Are you sitting comfortably? Embracing the page-turners with Storytellers, Inc.'s much-loved book clubs

Carolyn Clapham, co-owner of Storytellers, Inc with her daughter Katie

An award-winning independent bookshop in St Anne's run by the mother-and-daughter team of Carolyn and Katie Clapham, Storytellers, Inc. has quickly become one of Lancashire's go-to safe-havens for literary fans across the North West. And not solely for their expertise in the world of books, but for their vibrant book clubs, too.

Despite not having any industry or retail experience at all, Carolyn and Katie opened Storytellers, Inc. in December 2010 and founded their three book clubs for children, teenagers, and adult readers four years later. Today, a total of some 60 people are involved across all three clubs.

"I'd just finished working and I realised I didn't know as many people locally as I would've liked to," says Julian Ridley, 68, when asked why he joined Storytellers' book club in 2015. "I also like reading books I wouldn't otherwise have read and, with Storytellers, they choose the books and pick different types and never repeat an author, so you get a bit of everything.

"It expand your horizons," adds Julian, who's lived locally for 28 years. "The club's very democratic and everyone gets the chance to contribute to the discussion, which is wonderful. It makes you read more thoughtfully and it helps make you be nice because you're looking for positive things - it can be weary to be too negative and down about everything!"

With the bookshop showcasing the very best in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry and also featuring a dedicated children's area and reading den, Storytellers' clubs and author events provide bookworms with a great way to get out of a reading rut and to expand their literary horizons alongside other fans of the written word.

"Ever since I've been able to read, I've always had a book on the go," says Alison Young, who joined as soon as the club started. "I'd newly moved to Lytham and so was looking for things that were going on in the area. I liked the idea that I would be challenged more to read something different because I'd fallen into the trap of reading novels which were of a similar genre.

"With this book club, it's almost always a book I wouldn't choose myself, which means they've always raised good discussions," adds Alison, 65. "It's made me read in a different way. I've also found the author events absolutely fascinating because you get the chance to really listen to and ask questions of the author. I think that's so valuable."