| |  CLARE MACKINTOSH
Let Me Lie Wednesday 7th March 2018
7.30pm (doors 7.00pm)
Wynnstay Hotel, Oswestry Join us for an evening in the company of number one bestselling crime author Clare Mackintosh as she talks about her stunning, twisty new psychological thriller, Let Me Lie. The police say it was suicide.
Anna says it was murder.
They're both wrong. One year ago, Caroline Johnson chose to end her life brutally: a shocking suicide planned to match that of her husband just months before. Their daughter, Anna, has struggled to come to terms with their loss ever since. Now with a young baby of her own, Anna misses her mother more than ever and starts to ask questions about her parents' deaths. But by digging up the past, is she putting her future in danger? Sometimes it's safer to let things lie . . . Clare spent twelve years in the police force, including time on CID, and as a public order commander. She left the police in 2011. Her debut novel, I Let You Go, was the fastest selling title by a new crime writer in 2015. It has sold more than a million copies worldwide. In 2016 Clare received the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award. Her second book, I See You, charted at number 1 in the Sunday Times hardback bestseller list in July 2016. We look forward to welcoming Clare to Oswestry the day before publication as part of our 'Criminally Good' season of events, celebrating crime writing of the very first order. Tickets: £6 (£5 redeemable against a signed copy of Let Me Lie). Tickets available from the bookshop, or purchase online (with booking fee) here
If you can't make the event but would like a signed and dedicated copy of the book, please let us know. |  JOHN LEWIS-STEMPEL
The Wood Friday 9th March 2018
7.30pm (doors 7.00pm)
Booka
Join us for an evening with the award winning and bestselling nature-writer, John Lewis-Stempel, as he talks about his new book The Wood. From 'one of the best nature-writers of his generation' (Country Life) and twice winner of the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing, this BBC Radio 4 'Book of the Week' is the story of a wood – both its natural daily life and its historical times. Cockshutt is a particular wood – three and half acres of mixed woodland in south west Herefordshire – but it stands as exemplar for all the small woods of England. For four years John Lewis-Stempel managed the wood. He coppiced the trees and raised cows and pigs who roamed free there. This is the diary of the last year, by which time he had come to know it from the bottom of its beech roots to the tip of its oaks, and to know all the animals that lived there – the fox, the pheasants, the wood mice, the tawny owl – and where the best bluebells grew. For many fauna and flora, woods like Cockshutt are the last refuge. It proves a sanctuary for John too. To read The Wood is to be amongst its trees as the seasons change, following an easy path until, suddenly the view is broken by a screen of leaves, or your foot catches on a root, or a bird startles overhead. Lyrical, informative, steeped in poetry and folklore, it is both very real and very magical. We're huge fans of John's nature writing and are delighted that he will be making a return visit to Booka as part of our 'Great Outdoors' season of events. Tickets: £6 (£5 redeemable against a signed copy of The Wood). Includes a glass of wine / soft drink on arrival. Tickets available from the bookshop, or purchase online (with booking fee) here
If you can't make the event but would like a signed and dedicated copy of the book, please let us know. |  RUTH JONES EVENTS - SOLD OUT! Thursday 12th April 7.30pm & Friday 13th April 12 Noon at Wynnstay Hotel Oswestry
Our event with Ruth Jones on Thursday 12th April sold out with 24 hours. We were very fortunate to secure an extra lunchtime event on Friday 13th April - this is also sold out!
As both events are sold out we have a Reserve List in operation should there be any returns.
