Edinburgh Events and Reading Groups
We're delighted to bring our all-year-round Literary Festival to our bookshop in Edinburgh. We have a packed calendar which ranges from readings in the bookshop to evenings with literary stars.
Heather Parry for Carrion Crow
Thursday 27th March, 7.30pm
'With Carrion Crow Heather Parry deduces an unutterable Gothic horror of class and gender from the pages of Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management. A festering …
View event details
A Walking Guide to Edinburgh's Best Buildings with Robin Ward
Sunday 30th March, 11am
Robin Ward is an Edinburgh-based architecture critic, writer and graphic designer who was born and raised in Glasgow.He studied at Glasgow School of Art and subsequently …
View event details
Cooks & Books: Calum Harris for Proper Healthy
Monday 31st March, 7.30pm
Calum Harris is a cook who started on Instagram in 2019 with the aim to make vegan food simple for everyone to enjoy and try. Since …
View event details
Baillie Gifford prize-winner Hallie Rubenhold for Story of a Murder
Monday 31st March, 7.30pm
'A unique combination of sleuthing, storytelling and compassion.' ~ Lucy Worsley'Takes us beyond the world of Dr Crippen into the lives impacted by him and the …
View event details
What Is Free Speech? The History of a Dangerous Idea with Fara Dabhoiwala
Tuesday 1st April, 7.30pm
"Eye-opening, thought-provoking and deeply enjoyable, What is Free Speech? is a work of great profundity and brilliance." ~ William DalrympleFara Dabhoiwala is a Senior Research Scholar …
View event details
Charlie Porter for Nova Scotia House
Wednesday 2nd April, 7.30pm
'A work of genius' ~ Philip Hoare'One of the best things I've read in many many years' ~ Hilton Als'Charlie Porter is doing something new: forging …
View event details
Cooks & Books: Ottolenghi's Noor Murad for Lugma
Thursday 3rd April, 7.30pm
Please note, this is now taking place in Pilrig St Paul's / LARCH.Bahrain-born, London-based and New York trained, Noor Murad joined the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen in …
View event details
Submarine's Joe Dunthorne for Children of Radium: A Buried Inheritance
Friday 4th April, 7.30pm
'A gripping story of family secrets and chemical warfare [and] a tale of one writer's search for a reliable past... Joe Dunthorne has written a contemporary …
View event details
Queer Reading Group
Monday 7th April, 7pm
For the second installment of our Queer Fiction reading group, we will explore E.M. Forster's Maurice.With Sanna as our guide, we will be immersing ourselves in …
View event details
Contemporary Crime Writing with Ian Rankin, Neil Lancaster, and Mari Hannah
Monday 7th April, 7.30pm
Three award-winning crime writers Ian Rankin, Neil Lancaster, and Mari Hannah join us to celebrate their latest books.Ian Rankin is a legend in his genre. The …
View event details
Poetry Reading Group
Tuesday 8th April, 7pm
Our poetry reading group is returning for 2025! With Zain as our guide, we will be immersing ourselves in a range of exciting voices in the …
View event details
Lucy Mangan for Bookish: How Reading Shapes Our Lives
Tuesday 8th April, 7.30pm
'Lucy Mangan on books is like butter on toast: perfect' Caitlin MoranLucy Mangan is a columnist for Stylist magazine and a reviewer for The Guardian, The …
View event details
Andrés N. Ordorica for Holy Boys
Wednesday 9th April, 7.30pm
Local author Andrés N. Ordorica joins us for his newest poetry collection Holy Boys that explores themes of masculinity, the Church, and nationhood.Andrés is a queer …
View event details
William Coles for Lord Lucan
Wednesday 9th April, 7.30pm
The Lord Lucan Scandal: 50th Anniversary EditionA murder gone wrong. A worldwide police hunt for the killer. And a fugitive who became a legend: The 7th …
View event details
The New Frontiers: Contemporary Sci-Fi and Fantasy Reading Group
Thursday 10th April, 7pm
You asked, we answered; due to popular demand, we’ve opened up a second Sci-Fi and Fantasy Reading Group!Join Andrew as he leads you on a guided …
View event details
Of This and Other Worlds - Science Fiction Reading Group
Monday 14th April, 7.20pm
