'REMINDED ME THAT EVERY WORD CAN BE AN INCANTATION, AND THAT BEAUTY DOES HARD AND IMPORTANT WORK' - Rebecca Solnit (praise for _On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous_ ) Join us for an evening in Bath with literary sensation OCEAN VUONG to celebrate his new novel: _THE EMPEROR OF GLADNESS_. Caleb Azumah Nelson will be joining Ocean to chair this event. One late summer evening in the post-industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai stands on the edge of a bridge in pelting rain, ready to jump, when he hears someone shout across the river. The voice belongs to Grazina, an elderly widow succumbing to dementia, who convinces him to take another path. Bereft and out of options, he quickly becomes her caretaker. Over the course of the year, the unlikely pair develops a life-altering bond, one built on empathy, spiritual reckoning, and heartbreak, with the power to alter Hai's relationship to himself, his family, and a community at the brink. Following the cycles of history, memory, and time, The Emperor of Gladness shows the profound ways in which love, labor, and loneliness form the bedrock of American life. At its heart is a brave epic about what it means to exist on the fringes of society and to reckon with the wounds that haunt our collective soul. Hallmarks of Vuong's writing - formal innovation, syntactic dexterity, and the ability to twin grit with grace through tenderness - are on full display in this story of loss, hope, and how far we would go to possess one of life's most fleeting mercies: a second chance. _OCEAN VUONG__ is the author of the critically acclaimed poetry collection_ _NIGHT SKY WITH EXIT WOUNDS__ and the New York Times bestselling novel_ _ON EARTH WE'RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS__. A recipient of the 2019 MacArthur "Genius" Grant, he is also the winner of the Whiting Award and the T.S. Eliot Prize. Born in Saigon, Vietnam, he currently lives in Northampton, Massachusetts._ St Swithin's Church Accessibility [/accessibility/st-swithins-church-accessibility/] More information on our event vouchers [/accessibility/more-information-on-our-event-vouchers/]

After months of planning we are so excited to announce our picture book reading group, Tiny Tales! The first reading group will be held on 6th of April, repeating every first Thursday of the month at 9:30am. Each month we will select a handful of brilliant new picture books which our booksellers will read to the group. It will last for approximately 45 minutes. Tiny Tales is for children aged 2 to 5 years-old. We will have stories, colouring-in, and silly games as well as juice and biscuits for 45 minutes of fun. It's free of charge, but we would appreciate it if you could sign up to help us estimate numbers. Parents and carers are asked to stay on site, but you are welcome to have a coffee and peruse the rest of the bookshop!

Join us as we pair once more with the british museum to bring to life an evening that celebrates humankind's connection and drive towards artmaking. Curator Jill Cook takes us through _ice age art now -_ a beautifully illustrated book that demonstrates how artistic creativity existed thousands of years before traditional art histories suggest, as an essential part of human life. _Ice Age Art Now_ presents work by people living in Europe at the end of the last Ice Age. These astounding pieces, some as much as 32,000 years old, reveal the deep roots of drawing, sculpture, realism, abstraction, signs, symbols and more. Six thematic sections delve into specific artworks to highlighting the skill and vision of artists through objects such as a spear thrower made around 11,000 years ago, which was ingeniously sculpted in the round from reindeer antler in the form of a clearly identifiable mammoth. The extraordinary skill and imagination of these early image makers find echoes in modern and contemporary art, with works by Goya, Rembrandt, Henri Matisse, David Hockney and Maggi Hambling also illustrated. A final section explores what life might have been like for the people making art at the time, immersing the reader in the cave itself. _JILL COOK_ _is the Keeper of the Britain, Europe and Prehistory Department at the British Museum. She curated the exhibition_ _ICE AGE ART: THE ARRIVAL OF THE MODERN MIND__ in 2013 and is the curator of the exhibition_ _ICE AGE ART NOW__ at Cliffe Castle, Keighley, part of the Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture celebrations._ _Mammoth spear thrower © 2025 The Trustees of the British Museum_

The legendary Tim Spector joins us for his new cookbook _Ferment: The Life-Changing Power of Microbes._ Tim Spector, MD, is Professor of Epidemiology at King's College London. He is the bestselling author of _The Diet Myth_, _Spoon-Fed_ and _Food for_ _Life_ and scientific co-founder of ZOE, the nutrition science company. With a focus on cutting-edge science and honoured with an OBE for his impactful work in fighting Covid-19, Tim stands at the forefront of his field. The original pioneer of microbiome research, he is among the top 100 most cited scientists in the world. PRAISE FOR _FOOD FOR LIFE_: 'A fresh look at food' JAMIE OLIVER 'Fascinating' NIGELLA LAWSON 'No fads, no nonsense, just practical, science-based advice on how to eat well' _Daily Mail_, Books of the Year

Join us for a very special event with Amy Jeffs, author of _Storyland_ and _Wild,_ artist Gwen Burns and musician Natalie Brice to celebrate their illustrated and music-infused book, _Old Songs: Stories of Love and Death from Traditional Ballads._ Bringing these ballads to life, Amy and Natalie will perform a select few for the crowd - so this isn't an evening to miss! 'I HAVE FALLEN SO COMPLETELY IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK... JUST ONE OF THE FINEST, MOST COVETABLE THINGS AROUND' KATHERINE RUNDELL _Old Songs_ fuses short stories, histories, lyrics and illustrations in an enthralling reimagining of traditional folk ballads. Sunday Times Bestselling historian Amy Jeffs and Illustrator Gwen Burns combine forces to create a rich compendium, singing of travel, mystery, magic and the essential urges of humanity. Featuring iterations of fairy tales and sinister descendants of Greek myths and bible stories, as well as a cast of lesser-known characters with names like Tam Lim, Child Wynd and Maisery, _Old Songs_ threads a tapestry of Britain's landscape, history and cultures. At the base of hills we can visit to this day, elf queens kidnap hapless poets and carry them through rivers of blood; and at the foot of a tree whose offspring still stand in the forests of Northumberland, a girl mimes combing the hairless head of a dragon who was once her brother. Dr Amy Jeffs is an author, artist and medievalist. During her PhD in Art History at the University of Cambridge, she co-convened a project researching medieval badges and pilgrim souvenirs at the British Museum. She then worked in the British Library's department of Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern manuscripts. Now a Somerset-based author, she illustrates her books with print and paper cutout. _Storyland: A New Mythology of Britain_ was published in 2021. It was a _Sunday Times_ bestseller and a Waterstones Book of the Month, as well as being shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year. _Wild: Tales from Early Medieval Britain_ was published in 2022. Its audiobook, illustrated with 7 original songs, was named Audiobook of the Week by the _Guardian_ and the _Times_.

A _Financial Times_, _Irish Times_, _Mojo_ and _Uncut_ Book of The Year 'I doubt i'll ever read a better account of the history and sociology of popular music than this one.' BRIAN ENO 'Profound and beyond.' ROBERT PLANT Legendary producer and record label boss Joe Boyd has spent a lifetime travelling the globe and immersing himself in music. He has witnessed first-hand the growing popularity of music from Africa, India, Latin America, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe since the 1960s and was one of the protagonists of the 'world music' movement of the 1980s. In this sweeping history, Boyd sets out to explore the fascinating backstories to these sounds and documents a decade of encounters with the most extraordinary musicians and producers who have altered the course of music for us all. _And the Roots of Rhythm Remain_ shows how personalities, events and politics in places such as Havana, Lagos, Budapest, Kingston and Rio are as colourful and momentous as anything that took place in New Orleans, Harlem, Laurel Canyon or Liverpool. And, moreover, how jazz, rhythm and blues and rock 'n' roll would never have happened if it weren't for the notes and rhythms emanating from over the horizon. Joe Boyd is a record producer and writer, known for his memoir, _White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s_. Artists he has produced include Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, R.E.M., Fairport Convention, !Cubanismo!, Toots and the Maytals, Toumani Diabate and Taj Mahal among many over the course of a nearly sixty-year career. As a film producer, his credits include the Aretha Franklin documentary _Amazing Grace_, _Scandal_, and _Jimi Hendrix_.

'This book draws a cultural map of who we are, where we've come from and how we think and feel about our surroundings. Meticulously researched, imaginative in scope and rich in strange stories and rewarding insights. Fascinating reading.' MALCOLM GASKILL, AUTHOR OF _THE RUIN OF ALL WITCHES_ A GRIPPING GUIDE TO THE WEIRD YET EVERYDAY WORLD OF BRITISH FOLKLORE. In this ground-breaking book, two leading experts provide the definitive guide to British folklore past and present. Owen Davies and Ceri Houlbrook explore folklore in all its remarkable variations, from village rituals and fairy tales to UFO legends and internet fanfiction. Travelling through a landscape of witches, wizards and wicker men, they reveal how folklore has been researched and written about in the past and show how it continues to be lived in the present. At the same time, they provide the reader with a valuable toolkit for understanding how to interpret the diverse examples given. The book's key message is that folklore is much more than the fossilised remains of a distant, rural past. Folklore is and always has been ubiquitous, dynamic and political. It is a living tradition that draws from many sources, including migrant communities, and is forever being renewed and updated. 'Folklore is a hidden superpower in every part of our land and our culture. The stories we tell let us know who, where and what we are, and here they can be found in their richness and complexity. I learned from every page.' DIANE PURKISS, AUTHOR OF _ENGLISH FOOD: A SOCIAL HISTORY OF ENGLAND TOLD THROUGH THE FOOD ON ITS TABLES_ Owen Davies is Professor of Social History at the University of Hertfordshire. He is the author of numerous books, most recently _Art of Grimoire_ and _Troubled by Faith: Insanity and the Supernatural in the Age of the Asylum_ (both 2023). He has been described as Britain's foremost academic expert on the history of magic. Ceri Houlbrook is Senior Lecturer in Folklore and History at the University of Hertfordshire. Her books include _The Magic of Coin-Trees_ (2018), _Unlocking the Love-Lock_ (2021) and _Ritual 'Litter' Redressed_ (2022). In addition to her scholarly work, she writes folklore-inspired fiction.

We're thrilled to welcome back Simon Armitage to the bookshop for an evening of conversation and readings from his upcoming collection _New Cemetery_. Simon Armitage Was Born in West Yorkshire and Is Professor of Poetry at The University of Leeds. His Award-Winning Collections Include _Seeing Stars_ (2010), _The Unaccompanied_ (2017), _Magnetic Field_ (2020), _Blossomise_ (2023) and _Dwell_ (2025). Simon Armitage Is Poet Laureate. New Cemetery is the highly imaginative and wide-ranging new collection from the Poet Laureate. The conversion of a local beauty spot into a municipal graveyard is the starting point for New Cemetery. From regular walks around the boundary near his moorland home in West Yorkshire, Simon Armitage chronicles the extraordinary transformation of landscape both outer and inner. These luminous and wry poems – composed in short-lined tercets – reflect the changing world: one of unstable weather patterns and unpredictable news events, all observed across a few acres of Pennine upland. As phases of lockdown come and go and the cemetery fills up with his new ‘neighbours’, Armitage charts personal losses of his own, often retreating to his garden shed to navigate blank paper with pen and ink – and the results are as surprising as they are life-enhancing. _Armitage has received numerous awards for his poetry including the Sunday Times Young Author of the Year, one of the first Forward Prizes, an Eric Gregory Award, a major Lannan Award, a Cholmondeley Award, the Spoken Word Award (Gold), the Ivor Novello Award for song-writing, BBC Radio Best Speech Programme, Television Society Award for Documentary and Keats-Shelley Prize for Poetry. In 1999 Armitage was named the Millennium Poet. In 2004 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Armitage was awarded the CBE for services to poetry in 2010 and presented with the Hay Medal for Poetry at the 25th Hay Festival in 2012._

_The Escape from Kabul: A True Story of Sisterhood and Defiance_ is the extraordinary, moving story of the Afghan women judges who fought for their careers and their lives, and the international network of women who helped them escape the Taliban. Combining moment-by-moment drama with an emotional story of friendship and bravery, _The_ _Escape from Kabul_ is also a searing insight into the captive fate of women in Afghanistan. In the twenty years since 2001, Afghan women obtained legal degrees, became judges and set out to transform their country - tackling corruption, and reducing horrifying levels of violence against women and children. These educated and powerful women led the mission to build a modern democracy that respected the rule of law and human rights. However, when Western forces withdrew in August 2021, the women judges of Afghanistan faced mortal danger. _The Escape from Kabul_ is the extraordinary, never-before-told story of their escape, and the shocking fates of those who were unable to flee. Bestselling, veteran journalist Karen Bartlett has had unique access to many of the women involved, including those in exile and the judges still trapped in Afghanistan, as well as the international network of women judges who were vital to the escape effort. KAREN BARTLETT was a speechwriter for President Nelson Mandela and has written for publications including _The Times_, _Wired_ and _Newsweek_ about women's rights and empowerment around the world. She is the author of five works of non-fiction, including _The Health of Nations_ and the _Sunday Times_ bestseller _After Auschwitz_. She lives in London.

'A succinct, authoritative and up-to-date account of one of the most important but neglected relations in contemporary geopolitics.' - KERRY BROWN, AUTHOR OF _THE GREAT REVERSAL: BRITAIN, CHINA AND THE 400 CONTEST FOR POWER_ AS THE INTERNATIONAL ORDER BEGINS TO CRUMBLE, THIS INCISIVE BOOK ASKS WHAT THE RISE OF THE ASIAN SUPERSTATES MEANS FOR THE FUTURE. The Western-dominated world we have known for the past three hundred years is coming to an end. As America withdraws from its role as enforcer of the international order, other countries are moving in to fill the void. Among them are two rising Asian 'superstates'. Accounting for almost half of the world's population, China and India have the potential to wield enormous economic and political power. China is already vying with the US for the top spot in the global economy, and on some measures has surpassed it. By the middle of the century India may be number two. How will these countries navigate their growing roles on the world stage? What are the implications for commerce, international law and the fight against climate change? Vince Cable has followed China and India for decades, first as a professional economist and later as a senior government minister. In _Eclipsing the West_ he draws on the latest data and a lifetime of political and economic experience to offer a compelling account of what the rise of the Asian superstates means for the future. Vince Cable is a Visiting Professor at London School of Economics and Political Science and Nottingham University and a Distinguished Fellow at the Overseas Development Institute. He was previously UK Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills and President of the Board of Trade. He has a PhD in economics from the University of Glasgow and in the 1990s worked as Chief Economist for Shell. His books include _After the Storm_ (2015), _Money and Power_ (2021) and _The Chinese Conundrum_ (2022).

Topping & Company Booksellers of Bath Presents: East & Southeast Asian Heritage Festival ~ Alice Mah for Red Pockets A haunting family memoir about what we owe our ancestors and our descendants, from an unforgettable new voice. _'Part of me knew what the hungry ghosts wanted all along, what they still want. It is not vengeance. No, they want something else, but we refuse to listen. They want us to face up to our broken obligations.'_ Every spring during the Qingming Festival, people return to their home villages in China to sweep the tombs of their ancestors, making offerings of food and incense to prevent them from becoming hungry ghosts that could cause misfortune. Yet for the past century, a time ruptured by war and revolution, many tombs have been left unattended. Following a record year of wildfires, Alice Mah returns to her family's rice village in South China, and discovers that her ancestors are almost forgotten, and there are no tombs left to sweep. Instead, there are incalculable clan debts to be paid. Here Mah chronicles her journey from the rice villages of South China to her home in post-industrial England, through the Chinatowns of Western Canada where she grew up, to the isles and industry of Scotland where she now lives. As years pass and fires rage on, she becomes increasingly troubled by her ancestors' neglected graves. Her research on pollution gives way to growing eco-anxiety, culminating in a crisis of spiritual belief. A haunting blend of memoir, cultural history and environmental exploration, _Red Pockets_ confronts the hungry ghosts of our neglected ancestors, while searching for an acceptable offering. What do we owe to past and future generations? What do we owe to the places that we inhabit? ALICE MAH is a Chinese Canadian-British writer and Professor of Urban and Environmental Studies at the University of Glasgow. Originally from a small town in northern British Columbia, she has a long-standing interest in ecology and place. Her award-winning research focuses on toxic pollution and environmental justice, the subjects of her most recent books: _Petrochemical Planet_ and _Plastic Unlimited_. This is her first trade book.

'A THRILLING AND ORIGINAL WAY TO EXPLORE NATURE - THE SCIENCE IS FASCINATING.' Tristan Gooley, Sunday Times bestselling author of _How to Read a Tree._ From scorching deserts to frozen seabeds, from the highest peaks of the Himalaya to the hadal depths of the oceans, there are habitats on this Earth that appear inimical to life - yet in which it flourishes nevertheless. During the midday heat of the Sahara, silvery ants sprint from their nests to feed. In North American forests, wood frogs awaken each spring from solid blocks of ice. At the site of the Chernobyl disaster, fungi harness radiation to thrive. Transporting readers to far-flung environments we could never call home, _Super Natural_ paints an awe-inspiring portrait of life's resilience and ingenuity under the harshest circumstances. We meet creatures exquisitely adapted to endure unimaginable deprivations: of water, oxygen, food, sunlight. Alex Riley shows how, at nature's extremes, the rules of life as we know them are rewritten - and how, here, we can find hope for the future of life on Earth, and beyond. ALEX RILEY is an award-winning science writer focusing on long-form features in evolutionary biology, conservation and health. His work has appeared in _Aeon_, _Nautilus_, _New Scientist_, BBC Earth and BBC Future. His first book, _A Cure for Darkness_, was published by Ebury in 2021.

Topping & Company Booksellers of Bath Presents: East & Southeast Asian Heritage Festival ~ Anna Sulan Masing for Chinese and Any Other Asian 'Chinese' or 'Any other Asian'. The boxes that people of vastly varied east and south east Asian heritage have to tick when declaring their ethnicity on many forms in the UK. This represents a shameful sweeping together of a diverse heritage and experience. East and South East Asian people have lived and worked in the UK for centuries, fought for the British Army in both world wars, have influenced British culture through food, writing, music and art in a multitude of ways. And yet this influence is often overlooked. People of ESEA heritage experience unique forms of racism. Asian food is mocked as unhealthy and Asian restaurants as dirty. ESEA women are exoticised and sexualised, and assumed to be the nanny of their mixed-race children. The community was scapegoated for the Covid-19 pandemic. Anna Sulan Masing addresses these issues in a comprehensive way. She explores what it means to be East and South East Asian in Britain today, and celebrates the varied experiences that make up ESEA identity. POWERFUL, MOVING AND ILLUMINATING, THIS WILL BE A MUST-READ FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN THE MAKE-UP OF OUR MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Dr Anna Sulan Masing is a writer, poet & academic based in London. She is the co-founder and EIC of _Sourced_, a public research project, and of _Cheese: The Magazine of Culture_. Anna is one half of podcast _Voices At The Table_ and co-founder of communications agency A+F Creative.

