyone's welcome, no previous knowledge or experience necessary, and all materials will be provided. โœ‚๏ธโœ๏ธ

The structure of the workshop will consist of a brief presentation about abolitionist ideas from the folks and then we'll be working to make a collaborative zine about what we've learned. The workshop runs from 12pm-2pm and will be held in the rear seating area in Corp Market (next to Little Green Stores).

See you on Sunday! โœŠ๐ŸฟโœŠ๐ŸฝโœŠ๐Ÿป

๐Ÿ”ฅ JUNE'S BOOK CLUB ๐Ÿ”ฅWe'll be reading Burnt by for our next book club, meeting on Wednesday 29th June at 7.30pm at Corp ...
02/06/2022

๐Ÿ”ฅ JUNE'S BOOK CLUB ๐Ÿ”ฅ

We'll be reading Burnt by for our next book club, meeting on Wednesday 29th June at 7.30pm at Corp Market! You can book your spot via the link in our bio, 15% in the shop and online and paid forward copies available if you need one. Happy (angry) reading! ๐ŸŒ๐Ÿ˜ฌ

Address

188 Cowbridge Road East
Cardiff
CF51GW

Opening Hours

Tuesday 12pm - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

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