Continuing into 2025, we’ll be continuing our Fantasy and Science Fiction reading group, exploring worlds both fantastical and horrific, monstrous and utopian. Whether your interests lie …
View event details
New Voices in Poetry: Gabrielle Tse for Rustlings
Monday 14th April, 7.30pm
We are delighted to be welcoming Edinburgh-based poet Gabrielle Tse for the launch of her debut poetry pamphlet, Rustlings. Also joining her to read will be …
View event details
Irish Fiction Reading Group: Contemporary and Classic
Tuesday 15th April, 7pm
Fáilte romhat! Our next reading group will be Irish Fiction: Contemporary and Classic Writing. We’ll be immersing ourselves in a range of Irish writing, expanding the …
View event details
Gareth Russell on Queen James: the Life & Loves of Britain's First King
Tuesday 15th April, 7.30pm
Please note, this event is now taking place at Pilrig St Paul's / LARCH. 'Elizabeth was king,Then James was queen.' - English author (1603)Gareth Russell is …
View event details
John and Paul: A Love Story in Songs with Ian Leslie
Wednesday 16th April, 7.30pm
"One of my favourite writers" MALCOLM GLADWELL"The first new Beatles story in decades - and the one that will make your heart burst." CAITLIN MORANIan Leslie …
View event details
Red Pockets: An Offering with Alice Mah
Tuesday 22nd April, 7.30pm
Alice Mah is Professor of Urban and Environmental Studies at the University of Glasgow. Originally from a small town in northern British Columbia, she has a …
View event details
Green Mountains Supper Club with Caroline Eden
Wednesday 23rd April, 7pm
Please note, this event is sold out with a long waiting list. We won't be able to add further names to the waiting list. A Bookshop …
View event details
An Evening with Gordon Buchanan
Thursday 24th April, 7.30pm
Gordon Buchanan is an award-winning presenter and wildlife cameraman, his credits including the Planet Earth and Frozen Planet series and, as presenter, the popular Family & …
View event details
Rethinking our Relationship with the Countryside with Patrick Galbraith
Friday 25th April, 7.30pm
'Galbraith has written a book about the countryside and its vital issues with a clarity of mind and prose possessed by few, if any. Galbraith is …
View event details
Rob Cowen with Dan Richards for The North Roads
Monday 28th April, 7.30pm
"A haunting exploration of time, place and memory along the road to London-Edinburgh highway. Radical. Beautiful. Brilliant." ~ Robert MacfarlaneRob Cowen is an award-winning writer and …
View event details
East West Street's Philippe Sands for 38 Londres Street
Tuesday 29th April, 3pm
"A true masterpiece. Utterly compelling, a staggering piece of research and beautifully written." ~ HENRY MARSHBaillie Gifford winner Philippe Sands is Professor of Public Understanding of …
View event details
Cooks & Books: Kenji Morimoto for FERMENT
Tuesday 29th April, 7.30pm
Please note, this is now taking place in Pilrig St Paul's / LARCH. "Kenji is a fermenting guru and this book is a masterclass in fermentation." …
View event details
Karim Kattan for The Palace on the Higher Hill
Wednesday 30th April, 7.30pm
Winner of the 2021 Prix des Cinq Continents de la FrancophoniePalestinian author Karim Kattan was born in 1989 in Jerusalem and grew up in Bethlehem.His 2017 …
View event details
Cooks & Books: Twelve Triangles' Emily Cuddeford & Rachel Morgan for Kitchen Table
Thursday 1st May, 7.30pm
Please note, this is now taking place in Pilrig St Paul's / LARCH. Join us to celebrate gorgeous debut cookbook from beloved Scottish bakery, Twelve Triangles.Rachel …
View event details
The Bagpipes: A Cultural History with Richard McLauchlan
Friday 2nd May, 7.30pm
'Richly entertaining and perceptive. A revelation for pipers like me, and for anyone interested in how an instrument can transform culture.' ~ Alastair CampbellRichard McLauchlan is …
View event details
The Infinite Monkey Cage's Robin Ince: Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal
Saturday 3rd May, 7.30pm
"You need Robin Ince in your life." ~ Natalie HaynesRobin Ince is a comedian, actor and writer once described by the Guardian as a 'becardiganed polymath.'He …