Topping & Company Booksellers of Bath Presents: East & Southeast Asian Heritage Festival ~ Katie Goh for Foreign Fruit: A Personal History of The Orange A sharp-sweet memoir of change, identity and hybridity. I loved it - Katherine May, author of _Wintering_ The orange we know, waxed in vats, gathered in red netting and stacked in supermarket displays, is not the same orange that grew from the first straggling orange grove that took root on the Tibetan plateau, part pomelo and part mandarin. The orange is a souvenir of history. Across time, it has been a harbinger of God and doom, fortune and failure, pleasure and suffering. It is a fruit containing metaphors, dreams, mythologies, superstitions, parables and histories within its tough rind. So, what happens when the fruit is peeled and each segment - each moment of history, each meaning in time - is pulled apart? In this distinct, subversive and intimate hybrid memoir, Katie Goh explores the orange as a means of understanding the world, and herself within it. What she finds is a world of violence, colonialism, resilience, survival, adaptation - and of unexpected beauty and sweetness against all odds. KATIE GOH is a writer and editor. Her award-nominated essays, journalism and criticism have appeared in publications including _Port_, the _Guardian_, _Gutter_, _Wasafiri_, _i-D_, _Dazed_ and _gal-dem_, and she is an editor for _Extra Teeth_ literary magazine. Her book of essays _The End: Surviving the World Through Imagined Disasters_ was a Reviewer's Choice for _The Big Issue_'s Independent Books of 2021 and shortlisted for the inaugural Kavya Prize in 2022. She grew up in the north of Ireland and lives in Edinburgh.

We are delighted to welcome Sushma Jansari to the bookshop to discuss _Ancient India: Living Traditions_ which accompanies a major exhibition at the British Museum in May 2025. The book explores ancient India (c. 200 BCE–600 CE) through three of its major religions - Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism – to illuminate how they reflect political power, artistic innovation and changes in peoples’ daily lives. Ancient India was a dynamic, cosmopolitan centre of creativity. The visual traditions of its major indigenous religions were closely interrelated, reflecting political power, changes in peoples’ daily lives and artistic innovation. Exported beyond the Indian subcontinent in antiquity, these three major religions – Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism – are living traditions and their devotional works of art impact on the daily life of billions of people across the world. This major new publication traces the development of religious imagery from around 200 BCE, when it focused on the depiction of nature spirits, to 600 CE, by which time devotional images of Jain, Buddhist and Hindu deities and teachers had taken definitive shape. The authors explore fascinating topics such as the first devotional images of the twenty-four jinas (enlightened Jain teachers); the transformation from symbolic depictions of the Buddha to those that showed him in bodily form for the first time; and the formalisation of divine representations and devotional sculpture in Hindu traditions. This beautifully illustrated book reveals the ancient roots of the images and depictions of these world religions that many will find familiar today. Sushma Jansari is Tabor Foundation Curator of the South Asia Collections at the British Museum, and Curator of the exhibition Ancient India: living traditions.

_Demo, Talk & Tastings_ Bright, vibrant food inspired by Brazil, from the once-in-a-generation talent and bestselling chef behind MEZCLA, and the co-author of OTTOLENGHI Flavour. _“FUSÃO (fusion) is a deeply personal cookbook that celebrates the vibrant flavours of Brazil, my mother’s homeland. In this context, the word fusão reflects both my own mixed heritage and Brazilian cuisine, which fuses Indigenous, Portuguese and West African influences along with contributions from countless immigrant communities... It’s an invitation to explore, not through sweeping generalisations of a vast country, but through personal connections I’ve formed with some incredible people and places.”_ Ixta Belfrage is one of the most exciting voices on the food scene. Her signature style is unique and creative, drawing on her upbringing where she absorbed the food traditions of Italy, Mexico and Brazil. Ixta cut her teeth at Ottolenghi NOPI, before playing a key part in Ottolenghi’s core food team and co-authoring OTTOLENGHI Flavour. In 2022, Ixta published her debut solo book, MEZCLA, which was a Sunday Times bestseller. In her stunning new book, FUSÃO, Ixta is focussing on the food and stories of her mother’s homeland, Brazil. FUSÃO (fusion in Portuguese) is Ixta’s proudly untraditional take on the kaleidoscopic food cultures of Brazil. She adopts an intimate approach, focusing on lesser-known places and people to bring a collection of recipes and stories that pay homage to this beautiful country, and acknowledge the influences on Brazil’s cuisine from indigenous communities, colonisation, enslavement, and immigration. Complete with Ixta’s thoughtful notes on Brazil’s food, music, politics, landscapes and people, this special book is a considered, creative exploration of FUSÃO food culture. Take Moqueca, a seafood stew from Brasil’s northeastern state of Bahia: Ixta reimagines this traditional recipe as a Moqueca Fish Burger served with extra sauce for dipping and devouring. Or enjoy Ixta’s spin on the decadence of the famed Brazilian Picanha (a large piece of rump cap) through Ixta’s spin which adds the wow factor with a stunning coffee and chilli butter spooned over a more accessible rump steak. Breathtaking photography from across the country, intertwined with personal stories and recipes sun-soaked and bursting with Ixta’s signature flair, this is food to excite and inspire, and a cookbook to treasure. An unmissable evening!

Join SARAH HENDRICKX, author of _Women and Girls on the Autism Spectrum_, to talk about her new book: _Could I Really Be Autistic?_ Sarah's work has been monumental for many women (and their loved ones) who were diagnosed on a scale originally catered to men. Beloved by booksellers, _Women and Girls on the Autism Spectrum_ is a bestseller here at Topping and Company in Bath. _Perhaps a child in your family has been diagnosed as autistic, your therapist has suggested it, or people you know have called you 'Rain Man' throughout your life. Whatever the reason, here you are, either seeking to confirm or dispel the idea that you might be autistic._ _Written by two experts in autism assessment, this is a pathway for you to explore the likelihood of meeting the diagnostic threshold for autism, while offering advice on possible next steps._ _Filling the gap between self-identification and formal diagnosis, this rigorous, accessible guide to diagnosis will give you confidence in taking the next steps on your autism journey._ SARAH HENDRICKX is an autistic six-time-published author, including Women and Girls on the Autistic Spectrum. Sarah has developed and delivered training for diagnosticians working for the NHS and privately as well as coaching individuals pre- and post-diagnosis. JESS HENDRICKX is an autistic author, non-clinical diagnostician, trainer and mentor. She has a PGCE in Autism. Jess has worked as an neurodiversity diagnostician for the past two years both with Axia-ASD and privately. Within her work as a mentor, Jess has guided people to make an informed decision on whether or not to pursue an autism assessment, as well as providing post-diagnosis support, Jess is Sarah's daughter.

Join long-time friend of the bookshop, MAX HASTINGS, to talk about his incredible new book, _SWORD: D-DAY - TRIAL BY BATTLE_. Please note, any event vouchers can be redeemed against the price of a copy of _Sword_ from publication date on the 8th May. _On 6 June 1944 when the allied armies landed on D-Day, the Second World War had already lasted almost five years._ _Yet many of the British and American troops who invaded Normandy were virgin soldiers, never before committed to battle. They quit summer England to face within hours a storm of machine-gun and mortar fire. They witnessed scenes, above all of sudden death, such as no exercise had prepared them for._ _This is D-Day as you have never heard it told before, with the blend of narrative, analysis and human insight that made Max Hastings' last book Operation Biting a Sunday Times No.1 bestseller._ MAX HASTINGS is the author of over thirty books, most about conflict, and between 1986 and 2002 served as editor-in-chief of the Daily Telegraph, then editor of the Evening Standard. He has won many prizes both for journalism and his books, of which the most recent are _Chastise_, _Operation Pedestal_ and _Abyss_, bestsellers translated around the world.

_TALK, DEMO & TASTINGS_ _JOIN US FOR THE BIG BATH LAUNCH OF DO FERMENT: GUT BOOSTERS AND FOODS THAT FIZZ._ Somerset-based Matthew Pennington is co-author of _THE ETHICUREAN COOKBOOK_ and co-founder of _THE ETHICUREAN_ restaurant, renowned for its commitment to sustainable practices and innovative approach. Over its decade-long reign, it was featured BBC Gardeners World, Countryfile and Channel 4's Hidden Restaurants with Michel Roux Jr and dubbed '_The UK’s answer to NOMA_’ by Fiona Beckett. Together with his partner Nicola Cradock, he now runs _ETHICUREAN LIFE_, an online platform and community exploring regenerative food, microbiome health and the art of wholesome living. They also teach classes on fermentation, foraging, cooking, and making wild drinks. _Know your kimchi from your sauerkraut? Your kefir from your kvass?_ In _Do Ferment,_ Matthew and Nicola demystify the process of food fermentation. Drawing on years of experimenting, tasting and refining at the Ethicurean, they show you how to transform everyday ingredients into vibrant foods and nutritious drinks. From _beetroot and caraway sauerkraut_ to _pea’ckles_, _elderflower water kefir_ and_ classic kimchi,_ you'll learn the basic techniques to ferment almost anything. Discover: With beautiful photography, _Do Ferment_ provides easy-to-follow techniques that will make fizzy ferments part of your everyday. Just grab some salt, a few jars and get started.

The author of _The Ruin of All Witches_ returns with a gripping, vividly told journey of rediscovery, uncovering his uncle's past as a soldier, prisoner, fugitive and partisan in world war two Italy. Malcolm Gaskill knew two things about his great-uncle Ralph's wartime adventures: he'd been a prisoner in Italy, and he'd cut his way out of a train with a knife and fork. Apart from that, he'd faded into family folklore, lost to view. Until, one hot afternoon in an English country garden, a chance conversation set Gaskill on his uncle's trail... What Ralph really did in the war was, he discovers, even more extraordinary than the exaggerations of family myth. From last-ditch fighting in the Libyan desert and incarceration in a Puglian prisoner-of-war camp, to desperate, dramatic escapes and the assuming of an entirely new identity among the peasants and partisans of the Italian alps, Gaskill traces a life transformed by conflict, while lifting the curtain on a long-forgotten episode of the Second World War. Yet _The Glass Mountain_ is about more than war: it's a haunting exploration of what it means to encounter the past, and how we remember, forget and recover it. As he follows his uncle's path through dusty archives and the landscapes, towns and villages of present-day Italy, Gaskill finds himself confronted by questions that go to the heart of how we think about the people who came before us: Why do stories matter? How much of the past can ever be true? MALCOLM GASKILL is Emeritus Professor of Early Modern History at the University of East Anglia. One of Britain's leading experts in the history of witchcraft, his works include the highly acclaimed _Witchfinders_, _Between Two Worlds_ and _Sunday Times_ bestseller _The Ruin of All Witches: Life and Death in the New World_.

Ian Mcewan, Booker Prize-winning author and friend of the bookshop, will return to bath to celebrate his latest novel - what we can know – in September ahead of his global publication. Ian McEwan is recognised by many to be one of the finest writers alive today, described by The Sunday Times as “the supreme novelist of his generation”. In a career which spans fifty years, he has published eighteen novels and two short-story collections, including the international bestselling, highly acclaimed _Amsterdam, Atonement, Enduring Love, The Children Act, On Chesil Beach, Saturday_ and _Lessons_. Several of these novels have been adapted to the big screen. _How We can Know_ (published on 18 Sept) is a hugely compelling, deeply humane narrative that asks profound questions about who we are now and where we are going. Celebrating our current freedoms and the tenacity of the human spirit, McEwan’s new novel reclaims the present from our sense of looming catastrophe, whilst imagining a future world where all is not quite lost. Join us to hear this ideas-packed storyteller reflecting on this work and writing career. _2014: A great poem is read aloud and never heard again. For generations, people speculate about its message, but no copy has yet been found._ _2119: The lowlands of the UK have been submerged by rising seas. Those who survive are haunted by the richness of the world that has been lost._ _Tom Metcalfe, an academic at the University of the South Downs, part of Britain's remaining island archipelagos, pores over the archives of that distant era, captivated by the freedoms and possibilities of human life at its zenith. When he stumbles across a clue that may lead to the lost poem, a story is revealed of entangled loves and a crime that destroy his assumptions about people he thought he knew intimately well._ _What We Can Know is a masterpiece, a fictional tour de force that reclaims the present from our sense of looming catastrophe, and imagines a future world where all is not quite lost._

'Had me entranced from start to finish . . . an absolute joy' - LUCY ATKINS, AUTHOR OF _WINDMILL HILL_ 'A deft, rich and intimate exploration of darkness in all its varied guises' - ANNABEL ABBS, AUTHOR OF _SLEEPLESS_ 'Truthful, lyrical and unforgettable' - YASMIN ALIBHAI-BROWN The night is a time of darkness and nightmares, fear and vulnerability, especially for women. And, yet, it is another world, full of beauty and possibility, too. After the sun goes down, insomnia and sleep paralysis do threaten. But some have always walked the nocturnal landscapes, with more or less confidence. Others have worked, night shifts and hidden night work: nurses, security guards, sex workers. And some have found solace in the darkness, from queer rave culture to religious pre-dawn traditions. From dusk through to day, Arifa Akbar elegantly explores how the night shapes our bodies, minds and cultures. A personal and artistic journey from fear and into hope, _Wolf Moon_ embraces the dark before bringing us, once more, into the light. ARIFA AKBAR is chief theatre critic for the _Guardian_. She has previously been literary editor at the _Independent_, as well as a news reporter and arts correspondent. She has served as a trustee on the boards of the Orwell Foundation and English PEN. She is currently a fellow of the London Centre for the Humanities. Her first book, _Consumed: In Search of my Sister_, was shortlisted for the Costa Book Awards, PEN Ackerley Prize and Jhalak Prize, and it was longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize. _Wolf Moon_ is her second book.

'EPIC AND TOUCHING' DAVID NICHOLLS 'A NOVEL THAT BRIMS OVER WITH GENEROSITY AND WARMTH' _OBSERVER_ 'A FUNNY, CHARMING BOOK THAT CRACKLES WITH CREATIVE REBELLION. IT IS A PLEASURE TO READ AND THERE IS REAL JOY IN DISCOVERING THE FORGOTTEN HISTORY OF THESE WORKING-CLASS ANTIHEROES' DOUGLAS STUART ‘WE NEED LOVE STORIES LIKE THESE. _THE TWO ROBERTS_ TAKE UP RESIDENCE IN YOUR HEART. UTTERLY ABSORBING’ JACKIE KAY _He will stay like this forever, Robert's arm draped round him. They will be forever twenty._ Scotland, 1933. Bobby MacBryde is on his way. After years grafting at Lees Boot Factory, he's off to the Glasgow School of Art, to his future. On his first day he will meet another Robert, a quiet man with loose dark curls - and never leave his side. Together they will spend every penny and every minute devouring Glasgow - its botanical gardens, the Barras market, a whole hidden city - all the while loving each other behind closed doors. With the world on the brink of war, their unrivalled talent will take them to Paris, Rome, London. They will become stars as the bombs fall, hosting wild parties with the likes of Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon and Elizabeth Smart. But the brightest stars burn fastest. Stunningly reimagined, _The Two Roberts_ is a profoundly moving story of devotion and obsession, art and class. It is a love letter to MacBryde and Colquhoun, the almost-forgotten artists who tried to change the way the world sees - and paid a devastating price. DAMIAN BARR is an award-winning writer, broadcaster and journalist. His memoir _Maggie & Me_, won Stonewall Writer of the Year and _Sunday Times_ Memoir of the Year. His debut novel, _You Will Be Safe Here_, was shortlisted for six major awards and named a Book of the Year in the _Observer_, _Guardian_ and _Mail_. He has written columns for _The Times_ and _Sunday Times_ and hosted _Front Row_ on BBC Radio 4 as well as his own series _Guide Books_. In 2019, Damian brought books back to television with the _Big Scottish Book Club_, now in its sixth series and syndicated internationally. Also on BBC TV, he presented _Shelf Isolation_ and the landmark documentary for Sir Walter Scott's 250th. Damian holds a PhD in Creative Writing from Lancaster University and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. His world-famous Literary Salon ran from 2008 to 2023, celebrating writers from around the world and widening the cultural conversation. He is a trustee of Gladstone's Library and a campaigner for libraries.

'LUSH, COMPLEX, AND CLOSE TO THE BONE, _THE DECADENCE_ FILLED ME WITH HORROR IN THE BEST WAY' - Krystelle Bamford, author of _Idle Grounds_ Leon will be in conversation with Imogen Hermes Gowar, author of _The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock, _and contributor towards _The Haunting Season_ and _The Winter Spirits._ A GRIPPING QUEER HAUNTED HOUSE NOVEL FROM THE AUTHOR OF _PARALLEL HELLS_ At the height of lockdown, a group of flailing twenty-something friends makes an illicit break for freedom. A grand country house stands empty. Once the home of Theo's great uncle, it seems like the perfect place to get high and hang out in the spring sunshine, as they eschew adult responsibilities. Since meeting as teenagers, rifts have grown amongst the group. Even as they are determined to enjoy themselves, tensions cast shadows between them - politics, sex and lies. The house, too, has its own dark history and exudes a palpable sense of menace. Where do the drugs end and the supernatural begin? Will anger and jealousy tear the friends apart, or will it be more ominous forces? Their stay at Holt House will change them all... Leon Craig is a writer from North London. She studied English at UCL, Medieval Literature at Oxford and Creative Writing at Birkbeck. Her writing has been published by the White Review, the TLS, Another Gaze and the London Magazine, among others.

Join us on sunday 4th of May for a literary walk with our friends at Akeman Press! Meet at the bookshop at 10:30am for some tea, coffee, and cake before a prompt start at 11am. Few cities have been so celebrated in print as Bath - from Smollett to Jane Austen, from Dickens to Fanny Burney, and from Sheridan to Georgette Heyer. Many other famous writers have passed through as well - Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein in a house in the Abbey Church Yard, Coleridge met his wife in the city, and in the twentieth century John Betjeman championed its architectural heritage. Even Shakespeare - or so it is believed - turned up to take a dip in the hot springs. These eleven walks look at Bath through their eyes, creating a vivid social history of the city over the last 300 years and bringing the past alive with unparalleled immediacy. Fully illustrated, and including in-depth accounts of the writers and works featured, _Literary Walks in Bath_ can either be followed on foot or - with the aid of historic maps of the city - read as a series of essays.

