WHEN Penny Legat was looking for a book club to join and couldn't find one, she decided to start her own.

Penny, of Kendal, was keen to read more, and this summer she and a handful of friends started an informal reading group in the convivial surroundings of their favourite pub, the Strickland Arms, at Sizergh.

Penny put up posters and advertised the club on parents' website Mumsnet. News has also spread by word of mouth, and the Strickland Arms Book Club's gatherings are now attracting between five and eight members every time.

They meet once a month, on a Monday evening, to chat about their most recent book over a drink or two. Members bring along reviews and points for discussion, and they also vote on which title to read next, with the emphasis on recent good-quality fiction.

Their first book choice was I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an autobiography by African-American writer Maya Angelou.

"That was terrific," Penny told the Citizen, "and I realised that it was the first time I'd discussed a book I'd read since I was at school."

They followed that with Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel's epic historical novel about Thomas Cromwell, chief minister to King Henry Vlll.

At more than 600 pages, the Booker Prize-winning title was interesting but also "quite hard-going" in places, said Penny, and being part of the book club helped everybody stick with the novel to the last page.

The group is very keen to welcome new members, and you can find out more by emailing Penny at viola@hsjl.co.uk