The Bookshelf

The Bookshelf We are an independent Bookstore, Cinema, Restaurant, and Bar in Guelph, Ontario. A bookstore that shows movies . A cinema that serves dinner .

A bar that launches books . Find us on twitter and instagram:

05/21/2026

A new take on the classics ✨

A fun collection of new cover designs for your favourite stories!

This week in the cinema:SILENT FRIEND opens May 22nd! “Strange, enrapturing, simultaneously vast and minute, [Director I...
05/19/2026

This week in the cinema:

SILENT FRIEND opens May 22nd!

“Strange, enrapturing, simultaneously vast and minute, [Director Ildiko] Enyedi’s latest spends a lot of time considering how we perceive our surrounding flora — but just as much on how it perceives us, which is where it starts to get a bit special, and even a bit sexy.” - Variety.

May 22 | 7:30pm
May 23 | 4:00pm
May 24 | 6:30pm
May 25 | 6:30pm
May 27 | 2:00pm
May 28 | 6:30pm

And the critically-acclaimed BLUE HERON opens May 23rd!

“Not since Charlotte Wells’s 2022 film ‘Aftersun,’ about a woman remembering a pivotal trip she took with her father as a child, have I seen this level of personal filmmaking presented in such superb and original fashion. Blue Heron is one of the best films of the year.” - Boston Globe.

May 23 | 7:30pm
May 24 | 4:00pm
May 26 | 7:00pm
May 27 | 7:00pm

Cinema opens 30 minutes before showtime. Tickets are available in the cinema before showtime.

05/18/2026

Come by and say hi 👋

AGATHA’S ALMANAC opens today in the cinema!“Amalie Atkins’ charming documentary captures the simple life of her nonagena...
05/16/2026

AGATHA’S ALMANAC opens today in the cinema!

“Amalie Atkins’ charming documentary captures the simple life of her nonagenarian aunt Agatha Bock and her Southern Manitoba farm, offering pearls of wisdom along the way….

“Shot beautifully on 16mm, Agatha welcomes the all-women film crew into her home and garden in Southern Manitoba, revealing practicality and resourcefulness at every glance.” - Kelly Boutsalis, TIFF

May 16 | 4:30pm
May 17 | 4:30pm
May 19 | 7:00pm
May 20 | 2:00pm
May 21 | 2:00pm

Cinema opens 30 minutes before showtime. Tickets are available in the cinema before showtime.

THE WIZARD OF THE KREMLIN opens today in the cinema!“Violent, shocking, and sad, the history of Russia is a fascinating ...
05/15/2026

THE WIZARD OF THE KREMLIN opens today in the cinema!

“Violent, shocking, and sad, the history of Russia is a fascinating study. Olivier Assayas’ The Wizard of the Kremlin presents audiences with an insightful glimpse of the spasmodic nature of Russian history. That history is a series of sudden and violent events that propel the country in one direction, only to have another jerkily turn  towards another extreme. In this case, the story begins with the collapse of the Soviet Union.” - John Kirk, Original Cin.

May 15 | 7:30pm
May 16 | 7:00pm
May 17 | 7:00pm (Open Captions Screening)
May 20 | 6:30pm (Open Captions Screening)
May 21 | 6:30pm

Cinema opens 30 minutes before showtime. Tickets are available in the cinema before showtime.

The cookbooks we’ve been reaching for lately!A mix of everyday favourites, dinner party inspiration, and recipes that ma...
05/14/2026

The cookbooks we’ve been reaching for lately!

A mix of everyday favourites, dinner party inspiration, and recipes that make you actually want to cook again. These are just a few from our shelves right now.

Here’s our film lineup for the rest of May!First up is THE WIZARD OF THE KREMLIN, opening May 15th. In the chaotic after...
05/13/2026

Here’s our film lineup for the rest of May!

First up is THE WIZARD OF THE KREMLIN, opening May 15th. In the chaotic aftermath of the Soviet Union, a reality TV producer (Paul Dano) joins forces with Vladimir Putin (Jude Law), whose rise and rule he helps engineer for decades.

