 Last few tickets!
JASPER FFORDE
Early Riser Tuesday 7th August
7.30pm (doors 7.00pm)
Booka Join us for an evening with Jasper Fforde, one of Britain's most original writers, as he talks about his highly anticipated new standalone novel Early Riser. A new Jasper Fforde novel is always a major event. But he's made his fans wait for Early Riser which has taken longer than any of his previous novels to write. The wait is over – it publishes in the UK on 2nd August! Jasper has created an extraordinarily rich and Ffordian new world for Early Riser where every winter 99.9% of the human population goes into hibernation, protected by an elite corps of Winter Consuls. For five months a year while people sleep the Winter Consul are the law. The main character in the book, Charlie Worthing, is a novice, apprenticed to infamous Winter Consul
Jack Logan. Logan has warned his new recruit about the horrors of Winter, but nothing can prepare
Charlie for investigating a viral dream in Sector Twelve, a remote region in the middle of Wales. They
say there are no heroes in Winter, and Charlie is about to find out why. Jasper's imagination, creativity and humour is unique, and we are thrilled to welcome him to Oswestry as we wait to discover the world of Early Riser.
Tickets: £6 (£5 redeemable against a signed copy of Early Riser). 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. |  New event!
MANDA SCOTT
A Treachery of Lies Wednesday 12th September
7.30pm (doors 7.00pm)
Booka Join us for an evening in the company of Manda Scott as she talks about her latest novel A Treachery of Spies. A Treachery of Spies is an espionage thriller to rival the very best, a high stakes game of cat-and-mouse, played in the shadows, which will keep you guessing every step of the way. An elderly woman of striking beauty is found murdered in Orleans, France. Her identity has been cleverly erased but the method of her death is very specific: she has been killed in the manner of traitors to the Resistance in World War Two. Tracking down her murderer leads police inspector Ines Picaut back to 1940s France where the men and women of the Resistance were engaged in a desperate fight for survival against the Nazi invaders. To find answers in the present Picaut must discover what really happened in the past, untangling a web of treachery and intrigue that stretches back to the murder victim's youth: a time when unholy alliances were forged between occupiers and occupied, deals were done and promises broken. The past has been buried for decades, but, as Picaut discovers, there are those in the present whose futures depend on it staying that way – and who will kill to keep their secrets safe… With fantastic reviews from the likes of Simon Mayo, Lee Child, Mick Herron, Robert Goddard and Giles Kristian A Treachery of Spies is definitely one to watch! Come and hear the inspiration behind the novel as we welcome Shropshire based Manda Scott back to Booka. Tickets: £5 (redeemable against a signed copy of A Treachery of Spies). Includes a glass of wine or 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. |  Just confirmed!
PATRICK GALE
Take Nothing With You Monday 24th September
7.30pm (doors 7.00pm)
Wynnstay Hotel, Oswestry Join us for an evening in the company of bestselling author Patrick Gale as he talks about his latest novel Take Nothing With You – a novel of boyhood, coming of age, and the confusions of desire and reality. 1970s Weston-Super-Mare and ten-year-old oddball Eustace, an only child, has life transformed by his mother's quixotic decision to sign him up for cello lessons. Music-making brings release for a boy who is discovering he is an emotional volcano. He laps up lessons from his young teacher, not noticing how her brand of glamour is casting a damaging spell over his frustrated and controlling mother. When he is enrolled in holiday courses in the Scottish borders, lessons in love, rejection and humility are added to daily practice. Drawing in part on his own boyhood, Patrick Gale's new novel explores a collision between childish hero worship and extremely messy adult love lives. We're big fans of Patrick novels which include Notes From an Exhibition, A Perfectly Good Man and A Place Called Winter and are delighted to welcome on of our favourite authors to Oswestry. Tickets: £8 (£5 redeemable against a signed copy of Take Nothing With You). 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. |  MICHAEL PALIN
Erebus - Signed Copies While our event with Michael Palin on Wednesday 3rd October has long been SOLD OUT, you can still Pre-Order a signed copy of his forthcoming book, Erebus: The Story of A Ship, at the bookshop on online here |  KATE HUMBLE
Thinking on My Feet - Signed Copies Our event with Kate Humble on Tuesday 9th October is now SOLD OUT, but you can still Pre-Order a signed copy of Kate's forthcoming book, Thinking on My Feet, at the bookshop on online here |  UK Book Tour!
