 *SEPTEMBER 2016* Welcome to our September Newsletter. We hope you enjoy reading about all the exciting events we have coming up this Autumn. To book tickets, call in at the shop, purchase online, give us a call or drop us a line via email, Twitter or Facebook. |  WAR & WORDS WITH EMMA CHAPMAN & WILLIAM RYAN Thursday 6th October - 7.30pm (doors open 7.00pm) at Booka
Join us for an evening in the company of Emma Chapman and William Ryan as they talk about their latest novels, The Last Photograph and The Constant Soldier, both gripping and emotionally charged stories set against the backdrop of war. Emma Chapman's The Last Photograph, explores the life of Rook Henderson, an award-winning photojournalist, still carrying the hidden scars of war. When his wife dies suddenly, Rook flies to Vietnam for the first time in fifty years, escaping to the landscape of a place he once knew so well and leaving his son Ralph to pick up the pieces. But when Ralph follows him out there, seeking answers from the father he barely knows, Rook is forced to retrace his past: his childhood in Yorkshire, his life in London in the 1960s and his marriage to the unforgettable June – and to ask himself what price he has paid for a life behind the lens. Gripping, evocative and unforgettable, The Last Photograph is a story of a life shaped by trauma and love – and the secrets that make us who we are. In William Ryan's The Constant Soldier, Paul Brandt, a soldier in the German army, returns wounded and ashamed from the bloody chaos of the Eastern front to find his village home much changed and existing in the dark shadow of an SS rest hut – a luxurious retreat for those who manage the concentration camps, run with the help of a small group of female prisoners who – against all odds – have so far survived the war. When, by chance, Brandt glimpses one of these prisoners, he realizes that he must find a way to access the hut. For inside is the woman to whom his fate has been tied since their arrest five years before, and now he must do all he can to protect her. But as the Russian offensive moves ever closer, the days of this rest hut and its SS inhabitants are numbered. And while hope – for Brandt and the female prisoners – grows tantalizingly close, the danger too is now greater than ever. And, in a forest to the east, a young female Soviet tank driver awaits her orders to advance … We are delighted to be hosting this event with two talented authors and look forward to them discussing the stories they've told and their portrayal of war in fiction. Tickets: £5 plus booking fee if purchasing online. Includes a glass of wine/soft drink on arrival. Ticket price redeemable against book purchase. Tickets available from the Bookshop or purchase online here |  CRIME ON THE BORDER: CRIME WRITERS PANEL EVENT Thursday 13th October - 7.30pm (doors open 7.00pm) at Booka Join us for an evening of 'crime' as we host a panel event with four female crime/thriller writers: Louise Millar, Debbie Howells, Michelle Davies & Fiona Cummins. The authors will talk about their latest novels, trade stories of their craft and discuss how to create a heart-stopping storyline. Come and hear how they started their crime writing careers and their writing tips for budding crime/thriller writers. Louise Millar writes psychological thrillers and is the author of City of Strangers, The Hidden Girl, Accidents Happen and The Playdate. She is currently writing her fifth novel and is a co-founder of the crime writing group Killer Women. Debbie Howells is the author of the smash hit debut bestseller The Bones of You, a story full of dark secrets, obsession and suspense. A Richard & Judy Book Club pick which has now sold over 75k copies – not bad for a book found in the slush pile! Drawing on her experience as a journalist, Gone Astray is the debut novel of Michelle Davies. This all too believable crime thriller is written from the perspective of a Family Liaison Officer. Fiona Cummins is an award winning former showbiz journalist. Rattle, her first novel is a suspense filled creepy, pacey read that looks destined for commercial success when published in January 2017. These four authors will have on the edge-of your-seat and we look forward to what should be a great event. Tickets: £5 plus booking fee if purchasing online. Ticket price redeemable against book purchase at the event. Includes a glass of wine / soft drink on arrival. Tickets available from the bookshop or purchase online here |  LITERARY LUNCH WITH VICTORIA HISLOP Wednesday 19th October - 1.00pm (doors open 12.30pm) The Wynnstay Hotel
