Women’s Book Swap Club
Wednesday 28th January 2026, 6-7.30pm
Thursday 29th January 2026, 6-7.30pm (with author Clare Dudman)
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 books on the walls
Brigid Lowe: The Bloody Branch (Vintage)
Wednesday 4 February 2026
6-7.30pm
Brigid will be talking about her debut novel. Three powerful heroines – a queen, a sorceress and woman made of flowers – plot revenge against the villain who wronged them. A gorgeously dark debut novel inspired by Celtic Britain’s original fantasy fiction.
Man is cruel but the flowers will take their revenge.
Three great heroines – slave queen Goewin, the reclusive sorceress Arianrhod, and Blodeuwedd, a woman conjured from flowers – unite to avenge themselves on the most dangerous man in ancient legend.
Gwydion is a powerful sorcerer, whose ambition and cruelty wreak havoc across the kingdom. When at last the earth itself is put at stake, Goewin, Arianrhod and Blodeuwedd each unleash their uncanny powers to challenge him.
In this vital and visceral novel, Brigid Lowe casts ancient light on desire, sex and our relationship with nature to bring these Celtic heroines to explosive, sensuous, blossoming new life.
Brigid Lowe grew up in a remote Welsh-speaking community on Ynys Môn, with her younger sister and Irish immigrant parents. She now lives with her children in that part of Scotland known as Yr Hen Ogledd – The Old North – formerly joined with Wales in one Cumbric nation. She studied literature at Bangor, completed a doctorate at Oxford, and went on to teach and research at Sheffield and Cambridge Universities, publishing a book and many essays on the art of fiction. Brigid traces her descent from travellers, circus performers, mill workers and gallowglass warriors. She takes photographs of flowers, forages her food, clambers pinnacles, and swims in ice and caves and bottomless pools.
‘A rich, visceral fever dream unafraid to take you to the darkest corners of myth and magic... always powerful, the story is conveyed in language that branches, metamorphoses, and invites you to follow ...’
Lucy Holland, author of SISTERSONG
‘Brigid’s book is a masterpiece of poetic reimagining, woven into an intricate, otherworldly, complex and dramatic novel that held me spellbound.’
Barbara Erskine, Sunday Times Bestselling Author
Tickets £5 (including a drink and Bread Together pizza).
Tickets created by Susan Wilson @livielovexx
Saturday 7 February 2026
Local Author Event with Gordon MacLeod
2-2.30pm
Gordon Ian MacLeod is a Scottish author and playwright who lives in Cheshire in England.
He has recently completed two new novels.
The latest of these is 'An t-Eilean Dorcha (The Dark Island)', a place where the wind tells stories, the land remembers everything, and change is coming. It is a humorous novel, about a small island community who face a wind farm development on their island and documents their amusing and often unconventional response to it.
This was preceded by a new work of historical fiction, a novella/short novel called, 'Proscription'. This tells the story of a small child, who is caught up in the events of the bloody massacre of Glencoe. It looks at how this traumatic experience in early life, defined the man he was to become.
In August of 2025, Gordon released a new book of Plays, 'More Arran Dramas'.
In 2022, the Grey Hill Arts and Theatre production and distribution company produced one of his plays from the 2017 edition of 'Arran Dramas', called, 'Where Did All the Flowers Come From?' as an audio drama.
'Galetine's Tote Bag Workshop with Jade Pickering
Monday 9th February 2026
6-8pm
Tickets £10
Book with Jade @@welcome_to_JJs
Author Event - Nikki Kiyimba: Trauma-Informed Mindfulness – A Practitioner’s Guide for One-to-One Work (University of Chester Press)
Saturday 14 February 2026
2 – 2.30pm
The dissociation, anxiety and intrusive thinking associated with PTSD and other trauma-related difficulties can be a huge source of distress for sufferers and their families. Mindfulness has been found to be an excellent intervention for these symptoms. However, traditional manualised group mindfulness programmes can sometimes inadvertently re-trigger the very trauma symptoms they seek to alleviate.