JODI PICOULT
A Spark of Light Monday 29th October
12.30pm (doors 12 noon)
Wynnstay Hotel, Oswestry
Join international bestselling author Jodi Picoult at this lunchtime event as she talks about her latest book A Spark of Light, a powerful and provocative novel about ordinary lives that intersect during a heart stopping crisis. As one of the world's most popular writers of contemporary fiction with over 25 million books sold across 35 countries, Jodi Picoult is renowned for tackling some of the most pressing and hotly debated issues of modern society. In her last novel, Small Great Things, Jodi took on the subject of race and prejudice. This October she returns with A Spark of Light, looking at reproductive rights from all angles. A Spark of Light begins with a gunman opening fire in a women's reproductive health clinic. Each successive chapter then moves backwards hour by hour showing the lives of the medical center staff, the female patients, the shooter, and a hostage negotiator outside the building — and the complicated ways their lives intersect. We're thrilled to be bringing Jodi Picoult to Oswestry when she tours the UK this Autumn. Don't miss this chance to see and meet her! Tickets: Tickets: £17 (With book - includes a signed copy of A Spark of Light). 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. |  SIGNED COPIES
To Pre-Order We're taking pre-orders for signed First Edition copies of the following titles due to be published this Autumn. You can pre-order in the shop or online via our website: My Life in Football - Kevin Keegan How to Ride a Bike - Chris Hoy No Spin: My Autobiography - Shane Warne Heavy Duty: Days & Nights in Judas Priest - KK Downing Always Look on the Bright Side of Life - Eric Idle Art Matters - Neil Gaiman Poems to Live Your Life By - Chris Riddell Erebus: Story of a Ship - Michael Palin Thinking on My Feet - Kate Humble | |  This summer... take a slice out of Elsie's book!
JOANNA CANNON
Three Things About Elsie Wednesday 22nd August
7.30pm (doors 7.00pm)
Booka Join us for an evening with Joanna Cannon, the bestselling author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep, as she talks about her wonderful second novel Three Things About Elsie, a restorative, wryly perceptive story exploring memory, friendship and old age. There are three things you should know about Elsie. The first thing is that she's my best friend. The second is that she always knows what to say to make me feel better. And the third thing… might take a little bit more explaining. 84-year-old Florence has fallen in her flat at Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly. As she waits to be rescued, Florence wonders if a terrible secret from her past is about to come to light; and, if the charming new resident is who he claims to be, why does he look exactly a man who died sixty years ago? We were huge fans of 'Goats and Sheep' and are delighted to welcome Joanna to Booka for the paperback publication of Three Things About Elsie.
Tickets: £5 (redeemable against a signed copy of Three Things About Elsie). Includes a glass of wine / soft drink on arrival. Tickets available from the bookshop or purchase online (with booking fee) here |  Be inspired!
ELLA MILLS
Deliciously Ella The Cookbook Thursday 13th September
12 Noon (doors 11.30am)
Wynnstay Hotel, Oswestry
Join bestselling cookery author and entrepreneur Ella Mills as she talks about her new book Deliciously Ella: The Cookbook and shares her passion for delicious healthy food.
Ella's latest book features the most popular, tried and tested recipes from her supper clubs, pop-ups and deli menu to show how delicious and abundant plant-based cooking can be. The simple vegan recipes cover everything from colourful salads to veggie burgers and falafel, creamy dips and sides, hearty one-pot curries and stews, speedy breakfasts, weekend brunches, muffins, cakes and brownies. They're the recipes that Ella's thousands of customers have been asking for since the deli first launched in 2015, all in one beautifully illustrated book. In addition to over 100 brand new plant-based recipes, for the first time we are treated to a personal insight into Ella's journey – how she grew her blog, which she began writing to help get herself well while suffering from illness, into a wellbeing brand – and all that she has learnt along the way, as well as what drives the Deliciously Ella philosophy and her team's passion for creating delicious healthy food. Ella's stunning book is a must-have for fans and food-lovers alike, it's also perfect for anyone looking to experiment with vegan cooking for the first time. We're delighted that Ella will be joining us – get ready to be inspired! Tickets: £10 (£8 redeemable against a signed copy of the book at the event ). 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.
|  Don't Miss!
AN EVENING WITH KATE ATKINSON
Transcription Tuesday 18th September
7.30pm (doors 7.00pm)
Wynnstay Hotel, Oswestry
Join us for an evening with award winning and bestselling author Kate Atkinson as she talks about her magnificent new novel Transcription. In 1940, eighteen-year old Juliet Armstrong is reluctantly recruited into the world of espionage. Sent to an obscure department of MI5 tasked with monitoring the comings and goings of British Fascist sympathisers, she discovers the work to be by turns both tedious and terrifying. But after the war has ended, she presumes the events of those years have been relegated to the past for ever. Ten years later, now a producer at the BBC, Juliet is unexpectedly confronted by figures from her past. A different war is being fought now, on a different battleground, but Juliet finds herself once more under threat. A bill of reckoning is due, and she finally begins to realize that there is no action without consequence. Transcription is a work of rare depth and texture, a bravura modern novel of extraordinary power, wit and empathy. It is a triumphant work of fiction from one of this country's most exceptional writers. We are thrilled that Kate Atkinson will be returning to Oswestry to celebrate the publication of Transcription, sure to be one of the novels of the year! Tickets: £10 (without book - £7 redeemable against a signed copy of Transcription) or £20 (with book - includes a signed copy of Transcription). 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. |  Wilfred Owen Festival
ALLAN MALLINSON
Fight to the Finish Tuesday 16th October 7.30pm (doors 7.00pm) Booka As part of the Wilfred Owen Festival being held in Oswestry to remember and commemorate the centenary of Wilfred Owen's death and Armistice Day, Booka Bookshop are delighted to welcome Allan Mallinson to talk about his new book Fight to the Finish: The First Word War Month by Month. From the opening shots to the signing of the armistice, the First World War lasted almost 52 months. It was fought on, or in the waters of, six of the seven continents, and in all of the Seven Seas. For the first time, the fighting was on land, sea and in the air. It became industrial, and unrestricted: poison gas, aerial bombing of cities, and the sinking without warning of merchantmen and passenger ships by submarines. Military and civilian casualties probably exceeded 40 million. Four empires collapsed during the course of the war – the German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman. In all its military, political, geographical, economic, scientific, technological and above all human complexity, the First World War is almost impossible to comprehend. Few historians are as well placed as Allan Mallinson is to write a comprehensive account of the First World War. A soldier for thirty-five years, serving first with the infantry and then the cavalry, he began writing while still serving. His first book was a history of four regiments of British light dragoons, one of whose descendant regiments he commanded. The Making of the British Army was shortlisted for several prizes, while Mallinson's centenary history, 1914: Fight the Good Fight – Britain, the Army and the Coming of the First World War won the British Army's Book of the Year Award. With Fight to the Finish, Allan Mallinson offers a new and original portrait month by month on "The War to End War," in which complexities are never lost or sacrificed for the sake of simplicity and the sense of time is preserved in a single volume history. Tickets: £6 (redeemable against a signed copy of Fight to the Finish). 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. |  Just confirmed!
MARKUS ZUSAK
Bridge of Clay Join us for an evening with Markus Zusak, the internationally acclaimed, prize-winning, bestselling author of The Book Thief as he talks about his highly anticipated new novel Bridge of Clay. The five Dunbar brothers are living – fighting, dreaming, loving – in the perfect squalor of a house without grown-ups. Today, the father who abandoned them is about to walk back in. But why has he returned, and who have the boys become since he left? At the helm is Matthew, cynical, poetic; Rory, forever truanting; Henry, the money-spinner; and young Tommy, the pet collector who has colonized the house with dysfunctional pets, including Achilles the mule and Rosy the Border collie. And then there's Clay, the quiet one, his whole young life haunted by an unspeakable act. From the tale of their grandfather, whose passion for the ancient Greeks still colours their lives, to the mother and father who met over a mislaid piano, to the present day, where five sons dwell in a house with no rules, Bridge of Clay is an epic tale of a ramshackle family and the unburying on one boy's tragic secret. The Book Thief enjoyed universal acclaim selling over one million copies in the UK and 16 million copies worldwide having been translated into over 40 languages. Now, 10 years later comes Bridge of Clay another brilliant, ambitious and inspiring novel from a master storyteller. We are thrilled to bring Markus Zusak to Oswestry for what should be a memorable event – don't miss this opportunity to see and meet him and pick up your signed copy of a very special book! Tickets: £10 (Admits One - fully redeemable against a signed copy of Bridge of Clay) or £19 (Admits One & includes a signed copy of Bridge of Clay). 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. | |
