What are the opening hours?

Tuesday 9am - 5:30pm Wednesday 9am - 5:30pm Thursday 9am - 5:30pm Friday 9am - 5:30pm Saturday 9am - 5:30pm

Cogito Books

Name: Cogito Books
Address: 5 Street Marys Chare, Hexham, NE461NQ, GB
Telephone: +441434602555
Price range: £

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Cogito Books

A friendly, diverse independent bookshop in the heart of Hexham...a place in which to linger, browse and discover; a haven of peace in a busy world.

Cogito Books is a friendly and diverse independent bookshop at the heart of the bustling market town of Hexham, Northumberland - "a haven of peace in a busy world". Come and enjoy browsing in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere, with comfortable sofas and even a rocking chair. We have a fantastic selection of books for all ages, cards and notebooks. Most importantly, knowledgeable booksellers are alway

s on hand to offer recommendations - and are always happy to talk about books! If you feel like pampering yourself, or someone else, why not give the Cogito Reading Treat a go - tea, biscuits, and six books personally recommended by one of our booksellers, that will hopefully become some of your favourites! We also do a Reading Treat for children - please ask for details. We hold regular author events both in the shop and around Hexham, and also two monthly book groups, one for adults and one for children - everyone welcome! See the events diary on our website for more details (www.cogitobooks.com). We can also be found on Twitter - follow us .

03/06/2026

The luck of the weather was shining down on Ann and Megan last week as they enjoyed holiday time away! Great to hear about the books they've been reading and here are a couple of titles that particularly stood out.

Megan found herself impressively intrigued by Olga Tokarczuk's 'Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead'. A well-translated, wonderfully wacky murder mystery set in a remote village in Poland, it's a story that reframes the power between human and animal.

And Ann has enjoyed 'Upon A White Horse' by Peter Ross, journeying through the ancient monuments of Great Britain and Ireland, praising Ross's humane and compassionate approach as he investigates the connections between past and present and our continuing need for ritual in a search for meaning.

19/05/2026

Thank you to everyone for joining us on Saturday for our 25th birthday celebrations, what a great day! And a huge thanks to Hextol Tans for a magnificent and tasty cake!

14/05/2026

Can you believe that our wonderful bookshop is 25 years old this week! I know, it’s hard to believe that for a quarter of a century we have welcomed people over our threshold to enjoy the delights of serendipitous discovery, finding great books and entering into stimulating conversation. To mark this milestone, we'll be serving birthday cake from 11am this Saturday (16th May) and we would love for you to join us and perhaps share some Cogito memories, remember the first book you bought here, or simply tell us about your latest read!

Some of you have been customers from day one, making your way up the stairs to our original first floor premises, putting your faith in a new venture on Hexham’s high street and many of you have joined us along the way, becoming dear friends. It fills my heart with smiles and hope that the simple approach we take here: carefully curated books, excellent customer service and human conversation, continues to be so valued in our community. A better way is possible when people make it happen – keep it human!

Thank you for the ways in which you engage with Cogito, it is as much your brilliant bookshop as it is ours – let’s celebrate it and all that it stands for – see you on Saturday!

05/05/2026

Wow, what a festival! Such diversity of topics and breadth of speakers all brought together by the common interest of people listening and sharing discussion. Whether that be on ancient times, painting or even soil, it was so encouraging to see humane compassion so centrally linked.

Thank you to all for a wonderful celebration of thinking, reading and discussion!

25/04/2026

Thank you so much for all of your messages of love for Cogito and for what it stands for - Hexham really is full of wonderful people! It certainly is business as usual with Hexham Book Festival off to a tremendous start last night as Andrew Graham-Dixon delivered a fascinating talk to a full theatre. Our bookstall is set up and ready in the foyer of the Queen's Hall for the buzz and energy of eager readers as they attend the enlightening, entertaining and eclectic range of speakers visiting Hexham over the next 9 days - tickets still available - see you there!

14/04/2026

New Chapters

I feel incredibly privileged that independent bookselling is such a central part of my life, and to spend my time surrounded by books in a welcoming space for discovery. However, for me, it is time for a new chapter and so I am beginning the process of looking for a new owner for our wonderful bookshop.

I have been involved with Cogito since my dad opened our doors in 2001, working during university holidays and then working full-time after graduating in 2005. When my dad retired in 2012, I bought the business. Throughout these 25 years, we have worked hard to form and maintain Cogito’s excellent reputation.

Cogito is a thriving business, and Hexham is a bustling hub of activity, ideal for somebody new to explore the joy of independent bookselling with confidence. It is a strong business that demonstrates that it is possible to consistently earn a good family income in a way that is fulfilling, stimulating and human.

I’m immensely proud of Cogito, what it stands for, and the service we offer; it is truly an honour to serve and be part of a vibrant, reading community. To run a successful business with social values at its core, that brings people together through books and reading is very special. I have had an amazing time, making friendships, finding and connecting great books with readers, and of course having countless enlightening and inspiring conversations.

However, with Mary Oliver’s words at the forefront of my mind “what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”, it is now time for some new adventures – for starters, most certainly some travel and trekking, a major house renovation and developing a woodland!

I would love to see the bookshop continue to succeed long into the future and until a new owner begins their own bookselling journey with Cogito, I’ll be continuing to run this fantastic bookshop with love and commitment. So, it’s business as usual, our opening hours will remain the same, we’ll be taking customer orders, sourcing exciting new publications, our book groups will continue to meet, and we’ll be hosting personal book consultations. We’re here to give you a warm Cogito welcome.

If you think Cogito’s new owner may be you, then please just get in contact with me to receive the sale details, I’d love to discuss Cogito’s future!

Claire

01/04/2026

We're enjoying the spring colours, lambs in the fields, warmer, longer days and it's Easter weekend! With the bank holidays ahead, here's a quick update on our opening hours:

Good Friday - Closed
Saturday 4th April - 9am - 5.30pm
Easter Sunday - Closed
Easter Monday - Closed

And we start the week on Tuesday 7th April with our normal Tues - Sat 9am - 5.30pm.
Have a great Easter!

17/03/2026

One of the biggest joys of being a bookseller is talking about books and hearing about them too! Ann and I have been chatting today about our latest brilliant reads. Ann finished 'The State of Wonder' over the weekend, praising Ann Patchett's talent for skilfully blending compelling storytelling and great characters with writing and language that makes you want to read slowly and savour each part as it is unveiled. And I recounted the brilliant children's book group we had on Saturday when we chatted about a classic adventure story 'Cue for Treason' by Geoffrey Trease. Set in Elizabethan England, it's a story about two runaway children from Cumberland, who find themselves in London with William Shakespeare and involved in foiling a plot to murder the queen. A superb read that received a big thumbs up from the whole group!

13/03/2026

It's Mothering Sunday this weekend!

05/03/2026

Happy World Book Day everyone!

It's going to be a fun-filled few days visiting lots of children to celebrate the pleasure of reading - looking forward to sharing stories with St Mary's, the Sele, Newbrough Primary, Whitley Chapel and Hexham First - and there will still be time for a visit to the moon before bedtime!

Address

5 Street Marys Chare
Hexham
NE461NQ

Opening Hours

Tuesday	9am - 5:30pm
Wednesday	9am - 5:30pm
Thursday	9am - 5:30pm
Friday	9am - 5:30pm
Saturday	9am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+441434602555

Website

http://www.cogitobooks.com/

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