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.
Indie Press Reading Group
Monday 24th February, 7pm
The Indie Press Reading Group series aims to highlight authors from small presses and independent publishers and share our love for indie books. We'll gather every …
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Poor Artists: Gabrielle de la Puente and Zarina Muhammad as The White Pube
Monday 24th February, 7pm
'Irreverent, provocative and funny' Dazed 'This book might change the way you look at art, or change the way you feel it' Daisy Hildyard 'A full-throated …
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Tiny Tales ~ Our Picture Book Reading Group
Tuesday 25th February, 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 …
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Jonathan Sumption for The Challenges of Democracy
Tuesday 25th February, 7pm
Please note this event is now taking place at St Swithin's Church, BA1 5LY.We look forward to welcoming British judge and historian, Jonathan Sumption, to the …
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Feminist Reading Group
Thursday 27th February, 7pm
Welcome to the Feminist Fiction Reading Group!Every two months, we will meet in the bookshop to discuss a fantastic piece of literature written by a female …
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An Evening with Tuppence Middleton
Thursday 27th February, 7pm
Tuppence Middleton is an actress and writer best known for her roles on the screen in Downton Abbey and Netflix's Sense8, as well as her wildly …
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Queer Voices Reading Group
Sunday 2nd March, 7pm
At the Queer Voices reading group, each month we meet to discuss a book written by a Queer author about the LGBTQ+ experience.The first selection for …
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Adrian Tchaikovsky and Gareth L. Powell in Bath
Wednesday 5th March, 7pm
'Clever, vivid, and terrifying... No one has an imagination like Adrian Tchaikovsky.''Gareth Powell’s writing upgrades classic Science Fiction tropes with modern sensibilities and a nifty twist.'Arthur …
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Helen Gordon & Joshua Howgego on Meteorites
Thursday 6th March, 7pm
'Gripping, deft and riveting. Gordon moves with total mastery from the human to the cosmic and back again' - Noreen Masud, author of A Flat Place, …
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Tiny Tales ~ Our Picture Book Reading Group
Tuesday 11th 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 …
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Asma Khan and Monsoon
Wednesday 12th March, 7pm
An evening of food, human stories and female empowerment from one of the UK's most prominent chefs, Darjeeling Kitchen's Asma Khan.Asma Khan has been revolutionising the …
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David Szalay for Flesh
Wednesday 12th March, 7pm
'Brilliance on every page' Samantha Harvey, author of Orbital'A superb novel ... mordant, knowing and disturbingly wise' David Nicholls, author of One Day'Compelling and elegant, merciless …
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Samantha Shannon for The Dark Mirror
Thursday 13th March, 7pm
'Samantha Shannon is a master storyteller and wordsmith' - Katherine Webber Join us for an evening with fantasy icon, Samantha Shannon, to celebrate the highly anticipated …
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Judith Butler asks Who's Afraid of Gender?
