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Shelf Life: How to Read a Charity Shop Bookcase in 2026

Shelf Life: How to Read a Charity Shop Bookcase in 2026

Ignore the airport thrillers and look at the spines nobody else touches. A field guide to charity-shop bookshelves in 2026 — regional guides, old cookery, Penguin design, railwayana and the odd local history worth £4 of anyone’s money.

Five Services, One Flask: A Defence of the Motorway Stop as a Day Out

Five Services, One Flask: A Defence of the Motorway Stop as a Day Out

The British motorway service station is supposed to be a necessary evil. That is an insult to a great and strange institution. Here is a ranked tour of five stops on the M6, a lorry driver's guide to etiquette, and a case for the humble transport café as a national treasure.