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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260910T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260910T210000
DTSTAMP:20260731T152026Z
CREATED:20260730T211942Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260731T152026Z
UID:10000062-1789068600-1789074000@www.pickeringbooktree.co.uk
SUMMARY:Jack Jewers
DESCRIPTION:We are excited to welcome Jack Jewers to the Book Tree to discuss his new book Seething Lane which returns to the world of his critically acclaimed historical thriller\, The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys. \nPepys’ diaries have enthralled generations of readers with their exciting and frequently hilarious confessions about day-to-day life during the Restoration.  \nPepys witnessed some of the most dramatic events in English history\, from the return of Charles II to the horrors of the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London\, but put his pen down for the last time in the early summer of 1669… or did he?! \nJack’s debut novel The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys was described as “impressive… a lively historical thriller” by The Times. The book went on to be chosen as a Sunday Times historical fiction book of the year\, and a book of the month by the Financial Times and The Independent\, who’s said that “debuts don’t come better than this”. \nHis follow up Seething Lane is a compelling and inventive theatrical drama\, bringing Pepys back to life through rich historical detail\, thrilling adventure\, and a twisting murder mystery set in the world of London theatre. \nWe will chat with Jack about the book\, his writing\, research and inspiration. There will be a chance for the audience to ask questions and Jack will sign copies at the end of the evening. \nThe bookshop door will be open from 7pm and complementary drinks will be available until the event starts at 7.30pm. \nThe event is free to attend\, but booking is essential. Please contact the shop or use the form below to reserve your seats. \nWe hope to see you there! \n  \nAbout the Book\nA thrilling and atmospheric historical adventure which brilliantly reimagines infamous diarist Samuel Pepys and conjures up the world of London theatre in 1670. Hugely entertaining — Anna Mazzola \nI loved this: a taut murder mystery set in the richly atmospheric time of Restoration London\, a period Jewers brings vividly back to life. It is a joy – compelling\, exciting\, moving and like all the best murder-mysteries\, with enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing to the very end — James Holland \nJanuary 1670. London is enduring its worst winter in decades\, and Nell Gwyn is about to make her scandalous return to the stage. \nCalled upon to investigate the brutal murder of a libertine aristocrat\, Pepys discovers that the dead man is connected to a mysterious visitor in the most shocking way possible. The investigation leads Pepys from the glamorous world of royal mistresses to the new theatre on Drury Lane. \nFilled with real historical characters including the actress Nell Gwen\, the playwright Aphra Behn and many of King Charles II’s mistresses\, in Seething Lane Jack Jewers brings Britain’s most infamous diary back to life for a modern audience. \nReimagining one of Britain’s greatest historical figures through a 21st century lens\, Seething Lane is a gripping new mystery from the author of the critically acclaimed historical thriller The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys. \nHard to imagine Samuel Pepys being any more interesting than he already was\, but Jack Jewers has done it for him\, imaginatively\, brilliantly and convincingly — Rev. Richard Coles \nAn action-packed\, thoroughly entertaining read\, full of adventure and amazing historical detail — My Weekly on The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys \n  \nAbout the Author\nJack Jewers is a filmmaker and writer. His 2022 debut\, The Lost Diary of Samuel Pepys\, was named one of the Sunday Times’ historical fiction books of the year\, and a book of the month by The Independent and Financial Times. He regularly appears at literary festivals including Chalk\, Cheltenham and Hay\, and his career has been spent telling stories across multiple media formats and his work includes film\, TV\, and digital media. \nHis films have been shown at international film festivals\, including Cannes\, New York\, Marseille\, Dublin\, and London’s FrightFest\, garnering multiple accolades\, including an award from the Royal Television Society and a nomination from BAFTA Wales for Best Short Film. Jack’s passion for history has led him to many unexpected places\, from uncovering hidden love stories in 3000-year-old poetry\, to sending a portrait of Shakespeare into space. \nSeething Lane is Jack’s second novel.
