CHRISTY LEFTERI
The Beekeeper of Aleppo
Thursday 9th May
7.30pm (doors 7.00pm)
Booka Join us for an evening in the company of Christy Lefteri as she talks about her novel The Beekeeper of Aleppo. In the midst of war, he found love
In the midst of darkness, he found courage
In the midst of tragedy, he found hope
The Beekeeper of Aleppo
What will you find from his story? Nuri is a beekeeper; his wife, Afra, an artist. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo – until the unthinkable happens. When all they care for is destroyed by war, they are forced to escape. But what Afra has seen is so terrible she has gone blind, and so they must embark on a perilous journey through Turkey and Greece towards an uncertain future in Britain. On the way, Nuri is sustained by the knowledge that waiting for them is Mustafa, his cousin and business partner, who has started an apiary and is teaching fellow refugees in Yorkshire to keep bees. As Nuri and Afra travel through a broken world, they must confront not only the pain of their own unspeakable loss, but dangers that would overwhelm the bravest of souls. Above all – and perhaps this is the hardest thing they face – they must journey to find each other again. Moving, powerful, compassionate and beautifully written, The Beekeeper of Aleppo is a testament to the triumph of the human spirit. Told with deceptive simplicity, it is the kind of book that reminds us of the power of storytelling. We're delighted to welcome Christy to Booka! Tickets: £5 (redeemable against a signed copy of The Beekeeper of Aleppo). Includes a glass of wine / soft drink on arrival. Tickets available from the bookshop, or purchase online (with booking fee) HERE | 
ELIZABETH MACNEAL
The Doll Factory
Tuesday 21st May
7.30pm (doors 6.45pm)
Booka Join us for an evening in the company of Elizabeth Macneal as she talks about her highly acclaimed debut novel The Doll Factory, an intoxicating tale of love, art and obsession. Set in London in 1850/51, The Doll Factory tells the story of Iris, an apprentice doll-maker who dreams of being a painter, and of Silas, a curiosity collector enchanted by the strange and beautiful with ambitions of founding a museum dedicated to his macabre obsessions. The Great Exhibition is being constructed in Hyde Park, and two people meet among the crowd. For Iris, it is the encounter of a moment, forgotten seconds later, but for Silas, the meeting marks a new beginning. When Iris is asked to model from the Pre-Raphaelite artist Louis Frost, she agrees on the condition that he will also teach her to paint, and suddenly her world begins to expand, to become a place of the new dual freedoms of art and love. But Silas has thought of one thing only since that chance encounter, and his obsession is darkening. Elizabeth Macneal was chosen as one of the 'hottest-tipped' debut authors of 2019 in the Observer's annual showcase of 'exceptional' new writers. The Doll Factory is a stand-out debut novel and we're delighted to welcome Elizabeth to Oswestry!
Tickets: £5 (redeemable against a signed copy of The Doll Factory). Includes a glass of wine or soft drink on arrival. Tickets available from the bookshop or purchase online (with booking fee) HERE |  Independent Bookshop Week
VICTORIA HISLOP
Those Who Are Loved Monday 17th June
12.30pm (doors 11.45am)
Wynnstay Hotel, Oswestry
Join Victoria Hislop, the bestselling author of The Island, The Sunrise, and Cartes Postales from Greece as she talks about her captivating new novel Those Who Are Loved. Athens 1941. After decades of political uncertainty, Greece is polarised between Right- and Left-wing views when the Germans invade. Fifteen-year-old Themis comes from a family divided by these political differences. The Nazi occupation deepens the fault-lines between those she loves just as it reduces Greece to destitution. She watches friends die in the ensuing famine and is moved to commit acts of resistance. In the civil war that follows the end of the occupation, Themis joins the Communist army, where she experiences the extremes of love and hatred and the paradoxes presented by a war in which Greek fights Greek. Eventually imprisoned on the infamous islands of exile, Makronisos and then Trikeri, Themis encounters another prisoner whose life will entwine with her own in ways neither can foresee. And finds she must weigh her principles against her desire to escape and live. As she looks back on her life, Themis realises how tightly
the personal and political can become entangled. While some wounds heal, others deepen. This powerful new novel from master storyteller Victoria Hislop sheds light on the complexity and trauma of Greece's past and weaves it into the epic tale of an ordinary woman compelled to live an extraordinary life. We're thrilled to welcome Victoria Hislop back to Oswestry during Independent Bookshop Week to celebrate the publication of Those Who Are Loved. Tickets: £10 (without book - redeemable against a signed copy of Those Who Are Loved) or £20 (with book - includes a signed copy of Those Who Are Loved). Tickets available from the bookshop or purchase online (with booking fee) HERE |  Independent Bookshop Week
MICK HERRON
Joe Country Thursday 20th June
7.30pm (doors 7.00pm)
Booka
