A Portrait of Gainsborough
Monday 25th September, 8pm
Join us for a fascinating evening with art historian James Hamilton, to discuss the life and work of Thomas Gainsborough – a top society portrait painter who lived and worked in Bath during the 18th century. With fresh insight and scholarly rigour, Gainsborough: A Portrait transforms our understanding of this remarkably talented (and slightly hedonistic) […] See more »
An evening with Man Booker Longlisted Kamila Shamsie
Monday 25th September, 8pm
Ambitious and absorbing, Man Booker longlisted novel Home Fire is a breathtaking contemporary reimagining of Sophocles’ Antigone, and an urgent, fiercely compelling story of loyalties torn apart when love and politics collide. Isma is free. After years spent raising her twin siblings in the wake of their mother’s death, she is finally studying in America, resuming a […] See more »
Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor An Evening with Adam Kay
Tuesday 26th September, 8pm
Comedian and former junior doctor Adam Kay’s superb new memoir This Is Going To Hurt is a no-holds-barred account of his time on the NHS front line, and why he finally hung up the stethoscope. Darkly hilarious, horrifying and heartbreaking by turns, this is everything you wanted to know about front line medicine – and far […] See more »
POSTPONED: Armando Iannucci on Classical Music
Thursday 28th September, 8pm
If you have booked places for this event we will be in touch shortly to confirm the new date. Apologies for any inconvenience. The man behind I’m Alan Partridge and The Thick Of It is a big classical music fan, and his new book explores this passion. In Hear Me Out, he has written about a range of composers from classical […] See more »
JapanEasy Cookery with Tim Anderson
Thursday 28th September, 8pm
Masterchef Champion and food writer Tim Anderson is passionate about making Japanese food more accessible and easy to cook at home. He will be joining us to cook from his brilliant new book JapanEasy – an enticing collection of modern recipes that give an authentic snapshot of Japanese cuisine, but without the need for obscure […] See more »
The Scummy Mummies
Friday 29th September, 8pm
The Scummy Mummies – Helen Thorne and Ellie Gibson are a irreverent comedy duo whose wildly popular podcasts have been a sanity-saving and must listen for less-than-perfect parents. Their book Scummy Mummies is a celebration of parenting failures, hilarious confessions, fish fingers and wine! Join us for a night of belly rolling hilarity as we […] See more »
Ghost Signs of Bath a Walk with Andrew Swift and Kirsten Elliot
Sunday 1st October, 11.30am
Ghost signs – those faded advertisements for long defunct businesses on the walls of old buildings – are among the most potent reminders of a bygone age – and nowhere are they found in greater abundance or variety than on the streets of Bath. In their latest book, Andrew Swift and Kirsten Elliott trace the […] See more »
John Mullan on Jane Austen
Monday 2nd October, 8pm
Austen is Britain’s finest literary heroine. To coincide with the 200th anniversary of her death, a new edition of Sense and Sensibility has been published, introduced by John Mullan, the renowned Austen scholar. His edition of Sense and Sensibility celebrates Austen’s experimental use of dialogue and style, and her use of comedy. John Mullan is a […] See more »
Lindsey Davis
Tuesday 3rd October, 8pm
We’re privileged to welcome award-winning historical novelist Lindsey Davis to the Bookshop this Autumn. Best known for The Course of Honour, the true story of the Emperor Vespasian and his mistress Caenis, and for her twenty volume mystery series featuring Roman detective, Marcus Didius Falco, Davis is a prolific and immensely talented author. From her […] See more »
Talk & Tastings with Stephen Harris from The Sportsman
Wednesday 4th October, 8pm
For home cooks, Stephen Harris, the Michelin-starred chef at the UK’s #1 restaurant, The Sportsman, shares the age-old and modern techniques to perfect 50 British classics. From all appearances, The Sportsman, in Whitstable, Kent, is a standard English seaside pub. Following years of hard work, Stephen Harris has transformed this bucolic locale into an internationally […] See more »
October Reading Group The Story of a Brief Marriage by Anuk Arudpragasam
Thursday 5th October, 7.30pm
Set during the civil war in Sri Lanka, this story will captivate you, cause you heartache and shed light on what it means to be human. In the last months of the Sri Lankan Civil War, Dinesh’s world has contracted to an evacuee camp, where he measures his days by shells that fall like clockwork. […] See more »
