“The bookshop hosts Spanish and Italian language classes, and 12 book clubs – four for adults and eight for children,” says co-owner Andrew Cant, who opened the shop in 2002 with partner Sue Steel. “For the last few years we’ve been running a community cinema in the local church hall, with screenings once a month.”

Top five sellers

• Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine Gail Honeyman

• The Lost Words Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris

• Wonder RJ Palacio

• Cousins Salley Vickers

• Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo

Five recommendations

• The Good People Hannah Kent
“A harrowing story of belief and superstition set in rural Ireland in the 1820s.”

• Mend the Living Maylis de Kerangal
“A remarkable novel, which elevates the simple tale of a heart transplant into a compelling epic.”

• Olive Kitteridge Elizabeth Strout
“The intimate portrait of a small community told through the eyes of a ‘difficult woman’.”

• Bodies of Light Sarah Moss
“Mesmerising. The gripping story of the first women to train for medicine, with a dash of industrial Manchester and the pre-Raphaelites.”

• A Fine Balance Rohinton Mistry
“The humbling story of four lives caught in the drama of India’s mid‑70s state of emergency. A book that changes the way you see the world.”

Simply Books, 228 Moss Lane, Bramhall, Cheshire SK7 1BD; simplybooks.info