Sunday 16th March, 7pm
One of the most influential thinkers of our time & the author who has defined modern understanding of gender, Judith Butler joins us for Who's Afraid …
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Garrett Carr for The Boy From the Sea
Monday 17th March, 7pm
'Compassionate, lyrical and full of devilment' - Louise Kennedy, author of Trespasses1973. In a close-knit community on Ireland's west coast, a baby is found abandoned on …
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An Evening of Bitter & Sweet Flavours with Alexina Anatole
Tuesday 18th March, 7pm
Talk, Demo & Tastings‘Sweet is such a joy. Alexina strikes the perfect balance between pleasure, understanding, a little science and really special, inventive, hungry-making recipes’ Mark …
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Aria Aber for Good Girl
Wednesday 19th March, 7pm
‘Rarely has the wildness and bewilderment of youth been conveyed with such richly textured heat.’ GARTH GREENWELL'A no-bullshit must-read debut' KAVEH AKBARAria Aber, the award-winning poet …
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Pollyanna Wilkinson for How to Design a Garden
Wednesday 19th March, 7pm
Please note this event is now taking place at Christ Church.The standard entry price includes a copy of the book, and you can bring along a …
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Alex Bollen for Motherdom: Breaking Free from Bad Science and Good Mother Myths
Thursday 20th March, 7pm
Join us in Bath for an evening with Alex Bollen to celebrate her debut book: Motherdom. Drawing from her expertise as a researcher and a postnatal …
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Nancy's Green & Easy Kitchen with Nancy Birtwhistle
Monday 24th March, 7pm
Please note this event is now taking place at St Swithin's Church.We're so happy to welcome green campaigner, bestselling author, and cook Nancy Birtwhistle with her …
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Tiny Tales ~ Our Picture Book Reading Group
Tuesday 25th 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 …
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Indie Press Reading Group with Nisha Ramayya
Tuesday 25th March, 7pm
The Indie Press Reading Group series aims to highlight incredible authors from independent publishers and share our love for indie books. We'll gather to discuss works …
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Paul Preciado for Dysphoria Mundi
Wednesday 26th March, 7pm
'This monumental work brings the commitments of the bibliophile to bear on a time and a world now irreversibly out of joint. Drawing on theories of …
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Diana Evans for I Want to Talk to You
Thursday 27th March, 7pm
'Every piece feels beautifully sewn together and complete' BERNARDINE EVARISTOCrafted over twenty-five years, I Want to Talk to You invites you into a conversation of literature, …
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Kara Leigh Ford for The Essential Pottery Notebook
Monday 31st March, 7pm
Join us for a demo with local potter Kara Leigh Ford to celebrate the publication of her fabulous kiln companion: The Essential Pottery Notebook.Unlike other potter's …
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Gina Rippon for The Lost Girls of Autism: How Science Failed Autistic Women
Tuesday 1st April, 7pm
'A compelling exploration. Rippon is easily the most engaging communicator of neuroscience research working today. A truly fascinating must-read' - Elinor Cleghorn, bestselling author of Unwell …
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Recipies from a Japanese Home Kitchen with Millie Tsukagoshi Lagares
Wednesday 2nd April, 7pm
Talk, Demo & Tastings'Umai opens the doors to Millie's tiny kitchen in Tokyo, showing us just how soulful and simple Japanese cooking can be. This book …
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Natasha Pulley for the Hymn to Dionysus
Wednesday 2nd April, 7pm
We are beyond excited to be hosting internationally best-selling author Natasha Pulley in celebration of her enthralling and mythical upcoming novel, the Hymn to Dionysus "This …
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Charlie Porter for Nova Scotia House
Tuesday 8th April, 7pm
Author of What Artists Wear and Bring No Clothes, Charlie Porter, returns to Bath for his brand new novel Nova Scotia House - a story of …
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Ottolenghi's Noor Murad for Lugma
Tuesday 8th April, 7pm
"I adore this book. It's personal, beautifully written - Noor's voice draws you in and holds you there - and the recipes are absolutely glorious." - …
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Nicola Kelly for Anywhere But Here
Wednesday 9th April, 7pm
What is it like to arrive on our shores with nothing and be pushed to the margins of society?Who stands to gain from an asylum system …
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Philip Marsden for Under A Metal Sky: A Journey Through Minerals, Greed, and Wonder
Thursday 10th April, 7pm
A revelatory journey from the tin mines of Cornwall to the gold mountains of Georgia in search of the substances which have both shaped our imagination …
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Megan Hunter for Days of Light
Wednesday 16th April, 7pm
From the author of The End We Start From, now a major film starring Jodie Comer, Days of Light is a sweeping, gorgeous story for fans …