Jeremy Vine
Friday 6th October, 8pm
Jeremy Vine – a familiar and incredibly well-liked presenter, broadcaster and journalist, best known as the host of his own BBC Radio 2 programme comes to Bath to celebrate his new book What I Learnt. On approaching his 50th birthday, and having wracked up an extraordinary 25,000 listener calls, Jeremy decided to take stock of the […] See more »
Cooking from Sicily and Rome with Rachel Roddy
Friday 6th October, 8pm
From the award-winning weekly Guardian Cook columnist, author Five Quarters and winner of the André Simon Award comes an Italian food book of sumptuous recipes, flavours and stories, celebrating the food and flavours of Rome and Sicily. The recipes in Two Kitchens ring with authenticity and locality: from tomato and salted ricotta salad and baked Sicilian […] See more »
Alan Hollinghurst
Saturday 7th October, 8pm
Famed for his alluring style, and irony, Alan Hollinghurst is often compared to Henry James. His prize-winning novels beautifully unravel rites of passage, desire and the fragility and the impossibility of love. Join Booker-Prize author Alan Hollinghurst for a discussion of his sixth novel, The Sparsholt Affair. Crossing generations, moving between Oxford and London, it follows […] See more »
Launch for The Anthology by King Edward School Students
Monday 9th October, 8pm
The fifth edition of The Anthology is a stunning collection of short stories, poetry and art-work by the talented pupils of King Edward’s Senior School. This year’s guest editor, Sunday Times best-selling author Claire Douglas was bowled over by the quality of work by such young writers, commenting, ‘I was simply amazed by the talent. The standard was so high it is a joy […] See more »
The New French Table with Emily & Giselle Roux
Tuesday 10th October, 8pm
Simple family food forms the heart of French gastronomy. In New French Table, mother-and-daughter team Emily and Giselle Roux share a completely fresh take on classic and contemporary recipes, creating a modern bible for today’s lifestyle. Drawing upon their experience working in Roux restaurants and fond memories of cooking together, they prove that French food is […] See more »
Sir John Lister-Kaye
Wednesday 11th October, 8pm
John Lister-Kaye has spent a lifetime exploring, protecting and celebrating the British landscape and its wildlife. His memoir The Dun Cow Rib is the story of a boy’s awakening to the wonders of the natural world. Lister-Kaye’s joyous childhood holidays – spent scrambling through hedges and ditches after birds and small beasts, keeping pigeons in the loft and […] See more »
Mike Brearley on Form
Thursday 12th October, 8pm
What is being on form? How does it relate to feeling ‘in the zone’? Former England cricket captain and psychoanalyst Mike Brearley examines many of the elements of being in and out of form across a number of different disciplines – not only in cricket and psychoanalysis but also in finance, music, philosophy, medicine, teaching, tree […] See more »
Matthew Francis on the Mabinogion
Monday 16th October, 8pm
‘Here at the turn of the leaf a horseman is riding through the space between one world and another . . .’ The Mabinogi is the Welsh national epic, a collection of prose tales of war and enchantment, adventure and romance, which have long fascinated readers all over the world. Matthew Francis’s retelling captures the magic and […] See more »
Linda Blair on Siblings
Tuesday 17th October, 8pm
Ever feel like a referee in a long-running civil war? Sibling rivalry is not some sort of evolutionary mistake says clinical psychologist Linda Blair. Instead of imagining a battlefield, parents need to see sibling relationships as the best natural training ground for healthy social, emotional and cognitive development. In her fifth book Siblings, Telegraph columnist Linda turns sibling […] See more »
Andina The Heart of Peruvian Food with Martin Morales
Wednesday 18th October, 8pm
The cuisine of the Andes is one of the most contemporary yet ancient in the world. Andina’s recipes have big flavours, vibrant colour and are simple to cook at home. Completely delicious recipes accompanied by magical stories, dazzling photography and beautiful paintings, Andina is the first ever book to capture the food and scenery of […] See more »
Simon Jenkins on British Railway Stations
Thursday 19th October, 8pm
It is the location of all our hopeful beginnings and intended ends; an institution with its own rituals and priests; and a long-neglected aspect of our nation’s architecture: the railway station. Renowned historian Simon Jenkins has travelled the length and breadth of the country to select this joyous celebration of our social history. With his […] See more »
