Welcome
books on the walls: where stories, sounds and spirits intertwine in the heart of Chester.
Nestled within Chester's historic city walls, books on the walls is more than just a bookshop – we're a haven where stories come alive and individuals connect.
Our carefully curated space brings together a perfect blend of contemporary culture and timeless traditions.
Discover Your Perfect Reading Companion
Step into our welcoming space and explore our thoughtfully selected collection of books spanning every genre.
Whether you’re seeking your next literary adventure, diving into challenging histories or browsing for the perfect Chester gift, our friendly staff are here to guide you through our selection.
You’ll discover the unexpected as well as revel in familiar favourites.
We’re also always happy to source your own requests.
More Than books
Banish your phone and immerse yourself in our unique atmosphere where literature meets lifestyle:
Artisanal Coffee Bar: Start your day with lovingly nurtured and locally roasted coffee while enjoying your latest read
Craft Beer, Cider and Fine Martinis: Unwind with our handpicked selection of local beers, ciders and spirits
Vinyl & Music Collection: Spin some grooves from our record collection on our in-house turntable and peruse our treasury of new vinyl, cds and cassettes for sale
Daily Press: Stay informed with our wide range of local and national newspapers and periodicals
Art Space: Explore contemporary works by local artists, available to purchase
Board Game Library: Make a new connection over a game of Chester Monopoly
Salty and Sugary Snacks: Graze upon our small but perfectly formed range for our canine as well as human visitors
Our Local Suppliers Include:
Bread Together, Chester
Providence Gin, Chester
The Ice Cream Farm, Tattenhall
Orchards Farm, Tattenhall
Adams and Russell Coffee Roasters, Birkenhead
Hafod Brewing Company, Mold
Nicaragua, The Tierre Madre Women's Co-operative
From Bristol, Zuma
Costa Rica, San Jorge produced by Coopeagri Cooperative
Peru produced by Lambayeque Women's Cooperative
Brown Sugar Bakes, Chester
Sophia Shaw, Art & Illustration, Chester
em in stitches designs, Chester
Untamed Photography Boutique. Chester
Find Us in Historic Chester
Located at 2 City Walls, Chester, Cheshire CH1 2JG, we’re proud to be part of the fabric of this fantastic city.
Our incredible location on Chester’s famous walls makes us the perfect destination for both locals and visitors seeking a unique experience.
Whether you’re searching for your next favourite book, the perfect album or simply a peaceful spot to enjoy quality coffee and good company, books on the walls welcomes you.
Our friendly team is ready to help you discover something special and truly social.
Don’t Miss Out on Local Events
Want to hear about upcoming books on the walls events and other exciting happenings at your local bookshops?
Sign up at National Book Tokens to get updates on author visits, community events, and bookstore news — all straight to your inbox.
CraftTea
Weekly Event
Wednesdays 2-3pm
A relaxed, chatty crafting hour. Bring along some bits and bobs and get making with a pot of tea and good company at books on the walls
National Book Tokens Award
We’re delighted to share that books on the walls was awarded National Book Tokens Bookshop of the Month for August 2025!
We are also proud to be both a supplier and redeemer of National Book Tokens – the perfect gift for book lovers.
Upcoming Events at books on the walls (February 2026)
Women’s Book Swap Club
Wednesday 25th February 2026, 6-7.30pm
Thursday 26th January 2026, 6-7.30pm
You are invited to this book swap club which takes place on the last Wednesday and Thursday of the month. Bring along a book to discuss and then swap with another participant.
Inspired by the Middle East, France and Italy, we will serve some Bread Together specials, hand made slow fermented pizza slices with a variety of toppings. A glass of wine will also be included in your ticket price.
Please book tickets with either Amblongus or books on the walls, in person or via email hello@booksonthewalls.com or amblongusbooks@gmail.com
Both sessions are at Amblongus
CANCELLED
Author Event with RJ Webb & Oli Stevens: The Pug Apocalypse
Saturday 28 February 2026
2-2.30pm
Meet RJ Webb & Oli Stevens — Neurospicy Co-Authors of The Pug Apocalypse
RJ Webb (AuDHD) and Oli Stevens (Autistic) are the creative duo behind The Pug Apocalypse, an exciting tale of Doug the Pug and his human Elsie, an AuDHD girl with a big heart, and their even bigger mission: save the world from The Feline Alliance.