Trauma-Informed Mindfulness (TIM) was developed by British Psychologist Dr Nikki Kiyimba to introduce mindfulness practices safely on a one-to-one or small group basis to individuals who have experienced psychological trauma. TIM is an innovative modular system of components that draws upon established models of trauma-informed care, and a wealth of clinical experience in working with people who have experienced trauma.
Dr Nikki Kiyimba was a Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for the Msc in Therapeutic Practice for Psychological Trauma at the University of Chester. She is also a clinical psychologist and is now based in the Bay of Plenty in Aotearoa New Zealand. Her calling is to support people through psychological adversity by taking a holistic approach, and through meaningful connections with likeminded others. This means integrating physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual aspects of humanity, and through connection with the natural environment.
Free, drop-in
Games Night
Thursday 19th February 2026
6-7.30pm
You are invited to a games night which takes place on the third Thursday of the month. Play one of the board and table-top games at books on the walls or turn up with a favourite from home.
Inspired by the Middle East, France and Italy, we serve some Bread Together specials, hand-made slow fermented pizza slices with a variety of toppings. A drink is also included in your ticket price.
Please book tickets with books on the walls, hello@booksonthewalls.com.
Tickets £5
Jo Cunningham: Una McMurray Mysteries (Constable)
Saturday 21st February 2026
2-2.30pm
Jo Cunningham grew up in Birkenhead and at age eight, as part of a school team, she became Wirral Road Safety Quiz champion after an exciting buzzer round about box junctions. Having peaked, she left the North to work for many years in various IT jobs while she got to grips with writing comedy novels and has now moved back up North again.
Jo has published two cosy crime books with Constable in her ‘Una McMurray Mysteries’ series about an anxious actuary who solves crimes - 'Death by Numbers' came out in August 2024 and 'A Calculated Murder' in August 2025.
Please join Jo at this event for a short reading, conversation and signing.
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
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
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
Andy Porter, Poet in Residence: Neighbour’s Got a New Hot Tub (Luain Press)
Saturday 7 March 2026
2-2.30pm
Andy Porter is the Cheshire based Poet in Residence at books on the walls. He has been writing poems since 2020 after working for over 30 years as an advertising scriptwriter, copywriter and director.
Andy’s debut poetry collection, Neighbour’s Got a New Hot Tub, was launched in July 2025 by independent Irish publisher, Luain Press. The following month Andy was invited to appear with Rising Tide Events at Electric Picnic, Ireland’s biggest music festival. He performs regularly at Spoken Word nights and is just as happy performing in front of an audience of a handful of people as he is in front of a theatre or festival audience of 150. Andy's work has featured on several podcasts and his poem "You Can't Take it with You" is in The Poetry's Dead's second anthology (published January 2026).
His second full collection will be published later this year. Andy lives with his wife Kathy in the village of Great Barrow, where he is surrounded by lunatics, most of whom are his friends.
These entertaining, high-spirited poems are packed with humour and crafted rhyme. Andy Porter has a natural facility for memorable words, phrases and titles to make you smile.
Greg Freeman, Write Out Loud
Funny, fab images, joyous juxtapositions. Neil Mullarkey, Co-founder, The Comedy Store
A bloody great poet! Leon Dunne, All Ireland Poetry Slam Champion 2022
Your book is an amazing achievement (& very funny) - well done mate!
Mike Garry
Tik Tok @andyspangles
Insta @andyporterpoet
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.
Games Night
Thursday 19 March 2026
6-7.30pm
You are invited to a games nigh which takes place on the third Thursday of the month. Play one of the board and table-top games at books on the walls or turn up with a favourite from home.
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 drink is also included in your ticket price.
Please book tickets with books on the walls hello@booksonthewalls.com
Tickets £5
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
Amblongus/books on the walls book swap club
Wednesday 25 March 2026 (with author Sian Hughes)
and
Thursday 26 March 2026
6-7.30pm at books on the walls
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"
Jade Pickering: Easter Tote Bag Painting Workshop
Tuesday 31 March 2026
6 - 8pm
£10.00 pp
All materials provided
Message Jade to book: @welcome_to_JJs
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
Games Night
Thursday 23 April 2026
6-7.30pm
You are invited to a games night which will take place on the third Thursday of the month. Play one of the board and table-top games at books on the walls or turn up with a favourite from home.