Wild Honey & Rye Modern Polish Recipes with Ren Behan
Thursday 19th October, 8pm
In this refreshing approach to Polish cuisine, food writer and blogger Ren Behan takes us on a journey to discover the new tastes of her beloved culinary heritage. The food of Eastern Europe, long misunderstood in the West, is changing – the focus is swinging away from heavy dumplings and stews towards lighter, healthier, fresh […] See more »
Hong Kong Diner with Jeremy Pang
Monday 23rd October, 8pm
The infectiously charismatic Jeremy Pang (Chinese Unchopped) comes back to Bath with a unique new cookbook, Hong Kong Diner. Inspired by an exciting, unconventional place, where western sensibilities and food tastes overlap with an ancient cuisine. The definitive commuter town where long-haul travellers break their flight for a night out, Hong Kong’s cuisine draws on […] See more »
Tad Williams on The Witchwood Crown
Tuesday 24th October, 8pm
Tad Williams is quite simply one of our greatest novelists writing in the fantasy genre. For many the magic of reading his superb trilogy Memory, Sorrow and Thorn has never been equalled. Now comes the long-awaited successor, The Witchwood Crown. With a cast of hundreds – humans, giants, dragons, trolls, Sithi and Norn – The Witchwood Crown […] See more »
An Evening with Joanne Harris
Thursday 26th October, 8pm
A named thing is a tamed thing. You lied, and you betrayed me. Worse than that, you named me. You named me, then you cast me aside. An unnamed girl wanders the forest alone, hunting to survive. It is love that draws her into the world of named, tamed things. And it is only revenge that […] See more »
An Evening With Henry Blofeld
Tuesday 31st October, 8pm
To coincide with the announcement of his retirement, Blowers will be joining us to discuss his new book Over & Out – to be published on Thursday 19th October. Henry Blofeld has captivated generations of cricket fans with his idiosyncratic musings, characterised by his plummy voice, loveable charm and witty quips. Blowers is the quintessentially English cricket […] See more »
Catalonian Cookery with José Pizarro
Wednesday 1st November, 8pm
Join leading Spanish chef, José Pizarro, to sample dishes from his new book Catalonia: Recipes from Barcelona and Beyond. José Pizarro travels from the impressive Gaudi architecture in buzzy Barcelona, to the Roman and Greek ruins in Girona and secluded beaches in Costa Brava, to create some of the best-loved dishes from the Catalonian region. […] See more »
Robert Peston on WTF Happened and and What Happens Next
Friday 3rd November, 8pm
There is no one better placed or more trusted than Robert Peston to comment on what is wrong with modern politics, or to offer a manifesto to at least put some of it right. Brexit, Trump, and the recent British and French elections were all part of the people’s revolt against the way in which […] See more »
Philip Pullman on Storytelling
Saturday 4th November, 12.30pm
Philip Pullman is one of the world’s finest storytellers – humorous, formidably knowledgeable and sharply intelligent. Daemon Voices, his new collection of essays, reflects a lifetime of writing with each carefully curated story a meditation on the power and importance of storytelling. An ardent and lifelong supporter of independent bookshops, his books have sparked the imaginations of millions […] See more »
Poetry on the Paragon with Kayo Chingonyi
Monday 6th November, 8pm
Kayo Chingoni is one of the most exciting and important new voices in British poetry. His much-anticipated debut Kumukanda is a collection of beautifully crafted and powerful poems on race, self-portraiture, music, grief and masculinity. Underpinned by a love of music, language and literature, this eloquent collection is a powerful exploration of race, identity and masculinity, […] See more »
An Evening with Literary Superstar Graeme Macrae Burnet
Monday 6th November, 8pm
Graeme Macrae Burnet is one of Scotland’s brightest literary talents, winner in the Author of the Year category for the 2017 Sunday Herald Culture Awards (aka Scotland’s Oscars). His second novel, His Bloody Project, concerns a brutal triple murder in a remote Scottish Highland community during the 1860s. Lauded by critics and hugely popular with readers, His Bloody Project won […] See more »
Tamsin Treverton Jones on The Great Storm of 1987
Tuesday 7th November, 8pm
Thirty years on from the Great Storm, the discovery of an old photograph inspired author Tamsin Treverton-Jones to make a journey into the devastated landscape of southern Britain – struck by hurricane force winds, without warning, claiming 18 lives and uprooting more than fifteen million trees. The events of that October night in 1987 are firmly […] See more »