This story is a love letter to neurodivergent minds, unlikely heroes, and the kind of friendships that rewrite the rules. It’s about authenticity, teamwork and embracing your weird in a world that desperately needs it.
Come meet the authors, hear how Doug and Elsie came to life, and maybe join the resistance. (Pug snacks not included, but rebellion is.)
Free, drop-in
Workshop with Samantha Hadadi: Hormone Goddess (Verbena)
Saturday 28 February 2026
6-7.30pm
About the author: Sam is a women's health and hormone coach and womb witch
Workshop:
The Hidden Magic of Your Menstrual Cycle is a 90-minute workshop that reframes the menstrual cycle as a powerful inner rhythm rather than a monthly hassle. In this event, Sam will be here to guide you through the four phases of the cycle and how they shape your energy, creativity, intuition, communication, and emotional needs throughout the month.
You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of your cyclical strengths and “superpowers,” plus simple ways to work with your body instead of against it. Books will be available to purchase, with an opportunity for signing and questions with the author.
Tickets £5 (include a drink and Bread Together pizza)
Book with hello@booksonthewalls.com
Artwork by @untamedphotographyboutique
Upcoming Events at books on the walls (March 2026)
Penny Kiley: Atypical Girl – Punk rock, Liverpool and trying to be normal (Polygon)
Friday 6th March 2026
6-7.30pm
It’s 1977, and punk rock has just hit Liverpool. The legendary Eric's club is home to the city's rebels, posers and misfits. It’s a place of attitude, adventure and new possibilities, and it changes lives. Some become pop stars; Penny Kiley becomes a music journalist.
The story traces Penny's relationship with the music scene from the turbulent political 1980s into the changing culture of the 21st century. Throughout these years, she never stops being a misfit, and the question remains: how do you navigate normal life when punk is dead and you don't know you're autistic?
Atypical Girl begins as a coming-of-age story and ends as a midlife reinvention. What unites them is a search for identity and the role that music plays in all our lives.
Featuring encounters with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes, Paul McCartney, The Cramps, Jonathan Richman, Tracey Thorn and more.
Penny Kiley was Liverpool correspondent for Melody Maker during the post-punk years of the late 1970s and 1980s. She also wrote for Smash Hits and was pop columnist for the Liverpool Echo. She was diagnosed as autistic at the age of sixty.
‘I love this book. I enjoyed every word, found many things that related directly to me and found it spoke to exactly my views of what punk means. It’s also an incredible document of Liverpool.’ Rachel Talalay, Director of Tank Girl and Doctor Who
‘Fabulous….it really captures a moment that resonates strongly with me.’
Andy McCluskey, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
‘99% of memoirs are scattered with lies. File Atypical Girl in the remaining 1%.’
Bill Drummond, Co-founder of the KLF, Writer and Musician
‘A refreshingly feminine take on punk and the tribulations of growing up during an era that was psychologically and culturally disruptive … candour and a great deal of wit…loaded with charm.’ Louder Than War
Please book your free ticket with books on the walls – hello@booksonthewalls.com
Tickets designed by Die Booth - diebooth.wordpress.com
Journalling our Journeys Workshop with
Julia McGuinness
Thursday 12 March 2026
6-7.30pm
Tickets £5 to include a drink and Bread Together pizza.
Book at hello@booksonthewalls.com.
A practical writing workshop for journallers experienced and new
Julia McGuinness is a writer, workshop facilitator and former counsellor. She has published 5 non-fiction books, including Making the Most of Midlife, Writing our Faith and her latest Writing the Journeys We Never Wanted to Make, which came out in July 2025. She has also published a poetry collection Chester City Walls.
Julia is passionate about the potential of words for well-being and creativity. Her favourite time of day is the quiet early morning, journalling in her conservatory room that overlooks the garden.