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Andrey Kurkov for The Stolen Heart
Tuesday 22nd April, 7pm
We are thrilled to welcome Andrey Kurkov, who is often referred to as Ukraine's greatest living writer, to Bath.Samson Kolechko has been assigned a most perplexing …
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Emily Hauser for Mythica
Thursday 24th April, 7pm
Who were the real women behind the myths of the Trojan War? Now award-winning classicist and historian Emily Hauser takes readers on an epic journey to …
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Pankaj Mishra for The World After Gaza
Monday 28th April, 7pm
From the award-winning writer and thinker, comes an essential reckoning with the war in Gaza, its historical conditions, and moral and geopolitical ramifications.Memory of the Holocaust, …
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John Patrick McHugh in conversation with Oisin McKenna
Tuesday 29th April, 7pm
'One of the most exciting writers working in Ireland today' - SALLY ROONEY'Truly gorgeous ... a writer of immense talent' - MICHAEL MAGEEWe are thrilled to …
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Kenji Morimoto for Ferment: Simple Ferments and Pickles, and How to Eat Them
Wednesday 30th April, 7pm
"Kenji is a fermenting guru and this book is a masterclass in fermentation." - Tim Spector Join us for an evening with Kenji Morimoto to celebrate …
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Sarah Perry for Enlightenment
Thursday 1st May, 7pm
We are thrilled to welcome Sarah Perry for her Booker Prize-longlisted novel Enlightenment.'The heavens, comets, faith, ghosts, love... This is a book of deep pleasures'BOOKER JUDGES, …
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Scottish Malaysian cooking with Julie Lin
Tuesday 6th May, 7pm
"Food has the power to stir memories, bring people together, transport you to new places, and, most importantly, take you home. Julie captures all of this …
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Poppy Okotcha for A Wilder Way: How Gardens Grow Us
Wednesday 7th May, 7pm
'A wise, passionate, heartfelt book. An invaluable resource for those seeking greater attunement with the year's cycles' - Katherine May A Wilder Way is a memoir …
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Tim Sullivan for The Bookseller: A DS Cross Thriller
Thursday 8th May, 7pm
'These are must-read detective novels' - MARK BILLINGHAM'One of my favourite detectives' - ELLY GRIFFITHS Someone's about to turn their last page...The body of a bookseller …
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Literary Walk: Celebrating 230 Years of Sydney Gardens
Sunday 11th May, 11am
Join us to celebrate 230 years of Sydney Gardens in true Toppings style - with a fabulous literary walk!The Friends of Sydney Gardens have written a …
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Alice Vincent for Hark: How Women Listen
Wednesday 14th May, 7pm
We are thrilled to welcome Alice Vincent, author of Why Women Grow and Rootbound, back to the bookshop for her new book, Hark: How Women Listen.We're …
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Richard Overy for Rain of Ruin: Tokyo, Hiroshima and the Surrender of Japan
Wednesday 21st May, 7pm
On the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this is a controversial and remarkable new account by one of Britain’s foremost military …
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Tracy Chevalier for The Glassmaker
Thursday 22nd May, 7pm
'Spellbinding' ELIF SHAFAK'Ingenious' THE TIMES, Book of the Year'Sparkling'OBSERVER'A triumph' PHILIP PULLMANTracy Chevalier has been visiting Venice regularly since her honeymoon there thirty years ago. She …
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Guided Walk with forager Andy Hamilton
Sunday 25th May, 10am
Join us this May as author, forager, and researcher Andy Hamilton guides you along one of Bath's beautiful parks in search of distinct flora, to celebrate …
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Piece by Piece: Patchwork & Quilting Talk with Lauren MacDonald
Monday 26th May, 7pm
Lauren MacDonald is a designer, maker and founder of textile studio Working Cloth. She's made every sewing project under the sun but is perhaps best known …
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An evening with T.S Elliot Prize Winner Peter Gizzi
Thursday 29th May, 7pm
We are thrilled to welcome Peter Gizzi, winner of the TS Eliot Prize 2024, to Bath this year for the winning collection.This is the powerful new …
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Damien Lewis for Great Escapes Four: Gripping Escape Stories from WWII Heroes
Monday 2nd June, 7pm
'Damien Lewis is both a meticulous historian and a born storyteller' - Lee Child‘Lewis takes the reader on an epic journey of discovery’ - BBC History …
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In for Dinner with Rosie Kellett
Tuesday 3rd June, 7pm
'In for Dinner is as generous and fun as Rosie is. It's totally modern for our times but it's nostalgic too: classic recipes spun into simple …
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James Canton for Renaturing: Small Ways to Wild the World
Thursday 5th June, 7pm
Twenty years ago, James Canton moved from London to the English countryside. Behind his farm labourer's cottage was a small field with a 'for sale' sign. …
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Book reading Mariajo Ilustrajo for Oh Carrots!
