A Leeds bookshop-on-a-boat has been chosen as one of six winners of a literary award.

Hold Fast Bookshop, located on Leeds Dock, was named yesterday (Tuesday, November 29) as one of six winning bookshops of the Booker Prize Indie Bookshop Spotlight competition.

Independent bookshops were invited to create an in-store display showcasing this year's Booker Prize nominees, and to post pictures of their displays on social media, as part of the competition.

Hold Fast Bookshop opened in November 2022 and is run by Chris and Victoria Bonner, who operate the shop out of National Historic Ship Marjorie R, a converted coal barge.

They said: "We often share the water with paddle boarders and swimmers, as well as a stroppy heron called Keith who fears no human or dog."

An upper-deck seating area at the shop gives readers the opportunity to enjoy a book al fresco "on those rare rainless days we get in Leeds."

The top deck of Hold Fast serves as a seating area for bookworms during clement weatherThe top deck of Hold Fast serves as a seating area for bookworms during clement weather (Image: Supplied)

Responding to the question of why they think independent bookselling is important, the Bonners said: "If there is anything better than chatting about books all day, we have yet to find it and it’s such a vital part of independent bookselling.

"It’s great to see the interactions in a bookshop – customers often start chatting to each other about what they have read or enjoyed.

"That doesn’t really happen in other shops – it’s as if ‘normal rules’ don’t apply in bookshops and by stepping in you know things will be a little calmer, more chatty and comfortable.

"It’s also so important for readers to see a range of books of all kinds of genres.

"I think most have more courage and a sense of adventure with their book choices than the dreaded algorithm would ever give them credit for."

The couple said they hoped Samantha Harvey's shortlisted novel, Orbital, would win the Booker Prize.

The other winning bookshops in the Booker Prize Indie Bookshop Spotlight competition were: The Portobello Bookshop in Edinburgh, Fourbears Books in Reading, Bàrd Books in London, The Secret Bookshelf in Carrickfergus, and Books Upstairs in Dublin.

The Booker Prize 2024 ceremony will take place on the evening of Tuesday, November 12.