Julia is a Lay Reader. at Chester Cathedral. She lives in Hawarden with her husband and three cats, where she is endeavouring to learn Welsh.
Linda Middleton: Chester Choc Lit Author
Saturday 21st March 2025
2-2.30pm
Linda has published three contemporary romances with Choc Lit (part of Joffe Books). She likes to write about strong, ambitious women in their late twenties / early thirties. In her early life she worked in the hospitality industry and writing about food and the industry is a big part of her writing.
Linda had always dreamed of becoming a published author and began her journey by writing short stories. She had several published in women's magazines but really wanted to become a novelist.
After a health scare in 2018 she decided it was time concentrate on getting published and in 2023 Things They Never Said was accepted by Choc Lit, part of Joffe. Her second book, First Impressions, was published in August 2024. Her third book, Things We Need to Say, is a follow on from her first book. She is currently working on a trilogy set in a small hamlet on the outskirts of Chester.
Linda currently lives in Chester with her husband and two sons who are in their early twenties. She works part-time as an administrator in a commercial estate agents. Linda was born in Cheshire to a farming family. When she was 18 she moved to London and stayed there for 9 years, but her home county pulled her back and she has lived in Chester ever since.
Insta: @middletonwrites
X: @middletonwrites
Debbie Baxter: The Creative Language of Water
Saturday 28 March 2026
2-2.30pm
A truly unique and inspiring new title from celebrated artist and BBC Countryfile guest Debbie Baxter, Associate Member of the Royal Cambrian Academy.
The Creative Language of Water is a profound and beautifully illustrated reflection on the life-giving force of water, and a stirring invitation to reconnect with the natural world. Set against the breathtaking backdrops of Finland’s 188,000 lakes and the wild beauty of Snowdonia National Park, this book is more than a celebration of nature—it is a moving meditation on creativity, healing, and the timeless flow of the human spirit.
Drawing on the pioneering work of Veda Austin and Masaru Emoto, Baxter invites you to view water as a living presence with its own silent language—one that mirrors our inner world and offers profound lessons on how to live, feel, and create with greater authenticity. With poetic prose and painterly reflections, Baxter shares how her journey— from the silence of Finnish waterways to the rain-soaked hills of North Wales—transformed not only her artistic practice but her understanding of life itself.
"Nature the most powerful force on the planet. I paint this lest we forget who really is in charge"
Upcoming Events at books on the walls (April 2026)
Author Event – Charlotte Slater: Her Realm of Night (Cranthorpe Milner)
Saturday 4 April 2026
2-2.30pm
Her Realm of Night follows the Goddess of Night living as a student in present-day, navigating the mortal and immortal worlds. With the protagonist being inspired by Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, this modern-day Greek mythology retelling with its university setting and visits to the Underworld will appeal to former Percy Jackson fans now looking for a retelling with older characters. The enemies-to-lovers banter and slow-burn romance will appeal to fans of popular romantasy series and mythology retellings such as Girl, Goddess, Queen by Bea Fitzpatrick and dark academia novels such as Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo.
Charlotte Slater is a Stockport-based librarian and author. A life-long fantasy fan, Charlotte wrote her first novel when she was seventeen and has since been hooked on bringing her imagination to life. Charlotte has a BA degree in English Literature with Creative writing from the University of Manchester, where she spent the good majority of her time delving into the works of classical writers. When she is not reading the latest YA fantasy releases, Charlotte can be found rewatching TV shows and films from her childhood.
Free, drop-in
Book Launch – Sian Hughes: No Such Thing As Monday (The Indigo Press)
Saturday 18 April 2026
2-3pm
Steffie spends her days working in a dry-cleaner’s, trying to scrub the world clean one garment at a time. But no matter how spotless the clothes, she can’t rid herself of the guilt and grime she feels inside.
Haunted by what happened to her sister when they were children, large fragments of which she can’t fully remember, Steffie is stuck in a loop of self-destruction, defiance, and shame.
When her violent, bullying father dies suddenly, it sparks a reckoning that cracks open her past. What follows is an unexpectedly redemptive journey of a woman trying to piece herself together in a world that failed to make space for her.