Sunday 8th June, 9.30am
Mariajo Ilustrajo will read her brilliant new picture book Oh, Carrots! alongside her previous books: I Love Books, Lost and Flooded. Join us in spending a …
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Helen Carr for Sceptred Isle: A New History of the Fourteenth Century
Tuesday 10th June, 7pm
We are thrilled to welcome bestselling author and historian Helen Carr to Bath for her new book, Sceptred Isle: A New History of the Fourteenth Century.Beginning …
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The Gayest Love Story Ever Told: Jeremy Atherton Lin for Deep House
Thursday 12th June, 7pm
It's 1996, and Jeremy, a young American, has met the British boy of his dreams - just as, amid a media frenzy, US Congress prepares the …
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Katie Kitamura for Audition
Friday 20th June, 7pm
'An original' RACHEL KUSHNER'Gorgeously disquieting' HERNAN DIAZ'One of our most brilliant writers' LAUREN GROFFOne woman, the performance of a lifetime. Or two. An exhilarating, destabilising novel …
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Jane Austen's 250th: An Austen Walk with Akeman Press
Sunday 22nd June, 11am
To celebrate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth, we are hosting a week of literary events for books on and about the great author!To round …
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Jane Austen's 250th: Gill Hornby for The Elopement
Monday 23rd June, 7pm
'It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.'To celebrate the 250th …
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Olia Hercules for Strong Roots: A Ukrainian Family Story through War, Exile and Hope
Monday 23rd June, 7pm
'It is the roots that keep the trees from falling during a storm. Olia Hercules tells us that the same is true for people and nations' …
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Jane Austen's 250th: Jane Austen's Wardrobe with Hilary Davidson
Tuesday 24th June, 7pm
To celebrate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth, we are hosting a week of literary events for books on and about the great author!Hilary Davidson …
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Jane Austen's 250th: John Mullan asks What Matters in Jane Austen?
Wednesday 25th June, 7pm
To celebrate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth, we are hosting a week of literary events for books on and about the great author!John Mullan …
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An Evening with V. E. Schwab: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
Wednesday 25th June, 7pm
Join us for an evening with beloved fantasy author V.E. Schwab to discuss her latest novel, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. Please note that …
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Jane Austen's 250th: Kathryn Sutherland on Austen in 41 Objects
Thursday 26th June, 7pm
To celebrate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth, we are hosting a week of literary events with the most brilliant Austen scholars and writers celebrating …
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Jane Austen's 250th: Caroline Sanderson for Jane Austen ~ The Life of a Literary Titan
Friday 27th June, 7pm
Caroline Sanderson began her career as a bookseller, and later worked in publishing publicity before becoming an author and journalist. Since 2000 she has compiled the …
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Jane Austen's 250th: An Austen Walk with Akeman Press
Sunday 29th June, 11am
To celebrate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth, we are hosting a week of literary events for books on and about the great author!To round …
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Jane Austen's 250th: Janet Todd for Living with Jane Austen
Friday 4th July, 7pm
'Sharing a mind is as exciting as sharing a bed. In this gentle, witty, semi-memoir, Janet Todd reveals her eccentric encounters with books and shows us …
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An Evening with Ocean Vuong for The Emperor of Gladness
Tuesday 9th September, 7pm
'Reminded me that every word can be an incantation, and that beauty does hard and important work' - Rebecca Solnit (praise for On Earth We're Briefly …
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