Bath Events and Reading Groups
In this beautiful Georgian city we host all sorts of literary occasions from reading groups to large events. We are home to a vibrant all year round event programme, culminating every year in our Autumn Literary Festival which runs from September through to the end of November.
Julian Barnes' 80th Jubilee
Monday 16th March, 7pm
'A master of fiction with whole worlds living in his prose' OBSERVERJoin us to celebrate Julian Barnes' 80th birthday when he will speak to Andrew Kelly …
View event details
Michael Pollan for A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness
Tuesday 17th March, 7pm
Michael Pollan's new book, A World Appears, is a pioneering search for consciousness in the brain and beyond.When it comes to consciousness, there is one point …
View event details
Antony Beevor for Rasputin and the Downfall of the Romanovs
Wednesday 18th March, 7pm
'A must read for understanding the epic downfall of the Romanov dynasty' - Douglas SmithHow could a barely literate peasant from Siberia determine the fate of …
View event details
Mark Haddon for Leaving Home
Thursday 19th March, 7pm
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time's author takes his own life as raw material, writing about growing up in the cultural wastelands of …
View event details
Finding Albion: Myth, Folklore and the Quest for a Hidden Britain with Zakia Sewell
Friday 20th March, 7pm
'I've been waiting for a book like this' Florence WelchTraversing the length and breadth of our island from Somerset to Scotland, Zakia Sewell seeks a story …
View event details
Queer Voices Reading Group
Sunday 22nd March, 7pm
The Queer Voices Reading Group will reconvene in March with a Bulgarian fiction debut!High in the Accursed Mountains, in a village ruled by the ancient laws …
View event details
Gennaro's Hidden Italy
Monday 23rd March, 7pm
‘A brilliant book by one of the masters of Italian cuisine’ – STANLEY TUCCIWe welcome back the warm and charismatic master of Italian cuisine, Gennaro Contaldo …
View event details
Tiny Tales ~ Our Picture Book Reading Group
Tuesday 24th March, 10am
Welcome to Tiny Tales! At 10:00am, Claud will read a handful of brilliant new picture books carefully selected. It will last for approximately 45 minutes.Tiny Tales …
View event details
How Historians Know Shakespeare was Shakespeare with Susan Amussen
Tuesday 24th March, 7pm
A compelling tour of Shakespeare's England that makes a powerful contribution to the 'authorship question'.How do we know Shakespeare was Shakespeare? Could a glover's son who …
View event details
Ghouls, Goblins, and Aliens: SFFH Reading Group
Wednesday 25th March, 7pm
Welcome to Ghouls, Goblins and Aliens, our Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror reading group. Your hosts, May and Roxane, will guide you through what’s great, what’s …
View event details
Jess Elliott Dennison for Weekend Recipes
Wednesday 25th March, 7pm
We're thrilled to welcome Jess Elliott Dennison, food writer and the founder of Elliott’s Edinburgh. Her cookbook Midweek Recipes was a runaway success, becoming our bestselling …
View event details
An Evening with Mary Berry
Thursday 26th March, 7pm
We're thrilled to announce our event with Mary Berry in celebration of her new book, My Gardening Life.'In another life I may have been a gardener'Well-known …
View event details
Life of Pi's Yann Martel for Son of Nobody
Monday 30th March, 7pm
Life of Pi author & Booker Prize winner comes to Bath!Martel is an original, strange and subtle thinker - Ursula K. Le GuinThe past is never …
View event details
Chocolate Baking with Edd Kimber
Tuesday 31st March, 7pm
Join us with master baker, Edd Kimber as he chats and cooks from his love letter to chocolate: Chocolate Baking: The Ultimate Guide to Cakes, Cookies, …
View event details
Susan Owens for Constable's Year
Wednesday 1st April, 7pm
In celebration of the 250th anniversary of his birth, Susan Owens offers a nuanced understanding of the life and work of John Constable.'A marvellous book' Ali …
View event details
John Lanchester for Look What You Made Me Do
Thursday 2nd April, 7pm
What if the year's most talked about TV show was all about your marriage?Kate, thirty years into her marriage, has a seemingly idyllic metropolitan, North London …
View event details
Tiny Tales ~ Our Picture Book Reading Group
Tuesday 7th April, 10am