If you didn't manage to get a ticket but would like a signed and deciated copy of Ruth's book, Never Greener, please let us know. You can also pre-order a copy online here |  AN EVENING WITH CARL FOGARTY Sunday 22nd April
7.30pm (doors 6.45pm)
Wynnstay Hotel, Oswestry Join us for an evening in the company of seven times World champion and Superbike racing legend, Carl Fogarty MBE, as he talks 'in conversation' about his racing career, bikes and his new book The World According to Foggy. Carl Fogarty is the most successful World Superbike racer of all time in terms of the number of championships and number of race wins. Retired from racing since 2000, Foggy is renowned for his gutsy, aggressive style and a fierce determination to win which netted him 59 victories and four World Superbike Championships (1994, 1995, 1998 and 1999). His new book The World According to Foggy is published to coincide with the thirtieth anniversary of the Superbike World Championship. Not just King of the Superbikes, Carl also won the fourteenth series of I'm a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! in 2014 and was crowned 'King of the Jungle' Foggy's scintillating new book takes his fans into the memory banks of this most charismatic and straight-talking of sporting icons, transporting them into the weird and wonderful world of this endearingly quirky hero of the track. The World According to Foggy contains plenty of adrenaline-fuelled bikes and electrifying bike racing and thrills and spills galore, but it also reveals the man behind the helmet, his passions and frustrations, what makes him still leap out of bed in the morning and seize the day – ultimately, what makes this great man tick and explains his enduring popularity. We are delighted to be hosting this event with a true bike racing great. Don't miss this chance to meet the man himself! Tickets: £20 (Includes a signed copy of The World According to Foggy). Tickets available from the bookshop, or purchase online (with booking fee) here If you can't make the event but would like a signed and dedciated copy of the book, please let us know. You can also pre-order a signed copy online here |  KATE MOSSE
The Burning Chambers Wednesday 2nd May
7.30pm (doors 7.00pm)
Wynnstay Hotel, Oswestry
Join us for an evening in the company of international bestselling author Kate Mosse as she talks about her highly anticipated new novel, The Burning Chambers.
Bringing sixteenth-century Languedoc vividly to life, The Burning Chambers is a gripping story of love and betrayal, mysteries and secrets; of war and adventure, conspiracies and divided loyalties. . . . Carcassonne 1562: Nineteen-year-old Minou Joubert receives an anonymous letter at her father's bookshop. Sealed with a distinctive family crest, it contains just five words: SHE KNOWS THAT YOU LIVE. But before Minou can decipher the mysterious message, a chance encounter with a young Huguenot convert, Piet Reydon, changes her destiny forever. For Piet has a dangerous mission of his own, and he will need Minou's help if he is to get out of La Cité alive. Toulouse: As the religious divide deepens in the Midi, and old friends become enemies, Minou and Piet both find themselves trapped in Toulouse, facing new dangers as sectarian tensions ignite across the city, the battle-lines are drawn in blood and the conspiracy darkens further. Meanwhile, as a long-hidden document threatens to resurface, the mistress of Puivert is obsessed with uncovering its secret and strengthening her power . . . We're delighted to be hosting this event with Kate to celebrate the publication of The Burning Chambers – the first novel in a major new trilogy. Come and meet Kate and discover the inspiration for her novels.
Tickets: £10 (without book - £7 redeemable against a signed copy of The Burning Chambers) or £20 (with book - includes a signed copy of The Burning Chambers). Tickets available from the bookshop or purchase online (with booking fee) here
If you can't make the event but would like a signed and dedciated copy of the book, please let us know. You can also pre-order a signed copy online here | |  BEN AARONOVITCH
The Furthest Station Thursday 8th March 2018
7.30pm (doors 7.00pm)
Wynnstay Hotel, Oswestry Join us for an evening in the company of Ben Aaronovitch as he talks about his bestselling PC Grant series which started with Rivers of London and after six books sees the first novella, The Furthest Station, published in paperback on 8th March. THE FURTHEST STATION is Ben Aaronovitch's first PC Grant novella . . . and there's something going bump on the Metropolitan line. And when commuters start reporting encounters with ghosts up and down the track – encounters which they forget entirely within minutes – Peter Grant gets a call to investigate. And the very first interview leads to a ghost-hunting expedition . . . We're big fans of this brilliant urban fantasy series and look forward to welcoming Ben to Oswestry to tell us more about the adventures of his iconic man in blue. Tickets: £7 (£3 redeemable against a signed copy of any book in the PC Grant series). Tickets available from the bookshop, or purchase online (with booking fee) here
If you can't make the event but would like a signed and dedicated copy of the book, please let us know.
