Book Clubs in Stockport
Avid bunch of readers, you Stopfordians. It explains the fantastic selection of unique, independent bookshops you can find around here, no supply without demand, right? With the much-anticipated new concept store Prologue opening its doors on 26th September, set to host thirty book clubs a month, it got me digging into what else is already running across Stockport. From store-based clubs with paid membership (glass of wine included) to pub gatherings picking crime fiction over pints (or alongside them), and even a romantasy meetup, there really is something for everyone. Here's the full rundown of genres with joining details and dates included:
Featuring:
Prologue
Simply Books
Stockport Book & Pudding Club
Chapter 25
The Scarlet Scribes
Serenity Booksellers
Heatons Book Club
Pints and Pages
Prologue
Opening 26th September at Weir Mill, Chestergate, Stockport, SK3 0AG Prologue is an exciting new concept store that includes a bookshop, cocktail bar, coffee shop and event space rolled into one, with its own stage and green room for author events, open mics and comedy nights. They’ve just announced their first round of book clubs to be hosted at the venue which cover a huge range of genres from fantasy to crime thrillers. The live timetable isn’t out yet but you can sign up t o their mailing list at prologuebooks.co.uk. and so keep an eye on their socials for all the latest.
Simply Books, Bramhall
228 Moss Lane, Bramhall, Stockport, SK7 1BD
Simply Books runs four separate clubs out of the same shop, so there's genuinely something for most readers here rather than one book everyone has to like. Membership is £15 a month across all of them, no lock in contract, and covers the book itself, your first drink, a professional host and a spot in the WhatsApp community:
Adult Book Club, hosted by Darren Nisbet. First Monday of the month, 1-2pm. Fiction, "from prize winners to cult reads."
Non-Fiction Book Club, also hosted by Darren. Fourth Thursday, 7-8pm. Broad and topical, art to history.
Romance Book Club, hosted by Liv Wren. Fourth Wednesday, 7-8pm. Tropes, swooning, the lot.
Sci-Fi Book Club, hosted by Sam Evans. Fourth Wednesday, 8-9pm, straight after Romance if you fancy making a night of it.
You sign up and pay through the Stripe link on their book clubs page.
Stockport Book & Pudding Club
Meets at Funky Monkey Coffee Company, 175-177 Bramhall Lane, Stockport, SK2 6JA
A book and a pudding, what’s not love? Run by The Book Taster and hosted by Jill, this Stockport club meets the first Wednesday of the month, 7:30-9pm. £14.50 a month gets you a pudding, a hot or soft drink, your seat at a fully facilitated discussion, access to a Facebook members' group and a discount on Book Taster products. The reading itself is flexible, you can buy it, borrow it from the library, Kindle it, Audible it or share a copy with another member. Genre wise it's a mixed bag rather than one specific lane, and they ask for at least four days' notice if you need to defer a month.
Chapter 25 Book Club
Meets at Moor Top, 172 Heaton Moor Road, Stockport, SK4 4DU
First Thursday of the month, 7:30-9:30pm, and open to print, Kindle or audiobook readers alike. Membership runs £9.99 a month or £99.99 a year (you can cancel after three months either way), and buys you access to "The Bonus Chapter", virtual author Q&As, quizzes and genre specific clubs, a WhatsApp and Discord community, and a 90 day free trial of BookBeat audiobooks. Worth flagging that the monthly book itself isn't included, you'll need to source your own copy.
The Scarlet Scribes
Meets at Produce Hall, 24A Market Place, Stockport, SK1 1EU
Stockport's first romantasy book club The Scarlet Scribes romance and fantasy hybrids, monthly meetups, plus extra events scattered in between: paint and sips, walk and chats, sound baths. It's membership based through their website, with themed cocktails and an Instagram Lives community thrown in for members. A proper niche filled properly rather than a generic club with a nicer name.
Serenity Booksellers Book Club
Two locations: 12 The Precinct, Romiley, Stockport, SK6 4EA and 11 Warren Street, Stockport, SK1 1UD
Serenity's monthly club is free to join, with an optional £2 donation on the door and 10% off the chosen book. Sign up by emailing hello@serenitybooksellers.com or at the counter in either shop. The pick itself rotates rather than sticking to one genre, but crime runs deep in Serenity's DNA: they run Stockport Noir, a dedicated crime fiction festival, plus a "Happy Crimeaster" event each year, and September's book club pick was a "wild, blackly funny, brilliantly twisty literary-crime novel." So if you're coming for the crime fiction specifically, it's more a strong current than a fixed rule, worth a quick check with the shop on what's next before you turn up expecting a body count every month.
Heatons Book Club
A Facebook run community group covering Heaton Moor, Heaton Norris and Heaton Chapel. No paid membership, no fixed venue that I could confirm, just a group of locals meeting up to talk about what they're reading. DM the Heatons Book Club page directly for the current book and where they're meeting next, these grassroots groups tend to move around more than the ticketed ones.
Pints and Pages
Meets at The Armoury, 31 Shaw Heath, Edgeley, Stockport, SK3 8BD
The Pints and Pages gang does exactly what it says on the tin and invite you along to their meet-ups to hang out, get recommendations and chat all things books with like-minded people. There’s a monthly book focus to get the conversation rolling but the vibe is low-key, zero pressure and fun. Their in-person gatherings happen in the pub every 3rd Thursday of the month at The Armoury in Edgeley
Know a Stockport book club that should be on this list? Drop us a message, we're always looking for more excuses to talk about books over a drink.
