 JULIA CHAPMAN - DATE WITH MALICE TUESDAY 17TH OCTOBER
7.30PM (DOORS OPEN 7.00PM)
BOOKA
Love a good murder mystery and the opportunity to decipher the clues without the bloodshed? Join Julia Chapman, author of the brilliant new Dales Detective Series as she introduces the second instalment, Date with Malice. It's dark in the Dales this winter . . . When Mrs Shepherd arrives at the Dales Detective Agency on a December morning, quite convinced that someone is trying to kill her, Samson O'Brien dismisses her fears as the ramblings of a confused elderly lady. But after a series of disturbing incidents at Fellside Court retirement home, he begins to wonder if there is something to her claims after all . . . With Christmas around the corner, Samson is thrown into a complex investigation. One that will require him to regain the trust of the Dales community he turned his back on so long ago. Faced with no choice, he enlists the help of a local – the tempestuous Delilah Metcalfe. Against the backdrop of a Yorkshire winter, Samson and Delilah must work together once again if they are to uncover the malevolence threatening the elderly residents of Bruncliffe. Could the danger be perilously close to home? Last year the first Dales Detective Mystery, Date with Death, hit bookshops to the delight of readers. This event is being held to coincide with the launch of our new Cosy Crime Book Club and we're delighted that Julia will be joining us for a Date with Malice. Tickets: £5 (£3 of ticket price redeemable against book purchase) Includes a glass of wine / soft drink on arrival. Tickets available from the bookshop, or purchase online (with booking fee) HERE |  ADAM KAY - THIS IS GOING TO HURT WEDNESDAY 25TH OCTOBER
7.30PM (DOORS OPEN 7.00PM)
THE WYNNSTAY HOTEL, OSWESTRY Join us for an evening in the company of comedian, writer and former junior doctor, Adam Kay, as he brings his stand-up set to Oswestry to mark the publication of his new book This is Going to Hurt. Welcome to the life of a junior doctor. Scribbled in secret after endless days, sleepless nights and missed weekends, Adam Kay's This Is Going to Hurt provides a no-holds-barred account of his time on the NHS front line. Hilarious, horrifying and heartbreaking by turns, this is everything you wanted to know – and more than a few things you didn't – about life on and off the hospital ward. And yes, it may leave a scar. This is an event not to be missed. Be prepared to laugh and cry as Adam Kay reveals his experiences and the joy, pain, hilarity, horror and maddening bureaucracy he faced and what made him finally hang up his stethoscope. Tickets: £10 (£5 redeemable against a signed hardback copy of This is Going to Hurt). Tickets available from the bookshop or purchase online (with booking fee) HERE |  AN EVENING WITH RICK STEIN - THE ROAD TO MEXICO SORRY - SOLD OUT! Rick's Stein's best-selling cookery books and television series have won him an army of fans. We're delighted to bring him to Oswestry to talk about his new book, The Road to Mexico. While the event is now sold out, you can still pre-order a signed and dedicated copy of The Road to Mexico by contacting the shop or ordering online HERE |  ANDREW MICHAEL HURLEY - DEVIL'S DAY THURSDAY 30TH NOVEMBER
7.30PM (DOORS OPEN 7.00PM)
BOOKA Join us for an evening with Andrew Michael Hurley, author of the award-winning bestseller The Loney. as he talks about his second novel, Devil's Day. All stories in the valley have to begin with the Devil . . . After the blizzard of 1913, it was weeks before anyone got in or out. By that time, what had happened there, what the Devil had done, was already fable. Devil's Day is a day for children now, of course. A tradition it's easy to mock, from the outside. But it's important to remember why we do what we do. It's important to know what our grandfathers have passed down to us.Because it's hard to understand, if you're not from the valley, how this place is in your blood. That's why I came back, with Kat, and not just because the Gaffer was dead.Though that year we may have let the Devil in after all . . The Loney, Andrew's first novel was first published in October 2014 by Tartarus Press, a tiny independent publisher based in Yorkshire, as a 300-copy limited-edition. before being republished by John Murray. It went on to sell in twenty languages, win the Costa Best First Novel Award and Book of the Year at the British Book Industry Awards in 2016, and is in development as a feature film. Tickets: £5 (redeemable against a signed copy of Devil's Day) Includes a glass of wine or soft drink on arrival. Tickets available from the bookshop, or purchase online (with booking fee) HERE | |  JOANNE HARRIS - A POCKETFUL OF CROWS TUESDAY 24TH OCTOBER
7.30PM (DOORS OPEN 7.00PM)
