0
items
£0
An evening with Elizabeth O'Connor - Whale Fall
Warwick Books, CV34 4SL
Tuesday 15th April 2025, 6.30pm
Join us for an evening with Elizabeth talking about her much celebrated debut Whale Fall.
It is 1938 and for a young woman, Manod, just turned eighteen, living on a remote island off the coast of Wales, the world looks ready to end just as she is trying to imagine a future for herself. Rumours of submarines circling beneath the waves have villagers steeling themselves for what’s to come. The empty houses remind them of men the last Great War took and now they see bad omens everywhere. When two strangers from the mainland arrive on a white boat, keen to study the island’s people, Manod sees in them a rare moment of opportunity to leave the island and discover a life for herself. But, as she guides them across the island’s wild landscape and becomes entangled in their relationship, the outside world begins to look terrifyingly out of reach. Elizabeth O'Connor's beautiful, devastating debut, tells a story of longing and betrayal set against the backdrop of a world in great tumult.
An Observer's Best Debut of the Year 2024
‘Whale Fall is an astonishingly assured debut that straddles many polarities: love and loss, the familiar and the strange, trust and betrayal, land and sea, life and death. O’Connor has created a beguiling and beguiled narrator in Manod’ - Maggie O'Farrell
‘a powerful novel, written with a calm, luminous precision, each feeling rendered with chiselled care, the drama of island life unfolding with piercing emotional accuracy’ – Colm Tóibín
‘The quiet cadences of Whale Fall contain a deep melody of loss held and let go. It is a gentle, tough story about profound change’ - Anne Enright
'An excellent debut . . . Brief but complete, the book is an example of precisely observed writing that makes a character’s specific existence glimmer with verisimilitude' Maggie Shipstead, New York Times
General admission - includes a copy of the book £10.00
General admission for 2 people - includes one copy of the book £15.00
You can book tickets in the shop or online at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/warwick-books
An evening with Fran Hill - Home Bird
Warwick Books, Warwick Books,, CV34 4SL
Tuesday 29th April 2025, 630pm
Join us for an evening with Fran Hill talking about her latest book Home Bird. There will be an opportunity to ask questions and get your books signed. Light refreshments will be provided.
1979. Jackie Chadwick is 17 and living in a supported bedsit. She's still close to her foster parents and friends with (aka unofficial minder for) Amanda, their irresponsible daughter, but she's enjoying her independence - until a fire leaves her temporarily homeless. Jackie's dad, widower and recovering alcoholic Dave, has just been released from prison and sees this as his chance to make amends. He offers her his spare room - but can their relationship survive him going back on the booze and the arrival of his gin-loving lady friend and her errant son? As things go from bad to worse, Jackie has to decide how many chances you give someone who keeps letting you down.
Bittersweet and funny, Home Bird draws on Fran Hill's own experiences as a teenager in foster care.
'This has all of Fran's trademark quick wit and black humour' Gráinne Murphy
You can book tickets in the shop or online at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/warwick-books
If you are unable to join us, but would like a signed, dedicated copy of any of the books from our events - we are happy to help! Just click here
An evening with Maiwand Banayee - Delusions of Paradise : Escaping the Life of a Taliban Fighter
Warwick Books, Warwick Books,, CV34 4SL
Tuesday 6th May 2025, 6.30pm
An in-converation format talk with Maiwand Banayee, with a chance to ask questions as well as a book signing.
When Maiwand Banayee was 16, he wanted to become a suicide bomber for the Taliban. In this inspiring tale of survival and self-discovery, the reader will follow Maiwand’s journey down a dark path and his ultimate redemption. Growing up in Kabul amid the Afghan wars, he witnessed atrocities that no child should ever see - rotting corpses, starving families, a neighbourhood torn apart. He escaped to a refugee camp in Pakistan, where religious militants began the gradual grooming of Maiwand and other Afghan boys. These confused and traumatised children were indoctrinated, radicalised and prepared to die in the name of a religious war. But Maiwand escaped this life. Fleeing Afghanistan, he had a life-altering crisis of faith, confidence and meaning, finding new purpose and rebuilding himself. Maiwand taught himself how to read and write in English, and here tells his astonishing story in crystalline prose. Delusions of Paradise offers a powerful warning about the dangers of radical religion, and is a stunning celebration of self-determination and redemption from an important new voice. Maiwand Banayee was born in in Kabul at the onset of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. By the time he was twelve the country was engulfed in civil war and he fled to a refugee camp, where he enrolled in a madrassa and joined the Taliban. At 22 he rejected Islamic extremism and sought asylum in the UK, eventually living in Ireland before returning to England. He has been published in Stinging Fly and War, Literature & the Arts: An International Journal of the Humanities. This is his first book.
You can book tickets in the shop or online at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/warwick-books
If you are unable to join us, but would like a signed, dedicated copy of any of the books from our events - we are happy to help! Just click here
Songs for Bibliophiles
Warwick Books, Warwick Books, CV34 4SL
Thursday 8th May 2025, 6.30pm
Having spent the past 30 years balancing a career in bookselling with his sideline as a singer songwriter, Paul Armfield has finally reconciled the two worlds in an album of songs about books and reading. With his intimate baritone and warm stage presence, his renditions of these literate, witty songs, accompanied only by his guitar and musical saw will leave you completely charmed.
