We started with a simple observation: most people who say they "should read more" already know what they should do. What they need is understanding, not instruction.
The Story Behind Our Work
Founded in 2014 by former librarian and literary consultant Sarah Pemberton, we began as a small book club in Bristol. What started with eight readers meeting monthly evolved into something unexpected.
People kept asking Sarah the same question: "How do you always know what book I need right now?" That question became our entire practice.
Over the years, we've worked with over four hundred readers. University students preparing for literature courses. Professionals who hadn't touched fiction in a decade. Parents trying to model reading habits for their children. Teenagers forced to read at school who discovered they actually enjoyed it when the pressure shifted.
What Guides Our Method
We believe reading should feel like discovery, not duty. That means abandoning the prescriptive approach most literary guidance takes.
No reader is broken for preferring contemporary fiction over classics. No one needs to apologise for reading slowly, or for rereading the same book multiple times. Genre preferences aren't hierarchies. Audio books count. Graphic novels count. Whatever genuinely engages you counts.
Creating reading experiences that feel personal, not prescribed
Our Team
We're a small group of readers who love talking about books almost as much as we love reading them.
Sarah Pemberton founded the practice after twenty years working in academic and public libraries. Her expertise lies in matching reading personalities with literary styles, a skill developed through thousands of reader interactions.
James Caldwell joined in 2017, bringing background in educational psychology and youth literacy. He specialises in working with reluctant teenage readers and corporate reading groups.
Emma Thistlewaite focuses on genre exploration programmes and runs our longest-standing monthly reading group. Her encyclopaedic knowledge of contemporary fiction makes her invaluable for readers seeking fresh voices.
How We've Grown
What began in one city now reaches readers across the United Kingdom. We work primarily through individual consultations, ongoing programmes, and facilitated group discussions.
We've resisted the urge to scale through impersonal recommendation algorithms or generic content. Every reader still receives personal attention. Every book list is still hand-crafted. Every follow-up conversation still matters.
This approach limits how many people we can work with, but it ensures quality remains high and relationships remain genuine.
Our Philosophy on Books
Books aren't magical objects that automatically improve lives. But the right book at the right time can shift perspective, offer companionship during difficult periods, challenge assumptions, or simply provide hours of genuine pleasure.
We're interested in all of those outcomes. We don't privilege intellectual growth over entertainment, or literary fiction over genre work. We just want to help you find books you'll actually read and remember.
That's harder than it sounds, which is why we're still here doing it after twelve years.