Join us for an evening with the _Sunday Times_ Bestselling Author, Saul David, as we celebrate his newest work - an epic history about the North African Campaign during the Second World War. SAUL DAVID is a historian, broadcaster and the author of several critically acclaimed works of fiction and nonfiction. His history books have been shortlisted for the Westminster Medal for Military Literature. He co-hosts the Battleground podcast with Patrick Bishop. On 8 November 1942, British and American troops invaded French North Africa as part of Operation Torch, the largest amphibious operation of the war to date. The Germans responded by flooding troops into Tunisia and the stage was set for one of the most decisive clashes of the war. When it ended, six months later, the Allies were 'masters of the North African shores'. Tunisgrad is the first comprehensive 360-degrees history, told from the perspective of all the combatants, and ranging in focus from politicians and senior commanders to ordinary servicemen fighting in and over the mountains of Tunisia, and across the Mediterranean. Using a variety of first-hand sources, it restores the campaign to its rightful place as a defining moment of the war. 'David recounts battles with enthralling detail, never from a detached distance. He specialises in a worm's-eye view of the war' _THE TIMES_ 'Fascinating and absorbing... What emerges from this compelling tale of organic evolution and frequent recklessness is the indomitable and pioneering spirit of those involved' _DAILY TELEGRAPH_, JAMES HOLLAND

We are thrilled to welcome LIAM SHAW to speak on his new book _Dangerous Miracles,_ to discover the history behind one of humanity's greatest achievements: antibiotics. Since their advent, antibiotics have saved millions of lives, marking one of the greatest medical advances in our history. _Dangerous Miracle_ weaves together the grand arc of the evolution of antibiotics over millions of years with a history of the past century: first as we mined the earth for naturally occurring antibiotic molecules, then as we learned to synthesise our own. But like fossil fuels, antibiotics are a finite resource which we've regarded as a cheap, everlasting fuel. They are unlike other drugs: every time we use them we increase the possibility of antibiotic resistance emerging, risking their future effectiveness. If we want antibiotics to have a future, we need to prepare to adapt. And fast. Rich with pioneering characters, great breakthroughs and grave risks, _Dangerous Miracle_ is a grand drama of science, history and politics. It is a revelatory account of the miraculous history and uncertain future of antibiotics from a gifted writer. LIAM SHAW is a biologist researching the evolution and spread of antibiotic resistance. For the past four years he has been a Wellcome funded research fellow at the University of Oxford, and he is also currently an honorary research fellow at the University of Bristol. His writing has appeared in the _London Review of Books_, _Morning Star_, and _Private Eye_. _Dangerous Miracle_ is his first book.

Acclaimed chef _THOMASINA MIERS_ brings us more bold, bright recipes that bring the sunshine to your plate through these 12 staple ingredients, straight from the heart of Mexico. CITRUS / TOMATOES / CHILLIES / ONIONS / BEANS / HERBS / COURGETTES / NUTS / SEEDS / EGGS /CINNAMON / CHOCOLATE Get stuck into a sumptuous Roast chicken stuffed with tomato rice & smoky oregano butter or try Sticky onion, blue cheese & bitter leaf salad with chipotle honey for deep flavours. Bake a Courgette soda bread with pickled chilli butter or dust little Squash doughnuts with cinnamon & orange sugar. Also featuring Tommi's iconic drinks to wash everything down, _MEXICAN TABLE_ includes her zingy Blood orange mezcal spritz. These are the recipes Tommi cooked, savoured and adored while living in Mexico, perfected for every home cook who wants to make stand-out Mexican flavours without fuss. Cook, writer and winner of MasterChef, Thomasina Miers has made cheese in Ireland, cheffed in Michelin-stared kitchens and, having travelled to Mexico in 1994, went to live there to research the cuisine. Fuelled by her love for Mexican food, she co-founded restaurant chain _WAHACA_ in 2007, and in 2017 helped set up the charity _CHEFS IN SCHOOLS_. She was awarded an OBE in 2019 for her services to the food industry. Tommi has a regular column in the _GUARDIAN'S FEAST_ and has written eight cookbooks. In 2024, Tommi went back to live in Mexico with her husband and three children, to introduce her children properly to the country she so loves. Her cookbooks are _MEAT-FREE MEXICAN, MEXICAN FOOD MADE SIMPLE, HOME COOK, WAHACA,_ and_ CHILLI NOTES._

We are delighted to welcome back Chloe Michelle Howarth, author of _Sunburn, _which was shortlisted for multiple awards, for her sophomore novel. JANUARY 1965. The orphaned O'Leary siblings - Tom, Jack, Anna and Peggy - arrive in the village of Ballycrea, tight-lipped about their troubled past and desperate for a fresh start. After being met with suspicion from most of the locals, the family are thrilled when they're taken under the wing of their well-respected neighbours, Bill and Betty Nevan, who offer them work, companionship and an opportunity to fit in. But for one of the O'Learys, this new friendship sparks an intense attachment that makes the dynamic dangerous for all. It's difficult to bury secrets, but almost impossible to bury feelings... 'I lost myself in Chloe Michelle Howarth's strange and startling second novel. It's a deeply affecting tapestry of gothic landscapes and virtuosic, character driven prose. As it haunted me, _Heap Earth Upon It_ will haunt you too' -- Lucy Rose, author of The Lamb Chloe Michelle Howarth was born in July 1996. She grew up in the West Cork countryside, which has served as an inspiration for her writing. She attended university at IADT in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin, where she studied English, Media and Cultural Studies. Chloe currently lives in Brighton. Her debut novel, _SUNBURN_, was shortlisted for the 2024 Polari First Book Prize, the 2024 Book of the Year: Discover Award at the British Book Awards and the 2023 Nero Book Award for Debut Fiction and longlisted for the 2024 Diverse Book Awards.

One of UK's finest food writers, and long-term friend of Toppings, Diana Henry returns to the bookshop to speak on _Around the Table._ This is an essay collection on places, people and food, handpicked from over two decades of her much-loved cookbooks. For Henry's followers, her evocative writing brings just as much pleasure as her delicious recipes. She has followed her taste buds around the world - from the bustling Turkish groceries on Edgware Road, to the French cottage kitchen, a trattoria in Rome's suburbs, to the Vermont countryside famed for its maple syrup. With such a well-travelled food connoisseur, you are sure to dive into various flavours, from salty, sweet and buttery olives, blood-red saffron, yolk-yellow streaks over creamy chicken and milky yogurt, Valencia oranges, and a simple warming slice of toast. This nourishing collection on the joys of good food brings ingredients to life on the page. 'No one writes about food so beautifully...' LONDON EVENING STANDARD 'Reading her recipes is almost as satisfying as making and eating them.' DAISY BUCHANAN 'This is an extraordinary piece of food writing, pitch perfect in every way. I couldn't love anyone who didn't love this book.' NIGELLA LAWSON 'She has become the Delia of my generation' TELEGRAPH Diana Henry has regular columns in the Sunday Telegraph and Waitrose Weekend, her work has appeared in BBC Good Food, House & Garden, and her broadcast appearances include BBC Radio 4. She has won numerous awards.

From the master of epic fiction comes the deeply human story of one of the world's greatest mysteries: the building of Stonehenge. Ken Will Be Joined by Sunday Times Bestselling Author Ben Kane. A FLINT MINER WITH A GIFT Seft, a talented flint miner, walks the Great Plain in the high summer heat, to witness the rituals that signal the start of a new year. He is there to trade his stone at the Midsummer Rite, and to find Neen, the girl he loves. Her family lives in prosperity and offers Seft an escape from his brutish father and brothers, within their herder community. A PRIESTESS WHO BELIEVES THE IMPOSSIBLE Joia, Neen's sister, is a priestess with a vision and an unmatched ability to lead. As a child, she watches the Midsummer ceremony, enthralled, and dreams of a miraculous new monument, raised from the biggest stones in the world. But trouble is brewing among the hills and woodlands of the Great Plain. A MONUMENT THAT WILL DEFINE A CIVILISATION Joia's vision of a great stone circle, assembled by the divided tribes of the Plain, will inspire Seft and become their life's work. But as drought ravages the earth, mistrust grows between the herders, farmers and woodlanders - and an act of savage violence leads to open warfare . . . 'ONE OF THE GREAT, BESTSELLING NOVELISTS ' -_ Daily Telegraph_ Ken Follett is one of the world's best-loved authors. More than 198 million copies of the thirty-eight books he has written have been sold in over eighty countries and in forty languages. He started his career as a reporter, first with his hometown newspaper, the _South Wales Echo,_ and then with the London _Evening News_. Ken's first major success came with the publication of _Eye of the Needle_ in 1978, which earned him the 1979 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America. In 1989, _The Pillars of the Earth_, Ken's epic novel about the building of a medieval cathedral, reached number one on bestseller lists everywhere. It was turned into a major television series produced by Ridley Scott, which aired in 2010. Kenya born, Irish by blood and UK resident, BEN KANE's passion for history has seen him change career from veterinary medicine to writing, and taken him to more than 60 countries, and all 7 continents. Eleven of his novels have been Sunday Times bestsellers, and his books are published in twelve languages; a million copies have sold worldwide. In 2016, his research was recognised by Bristol University with an honorary Doctor of Letters degree. Kane lives in Somerset, where he writes full time.

From one of London's most iconic fresh pasta restaurants, _PADELLA_ has highlighted sensational pasta since 2016. Head chef and founder, Tim Siadatan comes to us for a wonderful cookery demo and tastings to celebrate his debut cookbook. _'AN EXTREMELY HANDSOME, USEFUL AND INSPIRING BOOK. GROUNDED IN TRADITION AND THE ELEMENTAL SIMPLICITY OF PASTA BUT ALSO TRULY ORIGINAL AND THRILLING' RACHEL RODDY_ _'RECIPES THAT ARE A JOY TO PREPARE AND TO POLISH OFF' YOTAM OTTOLENGHI_ _PADELLA,_ the restaurant is famous for notable dishes like BEEF SHIN RAGU and PICI CACIO E PEPE always on the menu. Now you can bring the plates which cause queues round the block to your own home kitchen. You'll find those Padella classics, and others such as TAGLIARINI WITH CRAB, CHILLI, LEMON & PARSLEY, and FETTUCCINE WITH NDUJA, LEMON & MASCARPONE, along with many off-menu favourites and home staples like SPAGHETTI WITH GARLIC, CAPERS & BLACK PEPPER and mastering techniques and recipes like ravioli, gnocchi, and many more! Most importantly, this book will teach kitchen cooks the simple steps to take their home cooked pasta to the next level. _Buon appetito!_ '_Even in food-stuffed Borough, Padella stands out. You'll find me in a corner with an expression of glazed lust, hoovering up worms of pici like a deranged cuckoo. And I'll have already put in an order for a second plateful'_ _MARINA O'LOUGHLIN, GUARDIAN_ _It's a formula that should be everywhere, but is actually rarer than hen's teeth._ _GRACE DENT_ '_Tim has taken the Italian approach to heart and you see that in all the food he creates. It's nothing short of a joy. . . Every recipe has heart and soul, whether it's a quick everyday pasta or something a bit more decadent and special. . . Not just a beautiful food experience, but also an exciting one'_ _JAMIE OLIVER_ _The infectious charm of this singular cook is found on every page in every dish of pasta served with the accompanying recipes. Bravo Tim, a joy_ _JEREMY LEE_ Since he graduated from the first intake at _JAMIE OLIVER'S FIFTEEN_, Tim Siadatan has become synonymous with bold Italian cooking. After working at the iconic _ST JOHN_, he went on to Moro, before opening_ TRULLO_ with his good friend and business partner Jordan Frieda. He opened the first Padella with Jordan Frieda in London's Borough Market. It was the culmination of their long held dream to open a pasta bar serving fresh, hand rolled pasta with delicious sauces and fillings inspired by their trips to Italy. One of the first international food tourist destinations - established in the early days of the Instagram food revolution - its original Borough Market branch has had non-stop queues since day one. Having been taught by the best, Tim and his chefs have maintained the highest quality, as proven by the continued popularity of the restaurants.

_ALL FOR WINE AND WINE FOR ALL!_ _AN EVENING OF FUN AND WINE WITH THE EBULLIENT DRINKS BROADCASTER, OLLY SMITH._ You don’t need to be rich or have expert knowledge – you just need to feel confident in choosing wines that will bring you joy. Drinks writer, Olly Smith is here to walk you through the wonderful world of wine, teaching you how to find what you like and understand why. From the basics of how to choose a bottle of wine, how much to spend and how to taste it, to demystifying wine jargon, Olly tells you everything you will ever need to know. Discover Olly’s top wines to try before you die, as well as his own Ten Commandments of Wine, and a handy ‘Grape Thesaurus’. Fun, witty and informative, Wine is the perfect accompaniment to a leisurely glass of vino. OLLY SMITH is the UK’s best-loved wine expert, with 18 years’ presenting wine on _BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen._ He has written about wine for the _Mail on Sunday_ and the _Daily Mail_ for 17 years and has six award-winning Glass House wine bars across P&O Cruises fleet. He has won countless awards in the wine industry, including _International Wine and Spirits Communicator of the Year_ and _Drinks Writer of the Year_, and tours the UK every year as one of the _Three Wine Men._ Olly has appeared on primetime shows including _Celebrity Mastermind_, _Bridge of Lies_ and _House of Games_. He has hosted more than 80 episodes of his hit drinks podcast 'A Glass With' featuring a dazzling array of celebrity guests. Olly is also patron of the _Bumblebee Conservation Trust._ He is the author of _Home Cocktail Bible_ and _World Cocktail Atlas_.

Menopause awareness campaigner and respected broadcaster and columnist, MARIELLA FROSTRUP teames up with daughter of Mary Berry, chef BELLES BERRY to provide you with a menopause survival toolkit of QUICK, EASY, AND SUPREMELY DELICIOUS RECIPES to ease key symptoms of the menopause. "Midlife nutrition made easy!" PROFESSOR TIM SPECTOR "Magnificent menus for midlife and beyond" DAVINA MCCALL _MENOLICIOUS_ is the essential cookbook for anyone navigating the challenges and changes of midlife; co-authored by two women passionate about food and feeling your best through perimenopause, menopause, and beyond. Discover over EASY AND NUTRITIOUS RECIPES designed to help BALANCE HORMONES, BOOST ENERGY LEVELS, IMPROVE WEIGHT MANAGEMENT, and help you embrace the freedom of a new stage of life. HERE YOU'LL FIND RECIPES FOR: ANTI-INFLAMMATORY BREAKFASTS: Kale pancakes with tahini butter FIBRE-PACKED SALADS: Ras el hanout rice salad with orange and cumin dressing ANTI-BLOAT LUNCHES: Poached salmon with pak choi and mushrooms METABOLISM-BOOSTING DINNERS: Coconut chicken and black bean stew Designed with nutrition and ease in mind, ninety percent of recipes are prepared in 30 MINUTES OR LESS and are developed with an industry-leading nutritionist to ensure they are packed full of ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS, a DIVERSE VARIETY OF PLANTS, and tasty, satisfying alternatives to less-healthy sugar and starch-heavy dishes. This is not just a recipe book, it's the timeless gift of good food and straightforward nutrition to help you re-calibrate and EAT YOUR WAY TO A BETTER MENOPAUSE. _"Delicious, fast, and fortifying recipes to power you through midlife."_ CATE BLANCHETT MARIELLA FROSTRUP is one of the UK's most respected broadcasters and columnists. Her ground-breaking documentary in 2018 on menopause helped start a national discourse. A force for menopause activism in the UK, Mariella was recently named one of _Vogue_'s 25 most influential women in the UK. She is co-founder and chair of campaign group Menopause Mandate and has spoken and written widely about the importance of menopause education, equality, and informed choice around the subject. In 2024 she was appointed as the UK's Government Menopause Employment Ambassador. BELLES BERRY is Dame Mary Berry's only daughter. Belles has been submerged in food all her life and worked in the food industry for over 30 years. She is the founder of The Great Taste Company. HALA EL-SHAFIE is a Registered Dietitian with over 20 years of clinical experience in women's health, eating disorders, and mental health. She is the founder of Nutrition Rocks a nutritional-advice platform that aims to offer people easy and practical advice for living a healthy lifestyle.

_FRANKLY_ is no ordinary political memoir. Remarkable for its honesty and self-reflection, this is the story of NICOLA STURGEON, one of our most influential and successful leaders. _The enduring popularity of Nicola Sturgeon, the first female and longest-serving First Minister of Scotland, was a rare constant in an era marked by Brexit, Covid and five different UK prime ministers. Previously, as 'Yes Minister' and Deputy Leader of the SNP, she helped to bring Scotland to the brink of self-rule, overseeing the Yes campaign in the Scottish independence referendum of 2014._ _In this deeply personal memoir, Sturgeon recounts her journey from working-class Ayrshire to the steps of Bute House. Revealing the person behind the politician, she explores the schism between her private and public personas: one painfully shy and self-critical, the other a consummate public performer. And yet, she pulls no punches, candidly recounting her interactions with figures including Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Donald Trump, and Alex Salmond - her mentor and, ultimately, her staunch adversary._ _Full of the verve and wit that made Sturgeon one of the most high-profile politicians in the UK, this is a unique blend of personal insight and captivating vignettes. Infused throughout with a love of Scotland and its people, it honestly discusses Sturgeon's mistakes, her battles, and her triumphs. Frankly is the compelling story of no ordinary politician._

_Simply Raymond Kitchen Garden_ is a celebration of seasonal ingredients, grown and cooked by Raymond Blanc in the gardens of Le Manoir Aux Quat'saisons. 'I am still in awe,' says Raymond Blanc, 'of the magic of the garden and the miracles of the kitchen, and the wondrous connection between them.' With simple and trusted recipes, this book mirrors that connection. Within these pages, Raymond recounts a deeply inspiring story of creating his famous gardens at _Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons_, the Michelin-starred hotel and restaurant in Oxfordshire, renowned as one of Britain's finest retreats. Over 90 recipes celebrate the year-round ingredients and flavours from Raymond's kitchen garden. You'll find something quick and wholesome for a midweek supper as well as sensational dishes for special occasions. Recipes range from an easy Kitchen Garden Omelette to Salmon and Beetroot Tartare, and from Roast Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Salsa Verde to Baked Peach and Almond Crumble. Whether you're in the kitchen wearing an apron dabbed with floury fingerprints, or longing to don your gardening gloves, Raymond is with you sharing his unique wisdom, know-how and charm. _Bon Appetit!_ 'Full of WONDERFUL RECIPES ... An absolute joy.' - Giles Coren 'An IRRESISTIBLE new book inspired by his mother's cooking. . . SIMPLE BUT DELICIOUS DISHES' - _Daily Mail_ 'Beautifully, movingly written . . . It's BEAUTIFUL, SIMPLE AND DELICIOUS FOOD . . . The book is OUTSTANDING - and I now love aubergines!' - Claudia Winkleman Raymond Blanc OBE is acknowledged as one of the finest chefs in the world. Completely self-taught, his influence on gastronomy is so great that he is the only chef to have been honoured with both an OBE from Britain and the Legion d'honneur from France. His beautiful hotel restaurant, Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, has retained two Michelin stars for thirty-five years and was voted Best Hotel and Best Food Hotel of the Year by the _Caterer's_ Hotelier Top 100 Awards. Raymond has written more than ten books and presented many television shows. He is honorary President of The Sustainable Restaurant Association and Vice President of Garden Organic.