About the album ‘Between The Covers - 9 Songs For Bibliophiles’
When veteran bookseller Paul sat down in early 2024 to start writing songs for what would be his 9th release, the first two songs that stumbled out were both about books, something he had not intended, but he went with the flow and wrote three more on the same subject. He said ‘It was surprisingly cathartic, having spent nearly 30 years balancing a career in bookselling with a double life in music, it felt like finally my two worlds were being reconciled.’ Invited by his friend and producer Max Braun to spend 4 days recording with a small ensemble of accomplished jazzmen at the same studio in Stuttgart that produced 2020’s ‘Domestic’, Paul set off to record the five songs along with a selection of other people’s songs about books, the result is an album of 9 very individual songs, Paul’s originals being sandwiched between 4 cover versions, hence the punny title, ‘Between The Covers’.
Join us at Warwick Books for an intimate gig to celebrate the release of Between The Covers - 9 Songs For Bibliophiles.
You can book tickets in the shop or online at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/warwick-books
An evening with Bernie Collins - How To Win A Grand Prix
Warwick Books, 24 Market Place, CV34 4SL
Tuesday 13th May 2025, 6.30pm
Join us to listen to Bernie talk about her book How To Win A Grand Prix, have the opportunity to ask questions and get your books signed. Light refreshments will be provided.
'Bernie is not only a great strategist, but also a great team player and competitor' Sebastian Vettel. Race-winning team strategist shows how F1 really works. Welcome to Bernie Collins' world. Formula 1 drivers are the public face of Grand Prix racing but behind every driver is a team of several hundred people sharing the same passionate desire to win.
On race day it's the Team Strategist who calls the shots, working under immense pressure to make split second and crucial decisions. Through her eyes and experience as a Performance Engineer and Head of Race Strategy, Bernie takes you behind the scenes of a Formula 1 team - both in the factory and at the races - to uncover what it takes to put two Formula 1 cars on the grid and go racing. How to Win a Grand Prix gives incredible insight of the entire process from design and construction, through pre-season testing, and how a team prepares for each Grand Prix.
For race weekend itself, Bernie recreates it hour-by-hour to plunge the reader behind the pit wall and see what it's actually like to get from grid to podium.
You can book tickets in the shop or online at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/warwick-books
If you are unable to join us, but would like a signed, dedicated copy of any of the books from our events - we are happy to help! Just click here
An evening with Keith Kahn-Harris - Everyday Jews
Warwick Books, Warwick, CV34 4SL
***NEW DATE*** Tuesday 20th May 2025, 6.30pm
Join us for an evening with Keith Kahn-Harris a sociologist and writer, based in London. He is a senior lecturer at Leo Baeck College and a senior research fellow at the Institute for Jewish Policy Research. Keith will talk about his latest book and be willing to answer questions and sign books.
Can Jews be allowed to become boring? With Israel and antisemitism constantly in thenews, it seems as though the Jewish people – a fraction of a percentage of the world’s population- have become synonymous with controversy, drama and anxiety. But what if there was another side to this persistently interesting people; one that non-Jews often don’t know about and Jews rarely talk about? This is the stuff of ‘everyday’ Jewishness; the capacity to be ordinary, mundane and sometimes just plain dull. Keith Kahn-Harris lifts the lid on this surprising world in a book for Jews and non-Jews alike. Arguing that his people’s extraordinary public visibility today is harming their ability to live everyday Jewish lives, he celebrates themundanity and mediocrity of a people before it vanishes completely. DR KEITH KAHN-HARRIS is a sociologist and author, based in London. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Jewish Policy Research and a Senior Lecturer at Leo Baeck College. He also makes time for pursuing other interests outside the community, including extreme metal music and the warning messages in Kinder Surprise Eggs. The author of nine books, his most recent publications are Strange Hate: Antisemitism, Racism and the Limits of Diversity, The Babel Message: A Love Letter to Language (Icon) and (co-authored with Rob Stothard) What Does A Jew Look Like? Find out more at kahn-harris.org
Light refreshments will be provided.
You can book tickets in the shop or online at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/warwick-books
If you are unable to join us, but would like a signed, dedicated copy of any of the books from our events - we are happy to help! Just click here
An evening with Danny Scott - The Undisputed King of Selston
Warwick Books, Warwick, CV34 4SL
Tuesday 3rd June 2025
Join us in listening to Danny talk about his latest book - The Undisputed King of Selston and having the oportunity to ask questions and get your book signed. The Undisputed King of Selston is a funny, poignant memoir, alive to the unheralded beauty and camaraderie of a village which finds itself on the wrong side of history.