Join bestselling spy novelist Mick Herron as he talks about his new book Joe Country, the latest instalment in his highly acclaimed Slough House series starring Jackson Lamb. If Spook Street is where spies live, Joe Country is where they go to die and as Jackson Lamb's crew of misfit exiles emerge for the sixth time, it looks likely not all of them will return from the field. In Slough House memories are stirring, all of them bad. Catherine Standish is buying booze again, Louisa Guy is raking over the ashes of lost love, and new recruit Lech Wicinski, whose sins make him outcast even among the slow horses, is determined to discover who destroyed his career, even if he tears his life apart in the process. Meanwhile, in Regent's Park, Diana Taverner's tenure as First Desk is running into difficulties. If she's going to make the Service fit for purpose, she might have to make deals with a familiar old devil …
And with winter taking its grip Jackson Lamb would sooner be left brooding in peace, but even he can't ignore the dried blood on his carpets. So when the man responsible breaks cover at last, Lamb sends the slow horses out to even the score. This time, they're heading into joe country… Kicking off with 2010's Slow Horses, Mick Herron's Slough House series has lit a match under the British spy genre. With its world-wary coterie of misfits and starring the cunning Jackson Lamb, Herron is now at the front rank of espionage fiction . We're delighted to welcome the spymaster to Booka during Independent Bookshop Week! Tickets: £5 (redeemable against a signed copy of Joe Country). Includes a glass of wine / soft drink on arrival. Tickets available from the bookshop, or purchase online (with booking fee) HERE | | 
MOLLY & ME - COLIN BUTCHER
Wednesday 15th May
7.30pm (doors 7.00pm)
Booka Join us for an evening with Colin Butcher as he talks about his new book Molly and Me – an extraordinary tale of second chances and how a dog and her owner became the ultimate pet-detective duo. Ex-policeman Colin Butcher had set up his own pet detective agency searching for lost and stolen pets and it was running smoothly but he quickly realized he needed a partner. That's when inspiration struck… Enter Molly, an unloved and unwanted cocker spaniel on a rescue website. Clever and charismatic, she melted Colin's heart and the two became instantly inseparable. Colin's detective skills combined with Molly's intelligence, tenacity and sense of smell made them the ultimate team and it wasn't long before they were cracking cases and solving crimes across the country. From the search to find Pablo the ginger tom who was kidnapped in Devon to unearthing a treasure trove of stolen jewels in a north London wood, the duo have many bizarre encounters and make plenty of new friends along the way. Charming, moving and thrilling, Molly and Me is the story of a rescue cocker spaniel with a troubled past who – thanks to the love and devotion of her owner – finds a new life, a new purpose and a forever friend. Come along and meet Colin and Molly and hear their heart-warming story. Tickets: £5 (redeemable against a signed copy of Molly & Me). Includes a glass of wine or soft drink on arrival. Tickets available from the bookshop or purchase online (with booking fee) HERE | 
LEAH HAZARD
Hard Pushed: A Midwife's Story
Thursday 6th June 7.30pm (doors 7.00pm) Booka No sleep for twenty hours. No food for ten. And a ward full of soon-to-be mothers… Welcome to thelife of a midwife. Join Leah Hazard as she talks about her memoir Hard Pushed chronicling life on the frontline of the maternity ward. Leah Hazard's life on the NHS frontline, working within a maternity system at breaking point, is more extreme than you could ever imagine. From the bloody to the beautiful, from moments of vulnerability to remarkable displays of human strength, from camaraderie to raw desperation, from heart-wrenching grief to the pure, perfect joy of a new-born baby, Leah has seen it all. Through her eyes, we meet Eleanor, whose wife is a walking miracle of modern medicine, their baby a feat of reproductive science; Crystal, pregnant at just fifteen, the precarious, flickering life within her threatening to come far too soon; Mrs Bhatti, who insists that Leah simply must write her own elaborate thank-you card; and Pei Hsuan, who has travelled hundreds of miles to somehow find herself at the open door of Leah's ward. Moving, compassionate and intensely candid, Hard Pushed is a love letter to new mothers and to Leah's fellow midwives – there for us at the most challenging, empowering and defining moments of our lives. We're delighted to welcome her to Booka. Tickets: £5 (redeemable against a signed copy of Hard Pushed). Tickets available from the bookshop, or purchase online (with booking fee) HERE |  Independent Bookshop Week
AN EVENING WITH KIRTSY WARK
The House by the Loch Tuesday 18th June
7.30pm (doors 7.00pm)
Wynnstay Hotel, Oswestry Join journalist, broadcaster and writer Kirsty Wark as she talks about her highly anticipated second novel The House by the Loch. Inspired in part by Kirsty's childhood memories and her late father, The House by the Loch is a story about the bonds between generations, the need to belong and the devastating consequences of long-hidden family secrets that refuse to lie buried in the past…. Scotland 1950s. Walter MacMillan is bewitched by the clever, glamorous Jean Thompson and can't believe