Become a member of the No Lost Causes Club and join Lauren Mcquistin, the author behind the wildly popular instagram account @brutalrecovery, as she takes us through her honest, compassionate, and characteristically funny guide to recovery and sobriety. 'A stunning, seriously sick and profoundly well work. I love the intricacies of sanity, and how it can look so crazy. This book had me laughing and crying. Truly brilliant' MARGARET CHO 'This book is not just about sobriety or just about recovery; it is an invitation to hope' SHON FAYE _When she was told that her life expectancy could be as low as twenty-five if she did not stop drinking, Lauren felt absolutely nothing - then the sparks of despair. How was she here? Surely, sobriety was for middle-aged divorcees who'd lost everything, not young, struggling singers who didn't have anything to lose in the first place? Besides, when alcohol is the only medicine that makes the world feel bearable, how can you possibly stop taking it?_ _Six years later, Lauren has found her way to an intricate answer. Entwining practical, empathetic suggestions with intimate memoir, No Lost Causes Club is an intrinsically vulnerable and brutally honest exploration of what living a full life after you get clean looks like. From delving into the social complexities that often leave people hopelessly dependent on alcohol, to centring the struggles of those newly navigating sobriety, this book is a soothing balm for anyone wondering how to carve a beautiful life from a world that never made sense before._

Join us in Bath to celebrate _UNCHARMED_ and _A WITCHES GUIDE TO MAGICAL INKEEPING_ with LUCY JANE WOOD and SANGU MANDANNA! These wonderful authors come back to us to chat about their new books and all things witchy. _UNCHARMED_ _is the spellbinding new cosy fantasy from_ _LUCY JANE WOOD__, celebrating found family, unconditional love and the joy of letting go of perfectionism and people-pleasing._ _Annie Wildwood is the perfect witch, her life a haze of pink, magic and impossibly high standards. The proud owner of Celestial Bakehouse, a bustling London bakery, she devotes her powers to pleasing others, and while perfection exacts a magical toll, it's a price Annie is more than willing to pay._ _But, when she is tasked by her coven with mentoring a troubled teenage witch, Annie's charmed existence is thrown into chaos. She and fiery, stubborn Maeve couldn't be more different, and Hal, the gruff, handsome owner of their temporary lodgings, is not best pleased to find the coven has offered up his woodland cottage home to two headstrong witches._ _As the unlikely trio slowly bond, outside forces begin to take an interest in Maeve's extraordinary powers - will Annie risk everything to protect the true magic she's finally found?_ _A witch has a second chance to get her magical powers - and her life back on track in this feel-good, whimsical new cosy fantasy from the author of_ _THE VERY SECRET SOCIETY OF IRREGULAR WITCHES._ _Once, Sera Swan was one of the most powerful witches in Britain. Then she resurrected her great-aunt Jasmine from the (very recently) dead, lost most of her powers, befriended a semi-villainous talking fox, and was exiled from her Guild. Now she helps Jasmine run an enchanted inn in Lancashire, where she deals with their quirky guests' shenanigans and longs for a future that seems lost. Until she finds about an old spell that could restore her power..._ _Enter Luke Larsen, handsome magical historian, who might have the key to unlocking the spell's secrets. Luke has no interest in the inn's madcap goings-on, and is even less interested in letting a certain bewitching innkeeper past his walls. So no one is more surprised than he is when he agrees to help._ _Running an inn, reclaiming lost power, and staying one step ahead of the watchful Guild is a lot for anyone, but Sera is about to discover she doesn't have to do alone - and that love might be the best magic of all._

A very special author talk with textile artist and craft expert, Clare Hunter. Clare will be giving an interactive origami demo - so all attendees will go home with their very own paper creation! "A beautifully considered book . . . Clare Hunter has managed to mix the personal with the political with moving results" TRACY CHEVALIER As children, we made things: snowmen, paper boats, eccentrically costumed plays. That making fired our minds and imaginations - it altered our small worlds and shaped who we became. But as adults, it is hard to find to find the space for creativity and to remember its power. Exploring craft traditions and forms of making from across centuries and cultures, Clare Hunter encourages to engage with the world afresh. To use our hands again, to see beauty in unexpected places, to play and protest and embrace imaginative possibilities. From paper crafts to wonders made from light and snow, she searches for creative delight - making lanterns, puppets and pinhole cameras. Inspiring and fascinating, _Making Matters_ celebrates individual and collective creativity. It blends history, culture and politics with rich storytelling, wonderful characters and tales of remarkable objects. Read this, and then make something. Clare Hunter has been a banner-maker, community textile artist and textile curator for over twenty years and established the community enterprise NeedleWorks in Glasgow. Her first book, _Threads of Life_, won the Saltire First Book Award, was a Waterstones Scottish Book of the Month and a Radio 4 Book of the Week.

We are thrilled to welcome Gyles to Bath for a very special afternoon event, celebrating _Somewhere, A Boy and A Bear._ Gyles Brandreth is a writer, broadcaster, podcaster, trustee of The Queen’s Reading Room charity, former MP and Chancellor of the University of Chester, as well as a regular on shows like _Just a Minute, QI, Celebrity Gogglebox_ and _This Morning._ His many books include nine detective novels (_The Victorian Murder Mysteries_) and his best-selling autobiography _Odd Boy Out._ Since 2022 he has been appearing on stage with Dame Judi Dench in a show celebrating her life and on tour throughout the country with his own one man show. An award-winning podcaster, he hosts the multi-million download Top Ten podcast _Rosebud_ exploring the first memories of remarkable people. Gyles joins us to tell the extraordinary story of A.A. Milne, Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh, just in time for the centenary of the publication of Winnie-the-Pooh in 2026. Gyles Brandreth knew the real Christopher Robin and his new book is both an intimate and revealing biography of A.A. Milne (to whom there was so much more than Pooh) and a fascinating exploration of family dynamics and the nature of childhood itself. _‘Gyles Brandreth has a touching access to the secrets of the human heart.’ The Times_ 2026 is also the centenary of Elizabeth II. Gyles is also the author of the number one _Sunday Times_ bestseller _Elizabeth: An Intimate Portrait._ The late Queen had a special interest in Winnie-the-Pooh which Gyles may be talking about too!

JAY KRISTOFF, bestselling author of _Empire of the Vampire_ and _Nevernight_, returns to Bath to celebrate the epic conclusion of his latest trilogy: _EMPIRE OF THE DAWN_. _Please note: We are currently unsure as to whether Jay will be doing dedications after the event. We will update this instance and email all attendees when a decision has been made._ _FROM HOLY CUP COMES HOLY LIGHT;_ _THE FAITHFUL HANDS SETS WORLD ARIGHT._ _AND IN THE SEVEN MARTYRS' SIGHT,_ _MERE MAN SHALL END THIS ENDLESS NIGHT._ _Gabriel de Leon has lost his family, his faith, and his last hope of ending the endless night - the Holy Grail, Dior. With no desire left but vengeance, he and a band of loyal brothers journey into the war-torn heart of the Augustin Empire to claim the life of the Forever King._ _Unbeknownst to the Last Silversaint, the Grail still lives - speeding towards Augustin's besieged capital in the frail hope of ending Daysdeath forever. But deadly treachery awaits within the halls of power, and the Forever King's legions march ever closer. Gabriel and Dior will be drawn into a final battle that will shape the very fate of the Empire, but as the sun sets for what may be the last time, there will be no-one left for them to trust._ _Not even each other._

What do #metoo and Jane Austen have in common? More than you might think. Ever since the novel was invented, women have used it as a platform for sharing ideas about sexual consent. DR ZOE MCGEE reveals how Jane Austen, Frances Burney and their now-overlooked contemporaries used their stories to try to change society's mind about rape culture - and to reassure survivors they were not alone. _COURTING DISASTER_ takes a timely deep-dive into a series of classic novels, comparing them with both historic court records and current events to show that our arguments about consent are not a new phenomenon. With the wit and wryness of a courtship novel, McGee reads between the lines to unveil a quiet feminist movement that still resonates today. Because every novel about marriage is also a novel about consent. In an era that's clamouring for a return to the values of the past, _COURTING DISASTER_ asks what that would really mean, and whether anyone actually liked it back then anyway... _ZOE MCGEE__ has a PhD from Queen Mary University of London and an MSt in eighteenth-century studies from the University of Oxford. She has spoken at conferences internationally and now performs at very nerdy stand-up comedy nights. Among other things, she has worked as a university teacher, a bookseller and a professional board-game-explainer. She owns too many books and is a competitive ballroom dancer in her spare time._

Join us for an evening with Justin Marozzi to discuss his new book: captives and companions: a history of slavery and the slave trade in the Islamic world. Slavery in the Islamic world has a long, diverse and controversial history. _Captives and Companions_ is a brilliant synthesis of history and contemporary reportage that brings to life the voices of the enslaved in stories of eighth-century concubines and ninth-century revolts, thirteenth-century slave soldiers who established dynastic rule over Egypt, Syria, and Iraq, eighteenth-century corsairs and twentieth-century pearl divers in the Gulf. It also has first-hand accounts of this legacy in the twenty-first century, including the depredations of Daesh and continuing hereditary slavery in Mali and Mauritania. Justin Marozzi traces the extraordinary variety of enslavement in the Islamic world, which ranged from agricultural labour and domestic toil to elite concubinage, guardianship of sacred spaces, political leadership and even military command. He shows how Africa bore the brunt of the demand for slave labour, fuelled throughout the nineteenth century by expanding global markets and commodity chains. Slavers plied African coasts, traders raided inland for human cargo, and millions were marched across the Sahara into captivity. Meanwhile, North African corsairs turned the Mediterranean into a slave-raiding 'free-for-all' between Muslims, Christians and Jews. Taking the reader on an extraordinary historical journey from Baghdad to Bamako, Tripoli to Timbuktu, Istanbul to the Black Sea, this is the riveting human drama of those caught up in one of history's most remarkable overlooked stories. _JUSTIN MAROZZI_ _is a historian and journalist who has spent most of his professional life living and working in the Muslim world. His previous books include South from Barbary: Along the Slave Routes of the Libyan Sahara (2001), the bestselling Tamerlane: Sword of Islam, Conqueror of the World (2004) and The Man Who Invented History: Travels with Herodotus (2008). His last book, Baghdad: City of Peace, City of Blood (2014) won the Royal Society of Literature's Ondaatje Prize and was praised by the judges as 'a truly monumental achievement'._

Join us for a special evening celebrating the incredible first memoir from the booker-winning literary icon Arundhati Roy, author of _The God of Small Things._ Arundhati Roy's first work of memoir, this is a soaring account, both intimate and inspiring, of how the author became the person and the writer she is, shaped by circumstance, but above all by her complex relationship to the extraordinary, singular mother she describes as 'my shelter and my storm'. Born out of the onrush of memories and feelings provoked by her mother Mary's death, this is the astonishing, often disturbing and surprisingly funny memoir of the Arundhati Roy's life, from childhood to the present, from Kerala to Delhi. With the scale, sweep and depth of her novels, _The God of Small Things_ and _The Ministry of Utmost Happiness_, and the passion, political clarity and warmth of her essays, this book is an ode to freedom, a tribute to thorny love and savage grace - a memoir like no other. Arundhati Roy is the author of the novels _The God of Small Things_, which won the Booker Prize in 1997, and _The Ministry of Utmost Happiness_, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2017. She is the author of various works of non-fiction including _My Seditious Heart_, _Azadi_ and, most recently, _The Architecture of Modern Empire_.

IN THE INNER CIRCLE, WHERE CAN YOU HIDE A SECRET? IN THIS COMPULSIVE STORY OF BETRAYAL, OLD BONDS AND BURIED SCANDALS, ONE BRITISH ESTABLISHMENT FAMILY COMES FACE TO FACE WITH THE CONSEQUENCES OF PRIVILEGE AND THE TRUE COST OF POWER. Martin and Ben were friends for decades - best friends, Martin would have said - before the terrible events at Ben's 40th birthday party tore them apart. So when Martin receives a surprise invitation back into the inner sanctum of the dazzling Fitzmaurice family after seven years of silence, he can't resist the chance to get his revenge. Ben has risen through the ranks of power, and is now touted as the next Prime Minister. But Martin can't help but notice certain flies in the ointment... Ben's wife, Serena, for instance, whose privileged existence is beginning to feel like a gilded cage. Or their daughter, Cosima, an environmental activist fighting against everything her parents once stood for. Or the disgraced MP Richard Take, determined to make his big comeback. And then there's Fliss, the Fitzmaurice black sheep, whose untimely death sparks more suspicion than closure. Through their intertwined stories, we see a family - and a nation - unravelling under the weight of its secrets. With everyone watching, the stage is set for a reckoning. It's time for Martin and Ben to confront what love truly means when everything-family, power, and loyalty-is on the line. ELIZABETH DAY is the author of five novels and four works of non-fiction, including her _Sunday Times_ bestselling novel _Magpie_, and hit memoir _How to Fail_. She is the creator and host of the chart-topping podcast _How to Fail with Elizabeth Day_. ELIZABETH WILL IN CONVERSATION WITH JOHANNA THOMAS-CORR, CHIEF LITERARY CRITIC FOR _THE TIMES_ AND _SUNDAY TIMES._

TRAFFICKERS. HIT MEN. OUTLAWS. THIEVES . . . OUR PLANET IS A CRIME SCENE - BUT WE CAN CATCH THE KILLERS? Enter a world where people are murdered, ecosystems are destroyed, organised criminals terrorise communities and corporate gangsters operate outside the law. And, closely following their every move, are teams of secret agents, vigilantes and scientists who are fighting for our planet's future. Using insider sources and her expertise as a criminal psychologist, Dr Julia Shaw takes us deep into some of the worst environmental crimes of our time. She reconstructs the minds of the perpetrators in cases like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Dieselgate emissions scandal, and the Shuidong wildlife crime syndicate. From the Amazon forest to South African gold mines she follows the impact of green crimes right to our doorsteps, and meticulously profiles the work of the heroes bringing these criminals to justice. Dr Shaw asks: how do the Earth's killers think? What makes their crimes so deadly? And how can we stop them from stealing our future? _GREEN CRIME_ IS THE MOST FAR-REACHING MURDER MYSTERY EVER TOLD. JULIA SHAW is a criminal psychologist at University College London. Her academic work, teaching, and role as an expert witness, focus on different ways of understanding criminal behaviour. She is the author of three books; _Bi_, _The Memory Illusion_ and _Making Evil_. Her books have appeared in more than 20 languages. She is also the co-host of the hit BBC podcast _Bad People_ which combines true crime and science. She appears regularly in popular press, including in TV true crime formats.

Gabriel Dax, travel writer and accidental spy, is back in the shadows. Unable to resist the allure of his MI6 handler, Faith Green, he has returned to a life of secrets and subterfuge. Dax is sent to Guatemala under the guise of covering a tinderbox presidential election, where the ruthless decisions of the Mafia provoke pitch-black warfare in collusion with the CIA. As political turmoil erupts, Gabriel's reluctant involvement deepens. His escape plan leads him to West Berlin, where he uncovers a chilling realization: there is a plot to assassinate magnetic young President John F. Kennedy. In a race against time, Gabriel must navigate deceit and danger, knowing that the stakes have never been higher. _THE PREDICAMENT_, THE SECOND NOVEL IN THE BESTSELLING ESPIONAGE TRILOGY STARRING GABRIEL DAX, WILLIAM BOYD WEAVES A MASTERFUL TALE OF SUSPENSE, LOYALTY, LOVE AND THE DARK TEMPTATIONS OF SPY CRAFT. William Boyd was born in 1952 in Accra, Ghana, and grew up there and in Nigeria. He is the author of sixteen highly acclaimed, bestselling novels and five collections of stories. _Any Human Heart_ was longlisted for the Booker Prize and adapted into a TV series with Channel 4. In 2005, Boyd was awarded the CBE. He is married and divides his time between London and south-west France.

A Surprising History of Britain, from 500 Million Bc to The Next Election. 'Graham Robb Has Found a New Format for Writing History Just as Craig Brown Found a Fresh Way to Write Biography' - Alan Johnson 'Robb Tumbles Into British History with An Infectious Enthusiasm . . . Immensely Entertaining' - Chris Bryant, Author of _The Glamour Boys_ Taking the reader on a time-travelling adventure around the 'spindly, sea-wracked islands' we call home, _The Discovery of Britain_ is history that's panoramic and intimate, poignant and shocking, seriously funny, and enlightening in the most surprising way. In the assured hands of the prize-winning author of _The Discovery of France_, and often from the unique vantage point of his bicycle, we encounter an entertaining cast of characters foreign and homegrown, drop in on places and events, and dwell on the successes and catastrophes across British history, seeing it all as it's never been seen before. Personal, political, geographical and social in scope, and with intriguing maps and illustrations throughout, _The Discovery of Britain_ can be devoured whole or each chapter read in the time it takes to change a bicycle tyre or drink a cup of coffee. The wonderful choice of how to enjoy this original and sweeping history of Britain - from ancient settlements swallowed up by the sea and the creation of Stonehenge to the advent of multiculturalism and recent political earthquakes - is yours. Graham Robb was born in Manchester in 1958 and is a former fellow of Exeter College, Oxford. He has published widely on French literature and history. His book _The Discovery of France_ won both the Duff Cooper and Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prizes. For _Parisians_ the City of Paris awarded him the Grande Medaille de la Ville de Paris. He lives on the English-Scottish border. _The Discovery of Britain_ is his tenth book.

Topping & Company Black History Month Festival 'A vital corrective that enhances our understanding of black British history' STEVE MCQUEEN _We Were There_ is a crucial new portrait of a modern Black Britain that for too long has been unknown and unexplored - the one that exists beyond London. From the late 1970s to the early 1990s Britain was in tumult: rocked by Margaret Thatcher's radical economic policy, the rise of the National Front, widespread civil unrest. With anti-immigration policies in the political mainstream, Black lives were on the frontline of a racial reckoning - but it was also a time of unrivalled Black cultural creation, organising and resistance. This was the crucible in which modern Britain came into existence. This book spotlights, for the very first time, the extraordinary Black lives in once-rich cities now home to failing industries: the foundries of Birmingham, the docks of Liverpool and Cardiff, the mills of Bradford. We are in Wigan, Wolverhampton, Manchester and the green expanse of the British countryside. We meet feminists and Rastafarians, academics and pan-Africanists, environmental campaigners and rugby-league superstars; witness landmark campaigns against miscarriages of justice; encounter radical groups of artists and pioneering thinkers; tread dancefloors that hosted Northern Soul all-nighters and the birth of Acid House. LANRE BAKARE is a _Guardian_ arts and culture correspondent focusing on the intersection of art, race and culture across multiple disciplines.