While set in the small mining town of Selston in the 70s and 80s, I believe anyone who grew up in an industrial, working class area (Doncaster for me!), will recognise characters like Danny Scott's dad, a quiet but resilient man; The Texan, a bloke who thought he was anywhere but the East Midlands; feisty women like Danny's mother whose right-hook was to be feared more than her fondness for house fires; and of course the village itself - the Tin Hat could be any working men's club across the country taking Bingo night far too seriously. All of it is captured so beautifully in Danny's writing, both with fondness and a sense of claustrophobia that's all too familiar for anyone who has grown up in and had ambitions of leaving their own small town.
Danny Scott ultimately left Selston and had various jobs as an apprentice engineer, counter (industrial) espionage, private investigator, painter and decorator, before finally becoming a journalist where he interviews the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Mikhail Gorbachev, Usain Bold and Dave Hill from Slade.
You can book tickets in the shop or online at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/warwick-books
An evening with Fran Littlewood - The Favourite
Warwick Books, Warwick Books,, CV34 4SL
Tuesday 24th June 2025
Join us to hear Fran talk about her latest book and have the opportunity to ask questions and get your book signed. A bit about The Favourite: Alex, Eva and Nancy. Three grown-up sisters; each wonderful and messy in their own individual ways. And loved equally by their parents, Vivienne and Patrick. Or so they thought . . . Until on their annual family holiday, Patrick accidentally reveals that he has a favourite daughter - causing other long-buried secrets to come to light.
Set over a single week, but examining the highs and lows that define a family over the decades, The Favourite is a story about rivalries and long-held resentments, about loss and grief and blame – and, above all, about love. Fran Littlewood’s debut Amazing Grace Adams was an instant New York Times bestseller, Read With Jenna pick and was published in 17 territories. Amazing Grace Adams was published to huge critical acclaim including: ‘Littlewood writes with ferocity and compassion . . . Read it and weep, then cheer’ (The Times), ‘A glorious tragicomedy’ (Daily Express) and ‘Rarely have I felt more seen than by this book’ (Good Housekeeping).
‘Now and again I read a book which is so FABULOUS I get queasy with jealousy. This is one such book. God, I wish I had written it. 3 sisters in their 40s. Funny, dark, fascinating and utterly UTTERLY convincing. On my QWJ (Queasy With Jealousy) Scale, I award it 16/10.’ Marian Keyes
‘Fran writes like a wilder, more breathless Claire Lombardo . . . A huge talent. Set over the course of a family reunion that goes very wrong, THE FAVOURITE is a layered, textured story about the reverberations of the past and secrets in a family, and a psychologically astute look at love and relationships. It’s wonderful and very funny. You’re in for such a treat. I LOVED it.’ Georgina Moore, author of The Garnett Girls
You can book tickets in the shop or online at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/warwick-books
An evening with Sasha Butler - The Marriage Contract
Warwick Books, Warwick Books,CV34 4SL
Tuesday 14th October 2025
Join us for an evening with Sasha talking about her latest book The Marriage Contract. You'll have the opportunity to ask questions and have your book signed by the author. A little more about The Marriage Contract:
‘Once she had thought of them, their love, as a fortress that nothing, not giants nor dragons nor men with fists and minds of gore could tear down. She realises now, that their love is malleable, mouldable, breakable. As soft as dreams.’ Summer in Worcestershire, 1577.
Eliza Litton, a talented artist, is in love with childhood friend, Francis. But her tyrannical father, who rules the household with insults and fists, has other ideas. As summer comes to an end, Francis vanishes after a drunken night at the inn and Eliza’s father forces her to marry a gentleman, Edmund. Thrown into a new, unfamiliar life with her husband who appears distant and cold, Eliza cannot tear herself from the memory of Francis. Yet her feelings for Edmund soften with time; he presents a life to her better than she ever dreamed. He provides her a safety she never had beneath her father’s roof and encourages her to paint, to pursue the things she loves. As she begins to fall for Edmund, Francis is adrift on his own voyage, doing all he can to survive, fixated on returning to Eliza. But as Eliza grows closer to Edmund, she uncovers a deceit she never imagined, causing her to question her own loyalties and commit her own betrayals. After everything, who will Eliza be? And what choices will she make? The Marriage Contract vividly portrays life in the precarious and unforgiving Elizabethan era, exploring love’s many forms; how we can betray the ones we love, and how we can find forgiveness; and explores a woman’s fight to follow her desires and find her autonomy.
You can book tickets in the shop or online at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/warwick-books
“A venue fit for a king! It was a fantastic evening, they had arranged it all perfectly. I am gobsmacked and over the moon all at once!”
We’re delighted to host a rich series of literary events in and around Warwick. These include our popular 'Meet the author' events. The talks usually last about an hour, followed by questions, and then there is an opportunity to meet the speaker and have a book signed. Previous authors Melvyn Bragg, Jodi Picoult, Kate Williams, Professor Edith Hall and Dr Elizabeth Goldring. These events take place across Warwick including the beautiful Lord Leycester Hospital. We also support Warwick Words Festival.
Refreshments provided by local independent businesses are served at all of our events!
“Huge thanks for a fab event yesterday!”