Raw, exhilarating, and full of heart, No Such Thing as Monday confirms Sian Hughes as a masterful chronicler of life lived on the edge, and people at their most vulnerable.
Siân Hughes is a writer who grew up in a small village in Cheshire. Her first collection of poetry The Missing was a Poetry Society Recommendation, longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, shortlisted for the Felix Dennis and the Aldeburgh prizes, and won the Seamus Heaney Award.
Siân’s first novel Pearl was longlisted for The Booker Prize 2023 and shortlisted for The Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award 2024.
‘A stunningly frank and darkly funny novel of loneliness and resilience. I loved it.’
— Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry
‘In Steffie, Sian Hughes has created one of the most powerful, highly original and hilarious voices in fiction. What she suffers is almost unbearable and yet her resilience knocks the stuffing out of it. It’s deftly woven, the writing is delicious, and it hit my heart like a hammer blow.’
— Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
‘I was blindsided by the brilliance of this novel.’
— Meg Mason, author of Sorrow and Bliss
‘Richly absorbing and powerful – a ’read to the small hours,’ novel. Steffie has a unique voice that keeps you glued to her story, and that I absolutely loved.’
— Kate Hamer, author of The Girl in the Red Coat
Please book your free ticket with books on the walls – hello@booksonthewalls.com
Author Event with Paul JC Edge
Saturday 25 April 2026
2-2.30pm
Paul J.C. Edge is an award winning independent author, his works include the gritty Summer Haven and Book of Xaal Sci-Fi horror trilogies, fusing his love of space sagas, fantasy and Lovecraftian gothic horror stories.
Paul studied IT at university, which included modules in Astro Physics, it built real knowledge around his love of tales of space travel and alien contact.
Finally forsaking a successful career in management consulting and IT system design and scientific informatics, he became a full time author in 2020.
Paul lives in Cheshire and loves spending time walking in nature, whilst dreaming up new ideas and stories. He also has a passion for rock and jazz, cooking and reading (ranging from Sci-Fi and thrillers to Dostoyevsky). His offbeat sense of humour will often solicit a groan from his wife and full time editor, Elaine.
Paul occasionally attends Comic-Con and book events in the UK - keep an eye out for him, he would love to meet you!
Connect with Paul via www.PaulJCEdge.co.uk or @PaulJCEdge on social media, @PJCEdge on YouTube.
Upcoming Events at books on the walls (May 2026)
Poetry Event - Julia McGuinness: Chester City Walls
Saturday 2 May 2026
2-2.30pm
Though she now lives over the border in North Wales, Julia McGuinness is a poet with a strong association with Chester. From 2019-2024, she was Chester Cathedral’s Poet-in-Residence, and the City’s historic walls inspired her first poetry collection.
Chester City Walls guides readers round the Walls today as well as tracking back through time to the stories they hold: patrolling Romans; Georgian promenaders; a Tudor elopement; a Cvil War seige, and a visit by Halley (of comet fame!).
Each poem is a mosaic stone that contributes its piece to the Walls that stand now, where “The human river flows,” in an endless throng of people along and below, from Roman soldiers to modern tourists who “continue the footfall / unawares; / tread on ghosts.”
Poetry Event – Colin Anderson: the senseless ramblings of an unremarkable yet likeable oaf
Saturday 9 May 2026
2 – 2.30pm
Colin Anderson is a Ramsbottom based poet. Author of the unremarkable yet likeable oaf series of poetry collections, as well as appearing in anthologies and podcasts. the senseless ramblings of an unremarkable yet likeable oaf was released October 2025.
His relatable poetry covers all aspects of life. From raising children and the death of loved ones through to the more important matters such as pigeons and accidentally carrying sex toys through customs. Poems that will either make you laugh, cry or both.
Colin's daughter says about his poetry "oh, have you written another one" whilst his son proffered "very good, have you seen my trainers?"
Author Event – Marisa Linton: Circle of Shadows (Hodderscape)
Friday 15 May 2026
6-7.30pm
Marisa Linton is both a professor of history and a prize-winning novelist of historical and supernatural fantasies.