Join us for a literay lunch with Victoria Hislop, the international bestselling author of The Island, The Thread, The Return and The Sunrise, as she talks about her extraordinary new novel Cartes Postales from Greece. Week after week, the postcards arrive, addressed to a name Ellie does not know, with no return address, each signed with an initial: A. With their bright skies, blue seas and alluring images of Greece, these cartes postales brighten her life. After six months, to her disappointment, they cease. But the montage she has created on the wall of her flat has cast a spell. She must see this country for herself. On the morning Ellie leaves for Athens, a notebook arrives. Its pages tell the story of a man's odyssey through Greece. Moving, surprising and sometimes dark, A's tale unfolds with the discovery not only of a culture but also of a desire to live life to the full once more. Cartes Postales from Greece is a novel to enchant – beautifully written and illustrated with photographs it makes a journey around Greece, already alive in the imagination, linger long in the mind. Join us for a delicious buffet lunch at The Wynnstay Hotel with this inspirational and much loved author – what better way to spend an afternoon! Format: Lunch with an opportunity to meet and chat with Victoria followed by author talk 'in conversation', with audience Q&A and book signing.
Tickets: £30 plus booking fee if purchasing online. Includes buffet lunch with drink on arrival, plus a signed hardback copy of Cartes Postales from Greece. Please let us know if you have any specific dietary requirements. Tickets available from the Bookshop or purchase online here If you can't make the event but would like a signed & dedicated copy of Cartes Postales from Greece, please contact us. You can also pre-order a signed copy online here |  JACKIE MORRIS & NICOLA DAVIES BOOK SIGNING Sunday 2nd October - 12.30pm at Booka
Meet authors Jackie Morris and Nicola Davies at this Sunday lunch time book signing. Talk to them about their books, inspirations and future projects and watch Jackie painting. You'll be able to pick up signed and dedicated copies of their books - they make a great gift or present to yourself. FREE Event - just come along and enjoy Sunday in the Bookshop! | |  AN EVENING WITH ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH
Wednesday 28th September
7.30pm (doors open 7.00pm)
The Marches School, Oswestry Join us for an evening of sheer delight as Alexander McCall Smith talks about his latest novels including, Precious and Grace, The Bertie Project, My Italian Bulldozer and The Sands of Shark Island. Alexander McCall Smith is one of the World's most prolific and most popular authors, renowned for both his stand alone novels and his bestselling series including The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency, 44 Scotland Street, The Sunday Philosophy Club, Corduroy Mansions and The School Ship Tobermory. A truly gifted storyteller with an unstoppable imagination his creative plot lines follow the lives of colourful characters laced with quirky humour dispatching gentle wisdom along the way. We are delighted to be welcoming one of the world's best loved authors to Oswestry and can't wait to catch up with Precious Ramotswe and Bertie & Co. This is an event not to be missed! Event Format: Author talk 'in conversation', followed audience Q&A and book signing.
