Join us for a welcoming book club to discuss the current novel and choose the next month’s read.

In May and for the foreseeable future, meetings will now be held on the first Monday of each month rather than the second.

The bookshop door will be open from 6.50pm for a 7pm start in our atmospheric upstairs space.

Our book club meetings are free to attend, and we offer a 10% discount on each month’s paperback choice.

This Month’s Book

The Names by Florence Knapp

 
Brilliant . . . one of those books that will make you irritable with anyone who interrupts you, but which you’ll finish wanting to press into the hands of a friend — The Times

Beautifully written, and wise and tender . . . An utter original — Jojo Moyes

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A once-in-a-generation debut from a major new talent, The Names is the story of three names, three versions of a life, and the infinite possibilities that a single decision can spark.

It is 1987, and in the wake of a great storm, Cora sets out with her young daughter to register the birth of her son. Her husband expects her to follow tradition and call the baby after him – but is it right for her child to inherit his name from generations of domineering men? Her choice will shape the course of their lives.

Seven years later, her son is Bear, a name chosen by his sister, hoping he will grow up to be brave and big-hearted. Or he is Julian, the name his mother set her heart on, keen for him to become his own person. Or he is Gordon, named after his father and raised in his cruel image – but is there still a chance to break the mould?

Powerfully moving and full of hope, this is the story of three names, three versions of a life, and the infinite possibilities that a single decision can spark.

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Wildly original and emotionally profound — The Observer

Astonishing, unique and incredibly moving, The Names is a beautiful novel about the courage of a mother in the moment she names her child . . . I know it will stay with me for a long time — Jeanine Cummins