An Evening with Literary Superstar Andrew Michael Hurley
Wednesday 8th November, 8pm
Andrew Michael Hurley’s incredible first novel The Loney was one of a rare breed: a literary prize-winning bestseller. An eerie, suspenseful novel, it heralded the arrival of one of our finest contemporary fiction writers. The Devil’s Day is equally compulsive. Set again in Lancashire, it deals with community and tradition, and how far people will go to […] See more »
Nicholas Shakespeare on Churchill
Thursday 9th November, 8pm
London, early May 1940: Britain is on the brink of war and Neville Chamberlain’s government is about to fall. It is hard for us to imagine the Second World War without Winston Churchill taking over at the helm, but in Six Minutes in May, Nicholas Shakespeare shows how easily events could have gone in a different direction. […] See more »
Sir Chris Bonington on A Life Spent Climbing on the Edge
Monday 13th November, 8pm
Sir Chris Bonington is unquestionably one of Britain’s greatest climbers. In his new book, Ascent, he not only chart not only his many triumphs in the climbing world – such as the Eiger, and the Himalaya – but also the struggles he has faced in his life bringing up a family, and maintaining a successful and loving […] See more »
Lama Jampa Thaye on Wisdom in Exile Buddhism and Modern Times
Wednesday 15th November, 8pm
Lama Jampa Thaye’s Wisdom in Exile examines how best the Buddha’s teachings might be understood and practised today – and argues that unless we discriminate between authentic and fake presentations and resist the temptation to assimilate it to contemporary ideologies, the opportunity for it to shape our lives will be lost and Buddhism itself is likely to remain […] See more »
Susan Hill
Thursday 16th November, 8pm
When we spend so much of our time immersed in books, who’s to say where reading ends and living begins? The two are impossibly and gloriously wedded, as Susan Hill shows in Jacob’s Room Has Too Many Books. Considering everything from Edith Wharton’s novels through to Alan Bennett’s diaries, Virginia Woolf and the writings of […] See more »
An Evening with Legendary Actor Terence Stamp
Saturday 18th November, 8pm
Legendary actor Terence Stamp is one of our most versatile and recognised of actors. His performance in the title role of Billy Budd, his film debut, earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA nomination for Best Newcomer. He has starred in classics such as Poor Cow and Far From The Madding Crowd, and other major roles include archvillain General Zod in Superman and Superman II, […] See more »
Poetry on the Paragon with Martyn Crucefix
Monday 20th November, 8pm
Martyn Crucefix’s lastest collection of poems steps straight into a contemporary world where cursors blink, people talk on Skype and consult Google Street View. Elsewhere we hear of erotically-charged visits to the opticians or discovering curious ATM receipts in secondhand books. Acuteness of observation is one of the ‘lovely disciplines’ in this beautifully accomplished book. Poems of flair and delicacy become […] See more »
Patrick Barkham on Islander a Journey Around our Archipelago
Tuesday 21st November, 8pm
“We are all islanders, but some are more islanders than others”. Award-winning author Patrick Barkham’s new book Islander is an enticing exploration of the smallest islands of Britain. He travels from larger small islands to ever-smaller islands in search of their special magic. Meeting all kinds of islanders, from nuns to puffins, from dropouts to rare subspecies of vole, he […] See more »
Oz Clarke on the World of Wine
Wednesday 22nd November, 8pm
Known throughout the world for his phenomenal palate, irreverent style, accurate predictions and enthusiasm, Oz Clarke is Britain’s most popular wine writer. He is the author of a collection of bestselling and award-winning wine books and his BBC appearances, including his television series with James May, and his radio broadcasts keep audiences captivated. Oz Clarke’s World of Wine is […] See more »
An Evening with Astronaut Scott Kelly
Saturday 25th November, 7pm
Scott Kelly is a retired astronaut and International Space Station commander. He spent a record-breaking year aboard the International Space Station. In Endurance, he reveals what it’s like out there and what it’s like now, back here. He shares his fascinating world and inspires us to think of our own a little differently. Scott Kelly’s contribution to his […] See more »