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 books on the walls drink will also be included in your ticket price.
Please book tickets with books on the walls, in person or via email hello@booksonthewalls.com
Tickets £5
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.
Ashley Fayth: An Earth Day Celebration with Blueberry Bay and The Sniger and the Floose
Sunday 26 April 2026
10:30 – 12:00pm
Join award-winning, singer/songwriter and children’s author, Ashley Fayth, for an Earth Day reading of her storybooks, Blueberry Bay and The Sniger and the Floose, plus a nature-inspired singalong, book signing, and author Q&A.
Free, drop-in.
Women’s Book Swap Club
Wednesday 29 & Thursday 30 April 2026
6.00-7.30pm
At Amblongus (venue to alternate between Amblongus and books on the walls each month)
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 serve some Bread Together specials, hand made slow fermented pizza slices with a variety of toppings. A glass of wine or non-alcoholic alternative will also be included in your ticket price.
There are 10 places available in the group.
Please book tickets with either Amblongus or books on the walls, in person or via email hello@booksonthewalls.com or amblongusbooks@gmail.com.
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.”
Free, drop-in
Join us for an evening with debut author and former music business executive Delphine Seddon to discuss her fiercely feminist debut novel, Darkening Song.
Friday 8 May 2026
6.30-8pm
DAISY JONES & THE SIX meets EUPHORIA and fiercely feminist, DARKENING SONG follows the story of two young women; a teen star from Manchester failed by the music industry which made her an idol and her ambitious manager, forced to make an impossible choice between friendship and power. It’s a story of friendship and betrayal, a love story and a story about how past traumas can colour the present. But more than anything, it’s about hope, and how dreams can come true in ways we least expect.
*To be adapted into a major TV series*
*Original score soundtrack, written and produced by an all-female team*
Delphine Seddon writes female-driven contemporary fiction and poetry. For the past 20 years she’s worked in the music business. She started out as a talent lawyer during the ‘Myspace era’ and dawn of Lily Allen before becoming Head of Business Affairs at Warner Brothers Records, working across a roster which included Dua Lipa, Liam Gallagher, Foals, Royal Blood and Enya. She managed artists for a while and most recently, she was COO for September, whose clients include Glass Animals, Little Simz and Adele.
Book your free ticket – hello@booksonthewalls.com.
A Poet in Residence Event with 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?"
Games Night
Thursday 14 May 2026,
6-7.30pm
You are invited to a games night which takes place on a Thursday, once a month. Play one of the board and table-top games at books on the walls or turn up with a favourite from home.
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 drink is also included in your ticket price.
Please book tickets with books on the walls hello@booksonthewalls.com
Tickets £5
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)
Bespoke bookmark ticket by Miglena Petrova
Author Event
Caroline Corcoran: The Next Woman
Saturday 16 May 2026
1-1.30pm
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
Oona & Richard Linnett: Fifty Miles of Good Road
Saturday 23 May 2026
2-2.30pm
Oona & Richard Linnett are lifelong lovers of Jane Austen’s works, in both book and screen.
Oona is a retired freelance harpist with a particular affection for Pride and Prejudice, while Richard was a geography teacher and photographer with a keen eye for landscape, place, and detail. United by a shared enthusiasm for Austen and travel, they spent two years planning what became a sixteen-day road trip across England, visiting the filming locations of the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.
That journey, affectionately described as 'scampering about the country', took them from quiet villages to grand estates, following in the footsteps of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy. Along the way, they gathered photographs, maps, walking routes, and countless small details, all with the aim of helping fellow fans plan their own visits, whether in person or from the comfort of an armchair.
Fifty Miles of Good Road is their first book.
Free, drop-in
A Poet in Residence Event with Michelle Bosonnett: Constellations (Luain Press)
Saturday 30 May 2026
2-2.30pm
With mystic vision and lyrical grace, Michelle Bosonnett helps us to transcend the boundaries of everyday life, reinvigorating its mundanity with a magic rarely seen in a debut collection.
