Bookmark & Barstool Book Club

Bookmark & Barstool Book Club meets in the Tearoom at The Highdown on the second Wednesday of every month, from 7:30pm to 9:00pm. It's a monthly book club run by Hillary Short, a local UCLA English graduate with a passion for literature and lively discussion. The group gathers in the venue's Tearoom, a quiet corner of a pub and hotel that was once an 1820 family home standing beside Highdown Gardens.

It's a subscription rather than a one-off, and that monthly fee covers more than just the discussion. You get freshly baked goods and unlimited tea and coffee to keep you going through the session. Members are also added to a dedicated WhatsApp group, where they help choose the titles for future months, so you have a say in what the group reads next. You buy your own copy of each book, but being part of the club gets you an exclusive 10% discount at Waterstones.

The Highdown itself is a proper Worthing spot: a former family home turned into a pub and hotel, with local ales, gins and malts, 13 bedrooms, private dining and a terrace. The book club takes place in the Tearoom, away from the main bar, which suits the slower pace of a mid-week evening. The subscription is £10 per person per month, and spaces are limited, so it's worth getting in early if you're keen. The next session is on the second Wednesday of the month, 7:30pm to 9:00pm, at The Highdown, Littlehampton Road, BN12 6FB.