Welcome to Tiny Tales! At 10:00am, Claud will read a handful of brilliant new picture books carefully selected. It will last for approximately 45 minutes.Tiny Tales …
View event details
World Literature Reading Group
Sunday 12th April, 7pm
Our World Literature Reading Group aims to showcase literature written outside of the anglophone world. On this journey we will make a variety of stops in …
View event details
Charles Dowding with Grow Together
Tuesday 14th April, 7pm
An evening with Somerset's favourite No Dig guru, Charles Dowding.Getting the most from a veg patch is what all gardeners want. With a little forethought and …
View event details
Nicholas Boggs for Baldwin: A Love Story
Wednesday 15th April, 7pm
'Compulsively interesting and beautifully written - there is something to treasure on every page. I absolutely loved it' - Zadie SmithJoin us for an evening with …
View event details
Finding the Mother Tree's Suzanne Simard for When the Forest Breathes
Thursday 16th April, 7pm
Suzanne Simard discovered that every tree in a forest is linked by underground fungi, allowing them to communicate and build communities around powerful, nurturing Mother Trees. …
View event details
Tim Anderson's JapanEasy Kitchen
Friday 17th April, 7pm
We're thrilled to welcome back our favourite Japanophile, Tim Anderson who will chat and cook from his newest cookbook JapanEasy Kitchen: Simple Recipes Using Japanese Pantry …
View event details
Queer Voices Reading Group
Sunday 19th April, 7pm
Happy April! Celebrate spring with this vibrant debut novel about a young woman stumbling through post-grad life, love and family. A young artist returns to her …
View event details
Tiny Tales ~ Our Picture Book Reading Group
Tuesday 21st April, 10am
Welcome to Tiny Tales! At 10:00am, Claud will read a handful of brilliant new picture books carefully selected. It will last for approximately 45 minutes.Tiny Tales …
View event details
Giulia Enders on Organ Speak: What it really means to listen to our bodies
Tuesday 21st April, 7pm
The international bestselling author of Gut returns with a spellbinding journey through the human body.In a world that is becoming ever louder and more complicated, sometimes …
View event details
Tim Parks for Across Sicily with Garibaldi's Thousand: An adventure in landscape and Italian memory
Wednesday 22nd April, 7pm
We're delighted welcome Tim Parks for Across Sicily with the Thousand. Tim is a friend of the bookshop and an acclaimed novelist and travel writer. We …
View event details
The Racine Effect: Classic French Recipes with Henry Harris
Wednesday 22nd April, 7pm
A love letter to French Cooking and the restaurant that defined a generation of British dining - Bouchon Racine.‘I want to eat everything in this beautiful …
View event details
Fermented Dairy of Central Asia with Simi Rezai-Ghassemi
Thursday 23rd April, 7pm
Simi’s Fermented Dairy of Central Asia is an amazing insight into another world in the culinary universe. It is not only well researched and very well …
View event details
Mary Beard for Talking Classics
Friday 24th April, 7pm
'The reigning Queen of Classics' - The SpectatorWhat's exciting about a piece of bread 4,000 years old? Or some pots of paint abandoned in the eruption …
View event details
Nathan Outlaw with On Fish
Monday 27th April, 7pm
We're thrilled to welcome back Cornwall's best fish man and Michelin-star chef Nathan Outlaw.For anyone wanting to know more about seafood and how to cook it, …
View event details
Brin Pirathapan for Elevate
Tuesday 28th April, 7pm
Cookery Demo & TastingsA bold debut cookbook from 2024 MasterChef winner Brin Pirathapan is all about making everyday basics extraordinary. Rooted in his Tamil Sri Lankan …
View event details
Be Confident with Jo Emerson
Wednesday 29th April, 7pm
One of the UK's leading coaches launches Be Confident: Your 100-day guide. Join author, Jo Emerson in conversation with the BBC’s Imogen Sellers as they discuss …
View event details
A Supper & Talk with Berdoulat's Patrick Williams
Thursday 30th April, 7pm
This evening, we will be serving the book's featured recipe, known as 'The Truth' - Green Street sausage with a warm potato salad - with a …
View event details
Hawai'i: a kingdom crossing oceans
Thursday 30th April, 7pm
We're delighted to welcome lead curator Alice Christophe to the bookshop to discuss the companion book for the current British Museum exhibition: Hawaiʻi: a kingdom crossing …
View event details
