5 TO READ

words: Matt Turpin

If you’ve just landed in Nottingham, you might not be aware that it is one of 41 cities around the world recognised by UNESCO for being really rather excellent with words: we have a strong history of writers, a thriving contemporary scene, and a bright future as new writers break through to amaze. It’s often said that if you were to stand in the Market Square and throw a book, you'd probably hit a poet, or maybe a novelist. We have yet to put this theory into practice, but it’s most likely true: Notts is a place that takes words seriously, whether laid out on the page or spat out on the stage.

Choosing five books to recommend to those looking to make this place their home for (at least) the next few years is no mean feat, therefore, but we crashed our collective heads together and have put together some essentials to ensure you get to see what a great place you’re living in…

1. Nottinghamshire Dialect

You’re going to need to get a handle on the lingo first, and there is no better place to start than Dr Natalie Braber’s Nottinghamshire Dialect - a pocket-sized gem for those seeking to know their croggeh from their twitchell, and understand why bus drivers will call you ‘duck’ despite clearly being unadorned with a bill and feathers.

2. Saturday Night and Sunday Morning

Alan Sillitoe’s Saturday Night and Sunday Morning could be seen as a museum piece: a high-water mark in the wave of post-war Angry Young Men that crashed into the austere fifties and washed through to the individualistic hedonism of the sixties. But it’s much more than that, and timeless in its ability to capture a certain Nottingham spirit in its hard-drinking anti-hero, Arthur Seaton. “Whatever you say I am, that’s what I’m not,” he rages, giving voice to a city that defies easy definition.

3. I Believe in Miracles

Students arriving in the city this year will be the first to find Nottingham with a Premier League team since the last millennium. After years of underachievement, it finally seemed the magic of the late seventies - where Nottingham Forest stormed from mediocrity to European glory (twice) - was twinkling again. A great true story deserves a great storyteller, and few sports writers match the style and insight of Nottingham’s Daniel Taylor, who weaves social context into the story and paints it into life with insight and vim. *Other local football clubs are available*

4. Dawn of the Unread

The brainchild of swashbuckling Notts writer James Walker, this gathers some of the finest storytellers around and pairs them with excellent comic artists, telling fourteen unique stories featuring local heroes - literary and otherwise. You’ll know some - yes there is an outlaw called Hood, albeit female. There are ones you might not know about but really should: black rights activist George Powe, for example. And there are also reimaginings: Byron Clough, anyone? It won awards, and no wonder: it’s unique, educative, hilarious and irreverent.

5. A Random Book You Buy at Five Leaves Bookshop

Look, we have thousands of books worthy of filling this space, so we are going to cop out of a decision and instead recommend A Random Book You Buy At Five Leaves Bookshop. Our proudly independent, steadfastly radical bookshop in the middle of the city is a place that brings to life the dictum ‘You go to Amazon to buy the book you want. You go to a bookshop to buy the book you didn’t know you wanted’. You’ll find local lit, poetry, sections on LGBTQIA+, black rights, alternative lifestyles and much more.

CONNECTING WITH YOUR INNER GEEK

words: Jamie Morris illustration: Natalie Owen

Video games have risen into the spotlight, and other aspects of “geek culture” are quickly following suit. Notts is home to a handful of independent dwellings where you can go along with your mates and dive into your favourite hobby, or even give something new a go.

Zero Latency

For those interested in virtual reality, dive into Zero Latency in the Victoria Centre – an immersive social experience in which you and your crew can explore digital worlds together. Strap on your headset and get absorbed in a brilliantly creative atmosphere. With the room being the same size as a warehouse, proximity alerts and viewable avatars, your body will become the controller and your mind will believe it is all real.

The Dice Cup

If tabletop gaming is more your cup of tea, roll on down to The Dice Cup on Mansfield Road. The board game café provides tutorials for people looking to get into Dungeons & Dragons, and hosts regular tournaments for card games like Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokémon and Magic: The Gathering. Dice Cup’s menu of cakes and coffee is also 100% vegan, making it suitable for all adventurers, regardless of dietary requirements.

Ludorati

Alternatively, the super-stylish Ludorati café bar on Maid Marian Way boasts a collection of around 750 board games and its own escape room, with over 100 unique scenarios. Ludorati’s baristas are well-versed in both serving great coffee and helping out with the rules of the games they stock, holding GamesLab workshops to get new players up to speed.

Warhammer World

Another local roleplaying spot is Warhammer World, built specifically for people with the urge to assemble a miniature army and declare all-out war against their mates. Based just off Lenton Lane, this giant games workshop holds figure painting sessions, tournaments and more for Warhammer and its several spin-off games. A smaller Warhammer store can be found on Friar Lane that also stocks starter kits and holds events of its own.

Page 45

If it’s comics in particular that you’re after, look no further than Market Street’s Page 45. Featuring the most eclectic range of graphic novels you’ve ever seen and a friendly team of experts to recommend the best places to start, this gem of a store will have you coming back every week to see what’s new. Good Omens writer Neil Gaiman called it the best graphic novel shop he’s ever been to, which is a recommendation and a half for sure.