_Now i understand there are no ordinary lives - that every death is the end of a single event in time's history: an event so improbable as to be miraculous, and irreplaceable in every particular._ Sarah Perry's father-in-law, David, died at home nine days after a cancer diagnosis and having previously been in the good health. The speed of his illness outstripped that of the NHS and social care, so the majority of nursing fell to Sarah and her husband. They witnessed what happens to the body and spirit, hour by hour, as it approaches death. _Death of an Ordinary Man_ is an unstinting account of death by cancer, a reportage into the daily experience of caring, an exploration of the structural conditions of dying in the UK, and most importantly a testament to David's life, that of an ordinary man. UNFLINCHING AND PROFOUNDLY MOVING, SARAH PERRY CONFRONTS THE TABOO SURROUNDING DEATH AND SHOWS US HOW TO CONFRONT ALL OF THE TERROR AND BEAUTY THAT COMES WITH THE END OF LIFE - AND HOW THE SADDEST THING SHE HAS EVER SEEN IS ALSO THE BEST THING SHE'S EVER DONE. SARAH PERRY is the internationally bestselling author of the novels _Enlightenment_, _Melmoth_, _The Essex Serpent_ and _After Me Comes the Flood_, and the non-fiction _Essex Girls_. She is a winner of the Waterstones Book of the Year Award and the British Book of the Year Award. _Enlightenment_ was longlisted for the Booker Prize 2025 and her other work has been nominated for major literary prizes including the Women's Prize for Fiction, the Dylan Thomas Prize, the Folio Prize and the Costa Novel Award. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

_‘A wonderful work of art and a wonderful window into the human heart.’ Richard Curtis_ We're over the moon to welcome British artist, illustrator and author of the the globally loved _THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE,_ CHARLIE MACKESY. _ALWAYS REMEMBER: THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE AND THE STORM_ is the hugely anticipated new book that revisits Charlie Mackesy’s four unlikely friends who are wandering through the wilds again. They’re not sure what they are looking for. They do know that life can be difficult, but that they love each other, and cake is often the answer. When the dark clouds come, can the boy remember what he needs to get through the storm? _‘ONE DAY YOU’LL LOOK BACK AND REALISE HOW HARD IT WAS, AND JUST HOW WELL YOU DID’_ CHARLIE MACKESY began his career as a cartoonist, before becoming a book illustrator for Oxford University Press. His award-winning work has been featured in books, galleries, school classrooms, hospital wards, prisons and public spaces around the world. _The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse_ has now reached over 10 million readers around the world. It is a Sunday Times Non-Fiction Bestseller and a number one New York Times bestseller. In 2023, Charlie co-wrote and directed the short animated film adaption, which won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film. Charlie worked with Richard Curtis on the set of _‘Love Actually’_ to create a set of drawings for_ Comic Relief,_ and with Nelson Mandela on a lithograph project, The Unity Series. His bronzes can be found in public spaces in London, including Highgate Cemetery and the Brompton Road. Away from art, Charlie co-runs _Mama Buci,_ a honey social enterprise in Zambia that helps families of low and no income become beekeepers. He lives between Brixton and Suffolk.

TOPPING & COMPANY BLACK HISTORY MONTH FESTIVAL KEHINDE ANDREWS RETURNS TO BATH DISCUSS HIS BRAND NEW BOOK ON THE REAL POLITICAL MISSION OF MALCOLM X, AND WHY IT NEEDS RESURRECTING NOW - 100 YEARS AFTER HIS BIRTH... Malcolm X is a titanic figure in political history, but he is also one of the most misunderstood. So much of what we know about his life and politics is from books, films and documentaries guilty of peddling the Malcolm myth. Forever known as the violent Yang to Martin Luther King's Yin, in the years since his death he has been co-opted into the American project, punished by his enemies for his radicalism, and marginalised by decades of governments, academics and activists. But here, for the first time, Malcolm is rediscovered. On the centenary of his birthday, in a world shaken by decades of injustice and racism, Malcolm's political mission is more urgent than ever. In _Nobody Can Give You Freedom_, Kehinde Andrews reveals his real revolutionary programme. KEHINDE ANDREWS is the UK's first professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University where he led the establishment of the first Black Studies programme in Europe. He is the author of _The Psychosis of Whiteness,_ _The New Age of Empire: How Racism and Colonialism Still Rule the World_, and _Back to Black: Retelling Black Radicalism for the 21st Century._

Topping & Company Booksellers of Bath present an evening with the one and only Michael Palin. Michael Palin found fame as a member of the much-adored Monty Python. Since then, he's starred in films such as _The Death of Stalin_ and several much-acclaimed travel documentaries, which have taken him to the North and South Poles, the Sahara Desert, the Himalayas, Eastern Europe and Brazil. His books include accounts of his journeys, two novels (_Hemingway's Chair_ and _The Truth_), four volumes of diaries and _Erebus, the Story of a Ship_. From 2009 to 2012 he was president of the Royal Geographical Society. He received a BAFTA fellowship in 2013, and a knighthood in the 2019 New Year Honours list. Join us to celebrate his latest book, in which Palin travels to Venezuela to get a sense of what life is like in one of South America's most culturally rich, vibrant but also troubled nations. In the journal he kept during his trip in February 2025, Palin gives a vivid account of the towns and cities he visited, the landscapes he travelled through, and the people he met. Illustrated throughout with colour photographs taken on the trip, and permeated with his warmth and humour, this is a vivid and varied portrait of a complex country. THERE ARE NO BOOKING FEES WHEN YOU BOOK DIRECTLY WITH US, HOWEVER BOOKING FEES MAY APPLY ELSEWHERE. Seating for this event is reserved and will be allocated at the point of booking. If you are attending as part of a group or couple and wish to sit together, please book together in one order. To book a wheelchair space, or if you have any accessibility requirements, please contact the bookshop directly to make your booking over the phone or in person.

From a small village on the outskirts of Swansea to the sets of some of the most beloved movies and TV shows - like _Love Actually_ and _Gavin & Stacey_ - JOANNA PAGE's journey to stardom has been extraordinary. In _LUSH_, this funny, candid and endlessly surprising memoir, Joanna shares her story in full for the first time. Inside, she takes readers behind the scenes of her most iconic roles and introduces them to a colourful cast including Ruth Jones, James Corden, Richard E. Grant, Johnny Depp, Liam Neeson and Emma Thompson. Joanna also details her early life growing up on the glorious Welsh coastline - a life (not unlike Stacey Shipman's) filled with family and friendly neighbours - to the sudden shock of moving to London at 18 (totally alone) to take her place at RADA, one of the most prestigious performing arts schools in the world. An unforgettable read that makes you laugh and cry, _Lush!_ is a celebration of finding your voice, holding your ground and learning to laugh at the messiest, most beautiful moments life has to offer. _Born in Swansea, Joanna attended her local comprehensive school, before graduating from RADA in 1998. She then spent ten years in stage-based roles for the Royal National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company. She also secured roles in major films, such as From Hell, Mine All Mine, and Richard Curtis' classic, Love Actually. Since 2023, she has appeared as a regular panellist on the ITV talk show Loose Women, has retrained as an animal care assistant in Joanna Page's Wild Life for BBC2._

From the author of _Steeple Chasing _comes a chronicling of the ancient monuments which populate our landscapes, and what they can reveal. _'I'm a card-carrying admirer of Peter Ross'_ - Robert Macfarlane Beautiful and strange, ancient monuments have long captured our attention and curiosity. We stand in awe before them, asking who created the Uffington White Horse - and why? What was it like to live in the shadow of Hadrian's Wall? What stories would the towering megaliths of Stonehenge and Avebury tell if they could speak? Uncovering the enduring mystery of ancient sites, award-winning writer Peter Ross once again invites readers to travel with him as he celebrates their influence on art, culture and society, explores the way their meaning has evolved over time and simply delights in their magic. Combining historical research and archaeological insights with stories from people to whom these sites are particularly important, _UPON A WHITE HORSE_ journeys into the deep past of Britain and Ireland's ancient landscapes. Peter Ross is an Orwell journalism fellow. His writing has appeared in national newspapers and magazines in the UK and US. His won the non-fiction prize at Scotland's National Book Awards with _A Tomb With A View: The Stories & Glories of Graveyards_, and his most recent book, _Steeple Chasing_, was a _Sunday Times_ bestseller and was selected as Waterstones Non-Fiction Book of the Month. He is also author of the collections _Daunderlust_ and _The Passion Of Harry Bingo_.

An Illuminating New Essay Collection from One of The Most Distinctive, Exciting and Acclaimed Writers of Her Generation, Zadie Smith 'zadie Smith Is a Wonderful Essayist. She Is a Natural. She Writes as She Thinks, and She Thinks Crisply and Exactly' - Tessa Hadley, _Guardian_ In this keenly awaited new collection, Zadie brings her unique skills as an essayist to bear on a range of subjects which have captured her attention in recent years. She takes an exhilaratingly close look at artists Toyin Ojih Odutola, Kara Walker and Celia Paul. She invites us along to the movies, to see and to think about _Tar_, and to Glastonbury to witness the ascendance of Stormzy. She takes us on a walk down Kilburn High Road in her beloved North West London and invites us to mourn with her the passing of writers Joan Didion, Martin Amis, Hilary Mantel, Philip Roth and Toni Morrison. She considers changes of government on both sides of the Atlantic - and the meaning of 'the commons' in all our lives. Throughout this thrilling collection, Zadie shows us once again her unrivalled ability to think through critically and humanely some of the most urgent preoccupations and tendencies of our troubled times. Zadie Smith is the author of the novels _White Teeth_, _The Autograph Man_, _On Beauty_, _NW_ and _Swing Time_; as well as a novella, _The Embassy of Cambodia_; three collections of essays, _Changing My Mind, Feel Free_ and _Intimations_; a collection of short stories, _Grand Union_; and the play, _The Wife of Willesden_, adapted from Chaucer. She is also the editor of _The Book of Other People_. Zadie Smith was born in north-west London, where she still lives. _The Fraud_ is her first historical novel.

_The Examined Life_, the bestselling debut from psychoanalyst Stephen Grosz, was about learning how to live; his new book, _Love's Labour_, is about learning how to love. _When it comes to love, why do we find things so difficult? Drawing on over forty years of candid and surprising conversations with his patients, Stephen Grosz asks, what gets in the way of our falling in love - And what must we do to stay there?_ _In the intimate space of the consulting room, we meet the woman who can't post her wedding invitations but then, decades later, can't decide whether to get divorced; the friendship group that explodes when an adulterous affair begins; and the man whose partner's death is almost too much to bear. As an analyst, Grosz's unerring ability is to locate what ails the heartsick. As a writer, he elegantly shows how we can deploy the agonies of love as tools for understanding._ _The labour of love is the work of a lifetime but in finally learning to see ourselves and our world clearly, we find we are truly ready to love one another._ _STEPHEN GROSZ__ is a practicing psychoanalyst. Born in America, he was educated at the University of California, Berkeley, and at Oxford University, and now lives in London. His Number One Sunday Times bestseller, The Examined Life, has been translated into more than thirty languages. He lives in London._

An evening of storytelling and Japanese whisky from one of the most knowledgeable and entertaining experts in the business, Dave Broom. _Award-winning author and Japanese whisky expert, Dave Broom, tells the stories of Japan's whisky distilleries, unveiling the philosophy that lies behind this fascinating whisky culture, and revealing how it relates to many Japanese concepts._ _Dave looks at the history and output of each distillery, considering the elements that make that particular whisky what it is, and including tasting notes. Features on aspects of Japanese life and culture that are crucial to a wider understanding, from the importance of the seasons to the role of craftsmanship, add to the picture. Interwoven throughout the book is the fascinating narrative of the journey across Japan which Dave made with photographer Kohei Take, offering further insight into the country which creates this wonderful drink and making this a must-have edition for any whisky lover, whisky drinker, whisky collector or Japanophile._ THIS FULLY UPDATED EDITION ALSO INCLUDES A BRAND-NEW INTRODUCTION AND ESSAYS FROM JIM MEEHAN AND TOMO YOSHIZAWA. _'THIS BOOK IS INCREDIBLE'_ _Alex Kratena_ Dave is an internationally celebrated spirits expert. He is the winner of two Glenfiddich prizes, The IWSC Communicator of the Year Award, The Spirited Award for Best Cocktail & Spirits writer and an Andre Simon prize for _The Way of Whisky_. In 2020 he was named Best Drinks Writer at the _Fortnum & Mason_ awards. He has been a contributing editor to _Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate_ and scotchwhisky.com. He started thewhiskymanual.uk in 2020 and is also the whisky correspondent for jancisrobinson.com. He has made two films, Cuba in a Bottle and The Amber Light. The latter, on whisky and Scottish culture, won Best Programme at the 2020 Fortnum & Mason awards. Dave's previous books include the first two editions of _The World Atlas of Whisky, Whisky: The Manual, Gin: The Manual, Rum: The Manual, The Way of Whisky_ and _A Sense of Place._

An exciting cookery demo and talk about essential Japanese pantry dishes with the award winning cookery writer, Emiko Davies. _The Japanese Pantry_ is a follow up to _GOHAN: EVERYDAY JAPANESE COOKING,_ Emiko's tribute to her mother's family and her soul food - Japanese home cooking. In _The Japanese Pantry_, Emiko explores the pantry items essential to Japanese home cooking. Simple, easy-to-find ingredients that can be combined with fresh produce and a few other basics like tofu, rice and noodles to create delicious and authentic Japanese food no matter where you are. Each chapter explores one of these essential ingredients - _soy sauce, miso, rice vinegar, seaweed, sake, sesame_ and_ tea_ - including information about the history and production of these in Japan, as well as Emiko's thoughtful and approachable recipes. In helping readers get to know these pantry essentials, Emiko hopes to give home cooks the confidence to make authentic Japanese dishes that are inherently simple and full of flavour. EMIKO DAVIES is an Australian-Japanese food writer and award winning cookbook author based in Tuscany for the past twenty years. THE JAPANESE PANTRY will be Emiko's seventh book. Her previous books include _GOHAN_ (Special Commendation Andre Simon Award 2024, Cookery Book of the Year Fortnum & Mason Award), _FLORENTINE_ (best Italian cuisine book at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards; Best Design Book at ABDA awards), _ACQUACOTTA_ (shortlisted Best Cookery Book, Fortnum & Mason awards 2018), _TORTELLINI AT MIDNIGHT, TORTA DELLA NONNA, CINNAMON & SALT_ (shortlisted Best International Cookbook, The Guild of Food Writers Award 2023, long listed, Andre Simon Award 2023). Emiko is a columnist for _Corriere della Sera_ and _Scribehound Food_ and runs a cooking school and natural wine bar in Tuscany with her sommelier husband, where she shares her passion for seasonal, simple home cooking.

Britain has always been a craft land. For generations what we made with our hands defined our identities, built our communities and shaped our regions. _Craftland_ chronicles the vanishing skills and traditions that once governed every aspect of life on these shores. Travelling the length of Britain, from the Scilly Isles to the Scottish Highlands, James Fox seeks out the country's last remaining master craftspeople. Stepping inside the workshops of blacksmiths and wheelwrights, cutlers and coopers, bell-founders and watchmakers, we glimpse not only our past but another way of life - one that is not yet lost and whose wisdom could shape our future. For as long as there are humans, there will be craft. It is all around us, hiding in plain sight, enriching even the most modest things. And in this increasingly digital age, it is perhaps more valuable than ever. _Craftland_ is a celebration of that deeply necessary connection between our creative instincts and the material world we inhabit, revealing a richer and more connected way of living. JAMES FOX is an academic and multi-award-winning, BAFTA-nominated broadcaster, known for his many acclaimed BBC documentaries. He is Director of Studies in History of Art at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and Creative Director of the Hugo Burge Foundation, a charity dedicated to supporting the arts and crafts across Britain. He is also the author of the celebrated _The World According to Colour: A Cultural History_.

An utterly fabulous world whisky tasting with award-winning drinks writer and presenter, Joel Harrison. _The Whisky World Tour_ takes you beyond the glass to discover 52 of the very best whisky distilleries open to the public, around the globe. Discover their unique stories and histories from the comfort of home, along with bottle recommendations, too. Joel kicks off _The Whisky World Tour_ in North America, taking in key bourbon producers, before moving on to the traditional whisky powerhouses of Ireland and Scotland. Along the way 'new world' whisky-makers from South Africa to Scandinavia are explored, before finishing in Japan, home to some of the world's most lauded whiskies. Each stop along the way is a window into the world of whisky, so settle in, pour a dram and allow yourself to be taken on this grand and spirited journey. WITH A FOREWORD BY CHARLES MACLEAN MBE, THE CELEBRATED 'WORLD AUTHORITY' ON WHISKY JOEL HARRISON is an award-winning drinks writer and presenter whose work can be seen in publications as diverse as _The_ _Times_ and _Wired_ magazine. In addition to writing, Joel appears regularly on television as a spirits and cocktail expert and hosts tastings and events across the globe. Joel is a Keeper of the Quaich, Scotch whisky's highest honour, is a member of the Worshipful Company of Distillers, and received the Freedom of the City of London in 2020 for his work in drinks. He also holds titles with the Compagnie des Mousquetaires d'Armagnac and the Gin Guild.

Discover a world where finding joy is as simple as abc. In an uncertain world, we need hope and happiness more than ever. So what are the words that can help us find it? Let Michael Rosen take you on a quest for joy in his _Dictionary of Delights_, where each letter of the alphabet offers us a moment of daily enchantment, celebrating the magic of the small things that bring hope and happiness into our lives. Perfect for dipping into whenever you need a boost, open this joyful compendium to discover a new vocabulary of delight that will lift your spirits and brighten your day Michael Rosen is one of the best-known figures in the children's book world. He is renowned for his work as a poet, performer, broadcaster and scriptwriter. He visits schools with his one-man show to enthuse children with his passion for books and poetry. In 2007 he was appointed Children's Laureate, a role which he held until 2009. While Laureate, he set up The Roald Dahl Funny Prize. He currently lives in London with his wife and children.