URL:https://www.pickeringbooktree.co.uk/event/jack-jewers/
LOCATION:Pickering Book Tree\, 43a Market Place\, Pickering\, YO18 7AE
CATEGORIES:Crime Fiction,Fiction,Historical Fiction,In Conversation With,Meet the Author,Mystery
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260827T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260827T210000
DTSTAMP:20260731T152121Z
CREATED:20260511T224041Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260731T152121Z
UID:10000049-1787859000-1787864400@www.pickeringbooktree.co.uk
SUMMARY:Naomi Kelsey
DESCRIPTION:We are excited to welcome Naomi Kelsey back to the Book Tree to discuss her atmospheric and intriguing historical fiction novel\, Pale Mistress. \nThose of you who joined us when Naomi visited with her previous novels\, or have read The Burnings and The Darkening Globe\, will know what a brilliant storyteller she is. Her books are infused with historical detail and pack a page-turning punch. Part Shakespearean retelling\, part psychological thriller\, Pale Mistress is no exception! \nAtmospheric\, immersive and engrossing\, Pale Mistress tells the story from the point of view of Bianca\, a character both dismissed and villainised in Othello\, overshadowed by the virtuous Desdemona\, the courageous Emilia\, the tragic Othello and the cunning Iago. \nThis reimagining is set before\, during and after the events of the play have unfolded\, exploring the human cost of love\, envy and ambition. The story of Iago\, one of literature’s most notorious villains\, is woven into Bianca’s as she fights to prove her innocence and save her own life. \nWe will chat with Naomi about the book\, her writing\, research and inspiration. There will be a chance for the audience to ask questions and Naomi will sign copies of the book at the end of the evening. \nThe bookshop door will be open from 7pm and complementary drinks will be available until the event starts at 7.30pm. \nThe event is free to attend\, but booking is essential. Please contact the shop or use the form below to reserve your seats. \nWe hope to see you there! \n  \nAbout the Book\nA bold and beautiful triumph. In prose as rich as Cyprus wine and as sharp as a Venetian blade\, Naomi Kelsey gives voice to the silenced and reshapes tragedy through a woman’s eyes. Lyrical\, haunting\, and breathtakingly tense\, this is historical fiction at its most electrifying — Seth Insua\, author of Human\, Animal \n“Let heaven and men and devils\, let them all\, all\, cry shame against me\, yet I’ll speak…” \nCyprus\, 16th century. Murder\, lies and vengeance has left lovers dead\, promises broken and no one to trust. Only one woman survives\, Bianca. \nThe slain? History knows their names: Emilia\, Desdemona\, Othello. \nBut why do we not know Bianca? Who was the pale mistress? Liar or lied to? Instigator or victim? In telling one woman’s story\, Naomi Kelsey dazzlingly recasts a Shakespearean tragedy as a psychological thriller of jealousy and gaslighting\, ambition and envy\, and the making and breaking of one of Shakespeare’s most notorious villains\, Iago. \nNaomi Kelsey cements her position as one of the foremost writers of historical fiction today… I could not put it down until every secret was exposed — Laura Shepperson\, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Heroines\, on The Darkening Globe \n  \nAbout the Author\nNaomi Kelsey is the winner of two Northern Writer’s Awards and the HWA Dorothy Dunnett Competition. Her fiction has been published in Mslexia magazine and shortlisted for several further awards including the Bridport Prize and the Bristol Prize. \nHer debut novel\, The Burnings\, was published to critical acclaim in 2023 and The Darkening Globe\, an Elizabethan gothic tale\, has captivated readers and booksellers alike.
