Not been to Waterstone's in Altrincham for a while, but it was certainly a nice book shop the last time I was there. There is a small branch in Knutsford which opened about three or four years ago I think, but there was a very small independent one called Jardines which was next to the car park. This was crammed from floor to ceiling with books on every topic you could imagine. The owners were great, and could order any book within a few days. Sadly, Jardines closed down not long after Waterstone's opened here. I don't know if there are any book shops in Lymm.