Gill Hornby on Miss Austen
Thursday 27th February, 8pm
Based on a literary mystery that has long puzzled biographers and academics, Gill Hornby’s wonderfully original, emotionally complex novel delves into why Cassandra burned a treasure trove of letters written by her sister, Jane Austen. 1840: twenty three years after the death of her famous sister Jane, Cassandra Austen returns to the village of Kintbury, […] See more »
Young Readers Book Group
Sunday 1st March, 11am
Our Young Readers book group is aimed at those aged 8-12yrs. This is a group for young people who have started developing their own reading interests. You will get to talk about what you’re reading, meet other young readers and read new things! There may also be biscuits. The first book we will talk about […] See more »
Giovanna Fletcher
Sunday 1st March, 8pm
From the author of number one bestselling Happy Mum, Happy Baby and the chart-topping podcast of the same name, comes a beautiful collection of heartfelt and deeply personal letters written to her three young sons Buzz, Buddy and Max, husband, Tom, and the family and friends who have inspired and supported her to become the mother that […] See more »
Annie Gray
Monday 2nd March, 8pm
There are around 1000 biographies of Winston Churchill, lauding his character and his deeds. Very few point out that it is much easier to be a leading statesman if you have someone behind you, picking up your pants. But up til now Winston’s servants have been largely invisible, including the crucial figure of his favourite […] See more »
Round the World – Fiction Reading Group
Wednesday 4th March, 7.30pm
In this monthly reading group we will discuss popular fiction from all over the globe! Perfect for those who want to get a bit more out of what they’re reading, and a chance to talk about it with some like-minded readers. Our first book is the South Korean sensation Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho […] See more »
Kenny MacAskill on ‘Radical Scotland’
Thursday 5th March, 8pm
The Political Martyrs memorial in Edinburgh looms large on the city’s skyline but its history is relatively unknown – and that is not by accident. As Edinburgh’s New Town was constructed, a narrative of kilts and loyalty was created for Scotland, with its radical history deliberately excluded. The French Revolution lit a spark in Scotland, […] See more »
20/20 Vision – Fiction Reading Group
Wednesday 11th March, 7.30pm
The 1920s was an important decade for English literature, with the publication of James Joyce’s Ulysses, Agatha Christie’s first outing for Hercule Poirot and A. A. Milne’s modernist masterpiece, Winnie-the-Pooh, to name only a few innovations. Meeting once a month, this reading group will trace a literary trend from 1920-2020. The first season is six […] See more »
Adam Rutherford
Friday 13th March, 8pm
Race is real because we perceive it. Racism is real because we enact it. Neither race nor racism has foundation in science. But the appeal to science to strengthen racist ideologies is on the rise – and increasingly part of the public discourse on politics, migration, education, sport and intelligence. Stereotypes and myths about race […] See more »
Of This and Other Worlds – Science Fiction Reading Group
Wednesday 18th March, 7.30pm
Science fiction is so much more than space travel and aliens: good science fiction examines gender, race, technology and more to show us new worlds of possibilities. In this book club we’ll explore classic and contemporary stories set in fantastic lands, and how those stories shape the future we envision for ourselves. The first book […] See more »
Stuart Maconie
Thursday 19th March, 8pm
In this timely and provocative book, Stuart Maconie tells the story of Britain’s Welfare State through his own history of growing up as a northern working class boy. What was so bad about properly funded hospitals, decent working conditions and affordable houses? And what was so wrong about student grants, free eye tests and council […] See more »
Sally Magnusson
Monday 23rd March, 8pm
Long a familiar face on our TV screens, broadcaster and journalist Sally Magnusson published her debut novel, The Sealwoman’s Gift, to great acclaim in 2018. Now we are delighted to welcome her to Edinburgh to celebrate a new and absorbing tale. The Ninth Child blends fact with fiction, folklore with historical realism in a spellbinding […] See more »
Young Adult Reading Group
Wednesday 25th March, 7.30pm
Our Young Adult group is an informal monthly gathering for readers aged 13-17. It is a perfect opportunity for curious, engaged young people to develop analytical skills, talk about the world and discuss great books. In March we will talk about The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, a gripping, thought-provoking hit inspired by the […] See more »
Tim Anderson on ‘Vegan Japaneasy’
Thursday 26th March, 8pm
Believe it or not, Japanese cuisine in general is actually quite vegan-friendly, and many dishes can be made vegan with just a simple substitution or two. You can enjoy the same big, bold, salty-sweet-spicy-rich-umami recipes of modern Japanese soul food without so much as glancing down the meat and dairy aisles. And best of all, […] See more »
Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley: ‘Falastin’
Monday 30th March, 8pm
Falastin is a love letter to Palestine, the land and its people; an evocative collection of over 110 unforgettable recipes and stories from the co-authors of Jerusalem and Ottolenghi: The Cookbook, and Ottolenghi SIMPLE. Travelling through Bethlehem, East Jerusalem, Nablus, Haifa, Akka, Nazareth, Galilee and the West Bank, Sami and Tara invite you to experience […] See more »
John Carey on ‘A Little History of Poetry’
Tuesday 31st March, 8pm
Professor John Carey is one of our greatest champions of literature, sharing his passionate learning and reading over a long and distinguished career. In his latest book, A Little History of Poetry, he asks what is poetry? If music is sound organised in a particular way, poetry is then a way of organising language. It […] See more »
Frances Leviston’s Fiction Debut
Thursday 9th April, 8pm
The first work of fiction from award-winning poet Frances Leviston offers a startling and powerful insight into contemporary womanhood. Ten women, all called Claire, are tangled up in complex power dynamics with their families, friends, and lovers. Though all are different ages, and leading different lives, each is haunted by the difficulty of living on […] See more »
Patrick Laurie
Tuesday 14th April, 8pm
Desperate to connect with his native Galloway, journalist Patrick Laurie plunges into work on his family farm in one of the most isolated parts of the country. There he discovers a vanishing landscape: commercial foresting has been driving the decline of both the native species and farming traditions of his homeland. When Patrick begins investing […] See more »
John Connolly
Tuesday 21st April, 8pm
Witness the beginning of the bestselling Charlie Parker series. It’s 1997, and a killer is targeting young black women in Burdon County, Arkansas. But no one wants to admit there’s a problem, not in the Dirty South – and the killer might just walk free. Meanwhile, in an Arkansas jail cell sits a former NYPD […] See more »
Sue Lawrence
Wednesday 22nd April, 8pm
Edinburgh, January 1732. It’s Lady Grange’s funeral. Her death is a shock: still young, she’d shown no signs of ill health. But Rachel is, in fact, alive. She’s been brutally kidnapped by the man who has falsified her death – her husband of 25 years, a pillar of society with whom she has raised a […] See more »
James Naughtie
Thursday 23rd April, 8pm
James Naughtie, the acclaimed author and BBC broadcaster, now brings his unique and inquisitive eye to the country that has fascinated him and drawn him across the Atlantic for half a century. In looking at America, from Presidents Nixon through to Trump, he tells the story of a country that is grappling with a dream. […] See more »
Maggie O’Farrell
Thursday 7th May, 8pm
Award-winning novelist Maggie O’Farrell celebrates her new novel based on the death of Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet, and the writing of the play that bore his name. In a beautiful imagining of the short life of the boy and the untold story of his wife “Agnes” Hathaway, O’Farrell has written a profound exploration of the healing […] See more »