_'Sabrina Ghayour's Middle-Eastern plus food is all flavour, no fuss - and makes me very, very happy' - Nigella Lawson_ A HOTLY ANTICIPATED NEW COOKBOOK FROM HUGELY POPULAR BESTSELLING MIDDLE EASTERN CHEF AND FOOD WRITER, SABRINA GHAYOUR: _PERSIANA EASY_. Every recipe in _Persiana Easy_ balances irresistible Middle Eastern flavours with accessible cooking. From midweek meals and traybakes to pastries and sweet treats, this collection features easy recipes to delight your family and friends, time and again. Expect deliciously easy tastes and dishes such as: _Crispy Za'atar Salt and Pepper Prawns; Popcorn Halloumi, Turkish Pide Bread; Smoked Aubergine Salad with Pickled Chillies and Feta; Butterflied Orange Paprika Butter Chicken; Stuffed Baby Peppers with Date Couscous and Feta._..and many, many more. _'I don't think she could write a dull recipe if she tried. Every one an elegantly spiced delight.' - Tom Parker Bowles 'Chef Sabrina Ghayour's new recipes deliver maximum flavour with the greatest of ease - perfect for busy lives' - Sainsbury's Magazine_ AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY: Sabrina Ghayour is an Iranian, self-taught home cook turned chef, cookery teacher and food writer. She made her name hosting the hugely popular 'Sabrina's Kitchen' supper club in London, specializing in Persian and Middle Eastern flavours, and went on to be named the Observer's Rising Star in Food. Her award-winning debut,_ Persiana_, is a worldwide bestseller, and her follow-ups _Sirocco, Feasts, Bazaar, Simply_ and _Persiana Everyday_ were Sunday Times bestsellers.

Join fantasy icon T J KLUNE as he discusses the No. 1 New York Times-bestselling sequel to his beloved novel _The House in the Cerulean Sea_: _SOMEWHERE BEYOND THE SEA._ A MAGICAL HOUSE. A SECRET PAST. A SUMMONS THAT COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING. _SOMEWHERE BEYOND THE SEA_ IS A STORY OF RESISTANCE, LOVINGLY TOLD, ABOUT THE DAUNTING EXPERIENCE OF FIGHTING FOR THE LIFE YOU WANT TO LIVE AND DOING THE WORK TO KEEP IT. Arthur Parnassus has built a good life on the ashes of a bad one. He's headmaster at an orphanage for magical children, on a peculiar island, assisted by love-of-his-life Linus Baker. And together, they'll do anything to protect their extraordinary and powerful charges. However, when Arthur is forced to make a public statement about his dark past, he finds himself fighting for those under his care. It's also a fight for the better future that all magical people deserve. Then when a new magical child joins their island home, Arthur knows they've reached breaking point. The child finds power in calling himself a monster, a name Arthur has tried so hard to banish to protect his children. Challenged from within and without, their volatile family might grow stronger. Or everything Arthur loves could fall apart.

_'This is a family memoir that has the breadth of the most enduring social history.'_ - Martin Amis After 33 years, JUNG CHANG takes to the page to write the sequel of the internationally acclaimed _WILD SWANS: THREE DAUGHTERS OF CHINA_. Jung Chang's _WILD SWANS_ was a book that defined a generation, an epic personal history of Jung, her mother and grandmother - 'three daughters of China'. The book opens with her grandmother's birth - and foot binding - in 1909, when China was under the last emperor, through Mao Zedong's rule and the Cultural Revolution during which Jung's parents were subject to unbelievable ordeals. It finishes in 1978 when the Mao era officially ended, and Deng Xiaoping started the post-Mao 'Reforms'. Jung, at that propitious juncture, became one of the first Chinese to leave Communist China for the West. Nearly half a century on, China has risen from a decrepit and isolated state to a world power, the challenger to the United States' dominant position in the world. Through those decades, Jung's life has been intimately entwined with her native land. Her experiences in those years were rich and complex - especially so because all her books were (and are) banned. _Fly, Wild Swans_ is the follow-up to _Wild Swans_ and brings the story of Jung's family - along with that of China - up to date. The book is in many ways Jung's love letter to her mother. It is inevitably also about her grandmother and father both of whom died tragically in the Cultural Revolution, but they are often recalled in this book. In fact, the past is never far away in Jung's subsequent life. It has shaped her, and moulded the present China, and what's more, it promises to herald the future. China is now at another watershed moment: Chairman Xi Jinping is seeking to turn the country back towards the old Maoist days and build a Communist state with capitalist features. This new Xi era is greatly affecting the lives of Jung and her mother. Through the arc of their respective lives, she gives an immersive, deeply moving and unforgettable account of what it is like to live in a communist dictatorship and the threats modern China poses to the international world order. It is family history at its best. _Jung Chang is the author of Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China (1991), which has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide. She wrote a ground-breaking trilogy of the history and personalities of modern China: Mao: The Unknown Story (2005, with Jon Halliday); Empress Dowager Cixi (2013); and Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister (2019)). Her books have been translated into more than 40 languages._

There are fewer than 5,000 people who can genuinely claim to be members of the British aristocracy, and yet they loom large in the popular consciousness. We're fascinated by their houses and estates, their lives and loves, their foibles and eccentricities. And we entertain the strong suspicion that, while they may be fellow citizens, they are very far from being People Like Us. In _Heirs and Graces_ Eleanor Doughty draws on her unparalleled access to a bewildering range of dukes, duchesses, earls and others to create a vivid picture of who they are and how they tick. _En route_ she traces their progress from a post-war era when they and their like were described by one future Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer as 'selfish, depraved, dissolute and decadent' to their diverse current roles as guardians of vast ancestral mansions, farmers, financiers and much else beside. She looks at key rites of passage, from cradle, via boarding school to grave. And she tells stories of their ups and downs, and of the doings of the heroes and villains who fill their ranks. The result is a wonderfully rich, often amusing, always revealing account of the fortunes of the aristocracy over the past century and a series of fascinating glimpses into what it is like to be an aristocrat in Britain today. ELEANOR DOUGHTY began her career in journalism at the _Daily Telegraph_, before going freelance to focus on writing and working at the _i_ newspaper as deputy comment editor. She has written the 'Great Estates' column in the _Telegraph_ since 2017, and specialises in writing about the moneyed and titled classes, in particular country houses and their owners, as well as related pursuits. Her writing appears in the _Financial Times_, the _Spectator_, _Country Life_, _The Times_ and _Sunday Times_, _The Field_, and many other publications.

_'A cookbook full of not just recipes but an insight into the mind of a chef - tricks and techniques that will make you a better cook.' - Anna Jones_ _'Recipes that teach as they go, full of lightbulb moments that build real confidence in the kitchen. This is how it's done!' - Yotam Ottolenghi_ One of the most important things you can do whilst cooking is to ask _why_? Why am i adding salt now and not later? Why am i preheating my pan? Why has my chocolate mousse split? Why does this taste _so_ good?! In his debut book, chef BEN LIPPETT distils his years of experience as a professional chef in restaurants all over the world to reveal the hows and whys behind everything we do when preparing food. Through over 100 recipes you'll learn skills and techniques that can be applied to any recipe, enabling you to chop, fold, saute and whisk your way through this book and gain confidence and competence in the kitchen. You'll master the art of temperature control while perfecting the French Omelette, put together peerless pastas with Crab Tagliolini and Sunday Sauce, learn how to butterfly fish like a pro serving up Stuffed Bass with Fregola, 'Nduja and Gordal Olives, and find out all you need to know about making wonderfully soft and supple enriched dough when treating yourself to Doughnuts 'Myrtille'. Guided by Ben's expert hand, _How I Cook_ is your new kitchen companion, unlocking really good home cooking, one recipe at a time. BEN LIPPETT is a chef and food writer. He's cooked in professional kitchens all over the world, worked with Mob and in food media, and is the author of the popular Substack _'How I Cook_'. _This is a smart, stylish and infectious cookbook that is quite literally packed with advice, inspiration and (crucially) a heap of mouthwatering ideas and recipes. A compelling and impressive debut._ _- ED SMITH_ _Ben's thoughtful, practical approach makes even complex techniques feel achievable at any level. This book is perfect for anyone looking to become a better cook and understand how flavour works._ _- IXTA BELFRAGE_

'A delicious, neon-soaked fever dream.' MUNROE BERGDORF 'Nostalgic, salacious and bitingly witty.' JOE LYCETT 'I couldn't put it down.' ANNIE MACMANUS JODIE HARSH IS NOTHING SHORT OF A DANCE FLOOR ICON. Her blonde beehive and thumping DJ sets have taken her from London's underground to the global stage. As a party starter, she remains at the centre of London night life. As a DJ, she headlines festivals and raves. As a producer and songwriter, Harsh's releases have racked-up over 40 million streams to date. As a remixer, Harsh she has worked her magic on everyone from Beyonce to Charli XCX. _You Had to Be There_ is her first book. Jodie is joined by WRITER, PERFORMER AND FILMMAKER, AMROU AL-KADHI - AKA Glamrou. An established screenwriter, Amrou has several TV shows and feature films in development. Their book, _Life as a Unicorn_, was awarded the Polari First Book Prize and a Somerset Maugham award. Amrou's drag show, _GLAMROU_, recently had a sell-out run at the Soho Theatre and received rave reviews. Their short films have premiered on BBC4, PBS, the BFI, amongst others. THE DEFINING BOOK ON THE ICONIC NOUGHTIES-ERA OF POP CULTURE IN LONDON AS TOLD BY DJ JODIE HARSH, WHO SAW, DID AND SURVIVED IT ALL. _Jodie Harsh arrived in London aged fifteen in 2001, heading straight off the train from Canterbury to her first club night at the Astoria. Intoxicated by this initial taste of city nightlife, she didn't leave the party for years, falling in with the right wrong people and exploring the sides of London best experienced under cover of darkness. _ _Throughout the noughties, from Camden and Soho to Mayfair, from Notting Hill and Primrose Hill to Hackney Road, the city was a messy, beating, slick and sordid melting pot. New music, new fashion, new art, all came together in a mad, dizzying rush before - and during - the financial crash of 2008. Different scenes collided, exploded, were reborn and shaped across the city, at rapid speed. _ _Harsh grabs us by the hand and leads us back to those decadent times: from the Astoria to The Cross, the Soho Revue Bar to Mahiki, Boombox to The End and her famous friends' houses; to a time before social media and cameraphones were ubiquitous and a life without their perpetual scrutiny allowed for a more liberated, hedonistic and creative existence. You had to be there, and Jodie Harsh was. Every single night._

_A new work of memoir from bestselling novelist Sebastian Faulks_ In _Fires Which Burned Brightly_, Faulks, a reluctant memoirist, offers readers a series of detailed snapshots from a life in progress. They include a post-war rural childhood - 'cold mutton and wet washing on a rack over the range' - the booze-sodden heyday of Fleet Street and a career as one of the country's most acclaimed novelists. There are not one, but two daring escapes from boarding school; the delirium of a jetlagged American book tour; the writing of _Birdsong_ in his brother's house in 1992; and memorable trips across the channel to France. Politics, psychiatry and frustrated ventures into the world of entertainment are analysed with patience and rueful humour. The book is driven by a desire 'to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.' It ends with a tribute to Faulks's parents and a sense of how his own generation was shaped by the disruptive power of war and its aftermath. SHARPLY PERCEPTIVE AND ALIVE WITH A GENEROUS WIT, _FIRES WHICH BURNED BRIGHTLY_ IS A WORK OF SUBTLE YET PROFOUND INTELLIGENCE AND WARMTH. SEBASTIAN FAULKS has written nineteen books, of which _A Week in December_ and _The Fatal Englishman_ were number one in the _Sunday Times_ bestseller lists. He is best known for _Birdsong_, part of his French trilogy, and _Human Traces_, the first in an ongoing Austrian trilogy. Before becoming a full-time writer, he worked as a journalist on national papers. He has also written screenplays and has appeared in small roles on stage.

AN _OBSERVER_ BEST DEBUT NOVEL 2025 'I couldn't put this book down' - SHEENA PATEL, AUTHOR OF _I'M A FAN_ 'THIS IS POWERFUL, MASTERFUL STORYTELLING BY ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING WRITERS AT WORK TODAY' - Colin Walsh, author of _Kala_ 'Perfectly pitched, surefooted, and charged with feeling' - COLIN BARRETT, AUTHOR of _WILD HOUSES_ 'WHAT A BEAUTIFUL, HILARIOUS BLAST OF BRILLIANCE' - Donal Ryan, author of _Heart, Be at Peace_ FROM THE PRIZE-WINNING AUTHOR OF _DANCE MOVE_ AND _SWEET HOME_, THIS IS AN ASTOUNDING NOVEL ABOUT INTIMATE HISTORIES, CLASS AND MONEY - AND WHAT BEING A PARENT MEANS. Meet Frankie, Miriam and Bronagh: three very different women from Belfast, but all mothers to 18-year-old boys. Gorgeous Frankie, now married to a wealthy, older man, grew up in care. Miriam has recently lost her beloved husband Kahlil in ambiguous circumstances. Bronagh, the CEO of a children's services charity, loves celebrity and prestige. When their sons are accused of sexually assaulting a friend, Misty Johnston, they'll come together to protect their children, leveraging all the powers they possess. But on her side, Misty has the formidable matriarch, Nan D, and her father, taxi-driver Boogie: an alliance not so easily dismissed. Brutal, tender and rigorously intelligent, _The Benefactors_ is a daring, polyphonic presentation of modern-day Northern Ireland. It is also very funny. Wendy Erskine is the author of two short story collections, _Sweet Home_ and _Dance Move_. She was shortlisted for the Edge Hill Prize and the Republic of Consciousness Prize, longlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize and _Sunday Times_ Audible Short Story Award, and she received the Butler Literary Award and the Edge Hill Readers' Choice Award. She edited the art anthology _well I just kind of like it_. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, she is a frequent broadcaster and interviewer, and works as a secondary school teacher in Belfast. _The Benefactors_ is her debut novel.

We are delighted to welcome back to Bath Alison Weir for her latest history book, _Queens at War_. TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY, LOVE AND LOSS, MURDER AND MALICE IN THE LIVES OF FIVE FIFTEENTH-CENTURY QUEENS The fifteenth century was a turbulent age: the Hundred Years War between England and France, and the Wars of the Roses dominated the lives of people both inside and out of the royal courts. Joan of Navarre, Katherine of Valois, Margaret of Anjou, Elizabeth Wydeville and Anne Neville were the queens who stood by England's sovereigns, caught up in wars that changed the course of their lives, and the course of history. They were also formidable women who defied the limitations of their times, often living out the brutal consequences of their determination. Alison Weir uncovers their stories in this final volume of her ground-breaking series on the queens of medieval England. _Queens at War_ is a stunning culmination of research by a historian at the full extent of her powers and gripping account of five women on the throne. ALISON WEIR is one of Britain's top-selling historians. She is the author of numerous works of history and historical fiction, specialising in the medieval and Tudor periods. Her bestselling history books include _The Six Wives of Henry VIII_, _Eleanor of Aquitaine_, _Elizabeth of York_ and _The Lost Tudor Princess_. Her novels include _Innocent Traitor_, _Katherine of Aragon: The True Queen_ and _Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession_. She is an Honorary Life Patron of Historic Royal Palaces and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Join us for a very exciting public signing with much-loved children's author and illustrator, oliver jeffers! Jeffers' latest picture book is_ I'M VERY BUSY: A (NEARLY FORGOTTEN) BIRTHDAY BOOK;_ a poignant - and laugh-out-loud funny - story about our busy lives and how we can fix our mistakes to show our friends how much we care. It's Bridget's birthday, and she thinks it would be fun to spend the day with friends. But Royal has places to go, Rodney has to see a man about a dog, Regis has to wash his hair and Pearl has a list of items she needs to cross off as quickly as she can. Bridget's friends are all too busy to hang out! Will Bridget have to spend her birthday all alone? In a story that shows how friends are more important than the busy-ness of a day, Oliver Jeffers's bold and brilliant art pairs with a powerful story that makes readers realise what truly matters. Please note: Each place booked will include a copy of the book for Oliver to sign. One family can attend under one booking, but if you would like multiple books you will need to purchase the equivalent number of vouchers.

Welcome to GHOULS, GOBLINS AND ALIENS, our new Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror reading group. Your hosts, May and Roxane, will guide you through what’s great, what’s new, and what’s completely underrated, every month until the end of the world (mwhahah, etc. etc). This month, we'll be reading _BURY YOUR GAYS_ by Chuck Tingle, our first horror novel! Exploring Hollywood's relationship with LGBTQ+ characters and creators, how AI can impact creativity, and the struggle for authenticity, _BURY YOUR GAYS_ is a satirical romp that is as funny as it is spooky. _Please note: This book group is for 18+_ _Misha is a jaded scriptwriter who has been working in Hollywood for years, and has just been nominated for his first Oscar. But when he's pressured by his producers to kill off a gay character in the upcoming season finale―"for the algorithm"―Misha discovers that it's not that simple._ _As he is haunted by his past, and past mistakes, Misha must risk everything to find a way to do what's right―before it's too late._

_We are delighted to welcome incredible journalist and TV presenter,_ _JULIA BRADBURY,_ _to the bookshop for an evening discussing medicine, fitness, and the health hacks that can change your life._ Following her own battle with cancer, Julia embarked on a rigorous journey to reclaim her health. Through countless tests and examinations – both physical and emotional – she sought to answer one pivotal question: Can you go from a cancer diagnosis to being healthier and fitter than ever before? In_ Hack Yourself Healthy_ Julia embarks on a journey to test, trial, and discover medically-backed ways to improve her healthspan by optimising her wellbeing, which led her to discover a benign cyst “smack bang” in the middle of her brain. _Hack Yourself Healthy_ draws from all the research, interviews with world-renowned experts and personal experiments that Julia has carried out during the last two years. AT THIS EVENT JULIA WILL DISCUSS THE PRACTICAL TIPS AND ACCESSIBLE SCIENCE-BASED STRATEGIES SHE’S DISCOVERED IN HER JOURNEY TO OPTIMISE EVERY ASPECT OF OUR HEALTH AND WELLBEING. JULIA BRADBURY is a well-loved television presenter, author, nature advocate, charity campaigner and _Sunday Times_ bestselling author of _Walk Yourself Happy_. She is best known for turning her lifelong passion for walking into prime-time TV with shows including Britain's Best Walks, Cornwall and Devon Walks with Julia Bradbury and Wainwright's Walks in the Lake District. Following her breast cancer diagnosis and her recovery from a mastectomy in 2021, she made an award-winning documentary Julia Bradbury: Breast Cancer & Me about her experience. She has supported prostate, ovarian and bowel cancer charities for many years and also campaigns for better diagnosis, research and funding into the disease Endometriosis.