his luck when she agrees to marry him. Neither can she, for Walter represents a strong, steady and loving
man who can perhaps quiet the demons inside her. Yet their home on remote Loch Doon soon becomes a
prison for Jean and neither a young family, nor Walter's care, can seem to save her. Many years later Walter is with his adult children and adored grandchildren on the shores of Loch Doon,
where the family has been holidaying for two generations. But the shadows of the past stretch over them and
will turn all their lives upside down on one fateful weekend. Kirsty has presented a wide range of BBC programmes over the past thirty years, from the ground-breaking Late Show to the nightly current affairs show Newsnight. She has been celebrated for her formidable talent throughout her career, most notably with her multiple BAFTA Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting, Journalist of the Year, and Best Television Presenter. After the success of her debut novel The Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle, we're thrilled to welcome Kirsty Wark to Oswestry during Independent Bookshop Week. Don't miss this chance to see and meet her! Tickets: £8 (without book - redeemable against a signed copy of The House by the Loch) or £17 (with book - includes a signed copy of The House by the Loch). Tickets available from the bookshop or purchase online (with booking fee) HERE |  Independent Bookshop Week
HOW TO WRITE A BOOK
with EDWARD DOCX Friday 21st June
2.00pm (doors 1.30pm)
Booka
Do you have a story that you'd like to tell? Have you ever thought of becoming an author? Do you have lots of good ideas that you'd like to craft into something a bit more substantial? Join award-winning author Edward Docx for an hour of insight, advice, encouragement and ten practical tips on how to turn your thoughts into a professional storyline. Ed has written four novels. He's been long listed for the Booker Prize and won the Geoffrey Faber. He reviews contemporary fiction for The Guardian and he's been teaching the Guardian Masterclass for Fiction for the last seven years. He's also hosted dozens of Arvon residential writing courses and coached lot's of private pupils – several of whom are now published. We're delighted to be hosting this special event with Ed and his publisher Pan Macmillan to celebrate Independent Bookshop Week. So why not come along and get some practical advice, some top quality inspiration and a fascinating insight into the world of creative writing. All those attending will receive a paperback copy of Ed's latest novel Let Go My Hand. Tickets: £12 (Includes 'How to Write a Book' session and a copy of Let Go My Hand) Tickets available from the bookshop or purchase online (with booking fee) HERE | | Booka News Helen Cullen - The Lost Letters of William Wolf - Tuesday 14th May 2.30pm at Booka Come and meet debut author Helen Cullen who will be discussing her novel The Lost Letters of William Wolf - a life-affirming nostalgic tale with themes of love, romance and frustrated hopes. This afternoon event is FREE to attend, just let us know if you plan to come along. Local Book Launch - Riverflow by Alison Layland - Wednesday 19th June 7.30pm at Booka We are delighted to be hosting the book launch of local author and friend of the bookshop, Alison Layland, for her second novel Riverflow which will be published by Honno Press. The book launch is FREE to attend and takes place the day before publication. Further details available from the bookshop. Monty Lit Fest 2019 - 14th-16th June Booka will be supporting the Monty Lit Fest again this year providing a 'pop-up' bookstall for the duration of the Festival which takes places from Friday 14th - Sunday 16th June at Gregynog Hall near Newtown. Visit the Monty List Fest website for details of this year's programme or pick up a leaflet from the bookshop. Signed Copies - Available to Pre-Order Keep an eye on our website for all the latest signed copies we have in stock. A number are also available to pre-order ahead of publication, including:
Greenfeast - Spring, Summer by Nigel Slater
Bowl. Sleep. Repeat by Jimmy Anderson
The October Man by Ben Aaronovitch
The Good Omens Script Book by Neil Gaiman Book Clubs Book Chat Book Club - Currently reading: The Salt Path by Raynor Winn. Next Meeting Wednesday 29th May, 7.30pm at Booka (NB This Book Club is currently fully subscribed) Book & a Beer Book Club - Currently reading: Notes From an Exhibition by Patrick Gale Next meeting Thursday 30th May, 7.30pm at Booka Cosy Crime Book Club - Currently reading: The Storykeeper by Anna Mazzola Next meeting Tuesday 30th April, 2.30pm at Booka (NB This Book Club is currently fully subscribed) Cosy Elevenses Book Club - Currently reading: Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift. Next Meeting: Tuesday 30th April, 11.00am at Booka Children's Book Club (Year 3/4) - Currently reading: Storm Hound by Claire Fayers Children's Book Club (Year 5/6 - Groups A & B) - Currently reading: Pog by Padraig Kenny Teen Book Club - Currently reading: The Boy Who Flew by Fleur Hitchcock YA Book Club - Currently reading: The Secret Runners of New York by Matthew Reilly Crossover Book Club - Currently reading: The Truth About Keeping Secrets by Savannah Brown | | |