|  TARA WESTOVER
Educated Thursday 15th March
7.30pm (doors 7.00pm)
Booka
Join us for an evening in the company of Tara Westover as she talks about her memoir, Educated, a blistering portrayal of family, hardship and brutality and a young woman's unquenchable thirst for knowledge which leads her to break the ties that bind. Tara Westover grew up in rural Idaho with a radical, survivalist father who was intensely paranoid about government interference in the lives of his family. As a result, there were no state or federal records of her existence and she didn't get a birth certificate until she was nine. As she grew older, her father became more radical, and her brother, more violent. At sixteen Tara decided to educate herself. Her struggle for knowledge would take her far from her Idaho mountains, to Harvard and to Cambridge. From her unique experience, Westover tells a universal story about the transformative power of an education, but also of the very personal price she had to pay for that privilege. She explores the tension between loyalty to one's family and loyalty to one's self, as she struggles to find her place in a radical family. That struggle is ongoing. As she writes, Westover is still wondering whether she will ever be able to return home. Tara Westover is a remarkable young woman and Educated is one of the most fascinating, heart breaking and thought provoking memoirs you could wish to read. Be inspired – don't miss this chance to meet Tara and hear her story! Tickets: £6 (£5 redeemable against a signed copy of Educated). Includes a glass of wine / soft drink on arrival. Tickets available from the bookshop, or purchase online (with booking fee) here
If you can't make the event but would like a signed and dedicated copy of the book, please let us know. |  Bookshop Social with DAVID WHITEHOUSE & RHIDIAN BROOK Wednesday 28th March
7.30pm (doors 7.00pm)
Booka
Join us for a Bookshop Social with authors David Whitehouse and Rhidian Brook as they talk about their latest novels The Long Forgotten and The Killing of Butterfly Joe over Pizza and a glass of Prosecco.
The Long Forgotten, the third book from multi award-winning author David Whitehouse, is a thrilling mystery about memory and identity and love, loss, inheritance and obsession. His previous books were Bed and Mobile Library The Killing of Butterfly Joe is a dazzling novel from the award-winning Rhidian Brook, the bestselling author of The Aftermath, which was adapted into a film starring Alexander Skarsgård and Keira Knightley. Hurtling across 1980s America, this wildly original story is full of characters you'll never forget. David Whitehouse and Rhidian Brook are two writers to watch. Enjoy pizza and prosecco as they discuss their writing, the inspiration for the novels and their journey to publication. Tickets: £7 (Includes Pizza, Prosecco, with £5 redeemable against a signed copy of either book). Tickets available from the bookshop or purchase online (with booking fee) here
|  SIMON MAYO
Mad Blood Stirring Monday 23rd April
12 Noon (doors 11.15am)
Wynnstay Hotel, Oswestry
Join much loved radio presenter Simon Mayo as he talks about his debut historical novel, Mad Blood Stirring – an astonishing fictional account of an explosive piece of neglected history. The Anglo-American conflict of 1812 is one of history's forgotten episodes, but as well as The White House being torched by British troops, many Americans were taken prisoner and shipped back to Britain, where they were incarcerated within the iconically grim granite walls of Dartmoor Prison. 1815: The war is over but for the inmates at Dartmoor Prison, peace – like home – is still a long way away. On the eve of the year 1815, the American sailors of the Eagle finally arrive at Dartmoor prison; bedraggled, exhausted but burning with hope. They've only had one thing to sustain them – a snatched whisper overheard along the way. The war is over. Joe Hill thought he'd left the war outside these walls but it's quickly clear that there's a different type of fight to be had within. The seven prison blocks surrounding him have been segregated; six white and one black. As his voice rings out across the courtyard, announcing the peace, the redcoat guards bristle and the inmates stir. The powder keg was already fixed to blow and Joe has just lit the fuse. Elizabeth Shortland, wife of the Governor looks down at the swirling crowd from the window of her own personal prison. The peace means the end is near, that she needn't be here for ever. But suddenly, she cannot bear the thought of leaving. Inspired by a true story, Mad Blood Stirring tells of a few frantic months in the suffocating atmosphere of a prison awaiting liberation. It is a story of hope and freedom, of loss and suffering. It is a story about how sometimes, in our darkest hour, it can be the most unlikely of things that see us through. We're delighted to be hosting this lunchtime event with Simon – don't miss this chance to meet him and hear about the inspiration for his novel.