How To Age with Liz Earle
Friday 1st May, 7pm
Join Liz as she shares all the latest scientific research which informs her unique approach to age well; never anti-ageing, always in the best way possible. …
View event details
Jess Venner for The Lost Voices of Pompeii with Helen Carr
Tuesday 5th May, 7pm
Join two historians as they discuss a unique perspective on the history of Pompeii...We know how the people of Pompeii died, but how did they live?Drawing …
View event details
Sara Wheeler on Jan Morris: A Life
Wednesday 6th May, 7pm
'Superb.' - Colin Thubron'Breathtakingly good.' - Michael PalinThere are few literary figures more significant in the last seventy-years than Jan Morris. From her magnum-opus, Trieste, to …
View event details
Patrick Radden Keefe for London Falling
Thursday 7th May, 7pm
'One of those authors I will always read, no matter what the subject matter . . . a masterclass in compelling narrative non-fiction' - The Guardian …
View event details
Georgina Hayden with Medesque
Thursday 7th May, 7pm
Escape to sun-soaked coastlines with the glorious flavours of Medesque from Georgina Hayden (of the bestselling Greekish, Nistisima & Taverna)'Joyful, generous and drenched in olive oil' …
View event details
Greg Doran for Walking Shadow
Friday 8th May, 7pm
A blend of memoir, travelogue and investigation, Walking Shadow sheds light on the past while the author emerges from the darkness of loss.After the death from …
View event details
World Literature Reading Group
Sunday 10th May, 7pm
Our 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 …
View event details
Pulitzer Prize-winning Cristina Rivera Garza for Autobiography of Cotton
Monday 11th May, 7pm
Join us in Bath to celebrate a novel about how cotton workers transformed the Mexico-US borderlands, by Pulitzer Prize-winning and bookseller beloved author, Cristina Rivera Garza.Deeply …
View event details
The Shortest History of Ireland with James Hawes
Tuesday 12th May, 7pm
In The Shortest History of Ireland, James Hawes reaches beyond the clichés to tell a dramatic new story, backed up by the latest scholarship. Join this …
View event details
Keza MacDonald for Super Nintendo
Wednesday 13th May, 7pm
An exploration of the cultural phenomenon that created Mario, Zelda and Pokemon, by a leading voice in the world of video games writing.Nintendo's video games occupy …
View event details
Pioneering Vegetarian Cookery Writer Helen Graham
Thursday 14th May, 7pm
We welcome a pioneering new voice in Vegetarian Cookery with a celebration of bold, vibrant dishes designed to inspire and put vegetables exactly where they belong: …
View event details
Joe Woodhouse's Weeknight Vegetarian
Monday 18th May, 7pm
One of the best Vegetarian chefs in the business, Joe Woodhouse brings us Weeknight Vegetarian: Easy vegetable recipes for lunch & dinner Vibrant, easy vegetarian food …
View event details
Robin Ince for Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal
Monday 18th May, 7pm
Join Robin Ince, comedian, actor, writer and 'becardiganed polymath', to celebrate the paperback of Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal. In this powerful, personal exploration of anxiety, …
View event details
Sharon Blackie for Ripening
Tuesday 19th May, 7pm
'Ripening show us how we can move through life with vision and sensitivity. A fascinating, thought-provoking and authoritative read' Katherine MayIn this world, in which our …
View event details
Ozlem Warren takes us to the heart of Istanbul's food scene
Wednesday 20th May, 7pm
'A gorgeous love letter to Istanbul. I couldn't love this book more' Diana HenryDelicious recipes inspired by the vibrant mosaic of Istanbul cuisine from the author …
View event details
The Forager's Calendar's John Wright for Grasslands
Thursday 21st May, 7pm
'A wonderful leap, with a wise guide, into the green we thought we knew' Tristain Gooley, author of How to Read a TreeJoin author of The …
View event details
Sophia Smith Galer for How to Kill a Language
Thursday 21st May, 7pm
As Sophia Smith Galer's Nonna lay dying, she realised it wasn't just a beloved grandmother she was losing - it was the language she spoke, too. …
View event details
Siri Hustvedt for Ghost Stories
Friday 22nd May, 7pm
The tender memoir of the forty-three years Siri Hustvedt spent with her husband, writer, poet and filmmaker Paul Auster – from their first encounter in 80s …
View event details