"Bosonnett takes us to the stars and beyond." - Lee Sheridan
Free, drop-in
Robin Ince: Let The Quiet Ones Rise – Poems about standing up and standing out (Flapjack Press)
Sunday 31 May 2026
2pm
Mixing comedy and poetry with themes of activism, loneliness and love this collection of poems and stories come from anger about the culture of power and abuse through to joy about Doctor Who and A Taste of Honey.
Please book your free ticket with hello@booksonthewalls.com.
Bespoke book mark ticket created by Susan Wilson @livielovexx
Author Event with James Bailey
Like a Cat Loves a Bird: The Nine Lives of Muriel Spark
(9 April 26, Sceptre)
Thursday 4 June 2026
6-7.30pm
"This is a deeply stylish, astute and illuminating biography of a fascinating writer" Francesca Wade
"She was, if you believe what you read in the papers: a genius, a survivor, a bad mother, a fickle friend, a closeted lesbian, a tyrant, a loner, an eccentric, a recluse, a gossip, and an arch-manipulator. She would politely encourage you not to believe what you read in the papers."
Muriel Spark was one of literature's great shapeshifters. That mercurial quality is found in her strange, brilliant, cruel novels - with their plots featuring pensioners receiving telephone calls from Death, the devil going clubbing in Peckham and a fascist schoolmistress leading her coterie of girls astray - but it is also true of her as a person.
As sly, nimble and elegant as Spark's own work, Like a Cat Loves a Bird is a thrilling new perspective on a remarkable life and career that spanned much of the twentieth century. From her childhood in Edinburgh to her final years in Tuscany - via South Africa, London, New York and Rome - it traces a light-footed journey around the world and through her strange and magnificent bibliography. It tells an irresistible story of transformation, wit and fierce determination and makes a passionate case for this vital modern artist.
James Bailey is a writer and researcher from Manchester. He is a Doctor of Literature, and the author of Muriel Spark's Early Fiction (2021) and the co-editor of British Women Short Story Writers (2015). His day job involves working to support the development of other writers, as well as publishers, bookshops and literature festivals.
‘What an exciting piece of writing – like a Spark novel, the moment my eyes met the page I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop reading – it will be quite impossible for anyone to read this and not immediately feel the urgent need to read everything she wrote. A magnificent piece of work.’ Robin Ince
Book your free ticket with books on the walls – hello@booksonthewalls.com
Author Event with Matt Cain: The Castle of Stories (Pansy)
Wednesday 10 June 2026
6-7.30pm
books on the walls is delighted to welcome Matt Cain (One Love)for the launch of The Castle of Stories - a moving, heartwarming and uplifting novel about modern family in all its forms, what it means to love, and the importance of understanding your own story.
When 45-year-old Adam inherits a rundown farmhouse and castle in Tuscany from a great uncle he didn’t know existed, he quits his job in Manchester to renovate the property. He’s thrilled his boyfriend of two years, newly divorced and out-of-the-closet Theo, is joining him. But Theo’s ex-wife says she can’t take their children for the summer, so they come too. As the temperature rises, so does the tension. The kids are hostile to Adam, immune to the beauty of the rural location – and scared of the resident lizards.
As Adam explores the crumbling walls of the castle and sorts through his uncle’s possessions, he discovers some dark family secrets. But could they finally allow him to break free from the pain of the past, start building a new family and open a life of queer joy?
Matt Cain is a writer, broadcaster, publisher and leading commentator on LGBTQ+ issues. He was Channel 4's first Culture Editor, Editor-In-Chief of Attitude magazine, has written for all the national newspapers, and has appeared on BBC Breakfast, Good Morning Britain, The Today Programme and Lorraine. He's a patron of LGBT+ History Month, has received an honorary doctorate from Bolton University, addressed the Cambridge Union, and in 2025 was awarded an MBE for services to LGBTQ+ culture. Matt's bestselling novels include The Madonna Of Bolton, The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle and One Love. His latest, The Castle of Stories, will be published in June 2026 as the first title from Pansy, the independent publisher he's set up with his husband Harry Glasstone to prioritise queer authors and put queer-themed books first. Born in Bury and brought up in Bolton, Matt now lives in London with Harry and their dog, Teddy.