View event details
Queer Fiction Reading Group
Monday 5th May, 7pm
For the third installment of Sanna's Queer Fiction reading group, we will explore Alyson Greaves' Welcome to Dorley Hall.With Sanna as our guide, we will be …
View event details
Artist & Illustrator Angie Lewin for The Book of Garden Flowers
Monday 5th May, 7.30pm
Angie Lewin studied fine art at the Central School of Art and is a highly regarded artist and printmaker. She has published three books: Angie Lewin: …
View event details
Alice Vincent for Hark: How Women Listen
Tuesday 6th May, 7.30pm
Alice Vincent is the author of four books, including Why Women Grow and Rootbound: Rewilding a Life, both longlisted for the Wainwright Prize and named as …
View event details
Mary's Feminist Fiction Reading Group
Wednesday 7th May, 7pm
We are back with the wonderful Feminist Fiction Reading Group! A place to discover and enjoy a range of titles and themes lovingly hand picked by …
View event details
The New Frontiers: Contemporary Sci-Fi and Fantasy Reading Group
Thursday 8th May, 7pm
You asked, we answered; due to popular demand, we’ve opened up a second Sci-Fi and Fantasy Reading Group!Join Andrew as he leads you on a guided …
View event details
Philip Hoare for William Blake and The Sea Monsters of Love
Thursday 8th May, 7.30pm
'An impassioned magnum opus celebrating Blake's star-shaken genius by discovering his lineage everywhere in the author's own crystal cabinet of artists and outlaws. A tremendous literary …
View event details
David Farrier for Nature's Genius
Friday 9th May, 7.30pm
'A book that shows how we might evolve to solve the problems we have caused our planet. Brilliantly written, surprising, inspiring and, ultimately, hopeful.' ~ ISABELLA …
View event details
Joe Abercrombie for The Devils
Saturday 10th May, 7.30pm
Bestselling and Locus award-winning author Joe Abercrombie joins us for the release of his new book The Devils, a dark fantasy set in a version of …
View event details
Adam Nicolson for Bird School
Monday 12th May, 7.30pm
Adam Nicolson is an award-winning nature writer with a deep knowledge of the Scottish landscape. Some of his notable nature works include Sea Room about the …
View event details
Cooks & Books: Julie Lin for SAMA SAMA
Tuesday 13th May, 7.30pm
"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 …
View event details
Piece by Piece: Patchwork & Quilting Talk with Lauren MacDonald
Wednesday 14th May, 7.30pm
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 …
View event details
Renato Cisneros for The World We Saw Burning
Thursday 15th May, 7.30pm
"Who is able to recount and connect, on the basis of a chance encounter between two Peruvians in a taxi in Madrid, the uprooting of the …
View event details
Contemporary Fantasy Panel featuring Stephen Aryan, Annabel Campbell, and Gareth Hanrahan
Saturday 17th May, 7.30pm
We are thrilled to welcome three acclaimed names of the fantasy genre - Stephen Aryan, Annabel Campbell, and Gareth Hanrahan - join us to celebrate their …
View event details
Sarah Moss for Ripeness
Monday 19th May, 7.30pm
Please note, this event is now taking place in Pilrig St Paul's / LARCH on Leith Walk. 'One of our very best contemporary novelists' ~ Independent'Moss …
View event details
Gavin & Stacey's Ruth Jones for By Your Side
Tuesday 20th May, 11am
Ruth Jones MBE is well known for her television work, most notably BBC One's multi-award-winning Gavin and Stacey, co-written with James Corden, in which she played …
View event details
Irish Fiction Reading Group: Contemporary and Classic
Tuesday 20th May, 7pm
Fáilte romhat! Our next reading group will be Irish Fiction: Contemporary and Classic Writing. We’ll be immersing ourselves in a range of Irish writing, expanding the …
View event details
Square Haunting's Francesca Wade on Gertrude Stein
Wednesday 21st May, 7.30pm
From the author of the critically acclaimed Square Haunting comes a biography as unconventional and surprising as the life it tells...Francesca Wade is the author of …
View event details
Shatter Me's Tahereh Mafi for Watch Me
Wednesday 21st May, 7.30pm