Calum Harris and Batch
Tuesday 26th May, 7pm
Effortless, flavour-packed, plant-based meals you can prep once and enjoy anytime from our favourite charismatic Vegan cook, Calum Harris.Batch is a vibrant collection of make-ahead vegan …
View event details
Nicholas Shakespeare for Frame 37
Wednesday 27th May, 7pm
'A remarkable contemporary thriller... A triumph' William Boyd'An absorbing thriller with shades of John le Carre' Evening StandardIn a world of lies, proof is powerJohn Dyer …
View event details
Honey & Co Daily with Itamar Srulovich & Sarit Packer
Thursday 28th May, 7pm
We're over the moon to welcome back the award-winning, magnetic husband and wife due, Sarit and Itamar from Honey & Co.Good food can make any moment …
View event details
An Evening with Colm Toibin
Monday 1st June, 7pm
In The News from Dublin, Colm Tóibín delves into the days and nights of those living far from home: lives of great longing, at a great …
View event details
How Gambling Hijacked Sport with Darragh McGee
Tuesday 2nd June, 7pm
A pioneering investigation into the new digital age of gambling, its explosive growth and the transformational impact it is having on sport, fandom and society.A cheeky …
View event details
Skins' Hannah Murray for The Make-Believe
Tuesday 2nd June, 7pm
From the actor known for Skins and Game of Thrones, a deeply intimate, shockingly honest memoir about acting, fame, mental illness, and the struggle to leave …
View event details
Samar Yazbek for Your Presence Is a Danger to Your Life
Wednesday 3rd June, 7pm
Samar Yazbek met with hundreds of survivors from Gaza asking each of them about their experience of October 7, 2023, and what their life has been …
View event details
Writers & Lovers' Lily King for Heart the Lover
Thursday 4th June, 7pm
'Touching, thoughtful, a deeply affecting love story about time and regret' - David NichollsJoin us for an unmissable evening with Women's Prize longlisted author of Heart …
View event details
Jad Youssef with Lebnani
Thursday 4th June, 7pm
Lebanese Cookery Demo, Talk & Tastings'In these recipes, Jad offers more than flavour - he shares his experiences and warmth. This book is true celebration of …
View event details
Love Me Do's Elle Kelk for Hit or Miss
Thursday 4th June, 7pm
Join bestselling author of Love Me Do and The Bell Witches, Lindsey Kelk, as she takes to the page as Elle Kelk for the very first …
View event details
Minette Batters for Harvest
Friday 5th June, 7pm
The first female president of the National Farmers' Union in its 110-year history tells the story of how she fought tooth and nail for British farms …
View event details
Catherine Cho for The Devoted
Tuesday 9th June, 7pm
A stunning, page-turning love story of family and fate from Catherine Cho, author of the acclaimed memoir, Inferno.Eunha grows up in a quiet village in Hong …
View event details
Learn How to BBQ with Genevieve Taylor
Wednesday 10th June, 7pm
Master the art of cooking over fire with a live BBQ demo with tastings in our courtyard.Bristol fire chef Genevieve Taylor's new book, How to BBQ …
View event details
World Literature Reading Group
Sunday 14th June, 7pm
Our 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 …
View event details
Emily Howes for Mrs Dickens
Monday 15th June, 7pm
The woman behind The Painter's Daughters returns; from eighteenth-century Bath, following a portrait artist and his daughters, join us for a deeper glimpse into Emily Howes' …
View event details
Graeme Corbett for Life in Bloom
Monday 15th June, 7pm
Fill your life with flowers and discover the art of natural, seasonal arranging with celebrated florist Graeme Corbett of @bloomandburn. Graeme Corbett of Bloom & Burn …
View event details
Olivia Laing for The Silver Book
Tuesday 16th June, 7pm
'Sublime' The New York TimesOlivia Laing is an internationally acclaimed writer and critic. They're the author of eight books, including The Lonely City, Everybody and the …
View event details
Alison Weir for The Boleyn Secret
Wednesday 17th June, 7pm
From the author of the Six Tudor Queens series, a new novel about two Boleyn cousins, close as sisters – and the truth that will change …
View event details
Cosy Crime & Wine with Olly Smith
Thursday 18th June, 7pm
Wine TastingJoin us for an evening of cosy crime and wine with beloved television presenter, wine expert, columnist and author: Olly Smith! Join us to discuss …
View event details