Tickets are free but need to be booked. The books on the walls bar and barista service will be open for the event. Eventbrite - Author Event with Matt Cain: The Castle of Stories (Pansy) Tickets, Wednesday 10 June • 6 PM - 7:30 PM | Eventbrite
Image credited to 'The Authors Lounge'
Kate Roberts - Dahab: Gold on Gold
Thursday 11 June 2026
6-7.30pm
Kate Roberts (Nomadikat) is an author, photographer, and interdisciplinary artist whose work explores place, memory, and belonging.
Since her arrival in Dahab just over three years ago, Kate has been gathering impressions, encounters, and stories of the town - listening closely to its landscapes and to the people who call it home.
These magical meetings with fellow Dahabians culminated in the photographic book Dahab: Gold on Gold. The book brings together 33 photographs taken in 33 locations across Dahab, each accompanied by three words shared by 33 local participants, presented in both English and Arabic.
The locations are mapped using the locational app what3words, grounding each image and voice precisely in place.
Kate will be sharing the story behind the project, the making of the book, and her ongoing creative journey, with time for conversation and book signing.
Tickets can be booked on Eventbrite or with books on the walls.
Bookmark ticket created by @NAMO.I.I
An Author Evening with Luca Veste: Liar Liar (4 June 26, Harper Collins)
In Conversation with Author David Jackson
Tuesday 16 June 2026
6-7.30pm
If no one believes you, no one will help you…Once hailed as Liverpool’s finest detective, Mark Fletcher brought a serial killer to justice and earned the city’s admiration. But when he's accused of working with Liverpool's most notorious crime family, his legacy is shattered – and so is his life.
Now disgraced and spiralling, Fletcher wakes up in a hotel room with no memory of the last 24 hours… and a dead body beside him.
The evidence says he did it. His instincts say otherwise. Hunted by the force he once served, Fletcher must uncover the truth – not just to clear his name, but to survive. Because someone wants him silenced, and they’ll stop at nothing to finish what they started…
Luca Veste is the internationally bestselling author of ten novels, including The Bone Keeper and the Murphy and Rossiseries. He is the bass player in the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers band, co-host of the hit podcast Two Crime Writers and a Microphone, and the co-founder of the Locked Up Festival, which raised over £25,000 for the Trussell Trust charity. He studied psychology and criminology at the University of Liverpool, and lives in Merseyside with his wife and two daughters.
David Jackson’s debut novel, Pariah, was Highly Commended in the Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger Awards. He has written a string of internationally published crime thrillers since then, including the bestseller Cry Baby, listed by Amazon as one of their Best Books of the Year. His most recent novel, Love Kills, continues a police procedural series set in Liverpool. When not murdering fictional people, David spends some of his time writing scripts, including several episodes of the award-winning ‘Short History Of…’ podcast series. He lives on the Wirral with his family and a British Blue cat called Mr Tumnus.
‘Properly Stephen King style creepy’ – Ian Rankin
‘A UK thriller writer who gives giants like Linwood Barclay and Harlan Coben a run for their money.’ – Mark Billingham
Book your free ticket with hello@booksonthewalls.com
You are invited to a cosy games night which usually takes place on a Thursday, once a month. Play one of the board and table-top games at books on the walls or turn up with a favourite from home.
Inspired by the Middle East, France and Italy, we will serve some Bread Together vegan specials, hand-made slow fermented pizza slices with a variety of toppings. One books on the walls beverage of your choice is also included in the ticket price.
Please book tickets with books on the walls hello@booksonthewalls.com or Games Night Tickets, Thursday 18 June • 6 PM - 7:30 PM | Eventbrite
Tickets £5
A Poet in Residence Event with Playwright Simon Stephens: Sea Wall
Saturday 20th June 2026
4-5.30pm
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.
Women’s Book Swap Club
Wednesday 24 or Thursday 25 June 2026
6-7.30pm
at
Amblongus
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 vegan 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
hello@booksonthewalls.com or amblongusbooks@gmail.com
Tickets £5
books on the walls, 2 City Walls, Chester CH1 2JG
Amblongus, 19 Upper Northgate Street, Chester CH1 4EE