Tickets £15 (With book - includes a signed copy of Mad Blood Stirring) or £10 (Without book - £5 redeemable against a signed copy of Mad Blood Stirring). Tickets available from the bookshop, or purchase online (with booking fee) here
If you can't make the event but would like a signed and dedciated copy of the book, please let us know. You can also pre-order a signed copy online here |  AJ PEARCE
Dear Mrs Bird Thursday 10th May
7.30pm (doors 7.00pm)
Booka
Dear Reader – join us for an evening in the company of AJ Pearce as she talks about her irresistable debut novel, Dear Mrs Bird, sure to be one of the most loved and talked about debuts of 2018.
London, 1940. Emmeline Lake and her best friend Bunty are trying to stay cheerful despite the Luftwaffe making life thoroughly annoying for everyone. Emmy dreams of becoming a Lady War Correspondent and when she spots a job advertisement in the newspaper she seizes her chance – but after a rather unfortunate misunderstanding, she finds herself typing letters for the formidable Henrietta Bird, the renowned agony aunt of Woman's Friend magazine. Mrs Bird is very clear: letters containing any form of Unpleasantness must go straight into the bin. But as Emmy reads the desperate pleas from women who may have Gone Too Far with the wrong man, or can't bear to let their children be evacuated, she decides the only thing for it is to secretly write back . . . Irresistibly funny and enormously moving, Dear Mrs Bird by AJ Pearce is a love letter to the enduring power of friendship, the kindness of strangers and the courage of ordinary people in extraordinary times. We're delighted to be welcoming AJ to Booka as part of our 'Discover a Debut' season of events, bringing some of the very best new writers to Oswestry. Tickets: £6 (£5 redeemable against a signed copy of Dear Mrs Bird) Includes a glass of wine/soft drink on arrival. Tickets available from the bookshop or purchase online (with booking fee) here
| | Booka News More events ..... As you can see, we've already got some great events lined up over the next couple of months. We have more in the pipeline - so watch this space! We'll be announcing them once they've been confirmed. World Book Day! It's World Book Day today - don't let the cold, snowy weather get you down. Kids - come in and redeem your World Book Day Token for one one of the ten (exclusive, new and completely FREE) World Book Day books. Or, if you'd prefer you can use your token to get £1 off another book instead. Tokens are valid until Sunday 25th March. Easter Little Bookworms We'll be hosting a special Easter Little Bookworms with Hannah Butler on Monday 19th March at 10.00am. Suitable for young ones aged 2-4 years , these popular sessions explore stories through craft activities, sensory experiences, music making, rhythmic language, play and early phonics for reading. Come and join the fun - the session costs £12 and includes a copy of the featured book plus tea/coffee for the parent/carer. Shropshire Wildlife Trust Event - The Wood for the Trees We pleased to be supporting the Shropshire Wildlife Trust who are hosting an event on 21st March with natural historian Richard Fortey for his latest book 'The Wood for the Trees'. Full details of the event and how to book here Book Clubs Book Chat Book Club - Currently reading: Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor. Next meeting Wednesday 28th March, 7.30pm at Booka Book & a Beer Book Club - Currently reading: Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. Next meeting Thursday 5th April, 7.30pm at Booka Cosy Crime Book Club - Currently reading: Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. Next meeting Tuesday 6th March, 2.30pm at Booka Children's Book Club (Year 3/4) - Currently reading: The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole by Michelle Cuevas Children's Book Club (Year 5/6) - Currently reading: The Eye of the North by Sinead O'Hart
Teen Book Club - Currently reading: Artichoke Hearts by Sita Brahmachari YA Book Club - Currently reading: The Sacrifice Box by Martin Stewart | | | | |
|