_Skye Mcalpine Brings Us Magic Making, Feasting and Making Merry in Her New Christmas Companion._ _Talk & Tastings_ _The Christmas Companion_ is the indispensable guide to a cosy, relaxed and memorable Christmas from home cook, food writer and expert host Skye McAlpine. The book opens with a section on how to plan a magical Christmas which includes craft ideas such as wreaths, homemade decorations, advent calendars and crackers, tips on the best times to order trees, cards, presents and food. There are also lots of ideas for edible gifts including _Candy Cane Hot Chocolate Sticks_ and _Cocoa and Panettone Truffles_. Greet your guests with an _Amarena Amaretto Sour_ or a _Chestnut Martini_, feast on Pomegranate-Glazed Turkey to _Camembert & Cranberry Pithivier_ and _Cranberry & Zabaione Trifle_. And for those who want to get ahead with menu planning, the final section contains menu plans for different festive gatherings, table setting ideas, a glossary of the key Christmas ingredients to have to hand and a planner section giving tools, lists and space for notes so that you can refer back to your notes and plans year after year. _'I LOVE CHRISTMAS. I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED CHRISTMAS. I LOVE THE BONHOMIE AND THE CONVIVIALITY AND THE EXCESS OF IT ALL: THE FOOD, THE SWEETS, THE BRANDY-LADEN PUDDINGS, THE RUSTLE OF TISSUE PAPER ON CHRISTMAS MORNING, THE JOLLINESS OF SING-ALONG CAROLS. I LOVE THAT SWEET, OUTDOORSY SMELL OF A REAL FIR TREE AND THE TWINKLING LIGHTS IN THE STREET AT NIGHT. I EVEN LOVE HOW BUSTLING AND BUSY THE SHOPS GET IN THAT LAST MAD RUSH BEFORE THE DAY ITSELF. I LOVE IT ALL. SO, TO HAVE THE EXCUSE TO LOSE MYSELF HERE IN THE UNADULTERATED JOY OF EGG NOG-FUELLED HOLIDAY BAKING, TO CONJURE UP FESTIVE MENU UPON FESTIVE MENU FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS, THIS IS TRULY MY HAPPIEST PLACE' SKYE_ _'Skye's unabashed love for Christmas shines through these pages like a golden star placed high on a tree.'_ _Luke Edward Hall_ Skye McAlpine is a cookery writer who believes that food tastes best when shared with others. She is author of three other cookbooks, _A TABLE IN VENICE, A TABLE FOR FRIENDS_ and _A TABLE FULL OF LOVE_. She writes a monthly recipe column for The Sunday Times, as well as the popular Substack newsletter, ‘_THE DOLCE VITA DIARIES_’; and contributes to publications from around the world. When she’s not cooking or writing, Skye works on designs for her own range of tabletop essentials, Skye McAlpine _TAVOLA_. She lives between Venice, where she grew up and where her heart lies, and London, where her work most often takes her.

Join us for _The Burning Grounds_, the next thrilling novel from the author of the British Book Awards Crime Thriller of the Year 2025, _Hunted, _Abir Mukherjee. 'AN UNMISSABLE SERIES' _The Times_ 'CAPTIVATING, MOVING AND EXCITING, IT'S HISTORICAL FICTION AT ITS FINEST' _Sunday Express_ IN THE BURNING GHATS OF CALCUTTA WHERE THE DEAD ARE LAID TO REST, A MAN IS FOUND MURDERED, HIS THROAT CUT FROM EAR TO EAR. The body is that of a popular patron of the arts, a man who was, by all accounts, beloved by all: so what was the motive for his murder? Despite being out of favour with the Imperial Police Force, Detective Sam Wyndham is assigned to the case and finds himself thrust into the glamorous world of Indian cinema. Meanwhile Surendranath Banerjee, recently returned from Europe after three years spent running from the fallout of his last case, is searching for a missing photographer; a trailblazing woman at the forefront of the profession. When Suren discovers that the vanished woman is linked to Sam's murder investigation, the two men find themselves working together once again - but will Wyndham and Banerjee be able to put their differences aside to solve the case? ABIR MUKHERJEE is the bestselling author of the award-winning Wyndham & Banerjee series of crime novels set in 1920s India and the British Book Awards Crime Thriller of the Year 2025 _Hunted_. His books have been translated into sixteen languages and won various awards including the CWA Dagger for best Historical Novel, the Prix du Polar Europeen, and the Wilbur Smith Award for Adventure Writing.

From the bestselling author of _Femina_, a brilliant reappraisal of the medieval women whose lives have been exploited over centuries for political, nation-building ends. In _LEGENDA_, bestselling historian Professor Janina Ramirez peels back the layers of time to reveal how the identities of women have been co-opted by those intent on crafting national identities. Their names are well-known, and summaries of their achievements have been recited in classrooms for decades, but medieval women like Joan of Arc, Lady Godiva and Isabella of Castile have been misrepresented, their stories twisted and weaponised. Meanwhile, ground-breaking 18th and 19th-century women who blazed a trail through revolutionary Europe have been forgotten, their legacies too easily dismissed or ignored. Questioning established narratives and searching for the real women behind the legends, Ramirez interrogates what defines a nation and who gets to build it, shining a light on how history is so often hijacked to serve the ideological and political interests of the present. 'RAMIREZ BLASTS A POWERFUL SPOTLIGHT INTO THE SO-CALLED DARK AGES AND REVEALS A VIBRANT WORLD, AWASH WITH COLOUR AND CHARACTER' DAN SNOW 'SKILLFULLY BRINGS OUT FROM THE SHADOWS THE LIVES OF WOMEN WHO RULED, FOUGHT, TRADED, CREATED, AND INSPIRED' CAT JARMAN Professor Janina Ramirez is a _Sunday Times_ bestselling author, an Oxford lecturer, BBC broadcaster and researcher. She has presented and written over 30 hours of BBC history documentaries and series on TV and radio, and written seven books for children and adults. Her book _Femina_ was an instant Sunday Times bestseller.

If you feel like you're running out of time, if you're grieving a relationship or worried you haven't yet experienced one, if you're falling in love, if you're unsure what to do with your life or if you're making the right decisions, if you find yourself comparing your milestones to everyone else's, if you feel weighed down by the pressure to succeed, if you feel like you're growing one day but feel stuck the next, if you're finding yourself or if you feel lost... THIS is a poetry collection for YOU. Featuring an array of personal reflections, illustrations, never-before-seen poems and much-loved viral hits, _I Don't Want To Settle_ is a candid and relatable companion for growth and healing by Dan Whitlam. Dan Whitlam is a poet, spoken word artist, rapper and actor from South London. He has gained traction from his music videos on TikTok which narrate the lives of 20-somethings through spoken word and rap. His soulful voice and poignant lyrics have quickly made him one-to-watch. His poetry has been featured on BBC Radio 4, Radio 1 and Radio London as well as in a series of successful shows performed in venues around London. This has earned him a place as one of the most 'intriguing' up and comers in the UK alternative hip hop scene (Jess Iszatt - BBC Radio London/ Radio 1).

A very special complimentary evening with the author of the runaway fiction hit of 2025: _Rejection!_ This novel has taken our bookselling cohort by storm. It's brilliantly filthy, bitingly clever and comes from one of the brightest stars of contemporary fiction, Tony Tulathimutte. The National Book Award longlistee is visiting us all the way from the USA and we want to celebrate his latest book with as many of our readers as possible - so we're offering places to this event free of charge! If you reserve a place and cannot make it, please let us know by sending an email to [email protected] or giving us a call at 01225 428111. _Sharply observant and outrageously funny,_ _REJECTION_ _is a provocative plunge into the thorniest problems of modern life: sex, relationships, identity and the internet._ _We see a tryhard male feminist's passionate allyship turn to a furious and debilitating nihilism as he realizes, over thirty lonely years, that his feminism isn't getting him laid; a young woman's unrequited crush spirals into borderline obsession and the systematic destruction of both her sense of self and her group chat; and witness a shy late bloomer's flailing efforts at a first relationship lead to a life-upending mistake. As these characters pop up in each other's dating apps and social media feeds, or meet in dimly lit bars and bedrooms, they reveal the ways that our delusions can warp our desire for connection._ _Written with the accomplished authority of a modern classic and the manic intensity of a losers' manifesto,_ _REJECTION_ _by Tony Tulathimutte radically redefines what it means to be rejected by lovers, friends, society and oneself._ PRAISE FOR _REJECTION_: 'Utterly inimitable' RAVEN LEILANI 'Unrelentingly brutal and gut-bustingly funny and spares no one' CARMEN MARIA MACHADO 'Symbiotically serious and funny' MEGAN NOLAN 'A book of mad, madcap genius' GARTH GREENWELL 'Most insane, funniest book I've ever read' BOWEN YANG 'Perverse, profane, and profound ... will make your skin crawl' _Esquire_, Best Books of the Year 'Divinely appalling, almost sublimely ghastly ... It is quite difficult to laugh so hard while also being goldfish-mouthed at its audacity' _The Scotsman_ 'With the prose-dial turned up to gasp-inducing Nabokov and Amis levels... one of the boldest works in recent memory' _Granta_ 'Gutting... Cleverly satirizes a heartless world' _TIME_, 100 Must-Read Books of the Year

The WORLD LITERATURE READING GROUP aims to showcase literature written outside of the anglophone world. On our journey we will make a variety of stops in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Oceania, tracking down the masterpieces that have otherwise been overlooked. In this fifth group, we will discuss Alejo Carpentier’s _Explosion in a Cathedral_. When he arrives in Cuba at the close of the eighteenth century, Victor Hugues, a merchant sailor from Marseille brings with him not only the idealism of the French Revolution but also its ambition and desire for bloodshed. Landing at the Havana doorstep of three wealthy Creole adolescent orphans, he leads them across the Caribbean Sea to Guadeloupe, into the midst of the immense changes sweeping the world outside their life in Havana. As Victor's ideals begin to warp and change to fit shifting policies, the trio can no longer bear his betrayal of revolutionary ideas. What ensues in this magical realist masterpiece speaks to the frightening and corrupting allure of power. “What does this novel have to tell us about colonialism, globalization, feminism, human rights, the rights of nature, transculturation, migration, war? [...] The world of this novel is—much like our own, in fact—complex, protean, ambivalent, filled with characters who fluctuate between feeling fascinated and repulsed by the present, between heroism and mediocrity, between opportunistic conformity and radical idealism. [...] _Explosion in a Cathedral_ continues to accompany us, to question us, to challenge and move us, and ultimately to help us in the arduous and terrible exercise of reading the world.” (ALEJANDRO ZAMBRA, _PARIS REVIEW_) “Juxtaposing engrossing accounts of political and actual tempests raging across the Caribbean with elaborate descriptions of luxuriant decay and the idle trappings of the _ancien régime_, this lush, erudite period piece by Carpentier brings to visceral life the intellectual ferment and inevitable disillusionment of the Age of Reason, with pungent force. A landmark of Latin American literature.” (DAVID WRIGHT, _LIBRARY JOURNAL_)

Join us for a special evening celebrating not one, not two, but FOUR fantastic books! 'WHEN THE SNOW FALLS QUICKLY, IT BRINGS DRAMATIC CHANGE. HARE, RABBIT AND BIRD TRACKS BECOME VISIBLE IN THE LANES AND FIELDS.' With the much-awaited release of the latest in Angela Harding's seasonal quartet, _Winter's Song_, join us and Angela as she talks all about her beautiful collection which is comprised of _Spring Unfurled_, _Summer's Hum_, _Falling Into Autumn_, and now _Winter's Song_. Featuring over thirty of Angela Harding's favourite prints alongside observations taken from her books _A Year Unfolding_, _Wild Light_ and _Still Waters & Wild Waves_, each short, small book in this seasonal collection is a beautiful new way to enjoy Angela's work and celebrate nature and wildlife across the UK at all times of year. As all books in the collection are priced at £12.99, you can redeem your voucher against any of them. Please note it is one voucher redeemable per book. Angela has worked on the covers for a number of books: including P D James, Ted Hughes, Katya Balen and James Rebanks. Her children's book _RSPB Birds_ by Miranda Krestovnikoff was longlisted for the Klaus Flugge prize. Her most recent children's book _Wilding,_ by Isabella Tree, is an illustrated adaptation of the bestselling book of the name. Other recent publications include _Blossomise_ by Simon Armitage, a Sunday Times bestseller.

Elly Griffiths makes her much-anticipated return to bath to celebrate the paperback release of _The Frozen People: _the first book in a brand new series from the author of the bestselling Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries. If you're missing Ruth and Nelson, wait till you meet Ali and Cain. Ali Dawson is a police officer working on crimes so old, the joke goes, that they are not only cold but frozen. What most people don't know is that the team travels back in time to complete their research - a process pioneered by the mysterious Italian physicist, Serafina Pelligrini. So far the team has only ventured a few years back but Ali's boss has a new assignment for her. He wants her to step back to 1850, the heart of the Victorian Age, to clear the name of Cain Templeton, the eccentric great-grandfather of Tory MP Isaac Templeton. To prepare for the challenge ahead, Ali researches the Victorian era. She learns that Cain Templeton was part of a sinister group called The Collectors, the rumour being that you had to kill a woman to become a member. Duly prepared, she arrives in London in January 1850, at the peak of the so-called mini ice age, to start her journey in a house used by artists, with a dead woman at her feet. Soon she finds herself in extreme danger. Even worse - she appears to be stuck, unable to make her way back to the present, to her life and to her son, Finn.

_"By the age of 14, I decided I would be a photographer. 'It's what I will do for the rest of my life, until I drop dead.' I knew when I was very young. It was a definite decision. Don't ask me why. I just knew it was the right thing." -_ Martin Parr We are delighted to welcome esteemed photographer MARTIN PARR to Bath to display and discuss his autobiography. This definitive account of his life tells not only his story, from quiet suburban collector to British documentary photographer extraordinaire and world traveller, but also delves into his process and approach to both the job and cultural role of a photographer. _UTTERLY LAZY AND INATTENTIVE_ is an insightful and beautiful book and this event will take us into its pages as Martin presents a selection of images and dissects them. We will learn about how they came to be as well as what they mean to him and the impact they have had on his career. When Martin Parr was fourteen, his teacher wrote that he was 'utterly lazy and inattentive' in a school report. He went on to become one of the most successful and sought-after photographers in the world. Now, for the first and only time, Martin has produced a book about himself, telling his own story, in his own words. This autobiography combines over 150 of Martin's photographs - from his earliest snapshots to the work he is doing today - with his recollections and reflections on each image. We see society changing over his decades of work, from the demise of steam trains, through the opening of the first McDonald's in Moscow, to the transformations of the post-pandemic world. As Martin shares his story, his distinctive voice delicately captured by his friend, the writer Wendy Jones, he also reveals his tricks for gaining access and getting the shot and divulges his particular passions: for crowds and queues, fetes and placards, bad weather on beaches, and more.

This Black History Month, we're thrilled to be hosting Emma Slade Edmondson and Nicole Ocran, hosts of the award-winning podcast mixed up. their book, _The Half of It,_ is an illuminating exploration of the mixed-race experience. Whether you are mixed, know someone mixed, are a parent committed to sharing a more diverse view of the world with your child, or indeed an adult wanting to expand your views on culture and identity - _The Half of It_ is for you. _The world and its politics are becoming ever more polarised, leaving no room for the light and the shade. In The Half of It, Emma and Nicole explore race and identity through the lens of the mixed-race experience, creating a space for discussion and illuminating the true nuances of the mixed-race identity._ _In The Half of It, Emma and Nicole, hosts of the critically acclaimed podcast Mixed Up, discuss what it truly means to be mixed-race. They delve into everything from culture and identity to interracial relationships, to adoption, to understanding the historical context of mixed-race people - ultimately culminating in a rounder and deeper appreciation for the mixed-identity._ NICOLE OCRAN is writer, journalist and fashion blogger who writes about personal style, culture and identity. Originally from the US, she has been living in London for the last 10 years. EMMA SLADE EDMONDSON is a London-based creative strategist, journalist and recent TEDx speaker. She is also the founder of ESE Consultancy (which works to elevate brands, initiatives and organisations that have a desire to do social and environmental good).

The explosive account of the succession of Elizabeth I from bestselling author Tracy Borman, Chief Historian at Historic Royal Palaces. _'_Compelling and brilliant' - ALISON WEIR 'Part political thriller . . . A thrilling achievement' - KATE WILLIAMS, author of _RIVAL QUEENS_ In March 1603, Queen Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch, lies dying at Richmond Palace. The queen's ministers cluster round her bedside, urging her to name her successor - something she has stubbornly resisted throughout her reign. Almost with her last breath she whispers that James VI of Scotland should succeed her. OR SO WE'VE BEEN LED TO BELIEVE. But, as enthralling new research shows, this is not what happened. Elizabeth went to her grave without formally naming an heir. The notion of an approved succession from Tudors to Stuarts is little more than an elaborately constructed fiction - a fiction that went on to have devastating consequences. The Stuart regime rapidly descended into turbulence and uncertainty, conspiracy and persecution, witchcraft and gunpowder. WITH A COMBINATION OF RIGOROUS RESEARCH AND BRILLIANT STORYTELLING, _THE STOLEN CROWN_ TAKES US BEHIND PALACE DOORS TO REVEAL THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE TUDOR SUCCESSION. Tracy Borman OBE is Chief Historian at Historic Royal Palaces and Chief Executive of the Heritage Education Trust. She studied and taught history at the University of Hull. Tracy is the author of a number of highly acclaimed books including_ Crown & Sceptre, Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him, The Private Lives of the Tudors: Uncovering the Secrets of Britain's Greatest Dynasty, Thomas Cromwell: The Untold Story of Henry VIII's Most Faithful Servant, Matilda: Wife of the Conqueror, First Queen of England, Elizabeth's Women: The Hidden Story of the Virgin Queen and Witches: A Tale of Sorcery, Scandal and Seduction_. Tracy is also a regular broadcaster and public speaker, giving talks on her books across the UK and abroad.

Join us for an evening with B.K. BORISON, bestselling author of _First Time Caller_ and _Lovelight Farms_, to celebrate her new small-town romance: _GOOD SPIRITS_. B.K will be joined by AUTUMN WOODS. Woods is a romance author and aerospace engineer based in the Southwest of the UK. Born in London, Autumn grew up in the countryside. She loves to write agonizing slow burns in gloomy, gothic, or cottagecore settings. Outside writing and engineering, you'll find her painting landscapes, baking bread, rereading the _Lord of the Rings_ and getting lost in the latest high stakes Romantasy novels. _Please note, early bird vouchers_ _DO NOT INCLUDE_ _a copy of the book but are_ _FULLY REDEEMABLE__, meaning that you may have extra to pay on the evening of the event if you would like a copy of the featured book and have an early bird voucher._ _He's the Ghost of Christmas Past. But she's not exactly Scrooge..._ _Nolan Callahan intends to spend this holiday season exactly like every other; haunting the terrible people of Annapolis in his aimless existence as the Ghost of Christmas Past._ _Harriet York is a good person - or, at least, she tries to be. A people pleaser to her core, she always does what's expected of her._ _So, when Nolan is assigned the sweeter-than-candy-canes antique shop owner for his holiday haunting, neither of them have any idea why. To escape one another, Harriet and Nolan must unravel the threads that bind them together - all by Christmas Eve._ _Hand in hand, they uncover each other's pasts, but why is it that Nolan doesn't want to let go? And might Harriet be the key to giving the Ghost of Christmas Past... a future?_ BK will be staying behind to dedicate ONE COPY OF ONE OF HER BOOKS per person; due to travel commitments, she WON'T BE ABLE TO SIGN ANY EXTRA COPIES. The author interviewing this event is TBC. Every attendee can grab a free Good Spirits badge with a copy of the featured book (while stocks last)!