Marisa’s novels draw on her fascination with ancient Celtic Britain, folklore, belief in magic, and the supernatural. She writes in the tradition of classic writers of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, reimagined with very modern-minded heroines. Her inspirations include M. R. James, Arthur Conan Doyle and Algernon Blackwood. Join us for an evening of folk horror, ghost stories, and the occult.
In 2023 Marisa won the Times/Chicken House competition with her eerie young adult fantasy, The Binding Spell. Published by Chicken House, May 2025. The Binding Spell is a contemporary fantasy that taps into ancient Celtic folklore and the history of witches to create a story set in a remote English village on the Welsh border, where a teenage girl finds that the past is alive and all around her, and that it brings both power and a creeping horror.
She describes it as a mash-up of The Wicker Man and This Country.
Marisa’s adult novel, Circle of Shadows is a sinister historical fantasy set in the Edwardian era. A young woman uses her expert knowledge of magic and the occult to investigate legends of an ancient demon. She finds herself confronting a group of dangerous, privileged men. Published by Hodderscape, October 2025.
Its sequel, Domain of Darkness, will be published December 2026.
About Marisa, visit: https://www.marisalinton.com/
Tickets £5 (include a drink and Bread Together pizza)
Author Event
Caroline Corcoran: The Next Woman
Saturday 16 May 2026
2 – 2.30pm
Caroline Corcoran is an internationally published Sunday Times bestselling author whose work has been translated into multiple foreign languages and sold around the world. Caroline’s debut Through the Wall (Avon 2019) was followed by The Baby Group in 2021, Five Days Missing in 2022, What Happened on Floor 34? in 2023, TINY DAGGERS in 2025 and THE NEXT WOMAN, which came out this March.
Caroline’s books are marketed as psychological thrillers or ‘domestic noir’ but they are also very much books about the female experience, tackling big themes such as infertility, domestic violence, work and its role in our lives, female friendship, new motherhood, sexual assault and mental health.
Prior to writing novels, Caroline was a journalist, working for Stylist, Grazia, Marie Claire, the Telegraph, the Independent, the Mirror, the Guardian and many of the other biggest newspapers, magazines and websites in the country.
If you speak to her for longer than three minutes, she will tell you about the time she interviewed Beyonce. Now, her interviewees take on a more literary form as she is a regular chair of book events and panels so that most of the time that isn’t spent writing her own books is spent reading other people’s.
Free, drop-in
Upcoming Events at books on the walls (June 2026)
An Evening with Playwright Simon Stephens: Sea Wall
Friday 19 June 2026
6-7.30pm
Join Simon Stephens for a conversation about his work with a particular focus on the filmed version of Sea Wall, featuring Andrew Scott and directed by Andy Porter (Poet in Residence at books on the walls).
For more than twenty-five years Simon Stephens’ work has been widely translated and produced throughout the world. He has won many Awards including Olivier and Tony Awards for new plays.
His 2026 play An Ark staged by Tin Drum Collective at the Shed in New York was one of the first plays ever written for Mixed Reality. His radical adaptation of Uncle Vanya, Vanya, starring Andrew Scott, ran in London’s West End and at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, New York between Autumn 23 and Spring 25 and was screened to phenomenal success on NT Live and NT Home.
His adaptation of Jose Saramago’s Blindness was made into a light and sound installation that was produced internationally during the Covid 19 pandemic. His most famous play is his adaptation of Mark Haddon’s best-selling novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. He has had thirty five original plays produced professionally.
He has written new English language versions of masterpieces by Chekhov, Ibsen and Brecht, collaborated with the world’s leading theatre practitioners (Patrice Chereau, Ivo Van Hove, Marianne Elliott, Katie Mitchell) and produced original work throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas.
He has been Artistic Associate at the Lyric, Hammersmith and Associate Playwright at the Royal Court Theatre. He has taught playwriting workshops in five continents. He has presented four series of the celebrated Playwright’s Podcast from the Royal Court Theatre. He is a Professor at the Writing School of Manchester Metropolitan University.
