Scotland’s first female-centric bookshop has opened in Edinburgh's Stockbridge.

Scotland’s first female-centric bookshop has opened in Stockbridge.

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Rare Bird Books at 13 Raeburn Place specialises in female authored fiction. It’s founder, Rachel Wood, has run the globally beloved Rare Birds Book Club for four years. Her shop will give fans of her successful subscription service, and women’s writing generally, a physical home.

Books won't be the only things lining the Rare Birds shelves; scented candles, graphic print totes, chocolate, and stationery from women-led businesses will entice shoppers. Edinburgh’s bibliophiles will also be able to create personalised bundles of three books.

The shelves are packed with interesting reads

Rare Birds Books will also be home to future events, such as author readings, book clubs, and intimate shopping evenings.

Wood said: “We’re so thrilled to be opening our first book shop in Edinburgh. We’ve always been deeply interested in women’s writing and we can’t wait to bring what we do online to life in our very own space. We dreamed of a really welcoming space where we could showcase a huge variety of women’s writing across all genres and create a space where booklovers could meet and socialise and that’s what I hope the space will be.”

Rare Birds Book Club centres around contemporary women’s fiction. Members can sign up for three, six, or twelve months, or on a rolling basis if need be. Readers are surprised by a mystery read at the start of each month with a personal intro penned for enthusiasts by Wood, they can then log onto the online club to discuss their latest reads.

A message from the Editor:

What a rare sight - another business opening up in the city

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