THE WYNNSTAY HOTEL, OSWESTRY Join us for an evening in the company of Joanne Harris, the bestselling author of Chocolat and The Gospel of Loki as she talks about her new book, A Pocketful of Crows, a stunning and original modern fairytale. Inspired by the The Brown Girl ballad, A Pocketful of Crows is a fairy tale of love, magic, betrayal and revenge woven from traditional folklore. Following the seasons, it balances youth and age, wisdom and passion and draws on nature and folklore to weave a stunning modern mythology around a nameless wild girl. Only love could draw her into the world of named, tamed things. And it seems only revenge will be powerful enough to let her escape. A perfect autumn and Christmas read, A Pocketful of Crows combines the harshness of nature with the spookiness of a ghost story and the comfort of a great folk tale, in one beautifully told novella. Tickets: £5 (redeemable against a signed copy of A Pocketful of Crows). Tickets available from the bookshop or purchase online (with booking fee) HERE |  HENRY BLOFELD BOOK SIGNING SATURDAY 28TH OCTOBER
12 NOON
BOOKA Calling all cricket fans and lovers of Test Match Special! To coincide with the announcement of his retirement, we are delighted to welcome Henry Blofeld to Booka for a special lunchtime signing for his new book Over and Out: My Innings of a Lifetime with Test Match Special. Henry Blofeld has captivated generations of cricket fans all over the world with his idiosyncratic musings, loveable charm and witty quips as a Test Match Special summariser for over forty years. In this autobiographical book Blowers relives his favourite moments in the sport and shares behind the scenes anecdotes and stories told in his unique style. Don't miss this chance to meet this cricket broadcasting legend and pick up a signed and dedicated First Edition of Over & Out – the perfect present of gift to yourself. Tickets: This is a FREE event – no ticket required. If you can't make the signing but would like a signed copy of Over and Out, please let us know. You can also pre-order online from us HERE |  ADAM HAMDY - FREEFALL
WEDNESDAY 15TH NOVEMBER
7.30PM (DOORS OPEN 7.00PM)
BOOKA Join us for an evening in the company of author and screenwriter Adam Hamdy as he talks about his new thriller, Freefall – the high octane follow-up to his first novel Pendulum. JOHN WALLACE IS A TARGET. Hiding off-grid after exposing the shadowy Pendulum conspiracy, Wallace is horrified to discover he is still marked for death. THERE ARE ONLY TWO PEOPLE HE CAN TRUST. DI Patrick Bailey is still reeling from the murder investigation that nearly cost him his life. FBI Agent Christine Ash is hunting a serial killer with a link to an unfinished case. HE MUST FIND THE TRUTH. The death of a London journalist triggers an investigation that brings them back together, hurling them into the path of an unknown enemy BEFORE THE KILLER FINDS HIM. Hunted across the world, they are plunged into a nightmare deadlier than they could have ever imagined. James Patterson hailed Adam Hamdy's first PENDULUM novel as 'one of the best thrillers of the year' saying he read it in 'one gloriously suspenseful weekend'. If you like your thrillers as unexpected as a sniper's bullet, this is the event for you. Tickets: £5 (redeemable against a signed copy of Freefall). Includes a glass of wine / soft drink on arrival. Tickets available from the bookshop, or purchase online (with booking fee) HERE |  ROSAMUND YOUNG - THE SECRET LIFE OF COWS TUESDAY 31ST OCTOBER
7.30PM (DOORS OPEN 7.00PM)
BOOKA Join Rosamund Young as she talks about her extraordinary book the Secret Life of Cows – a rediscovered gem which will be reissued in October. The Secret Life of Cows captures Rosamund Young's observations of her herd of cows and demonstrates that cows can love, play games, bond and form strong life long friendships. They can sulk, hold grudges, have preferences and can be vain. Rosamund provides a fascinating insight into a secret world – secret because many modern farming practices leave no room for displays of natural behaviour. The Secret Life of Cows is not only a study of family and herd relationships, communication, grieving and playing but makes for a highly readable and poignant study littered with anecdotes that will make the reader laugh, wonder and reflect. Certainly it will make you look at the domestic cow in a different light and maybe, as Alan Bennett said, '…alter the way one looks at the world.' We think this quirky, thoughtful little book about the intelligence of cows will be a big hit this winter and are delighted to welcome Rosamund to Booka. Tickets: £5 (redeemable against a signed copy of The Secret Life of Cows). Includes a glass of wine / soft drink on arrival. Tickets available from the bookshop or purchase online (with booking fee) HERE | |