We're delighted to present a festive evening of poetry to celebrate the enchanting new Christmas poem from Carol Ann Duffy, former poet laureate. _It’s Christmas Eve in London’s financial district. A billionaire in his penthouse suite is visited by the ghost of Sarah Whitehead, the grief-stricken nun who has haunted the Bank of England for hundreds of years. What follows is a spellbinding journey through the night and around the globe as the ghost shows the billionaire the human suffering on which his excessive wealth depends. A gorgeously illustrated tale for our times with all the magic of Dickens, reminding us that love is the greatest treasure of all._ Carol Ann Duffy lives in Manchester, where she is Professor and Creative Director of the Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University. Her poetry has received many awards, including the Signal Prize for Children's Verse, the Whitbread, Forward and T. S. Eliot Prizes, and the Lannan and E. M. Forster Prize in America. She was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 2009 to 2019. Her many collections include Mean Time, Love Poems and The Bees, which won the Costa Poetry Award. She was made a DBE in the 2015 New Year Honours list. In 2021, she was awarded the international lifetime achievement award the Golden Wreath for her achievements in poetry.

'A BOOK THAT WHETS YOUR APPETITE BEFORE DEVOURING YOU WHOLE. _GIRL DINNER_ IS CUNNING, CHARGED AND - JUST AS YOU'RE COMFORTABLE - A PROFOUND SHOCK.' Chloe Gong, _New York Times_ bestselling author of _Immortal Longings_ OLIVIE BLAKE, bestselling author of _The Atlas Six_, returns to Bath to celebrate her newest novel: _GIRL DINNER_. Packed with twists, turns, and the aching reality of female rage, this is Olivie Blake as you have never read before. _Please note, early bird vouchers_ _DO NOT INCLUDE_ _a copy of the book but instead are_ _FULLY REDEEMABLE__, meaning that you may have extra to pay on the evening of the event if you would like a copy of the featured book and have an early bird voucher._ _GOOD GIRLS DESERVE A TREAT._ _The House is the most exclusive sorority on campus, and all its alumni are beautiful, high-achieving and respected._ _After a freshman year she would rather forget, sophomore Nina Kaur knows being accepted into The House is the first step to the brightest possible future. The House will surely ease her fears of failure and protect her from those who see a young woman on her own as prey._ _Meanwhile, adjunct professor Dr Sloane Hartley is struggling. After eighteen months at home with her newborn daughter, Sloane's clothes don't fit right; her girl-dad husband isn't as present as he thinks he is; and even the few hours a day she's apart from her child fill her psyche with paralyzing ennui. When invited to be The House's academic liaison, Sloane enviously drinks in a level of collective perfection that Sloane desperately craves._ _As Nina and Sloane each get drawn deeper into the arcane rituals of the sisterhood, they learn that living well comes with bloody costs. And when they are finally invited to the table, they will have to decide just how much they can stomach in the name of solidarity and power._

Join us for the first non-fiction book from comedy legend Charlie Higson - an irresistible deep dive into the murky lives of the British monarchy, featuring fantastic illustrations from the one and only Jim Moir (a.k.a. Vic Reeves). Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee, Harry, Dick, John, Harry three. One, two, three Neds, Richard Two, Henries, four, five, six, then who? Charlie Higson has always been interested in the story of the fabled English monarchy: from the bstardly to the benevolent, brilliant to the brutal. In this wonderful new book, with the famous rhyme he learned at school as his trusty guide, Charlie takes the plunge into the storied history of this most treasured of institutions - introducing readers to every single ruler since poor Harold was shot in the eye at the Battle of Hastings. Bloody treachery? Check. Unruly incest? Check. Short parliaments? Check. A couple of Cromwells? Check. A rip-roaring journey that takes in the Normans, Stuarts and Tudors, not to mention the infamous Blois (how can we forget them?), _Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee_ is an utterly engrossing and grossly entertaining primer on who ruled when and why. CHARLIE HIGSON is an actor, author and comedian. He was actor and co-writer on _The Fast Show_ alongside Paul Whitehouse, before finding literary success with his bestselling series of Young Bond novels (published by Puffin).

Join us to celebrate the highly-anticipated follow up to the viral sensation _BUNNY_, with bestselling author MONA AWAD. _WE LOVE YOU, BUNNY_ is a laugh-out-loud funny, dark and delirious novel set in the Bunny-verse - a world that Margaret Atwood declared 'soooo genius'. _In the cult classic novel_ _BUNNY__, Samantha Heather Mackey, a lonely outsider student at a highly selective MFA program in New England, was first ostracised and then seduced by a clique of her saccharine sweet, rich girl cohort._ _When We Love You, Bunny opens, Sam has just published her first novel to critical acclaim. But at a New England stop on her book tour, her one-time frenemies, furious at the way they've been portrayed, kidnap her. Now a captive audience, it's her (and our) turn to hear the Bunnies' side of the story. Open your hearts to a dazzlingly original and darkly hilarious romp in the Bunny-verse from the queen of the fever dream, Mona Awad._ MONA AWAD is the bestselling author of the novels _Rouge, All's Well, Bunny, _and _13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl. _Margaret Atwood named Awad her "literary heir" in The New York Times's T Magazine. She teaches fiction in the creative writing program at Syracuse University and is based in Boston.

We Are Thrilled to Be Hosting Master of Horror, Eric Larocca (in Conversation with Keith Rosson of _Coffin Moon_ and _The Devil by Name_) for a very special halloween extravaganza this October - complete with a ghoulish cocktail on arrival... "Confident, brutal, and breathtaking... must-read horror" THE NEW YORK TIMES "Body horror at its best... Eric LaRocca is not only good: there's courage in his literature" MARIANA ENRIQUEZ "Some horror walks you down a dark corridor, where there's whispers and laughter, sobs and screams. Other horror starts down at the end of that corridor, where there's a door that opens on to you don't know what. Read this, and then decide where Eric LaRocca has left you. Not that it matters. There's no way out." STEPHEN GRAHAM JONES LAROCCA'S NEW BOOK IS THEIR MOST BRUTAL, BRILLIANT AND HAUNTING YET. IT SIMPLY MUST NOT BE MISSED! _The lives of those residing in the isolated town of Burnt Sparrow, New Hampshire, are forever altered after three faceless entities arrive on Christmas morning to perform a brutal act of violence-a senseless tragedy that can never be undone. While the townspeople grieve their losses and grapple with the aftermath of the attack, a young teenage boy named Rupert Cromwell is forced to confront the painful realities of his family situation. Once relationships become intertwined and more carnage ensues as a result of the massacre, the town residents quickly learn that true retribution is futile, cruelty is earned, and certain thresholds must never be crossed no matter what._ _Engrossing, atmospheric, and unsettling, this is a devastating story of a small New England community rocked by an unforgivable act of violence. Writing with visceral intensity and profound eloquence, LaRocca journeys deep into the dark heart of Burnt Sparrow, leaving you chilled to the bone and wanting more._ ERIC LAROCCA (HE/THEY) is a 3x Bram Stoker Award finalist and Splatterpunk Award winner. He was named by Esquire as one of the "Writers Shaping Horror's Next Golden Age" and praised by Locus as "one of the strongest and most unique voices in contemporary horror fiction." LaRocca's most notable works include _Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, Everything the Darkness Eats,_ and _At Dark, I Become Loathsome._ KEITH ROSSON is the author of the critically acclaimed Fever House duology, and novels _Smoke City, Road Seven_, and _The Mercy of the Tide_, as well as the Shirley Jackson Award-winning story collection _Folk Songs for Trauma Surgeons_. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his family.

Welcome to the feminist fiction reading group! Each month, we will dive into a fantastic piece of fiction written by a female author. This June, that book will be _The Damages_ by Genevieve Scott, published by Verve Books. _What I remember best about that week in January is trying to keep track of all the lies I told..._ In 1998 Ontario has been hit by a days-long, life-endangering ice storm, and on Regis University campus, with classes cancelled, the students are partying. In the midst of it all, eighteen-year-old Ros's roommate Megan goes missing. As a panicked search ensues, Ros is blamed for not keeping a closer eye on Megan, and the incident casts a shadow over the next two decades of her life. In 2020 Ros's former partner, Lukas, the father of her eleven-year-old son, is accused of a sexual assault. The accusation brings new details of an old story to light, forcing Ros to revisit a dark moment from her past. Ros must take a hard look not only at the father of her child, but also at her own mistakes, her own trauma, and at the supposedly liberal period she grew up in. 'A propulsive story about the complexities of trust, the cruelties in relationships, and the space between meaning well and doing good. Genevieve Scott is a fresh, brilliant voice in fiction' -- Leah Mol, author of Sharp Edges

Cookery demo, talk & tastings from Baku to Beijing _‘Anna Ansari is a rare kind of home cook who is able to turn the simplest_ _ingredients into pure magic. She’s also one of the best writers I know.’_ MEERA SODHA _SILK_ _ROADS: A FLAVOUR ODYSSEY WITH RECIPES FROM BAKU TO BEIJING_ is a rich and delicious celebration of the world’s most famous trade routes, retold through recipes. Shortlisted for the prestigious _JANE GRIGSON TRUST AWARD_ and the _YAN-KIT SO AWARD FOR FOOD WRITERS IN ASIA_, Iranian-American food writer ANNA ANSARI takes us on an unforgettable culinary, historical and personal odyssey across Asia. Weaving together recipes and essays that explore threads of food, trade, and travel, Ansari brings to life the flavours of the Silk Roads– from the walnut groves of her Iranian father’s childhood, across Uzbek markets brimming with fragrant melons, to steaming bowls of noodles eaten in the backstreets of China. From BAKU to BEIJING, TASHKENT to TBILISI and beyond, discover delectable recipes rooted in the fabled trading routes that connected East Asia with Western Europe. Dive into warming and hearty Azeri-Iranian stews served with crispy-bottomed rice, dill-infused noodles from Western Uzbekistan, cheesy Georgian cornbread, and mouth-watering Uyghur lamb chops. Enjoy fresh, zingy salads, and all kinds of comforting dumplings and breads. Savour refreshing drinks and sharbats, and devour American- and British-inspired desserts, like Apple and Quince Pie, Sticky Maple Persimmon Pudding, and Spiced Walnut Blondies. Made with simple and accessible ingredients, these are dishes you’ll return to time and time again. With fascinating historical insights, witty anecdotes and personal tales, essays peppered throughout the cookbook trace the traditions, ingredients and people of a unique food culture, and take you on a delicious, momentous journey. Stunning family and location photography and sumptuous food imagery transport, inspire and tantalize. This is a journey and a cookbook like no other. _‘ANNA ANSARI IS A WISE, WITTY AND HUNGRY GUIDE WHO TAKES US ON A SUPERB CULINARY JOURNEY ALONG SILK ROADS LESS TRAVELLED.’ JAY RAYNER_ ANNA ANSARI has a background in Asian studies, with a BA from Barnard College, Columbia University and an MA from Yale University. Her writing focuses on the intersection of food, family, and history, with special a attention to the immigrant experience and foods of the Asian continent. She is particularly interested in the ways food, flavours, and ingredients move across borders, carried in the memories and pockets of travellers and transplants. You can find more of her writing in Pit Magazine, Eaten Magazine and Fillerzine. An Iranian-American from Detroit and former international customs and trade a orney, Anna lives in London with her husband, son and cat. _‘A book of delicious recipes interwoven with histories, family stories and a good dash of humour is what we all need just now._ _Silk_ _Roads_ _promises to be such an important and lively book.’_ OLIA HERCULES _‘A real feast – vividly evocative, witty, stylish and enlightening. Utterly delicious. I can’t remember the last time I felt this keen to dig in_.’ FELICITY CLOAKE _‘With gorgeous recipes and engaging stories, Anna Ansari tells a tale of food which is both personal and global in its scope_.’ TIM ANDERSON _‘A fascinating and meticulously researched blend of recipes, history and memoir, this cookbook deserves a place alongside Olia Hercules_ Mamushka_, Sabrina Ghayour's_ Persiana _and Sami Tamimi's _Jerusalem.’ RUKMINI IYER

We are delighted to welcome Jennifer Ramkalawon to the bookshop to discuss _Nordic Noir_, a new book that showcases the British museum’s remarkable collection of graphic art from the post-war period to the present day from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland. _Nordic Noir_ accompanies a major exhibition at the British museum in October 2025. The overwhelmingly spectacular landscape of the region features prominently in many of the featured works – dark fjords, uninhabited mountain ranges and heavily forested areas contrast with densely crowded, highly developed urban spaces viewed through the Nordic lens. The Indigenous Sami people living in the northern part of Scandinavia and Russia address issues such as their own heritage and identity within the Nordic world. Regional identity is also explored from pride in the artists’ own native countries to coded references to their ‘Viking’ past. The book also features works by contemporary Nordic artists who are constantly challenging the idea of the ‘perfect’ Scandinavian social world often projected by these countries to outsiders. BEAUTIFULLY PRESENTED, THIS STUNNING NEW BOOK CELEBRATES ARTWORK FROM SOME OF THE LEADING ARTISTS FROM THE NORDIC COUNTRIES. _JENNIFER RAMKALAWON__ is Curator of Modern and Contemporary Nordic Graphic Art at the British Museum. Previous publications include Maggi Hambling: Touch (2016), Kitaj Prints: A Catalogue Raisonné (2013), Love and Marriage (2008) and Toulouse-Lautrec (2007)._

An evening with chef Stephen Harris, a somewhat anarchic figure in the food world whose pub, _The Sportsman_ has become a mecca for travelling chefs and restaurateurs, including Noma’s _Rene Redzepi_. _THE SPORTSMAN_ is nothing short of an institution. Now in its 25th year, chef STEPHEN HARRIS took over a rundown pub on the Kent coast in 1999 and turned something ordinary into something extraordinary with his pared-back style of cooking, earning (and retaining) a Michelin star, as well as being named the UK’s best restaurant multiple times. It’s a cult classic both adored by professionals from all over the world, and a truly beloved, unpretentious local. In The Sportsman at Home, Stephen Harris welcomes us into his kitchen in Whitstable to discover his favourite ingredients and show us how to apply the simple ethos of his iconic restaurant to home cooking. With chapters covering ‘Dinner’, ‘Nostalgia’, ‘Christmas’ and ‘An Ode to Cream’, Stephen captures the imagination for simple cooking with his love of seasonal, local produce. Including dishes such as Pork Chop with Charred Leeks, Coq au Vin, Cream of Soups and Blackcurrant and Almond Tart, Stephen reintroduces familiar favourites, made simpler, and much better. With stunning location photography of the Kent landscape that serves as Stephen’s inspiration,_ The Sportsman at Home _is a true celebration of simple food at its very best, from one of the most respected chefs in the UK. Self-taught chef STEPHEN HARRIS opened Michelin-starred THE SPORTSMAN in Seasalter, Kent, in 1999. It has been crowned National Restaurant of the Year multiple times. His first book, The Sportsman, won Guild of Food Writers, Andre Simon and Fortnum and Mason awards. Stephen is also the Executive Chef of Noble Rot. _TALK, DEMO & TASTINGS_

A gloriously gluggable wine tasting with our most charismatic wine expert who will entertain us with hilarious life, wine, and food stories. This is not simply a wine book, it's about living the good life while cherishing each sip along the way. For Tom Gilbey the two are inseparable. Tom invites readers to discover the joy, hilarity, and humanity of wine in THIRSTY, a vibrant memoir-meets-guide bursting with unforgettable wines and the even juicier stories behind them. _THIRSTY_ is the story of Tom’s life in wine. A celebration of all the fascinating characters who make it, and a history of the Gilbey’s family love affair with winemaking and – let's be honest – drinking since the 1800s. _‘I LIKE TO TALK ABOUT WINE THE WAY NORMAL HUMANS TALK ABOUT THINGS THEY LOVE – IT’S NOT ABOUT SHOWING OFF HOW MANY FANCY WINE TERMS I KNOW. THE POINT IS TO SHARE SOMETHING I LOVE WITH SOMEONE ELSE IN A WAY THAT MAKES THEM WANT TO LOVE IT TOO_.’ Tom Gilbey Learn all about: - HOW TO READ A LABEL (EVEN IF YOU CAN’T SPEAK THE LANGUAGE) - TALK WINE WITHOUT SOUNDING NAFF - CHOOSE WINE IN A RESTAURANT - EXPLAIN WHY SOME WINE MIGHT SMELL LIKE YOUR GRANNY’S CARDIGAN You will travel with Tom to a Chateaux in France’s Beaujolais, vineyards in England’s Thames Valley, wineries in Australia’s Hunter Valley and the unsung aisles of Sainsbury’s Waitrose, Majestic and – rest in peace – Oddbins. Tom shares with us how this gloriously gluggable elixir is, at its heart, made to bring pleasure, to bring people together, and to make us slow down - taking time to savour not just the food and drink on the table, but, the moment itself. TOM GILBEY is an award-winning wine expert, with an unrivalled career in wine for over two centuries. His family were pioneers in the wine trade, owning Chateau Loudenne in Bordeaux and founding the legendary Gilbey’s Gin. With over 30 years in the industry – from winemaker to merchant to viral sensation – Tom has an unmatched knowledge, energy and passion for making wine approachable and fun, and is now leading a new wave of wine lovers into the fold.

A landmark new collection from T. S. Eliot prize-winner Sarah Howe, navigating the complex inheritance of family, language and colonialism through the portrait of motherhood. So begins Sarah Howe’s extraordinary new collection, returning to the riddle of belonging she explored in her award-winning debut, Loop of Jade. At the heart is her own mother’s clouded past: abandoned as a baby and taken in, at the turbulent dawn of Communist China, by a woman with her own hidden motives. Now a mother herself, Howe finds herself re-examining this unreliable narrative with fresh sight. Sifting through her own history, the poet asks, how can a new generation transform a shattered inheritance? And what is lost and gained in the pursuit? What unfolds is a personal Babel of voices and identities, and an examination of the contradictory legacies of colonialism, where poems – past and present – act as ‘foretokens’, omens of what lies ahead. A central spine of poems takes the molecular structure of DNA as its template: a ‘ladder of atoms beginning to twist’, down which the poet steps into the darkness of time. Objects of witness resurface to tell their own stories: fragile porcelains of past centuries transiting across continents; a picture calendar of old postcards from another world. Sarah Howe was born in Hong Kong in 1983 to an English father and Chinese mother, and moved to England as a child. Her pamphlet, A Certain Chinese Encyclopedia, was published in 2009, and she received an Eric Gregory Award in 2010. She lives in Cambridge and London. Loop of Jade is her first collection, which won the T.S. Eliot Prize 2015 and the Sunday Times / PFD Young Writer of the Year Award, and was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection.