by Gudrun Bowers | 17, Feb 2020
On Saturday 14th March at 11 am, we have a lovely event for younger children with up-and-coming illustrator Alice McKinley. Alice will read her book ‘Nine Lives Newton’ and lead a fun draw-along session.
Alice’s charmingly funny picture book debut ‘Nine Lives Newton’ is released by Simon & Schuster Children’s books in March.
Featuring wonderfully exuberant illustrations, the book tells the story of Newton, the dog who thinks he has nine lives and infinite luck. And if Newton has nine lives, then that means he can do all his favourite things but be MUCH more daring….but what if Newton’s got it all wrong and he’s not quite as invincible as he thinks he is?
Tickets are just £3 for children (accompanying adults are free) and the ticket price is redeemable against purchase of ‘Nine Lives Newton’.
Age guide 4-9 years.
by Gudrun Bowers | 6, Jan 2020
Tuesday 11th February 7.30pm at the Gluck Studio.
We are really excited to have finally bagged a visit from Brian Bilston, the hilarious poet and novelist, frequently described as the ‘Accidental Poet Laureate of Twitter’. Brian’s novel ‘Diary of a Somebody’ is just out in paperback and has been short-listed for the Costa Book Award, First Novel Category.
‘Diary of a Somebody’ is the achingly funny story of a year in the life of .. ‘Brian Bilston’. It’s January 1st and Brian Bilston’s life needs to change. His ex-wife has taken up with a new man, a motivational speaker and marketing guru to boot; he seems to constantly disappoint his long-suffering son; and at work he is drowning in a sea of spreadsheets and management jargon. Brian’s resolution is to write a poem every day; poetry will be his salvation. But there is an obstacle to his happiness in the form of Toby Salt, his arch nemesis in the Poetry Group and rival suitor to Liz, Brian’s new poetic inspiration. When Toby goes missing, Brian is the number one suspect… Part tender love story, part murder mystery, part coruscating description of a wasted life, and interspersed with some of the funniest poems about the mundane and the profound, Diary of a Somebody is a unique, warm, and hilarious novel.
Brian Bilston has been dubbed ‘the Banksy of Poetry’ – he has kept his identity secret and stumbled into poetry via composing short poems on Twitter, eventually racking up more than 50,000 followers. His first volume of poetry ‘You Took the Last Bus Home’ was released in 2017, and ‘Diary of a Somebody’ came out in 2019. His powerful poem ‘Refugees’ has also been released as a beautifully illustrated children’s picture book. His clever, wry poems can take the shape of Christmas trees or Venn diagrams, he can poke fun at grammar pedants, and take the piss out of Jeremy Clarkson, but also tap into profound depths.
Tickets are £12 to include a paperback copy of ‘Diary of a Somebody’, plus wine & nibbles. Brian’s other books will also be on sale.
Pop into the shop, give us a ring on 01903 812062 , or book online – we think this will be a popular one so buy soon!
Book online here
‘Glorious. I will be astonished if I read a more original, more inventive or funnier novel this year.’ – Adam Kay, author of This Is Going to Hurt
by Gudrun Bowers | 6, Jan 2020
An Evening with Elly Griffiths, Wednesday 26th February at 7.30pm, at the Gluck Studio.
We are thrilled that Elly Griffiths has kindly agreed to talk to us about her new novel The Lantern Men – the 12th installment in her hugely popular Ruth Galloway series.
The Lantern Men sees our favorite forensic archaelogist Ruth Galloway, who has a new job, home and partner, and is no longer working for North Norfolk police, lured back to the Fens by by convicted murderer Ivor March. Ivor has offered the police a deal – he will reveal the location of 4 more bodies – but only if Ruth does the digging. The bodies are buried near a village bordering the fens, said to be haunted by the Lantern Men, mysterious figures holding lights that lure travellers to their deaths. Is Ivor March himself a lantern man, luring Ruth back to Norfolk? What is his plan, and why is she so crucial to it? And are the killings really over?
We can’t wait to find out more about the background to this chilling story!
Tickets are £8, ticket price includes wine & nibbles, and entitle the ticket bearer to money off a signed hardback copy of The Lantern Men.
To book, either pop into the shop, call us on 01903 812062, or book online here:
![An Evening with Novelist Jess Kidd]()
by Gudrun Bowers | 27, Nov 2019
We are delighted to welcome novelist Jess Kidd to Steyning, on Thursday 23rd January 2020, for a literary evening at the Gluck Studio.
Jess will be discussing her latest novel Things in Jars, alongside her previous novels, The Hoarder and Himself.
Jess Kidd has been praised for her unique fictional voice. She was brought up in London as part of a large family from County Mayo, and her work has been described as ‘Gabriel García Márquez meets The Pogues.’ Her debut, Himself, was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards in 2016. She won the Costa Short Story Award the same year. Her second novel, The Hoarder (published as Mr. Flood’s Last Resort in the U.S.), was shortlisted for the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year 2019. Both books were BBC Radio 2 Book Club Picks. She is published by Canongate.
Jess is currently working on her fourth novel and first children’s book. She is also developing her own original TV projects with leading U.K. and international TV producers.
This is an event in conjunction with our bookshop bookgroups, which is also open to the public. ALL WELCOME
Public tickets are £10 this includes a paperback copy of Things in Jars (or another of Jess’s books) plus wine and nibbles.
by Gudrun Bowers | 19, Sep 2018
Our October event will delight armchair travellers and intrepid explorers alike! As part of our celebrations for ‘Books Are My Bag’ week, we are delighted to welcome writer Travis Elborough to Steyning, for a fascinating illustrated talk on the joy of maps, and the extraordinary and bizarre destinations to which they can lead us.
Travis will share some of the obscure and unlikely discoveries included in his two beautiful books Atlas of the Unexpected (White Lion Books, 2018) and Atlas of Improbable Places (Aurum books, 2016), spinning tales of human ingenuity and nature’s own masterpieces, and will muse on the power of unknown places, maps, and atlases to enchant and inspire us.
Travis Elborough is a writer and cultural commentator, who has written books on subjects as diverse as the London Routemaster bus, the British Seaside, the history of the L.P record, and the sale of London Bridge to America! Most recently, in addition to the stunningly-produced and utterly fascinating Atlases, he has compiled and edited Letters to Change the World : From Pankhurst to Orwell; a collection of politically-inspiring letters from history, and Our History of the 20th Century : As Told in Diaries, Journals and Letters; a candid and insightful collection of diary entries charting the twentieth century from the perspective of those who lived through it – not only the headline-grabbing events but also domestic and personal moments.
Travis is a regular contributor to the Observer and the Guardian but has also written for the Times, Sunday Times, New Statesman, the Oldie, BBC History magazine and Kinfolk among others and frequently appears on BBC Radio 4 and Five Live.
He lectures on many subjects and is currently a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Westminster, teaching M.A. creative writing students. He has appeared at various literary and music festivals, including Latitude and Green Man.
We look forward to giving Travis a warm Steyning welcome – he grew up near Steyning and has fond memories of teenage drinking in the Chequers Inn!
Critical praise for Travis Elborough:
‘One of Britain’s finest pop culture historians‘ The Guardian
‘Elborough is an English nostalgist in the mode of John Betjeman …as a cultural commentator he is a terrific companion‘ Sunday Times