Dr Emily Leeming with Fibre Power
Thursday 18th June, 7pm
Transform Your Energy and Feel Amazing with Dr Emily and Fibre Power.Four Weeks and 60 recipes to supercharge your health with leading scientist, dietitian and chef …
View event details
Cal Flyn for The Savage Landscape
Tuesday 23rd June, 7pm
Cal Flyn comes to Bath to celebrate The Savage Landscape - a brilliant investigation of our relationship to the natural world. Cal's previous book, Islands of …
View event details
Christopher de Hamel on The Migrants: A Memoir with Manuscripts
Thursday 25th June, 7pm
Join us to celebrate the new memoir from author of Meetings With Remarkable Manuscripts, Christopher de Hamel!Christopher de Hamel is one of the world's best-known scholars …
View event details
Helen McGinn AKA Knackered Mother Wine Tasting
Thursday 2nd July, 7pm
Join TV's Wine Expert Helen McGinn (AKA Knackered Mother) to learn about some excellent wine that doesn't have to be expensive!'The perfect blend of accessible and …
View event details
Oscar Winning Cinematographer Sir Roger Deakins in Bath
Thursday 2nd July, 7pm
Two-time Academy Award winner from 16 nominations, and five-time BAFTA award winner from 11 nominations, Sir Roger Deakins - widely regarded as the greatest cinematographer of …
View event details
Charles Cumming for ICARUS 17
Thursday 6th August, 7pm
A Young Couple on the RunMax Radinsky thought he was living the perfect life in Athens. But when his girlfriend, Yasmine, is forced to flee the …
View event details
Conclave's Robert Harris for Agrippa
Friday 28th August, 7pm
A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2026 IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, BBC CULTURE, THE MIRROR AND RADIO TIMES.From the bestselling author of Conclave comes a new …
View event details
Faebound's Saara El-Arifi for Earthbound
Friday 28th August, 7pm
Join us for an evening with the beloved Sunday Times best-selling fantasy author, Saara El-Arifi, to celebrate the final instalment of the Faebound trilogy: Earthbound!Broken by …
View event details
The new instalment of the Cazalet Chronicles with Louisa Young
Thursday 3rd September, 7pm
The Golden Hours is the brilliant new instalment in the beloved Cazalet Chronicles, started by Elizabeth Jane Howard and now continued by bestselling author - and …
View event details
Bake Off's Mel Giedroyc for The Comeback
Friday 4th September, 7pm
Join us to celebrate the brand new novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Mel Giedroyc - The Comeback - a funny, big-hearted story of second chances.Sometimes …
View event details
The Appeal's Janice Hallett for The Silent Appeal
Monday 7th September, 7pm
Join us in Bath to celebrate Janice Hallett as she makes her triumphant return to Lockwood in the much anticipated sequel to her record-breaking bestselling debut …
View event details
Chef Dara Klein with La Trattoria
Tuesday 8th September, 7pm
Fresh from Brawn and Trullo, celebrated chef, Dara Klein has just opened her own restaurant, Tiella on Colombia Road to huge acclaim and rave reviews.This is …
View event details
Church Crawling: The Secret Lives and Hidden Stories of England's Churches with Rachel Morley
Wednesday 9th September, 7pm
Join Rachel Morley, Director of the Friends of Friendless Churches, in Elim Church this September to celebrate her debut book: Church Crawling. A transporting and gloriously …
View event details
William Boyd for Cold Sunset
Thursday 10th September, 7pm
Join us to celebrate Cold Sunset with none other than William Boyd, beloved Booker Prize nominee and author of Any Human Heart! Cold War Moscow is …
View event details
Yotam Ottolenghi and Simple Too
Tuesday 15th September, 7pm
An irresistible companion to the era defining Ottolenghi SIMPLE, we are very happy to welcome back Yotam Ottolenghi to prove that flavourful, impressive cooking can be …
View event details
Pride & Prejudice 1995's Andrew Davies in Bath
Thursday 17th September, 7pm
Join the screenwriter behind the beloved 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, Andrew Davies, to discuss his new memoir: An Unsuitable Boy.The undisputed maestro of literary …
View event detailsMore Bath events launching soon!
Sign up to be the first to hear when new events are confirmed.
Join the Bath newsletter
Newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about our events and early bird offers, as well as exclusive complimentary invitations