| |  IMOGEN HERMES GOWAR
The Mermaid & Mrs Hancock Wednesday 7th February 2018
7.30pm (doors 7.00pm) at Booka Discover great debut fiction! Join us for our first event of 2018 as we welcome Imogen Hermes Gowar to Booka to talk about her fabulous debut novel The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock – a spellbinding story of curiosity, love and obsession set in Georgian London. One September evening in 1785, the merchant Jonah Hancock hears urgent knocking on his front door. One of his captains is waiting eagerly on the step. He has sold Jonah's ship for what appears to be a mermaid. As gossip spreads through the docks, coffee shops, parlours and brothels, everyone wants to see Mr Hancock's marvel. Its arrival spins him out of his ordinary existence and through the doors of high society. At an opulent party, he makes the acquaintance of Angelica Neal, the most desirable woman he has ever laid eyes on… and a courtesan of great accomplishment. This meeting will steer both their lives onto a dangerous new course, on which they will learn that priceless things come at the greatest cost. Where will their ambitions lead? And will they be able to escape the destructive power mermaids are said to possess? The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock is Vintage's lead debut of 2018 – we love this book and think it could be huge! Don't miss this chance to meet a great new literary talent.
Tickets: £6 (£5 redeemable against a signed copy of The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock). 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 book, please let us know. |  SARAH VAUGHAN & FIONA CUMMINS
Conversations in Crime Wednesday 28th February 2018
7.30pm (doors 7.00pm) at Booka
Love top notch crime fiction? Then join us for an evening 'in conversation' with crime writers Sarah Vaughan and Fiona Cummins as they come together to talk about their new books Anatomy of a Scandal and The Collector. Come and hear how they started their crime writing careers, trade stories of their craft and discuss how to create a gripping storyline. Sarah Vaughan's highly anticipated debut, Anatomy of a Scandal, centres on a high-profile marriage that begins to unravel when the husband is accused of a terrible crime. A scandal that will rock Westminster. And the women caught at the heart of it. Sophie is sure her husband, James, is innocent and desperately hopes to protect her precious family from the lies which might ruin them. Kate is the barrister who will prosecute the case – she is equally certain that James is guilty and determined he will pay for his crimes. With The Collector, Fiona Cummins returns with another spine tingling and twisted crime novel. Jakey escaped with his life and moved to a new town.
His rescue was a miracle but his parents know that the Collector is still out there, watching, waiting . . . Clara, the girl he left behind, dreams of being found.
Her mother is falling apart but she will not give up hope. The Collector has found an apprentice to take over his family's legacy.
But he can't forget the one who got away and the detective who destroyed his dreams. DS Etta Fitzroy must hunt him down before his obsession destroys them all. We're delighted to welcome Sarah and Fiona to Oswestry as part of our 'Criminally Good' series of events celebrating crime writing of the very first order.
Tickets: £6 (£5 redeemable against a signed copy of either book) 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 either book, please let us know. | |  NEIL ANSELL
The Last Wilderness Tuesday 13th February 2018
7.30pm (doors 7.00pm) at Booka
Join us for an evening in the company of Neil Ansell as he talks about his new book The Last Wilderness – a mesmerising book on nature and solitude by a writer who has spent his lifetime taking solitary ventures into the wild.
In The Last Wilderness the experience of being in nature alone is set within the context of five solo journeys that Neil Ansell takes into the most remote parts of Britain, the rough bounds in the Scottish Highlands. He illustrates the impact of being alone as part of nature, rather than outside it. As a counterpoint, he also writes about the changes in the landscape, and how his hearing loss affects his relationship with nature as the calls of the birds he knows so well become silent to him. This is a book that will make you question your place on the earth, and make you want to grab your walking boots and head for the hills! Neil's previous book, Deep Country: Five Years in the Welsh Hills is a 'Booka Classic' and continues to be our bestselling nature title. We look forward to welcoming Neil to Booka to share his experiences in the first of our 'Great Outdoors' season of events. Tickets: £6 (£5 redeemable against a signed copy of The Last Wilderness). 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 book, please let us know. |  CLARE MACKINTOSH
Let Me Lie Wednesday 7th March
7.30pm (doors 7.00pm) at Booka
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. |  BEN AARONOVITCH
The Furthest Station Thursday 8th March
7.30pm (doors 7.00pm) at Booka 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. | | Booka News More events ..... As you can see, we've already got some great events lined up for early 2018. We have more in the pipeline - so watch this space! We'll be announcing them once they've been confirmed. New website.... We now have a new website up and running which we're thrilled with. Built for us by Giddikippa you can now use it to buy event tickets, purchase signed copies, gift vouchers and book subscriptions. It also provides information on all our events and details of our book clubs. Take a look here Book Clubs Book Chat Book Club - Currently reading: Autumn by Ali Smith. Next meeting Wednesday 17th January 2018, 7.30pm at Booka
Book & a Beer Book Club - Currently reading: The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry. Next meeting Thursday 4th January 2018, 7.30pm at Booka
Cosy Crime Book Club - Currently reading: Portrait of a Murderer by Anne Meredith. Next meeting Tuesday 23rd January 2018, 2.30pm at Booka Children's Book Club (Year 3/4) - Currently reading Astrid the Unstoppable by Maria Parr Children's Book Club (Year 5/6) - Currently reading: The Polar Bear Explorers' Club by Alex Bell
Teen Book Club - Currently reading: Kick by Mitch Johnson
YA Book Club - Currently reading: Witchborn by Nicholas Bowling | | | | |
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