Ely Events and Reading Groups
In this atmospheric medieval city, just over an hour from London by train, author events range from reading groups and intimate events in the bookshop to the drama of performances under the world-renowned Octagon of Ely Cathedral. We hold events all year round, but in the autumn there is a special focus on the Ely Literary Festival.
Robert Macfarlane
Wednesday 30th April, 7.30pm
From celebrated writer Robert Macfarlane comes this brilliant, perspective-shifting new book - which answers a resounding yes to the question of its title.At its heart is …
View event details
Tony Juniper
Thursday 8th May, 7pm
In this extraordinary and hopeful book, leading environmentalist Tony Juniper CBE identifies the real problem at the heart of the climate and nature crises.From soil loss …
View event details
Swallows
Sunday 11th May, 10.30am
The perfect opportunity for book lovers aged 9-12 years to make new discoveries and new friends! Join us in The Bookshop for a lively, fun discussion …
View event details
Reading Group - Orbital
Tuesday 13th May, 7.30pm
Life on our planet as you've never seen it beforeA team of astronauts in the International Space Station collect meteorological data, conduct scientific experiments and test …
View event details
Reading Group - Uncle Tungsten by Oliver Sacks
Tuesday 13th May, 7.30pm
The seeds of Oliver Sack's lifelong appetite for science and his curiosity about human nature were both sown during his remarkable childhood. Uncle Tungsten is a …
View event details
Robin Ince on Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal: My Adventures in Neurodiversity
Thursday 15th May, 7pm
We are delighted to be hosting Robin Ince this year on his upcoming publication on a powerful, personal exploration of anxiety, ADHD and neurodiversity. Normally Weird …
View event details
Paula Akpan
Thursday 22nd May, 7pm
Discover the reigns of twelve African queens and warriors from across the continent, from pioneering historian and writer, Paula Akpan.There are women who ruled vast swathes …
View event details
Joanne Harris on Vianne
Monday 26th May, 7pm
Secrets.Chocolate.A touch of magic...Million-copy bestselling author Joanne Harris returns to the world of Chocolat with the long-awaited story of Vianne, which begins six years before she …
View event details
Queer Reading Group - Green Equinox
Tuesday 27th May, 7.30pm
Hero Kinoull is an antiquarian bookseller whose sedate life in the picturesque English town of Beaudesert is turned upside down between the spring and autumn equinoxes …
View event details
Graeme Lawson
Thursday 29th May, 7pm
Wonderfully engaging, expansive and ambitious, Sound Tracks tells the history of our relationship with music in sixty detective stories, each focusing on the discovery of a …
View event details
Gill Hornby
Friday 6th June, 7pm
Celebrating Jane Austen's 250th anniversary we are thrilled to host Gill Hornby with her stunning new novel The Elopement!'It is a truth universally acknowledged that a …
View event details
Reading Group - Mr. Ma and Son
Tuesday 10th June, 7.30pm
Lao She was a major writer who would enjoy a successful career in his native China before falling foul of Mao's Cultural Revolution. In this early …
View event details
Emily Hauser
Monday 16th June, 7pm
Emily Hauser joins us with Mary Beard to talk about Mythica this coming June!Who were the real women behind the myths of the Trojan War? Now …
View event details
Larry Lamb
Wednesday 18th June, 7pm
Gavin and Stacy's Larry Lamb joins this summer for his debut novel All Wrapped Up. Informed by his years of experience in film and television, Larry …
View event details
Duncan Poyser and Simon Stirrup
Thursday 19th June, 7pm
We are so pleased to be hosting an event for Fenland Nature. A book which showcases the natural history and landscape of the Fens, an area …
View event details
Jo Hamilton
Monday 23rd June, 7pm
Jo Hamilton was one of more than 700 sub-postmasters prosecuted between 2000 and 2014 based on information from the Post Office's faulty Horizon accounting system. She …
View event details
Reading Group - Wise Blood
Tuesday 8th July, 7.30pm
"The book was written with zest and, if possible, it should be read that way." Thus Flannery O'Connor on her own extraordinary debut novel, Wise Blood, …
View event details
Reading Group - The Lonely Londoners and Way of Sunlight
Tuesday 12th August, 7.30pm
Notable for its innovative narrative technique and linguistic freshness, as well as its ground-breaking subject, Sam Selvon's 1956 novel, The Lonely Londoners, is an exuberant and …
View event details
Harry Sidebottom Book Launch
Tuesday 26th August, 7pm
Join us for our Book Launch event with the brilliant local author Harry Sidebottom! Celebrating the debut of his new book Those Who are About to …
View event details
Reading Group - Resurrection
Tuesday 9th September, 7.30pm
Overcome with feelings of guilt over a crime committed in his dissolute youth, Prince Dmitri Nekhlyudov purses an eccentric path to personal salvation that will take …
View event details
Katherine Rundell - Exclusive Edition
Tuesday 16th September, 7.30pm
The dragons call out, and the ratatoskas tell of murder. Come with us now. There is justice to be done.Return to the magic of the Archipelago... …
View event details
Ann Cleeves
Friday 17th October, 3pm
When a violent storm descends upon Orkney, the body of Archie Stout is left in its wake. An unusual murder weapon, a Neolithic stone bearing ancient …
View event detailsMore Ely events launching soon!
Sign up to be the first to hear when new events are confirmed.
Join the Ely newsletter
Newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about our events and early bird offers, as well as exclusive complimentary invitations