Hestia

Summer Bookshop of the Quarter 2026 | Hestia Books

Many of our readers and booksellers will remember Slightly Foxed alumna Jess Dalby, who recently opened her brand new bookshop, Hestia Books, in the heart of the Derbyshire Dales. We know that locals will cherish Jess’s expert suggestions and exciting selection of titles, as well as Hestia’s cosy, welcoming atmosphere. We are looking forward to holding a Slightly Foxed event there in early 2027, but in the meantime, Jess tells us about her dream bookshop guests and favourite reads.

Our aim is to be a warm and welcoming place – Hestia is the Greek goddess of the hearth and home – where you can browse, discuss and encounter new books.

Summer Bookshop of the Quarter 2026 | Hestia Books

Please tell us about your bookshop. What makes it special?

Hestia Books is just 6 months old now – it still feels like a dream! We are situated just off the main street in the historic market town of Wirksworth, nestled within the Derbyshire Dales. Our aim is to be a warm and welcoming place – Hestia is the Greek goddess of the hearth and home – where you can browse, discuss and encounter new books. We have many titles from smaller publishers or from backlists that we think deserve to shine and be discovered, or rediscovered. We also have a small second-hand section too as we’d like to support a more sustainable way of sharing and enjoying books, as well as keeping them affordable and accessible for all. The shop was a second-hand bookshop for seventeen years prior to us taking over the lease, so we’re delighted to keep the bookselling tradition alive in this wonderful town.

What first inspired you to become a bookseller?

Books! I’ve always loved reading, bookshops, publishing, the printing process . . . all of it. Whilst working at Slightly Foxed, I often liaised with booksellers and stockists to send out books and organize events – it was always the best part of the job – but I never thought I’d be a bookseller in the traditional sense. After moving back home to Derbyshire to have my son Rafe just over a year ago, I spotted the shop was up for lease and I knew it was as good a time as any to take a shot and open my own shop.

What are your all-time favourite reads and why?

This is the hardest question to answer as there are just so many. Two books that I often re-read just because they feel special to me are The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy. Not the most jolly of reads, but special none the less!

Who would be your dream bookshop party guests?

I would like to invite the following to a tea party at the shop . . . Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, Toni Morrison, Anne Frank, Helene Hanff and the Wife of Bath (can I have a fictional character please?) – I think they’d have lots to talk about!

On a side note, if I could attend the ‘ghost-story meeting’ in Switzerland in 1816, between Lord Byron, John Polidori and Percy and Mary Shelley, I’d be a very happy fly on the wall.

Who has been your favourite customer/what is your favourite bookshop anecdote?

Our loyal postman (and customer) Jez has been brilliant, always popping in everyday to say hello and have a chat before continuing his round. I locked myself in the shop once as the lock had jammed and he managed to save the day after I posted him the key through the letter box from the inside!

What are your top picks for Summer 2026 (new publications/old favourites/reissues)?

August brings a new Robert Harris novel, Agrippa (I can’t resist his books). Doireann Ní Ghríofa has a new book appearing in May, Said the Dead. Her first book, A Ghost in the Throat is another all-time favourite of mine and I’d read her shopping lists, so I’m very excited for that one. And finally, Manderley Press is reissuing The Moon is Making by Storm Jameson this summer. Set in Whitby at the turn of the 20th Century, it’s an unsettling tale of a fractured costal community, exploring class division and emotional alienation – it sounds intriguing!

What is your favourite Slightly Foxed publication and why?

I could never pick just one, so here are my top three. All written by feisty, extraordinary women and all of them made me laugh.

Instagram: Hestia Books (@hestiabookshop) • Instagram photos and videos

Website: HESTIA BOOKS


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  1. Judith Hurdle says:

    Jess,
    Congratulations on your dream come true. You gave a charming interview. The shop looks just as you say you planned–warm and welcoming. Thank you for posting the snap of you and your lovely blonde little boy. Bonne chance.

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