Next is AGATHA’S ALMANAC, opening May 16th. “In this charming and unassuming documentary, multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker Amalie Atkins captures rural life via the daily rituals of her 90-year-old aunt, Agatha Bock. Shot beautifully on 16mm, Agatha welcomes the all-women film crew into her home and garden in Southern Manitoba, revealing practicality and resourcefulness at every glance.” (Kelly Boutsalis, TIFF 2025)

The following week sees SILENT FRIEND opening on May 22nd. At the heart of a German university grows a majestic ginkgo tree, its lifespan measured in centuries. As the years pass, the distinguished plant bears witness to the private lives of those who seek shade under its boundless branches, forming a nexus that connects three generations of students and teachers across time and space.

Last but not least: BLUE HERON opens May 23rd. “Blue Heron is acutely personal. The graceful opening scenes depict a period of transition for a Hungarian-Canadian family of six as they adapt to a new home on Vancouver Island in the late 1990s. Seen from the perspective of the youngest daughter Sasha (Eylul Guven), family beach days and park outings, summer afternoon fun with trampolines and garden hoses — to those that take on a darker cast as the extent of the issues concerning one family member become clear. In sequences set years later, we witness an effort to grapple with this difficult past.” (Jason Anderson, TIFF 2025)

Showtimes are up now on our website!

Cinema opens 30 minutes before showtime. Tickets are available in the cinema before showtime.

05/08/2026

Have you ever read a book written in the present tense? Candice is reading one right now and it’s weird. Meanwhile Steph is watching bummers of movies with her son and reading beautiful prose.

Check out the newest Village Podcast, episode #98 wherever you listen to your podcasts. Also linked in our bio!

PALESTINE ‘36 opens today in the cinema!“Palestine ‘36 is at its most moving in the scenes of archival footage, and most...
05/08/2026

PALESTINE ‘36 opens today in the cinema!

“Palestine ‘36 is at its most moving in the scenes of archival footage, and most provocative as an illustration of how England’s imperial tactics of pitting national groups against each other and terrorizing civilians (characters refer to similar approaches India and Ireland) became the template for Israeli’s ongoing military domination of the Palestinian territories. The argument is unlikely to change fixed hearts and minds, but it is difficult to ignore how familiar it seems.” - Liam Lacey, Original Cin.

May 8 | 7:30pm
May 9 | 4:30pm
May 10 | 4:30pm
May 11 | 6:30pm
May 13 | 2:00pm
May 14 | 5:30pm

Cinema opens 30 minutes before showtime. Tickets are available in the cinema before showtime.

05/07/2026

Presented by ArtsEverywhere Festival The 2026 Guelph Lecture—On Being will be presented by Cory Doctorow on the “ensh*ttification” of the internet. The keynote lecture will explore how we can…

We’ve got a pair of new films opening this week in the cinema!First up, the epic historical drama PALESTINE ‘36: In 1936...
05/05/2026

We’ve got a pair of new films opening this week in the cinema!

First up, the epic historical drama PALESTINE ‘36: In 1936, as Palestinian villages revolt against British colonial rule, Yusuf (Karin Daoud Anaya) navigates between Jerusalem and his rural home, amidst escalating unrest and a pivotal moment for the British Empire. Opening May 8th!

May 8 | 7:30pm
May 9 | 4:30pm
May 10 | 4:30pm
May 11 | 6:30pm
May 13 | 2:00pm
May 14 | 5:30pm

Our second new film of the week is A24’s highly-anticipated THE DRAMA. Zendaya and Robert Pattinson star as a young couple who are set to be married in a week, only to have their relationship put to the test when long-kept secrets are discovered. Opening May 9th!

May 9 | 7:30pm
May 10 | 7:30pm
May 12 | 7:00pm
May 13 | 7:00pm
May 14 | 8:30pm

Cinema opens 30 minutes before showtime. Tickets are available in the cinema before showtime.

Address

41 Quebec Street
Guelph, ON
N1H2T1

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 6:30pm
Tuesday 11am - 6:30pm
Wednesday 11am - 6:30pm
Thursday 11am - 6:30pm
Friday 11am - 8:30pm
Saturday 11am - 8:30pm
Sunday 11am - 6:30pm

Telephone

519-821-3311

Website

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