His book "A Working Diary" was published by Methuen Bloomsbury in 2016.
He lives in East London with his wife, three children, their snake, two cats and two dogs.
Simon’s adaptation of Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of A Dog in the Night-Time will run at the Storyhouse from Tuesday 16 March 16 until Saturday 20 March 2027.
Please book your ticket (£5, including a drink and Bread Together pizza) with books on the walls at hello@booksonthewalls.com.
Upcoming Events at books on the walls (July 2026)
Christopher Tradgett: Just Another Tuesday in Manhattan
Saturday 4 July 2026
2-2.30pm
Christopher Tradgett started writing fiction just recently, after going along to the Write Here, Write Now group at Chester's Storyhouse early last year.
The writing to prompts exercises led initially to some short stories, one of which was featured in the Northwich Literature Festival 2025. This paved the way to another short story, which soon grew to an over 50,000 word novel - Just Another Tuesday in Manhattan.
The story explores themes around adoption, family relationships and friendships against a backdrop of Manhattan, Long Island and ending up in Dublin.
Other recent publications include some short stories and a set of dramatic monologues on themes around climate change.
Christopher has two other projects on the go - novels based in and around Cheshire.
Free, drop-in
Author Event – Christy Theodoulou:
Godless Cosmologies (Hawkwood Books)
Saturday 18 July 2026
2-2.30pm
A gothic, literary fantasy which follows an asylum patient facing one of life’s greatest paradoxes: to cure one’s mind through love, one may just have to lose it.
When young Pear arrives at Kopolka’s mental asylum on the day of his mother’s death, he is summoned to a cavernous midnight rendezvous where he meets Mystery, an enigmatic patient with a penchant for philosophy.
All seems well, particularly during his sojourns to the mollifying Water, a fantasy, underwater world in which he finds himself a whale in the company of an erudite octopus. But Mystery harbours dangerous delusions of her own and as the price of replacing his mother becomes ever more challenging for his shy, quiet nature, the lines between reality and fancy begin to shake.
Will Pear let them crumble or can he fight back?
In an era of uncertainty, Godless Cosmologies speaks to the timeless quest for purpose and belonging. Its rich metaphysical narrative and emotional depth make it a must-read for fans of literary fantasy and philosophical fiction. With vivid storytelling and thought-provoking themes, Theodoulou invites readers to explore a universe untethered from divine order, where meaning must be forged in the face of cosmic indifference. A metaphysical journey through worlds without divine order.
‘Beautifully realised, surreal storytelling and fascinating world building. Rich, evocative prose, full of drama and interesting ideas. An amazing achievement.’ – H. J. Larder
Christy Theodoulou is the author of the forthcoming novel Godless Cosmologies, which is due to be published by Hawkwood Books in March 2026. She has a law degree from Lancaster University and a Bachelor of Civil Law from the University of Oxford. She currently resides in London, pondering existential thoughts if not reading, prowling charity shops or otherwise imagining a life with many legged creatures. Beyond that, she thinks, she writes.
Free, drop-in.
Upcoming Events at books on the walls (January 2027)
Author Event with Gareth Robinson: A Curious Legacy
Saturday 2nd January 2027
2-2.30pm
Gareth Robinson first encountered the Falkland Islands in a school atlas, during an O-level geography lesson in the autumn of 1975. What followed was indeed a curious legacy from that lesson. In his book, A Curious Legacy…the author writes about his fascination with the Falkland Islands, and his mission to get all over the Islands, much of it on foot.
It was to be January 1998 before he managed to get to the Falklands, and much had happened in the intervening years. Tourism was then in its early days. As Gareth pursued that mission to get all over the Islands - 11 visits and counting - the increased opportunities facilitated the pursuit.
At his first talk and slide show in January of this year, he gave an insight into the attractions of the Falklands, and illustrated this with photographs taken from islands and hilltops which few get to visit. Join him for a further talk and slide show, which will draw out the enterprising way in which 'land-based tourism' has been developed, and will include a slide selection of Falklands wildlife, and the empty, peaceful coastlines which are so much part of an island archipelago.
Free, drop-in
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