We are thrilled to be hosting #1 New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author Tahereh Mafi as part of her first UK tour to celebrate …
View event details
Chloe Dalton for Raising Hare
Monday 26th May, 7.30pm
'A beautiful book' - ANGELINA JOLIE'I will be recommending this to everyone' - MATT HAIG__THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERLONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2025SHORTLISTED …
View event details
Gill Hornby for The Elopement ~ Jane Austen's 250th Anniversary
Tuesday 27th May, 7.30pm
2025 marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth - and, fittingly, we are welcoming back Gill Hornby, to celebrate The Elopement, the sequel to her …
View event details
The Lost Scottish Cult-Classic: James Robertson & Alan Taylor on Gordon M Williams' From Scenes Like These
Thursday 29th May, 7.30pm
SHORTLISTED FOR THE FIRST EVER BOOKER PRIZE'A MASTERPIECE... DEMANDS TO BE READ' - DOUGLAS STUART, AUTHOR OF SHUGGIE BAINGordon M. Williams (1934 - 2017) was born …
View event details
Unearthing the Real Pompeii with Gabriel Zuchtriegel, Director General of the Archaeological Park in Pompeii
Friday 30th May, 7.30pm
'The best book on Pompeii I've ever read' ~ STEPHEN FRYGabriel Zuchtriegel is Director General of the archaeological park in Pompeii and is currently overseeing the …
View event details
Cooks & Books: Bee Wilson for The Heart-Shaped Tin
Saturday 31st May, 7.30pm
*A 2025 book of the year from Guardian and Sunday Times"Bee Wilson is one of my favourite writers and this may be her best book" ~ …
View event details
Heather Darwent for A Sharp Scratch
Monday 2nd June, 7.30pm
Heather Darwent is based in Edinburgh, the setting for her Sunday Times bestselling debut, The Things We Do To Our Friends.She joins us for her second …
View event details
Francesca Segal for Island Calling
Tuesday 3rd June, 7.30pm
Francesca Segal is an award-winning writer and journalist. She is the author of two critically acclaimed novels, The Innocents (2012) and The Awkward Age (2017), and …
View event details
Guadalupe Nettel for The Accidentals
Wednesday 4th June, 7.30pm
Guadalupe Nettel is the author of the international award winning novels El huesped [The Guest], The Body Where I Was Born, After the Winter (Herralde Novel …
View event details
Geoff Dyer for Homework: A Memoir
Thursday 5th June, 7.30pm
"Moving, atmospheric, truthful, perceptive and hilariously funny - I loved it: a piece of our English history, the story of a vanished time, which feels close …
View event details
Mary's Feminist Fiction Reading Group
Friday 6th June, 7pm
We are back with the wonderful Feminist Fiction Reading Group! A place to discover and enjoy a range of titles and themes lovingly hand picked by …
View event details
Queer Fiction Reading Group
Monday 9th June, 7pm
For the fourth installment of Sanna's Queer Fiction reading group, we will explore Rita Mae Brown's classic coming-of-age novel, Rubyfruit Jungle. One of the first mainstream …
View event details
The New Frontiers: Contemporary Sci-Fi and Fantasy Reading Group
Thursday 12th June, 7pm
You asked, we answered; due to popular demand, we’ve opened up a second Sci-Fi and Fantasy Reading Group!Join Andrew as he leads you on a guided …
View event details
Electric Spark: the Enigma of Muriel Spark with Frances Wilson
Thursday 12th June, 7.30pm
'Frances Wilson writes books that blow your hair back' ~ KATHERINE RUNDELLA 2025 HIGHLIGHT FOR: Telegraph, Financial Times, Guardian, Observer and Scotsman.From one of our leading …
View event details
Michael Pedersen for Muckle Flugga
Monday 16th June, 7.30pm
Please note, this event is now taking place in Pilrig St Paul's / LARCH.Michael Pedersen is a prize-winning poet and author of Boy Friends, which was …
View event details
Chiara Valerio on The Little I Knew
Thursday 19th June, 7.30pm
Chiara Valerio was born in Scauri in 1978 and lives in Rome. She is a novelist, editor, critic, cultural commentator and mathematician and has published essays, …
View event details
Cooks & Books: Ottolenghi's Sami Tamimi for Boustany: Palestinian Vegetarian Cooking
Monday 23rd June, 7.30pm