Tickets: £10 plus booking fee if purchasing online. (£5 of ticket price redeemable against a signed hardback copy of either Precious and Grace, The Bertie Project, My Italian Bulldozer or The Sands of Shark Island). Tickets available from the shop or purchase online here If you are unable to make the event but would like a signed and dedicated copy of any of Alexander's new titles, please let us know. |  TALKING ANTIQUES WITH JUDITH MILLER Sunday 9th October 3.00pm (doors open 2.30pm) at Booka Antique collector or bargain hunter? – join us for an afternoon of insight, tips and valuations as we talk antiques with leading expert Judith Miller. Many of us relish the challenge of the great antique hunt and our taste for bargains has been honed by TV's Bargain Hunt, Cash In The Attic and best of all, the BBC's Antiques Roadshow. Few of us however have real experience in the field, and none so much as perhaps Judith Miller, the author of more than 100 books on collecting, antiques and design, including Miller's Antiques Handbook & Price Guide, which remains the essential and trusted guide to the antiques market. Judith Miller is held in the highest regard by collectors and dealers. She began collecting in the 1960's while a student at the University of Edinburgh and has since become one of the world's leading experts in antiques. In 1979 she co-founded the international best-seller Miller's Antiques Handbook & Price Guide. She has been appearing on Antiques Roadshow since 2007. Those attending this event are invited to bring along antiques and collectables for Judith to value and detail more about their origins. So make the most of this valuation opportunity and come along to what should be a fascinating event. Tickets: £5 plus booking fee if purchasing online (Ticket price redeemable against book purchase). Tickets available from the shop or purchase online here |  SHETLAND TEA & MURDER MYSTERY WITH ANN CLEEVES Friday 14th October - 2.00pm (doors open 1.30pm) The Memorial Hall, Oswestry
Join us for a Shetland Afternoon Tea with award winning crime writer Ann Cleeves as she talks about her latest Shetland novel, Cold Earth, and sets a special Shetland murder mystery for you to solve! Cold Earth is the seventh book in Ann Cleeves' Shetland series. In the dark days of a Shetland winter, torrential rain triggers a landslide that crosses the main Lerwick-Sumburgh road and sweeps down to the sea. At the burial of his old friend Magnus Tait, Jimmy Perez watches the flood of mud and peaty water smash through a croft house in its path. Everyone thinks the croft is uninhabited, but in the wreckage he finds the body of a dark-haired woman wearing a red silk dress. In his mind, she shares his Mediterranean ancestry and soon he becomes obsessed with tracing her identity. Then it emerges that she was already dead before the landslide hit the house. Perez knows he must find out who she was, and how she died. The BBC has announced that there will be a fourth series of Shetland, the popular BBC One drama inspired by Ann's Shetland novels. Douglas Henshall returns as DI Jimmy Perez, with other regular cast also returning. The six one-hour episodes will be broadcast early in 2017. We look forward to welcoming Ann back to Oswestry for what should be an enjoyable afternoon in the company of the Queen of Crime! Tickets: £10 plus booking fee if purchasing online. Includes Afternoon Tea. £5 of ticket price redeemable against a signed hardback copy of Cold Earth. Tickets available from the Bookshop or purchase online here If you can't make the event but would like a signed & dedicated copy of Cold Earth please let us know. |  AN EVENING WITH JEFFREY ARCHER Thursday 10th November - 7.30pm (doors open 6.45pm) Moreton Hall School, Weston Rhyn, Oswestry
Booka Bookshop, in association with Moreton Hall School, are delighted to present an evening with international bestselling author Jeffrey Archer, to tie in with the publication of his new novel, This Was a Man - the final captivating instalment in the Clifton Chronicles series. This Was a Man opens with a shot being fired, but who pulled the trigger, and who lives and who dies? In Whitehall, Giles Barrington discovers the truth about his wife Karin from the Cabinet Secretary. Is she a spy or a pawn in a larger game? Harry Clifton sets out to write his magnum opus, while his wife Emma completes her ten years as Chairman of the Bristol Royal Infirmary, and receives an unexpected call from Margaret Thatcher offering her a job. In a devastating twist, tragedy engulfs the Clifton family when one of them receives a shocking diagnosis that will throw all their lives into turmoil. Jeffrey Archer's novels have topped the bestseller lists around the world for the last 40 years selling over 270 million copies. This Was A Man is published on 3rd November. Don't miss this opportunity to see and meet the master storyteller . Event format: Author talk, audience Q &A followed by book signing. Please email us your questions ahead of the event.
Tickets: £20 plus booking fee if purchasing online. Includes a signed hardback copy of This Was a Man, plus glass of wine/soft drink on arrival. Tickets available from the bookshop or purchase online here If you are unable to make the event but would like a signed and dedicated copy of This Was a Man, please let us know. | |