Sami Tamimi was born in Jerusalem. He became head chef of Lilith, one of the top restaurants in Tel Aviv, before moving to London. In 2002 …
View event details
The Hiroshima Men: The Quest to Build the Atomic Bomb with Iain MacGregor
Tuesday 1st July, 7.30pm
"The Hiroshima Men is a meticulously researched and profoundly thought-provoking account of one of history’s most consequential events... More than just a work of history, this …
View event details
Mary's Feminist Fiction Reading Group
Wednesday 2nd July, 7pm
We are back with the wonderful Feminist Fiction Reading Group! A place to discover and enjoy a range of titles and themes lovingly hand picked by …
View event details
Rosemary Goring for Exile: The Captive Years of Mary, Queen of Scots
Thursday 3rd July, 7.30pm
Rosemary Goring has been the literary editor of Scotland on Sunday, The Herald and Sunday Herald.Rosemary's previous books include the bestselling Scotland: The Autobiography; Scotland: Her …
View event details
Queer Fiction Reading Group
Tuesday 8th July, 7pm
For the fifth installment of Sanna's Queer Fiction reading group, we will explore Oisín McKenna’s Evenings and Weekends - a poignant exploration of modern relationships, capturing …
View event details
Reframing Blackness: What's Black about "History of Art"? with Alayo Akinkugbe
Monday 14th July, 7.30pm
'Thorough, accessible, essential' ~ Katy Hessel, author of THE STORY OF ART WITHOUT MEN Alayo Akinkugbe is an editor and columnist for AnOther Magazine. She was …
View event details
John Niven for The Fathers
Tuesday 15th July, 7.30pm
"Vivid, visceral, brilliantly funny in places, dispensing sharp punches to the gut in others..." ~ Guardian on John Niven's writingJohn Niven is the author of twelve …
View event details
Alan Parks for Gunner
Tuesday 22nd July, 7.30pm
Partly inspired by the true story of Rudolph Hess's secret mission to broker appeasement with Britain during WWII, Gunner is an atmospheric and addictive new thriller …
View event details
Irvine Welsh for Men in Love: a Trainspotting sequel
Thursday 24th July, 7.30pm
* A Guardian and Standard BOOK OF 2025 *Choose life. Choose love? The Trainspotting crew fall for rave and romance in the blazing new novel from …
View event details
Queer Fiction Reading Group
Monday 11th August, 7pm
For the sixth installment of Sanna's Queer Fiction reading group, we will explore Anna Dorn’s 2024 novel Pain and Perfume. Unapologetically feminine yet ribald, steamy and …
View event details
Justin Lee Anderson for The Damned King
Tuesday 19th August, 7.30pm
Join us for an evening of fantasy action with Justin Lee Anderson to talk about the third book in The Eidyn Saga, The Damned King. Inspired …
View event details
Tim Spector for Ferment: The Life-Changing Power of Microbes
Wednesday 10th September, 7pm
The legendary Tim Spector joins us for his new cookbook Ferment: The Life-Changing Power of Microbes.Tim Spector, MD, is Professor of Epidemiology at King's College London. …
View event details
Katherine Rundell for The Poisoned King
Thursday 11th September, 6pm
'Readers will seize this with delight.' ~ Philip Pullman on Impossible Creatures'There was Tolkien, there is Pullman and now there is Katherine Rundell.' ~ Michael MorpurgoKatherine …
View event details
The Kindest Garden: A Practical Guide to Regenerative Gardening with Marian Boswall
Monday 29th September, 7pm
"I found myself crying 'yes, yes, yes!' to every page of this beautiful, inspiring, visionary yet practical and compassionate book. This is how we can garden …
View event details
In Conversation with Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon
Tuesday 30th September, 7pm
As October draws close, join us for an evening of horror from two Bram Stoker Award-Winning legends of the genre, Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon, to …
View event detailsMore Edinburgh events launching soon!
Sign up to be the first to hear when new events are confirmed.
Join the Edinburgh newsletter
Newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about our events and early bird offers, as well as exclusive complimentary invitations