URL:https://www.pickeringbooktree.co.uk/event/pale-mistress/
LOCATION:Pickering Book Tree\, 43a Market Place\, Pickering\, YO18 7AE
CATEGORIES:Book Club Fiction,Fiction,Historical Fiction,In Conversation With,Meet the Author,Psychological Thriller
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251229T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251229T180000
DTSTAMP:20251212T143706Z
CREATED:20251212T061404Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251212T143706Z
UID:10000024-1767027600-1767031200@www.pickeringbooktree.co.uk
SUMMARY:Toby Virgo & Carter the Cabman
DESCRIPTION:‘Tis the Dark Time of the Year…\nbut don’t worry\, Jeremiah Carter is here 🎩 \nWe’re delighted to welcome Toby Virgo and Carter the Cabman back for a special seasonal event in the Book Tree. \nHear extracts from the new Carter the Cabman story\, The Dead Who Bury Us\, and enjoy a warming mulled wine while you soak up the atmosphere. Toby will also share tales and anecdotes from Victorian London’s strange obsession with Death\, gleaned from his extensive research of the period. \nThe Dead Who Bury Us is the third in the series of beautifully produced pamphlets set in the world and life of Carter the Cabman. Like the full length novel they accompany\, each short story is complete with stunning illustrations together with immersive narration rich with historical detail evoking the streets of Victorian London and the realities of life for people of the time. \n  \nAbout the Book\nRead about the story below\, and watch the trailer on YouTube (here’s the link) for a taste of what to expect… \nThe Dead Who Bury Us is set on All Hallows’ Eve\, 1888 and follows hansom cab driver Jeremiah Carter as he works the rain-lashed streets of Victorian London on the night when the veil between the living and the dead is said to be at its thinnest. \nVisiting a small churchyard in the dead of night\, Carter quickly discovers he is not alone. But in a world when men and women will stoop to almost any depths to survive another day in the Abyss\, justice can be served in the strangest of ways. \n  \nEvent Details\nThis event will start at 5pm\, and the shop door will be open from 4.30 (we’ll close as usual at 4pm to set up). \nTickets are free and guarantee entry to the event. There’ll be complementary mulled wine on arrival. \nWe look forward to seeing you there!
URL:https://www.pickeringbooktree.co.uk/event/toby-virgo/
LOCATION:Pickering Book Tree\, 43a Market Place\, Pickering\, YO18 7AE
CATEGORIES:Fiction,Historical Fiction,Meet the Author
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250825T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250825T210000
DTSTAMP:20250831T193328Z
CREATED:20250630T114752Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250831T193328Z
UID:10000013-1756150200-1756155600@www.pickeringbooktree.co.uk
SUMMARY:Elizabeth O’Connor
DESCRIPTION:We’re delighted that Elizabeth O’Connor will be able to visit us during her short tour\, after appearing at Edinburgh Book Festival. \nWhale Fall swept us away when we read it last year in hardback\, and we’re excited to discuss it with Elizabeth at this event! Set against the backdrop of a world on the edge of great tumult\, this haunting story follows Manod\, a young woman who dreams of leaving her remote island home off the coast of Wales. This is a quietly powerful novel\, with every page steeped in the wild landscape\, rural community and depth of meaning — we were transported into Manod’s world and felt her longing amidst a time of rapid change and an island that remained distinctly removed from the mainland. \nWhale Fall was selected as an Observer Best Debut of the Year in 2024\, who said: O’Connor’s beautifully evocative debut explores the liminal spaces between aspiration and disappointment\, adolescence and adulthood\, land and sea . . . a highly impressive coming-of-age tale. It was also chosen as a BBC Between the Covers Book Club Pick and was shortlisted for the 2025 Betty Trask Award. \nThe event will be held in the Book Tree’s atmospheric upstairs event space. We’ll be in conversation with Elizabeth about her work\, then open the floor to audience questions towards the end of the evening and there will also be an opportunity for book signings. \nComplementary wine and cordial will be available after the door opens at 7pm and during the interval. The event will start at 7.30 pm. \n  \nAbout the Book\nI didn’t want it to end — Maggie O’Farrell \nPowerful . . . written with a calm\, luminous precision — Colm Tóibín \nA beautifully nuanced\, beguiling first novel\, which leaves room for hope. O’Connor has a promising career ahead — The Times \nElizabeth O’Connor’s beautiful\, devastating debut Whale Fall tells a story of longing and betrayal set against the backdrop of a world on the edge of great tumult.\nIt is 1938 and on an island off the coast of Wales\, Manod is trying to imagine her future. Her choices are stark: she must either stay and look after her father’s house\, in the wild landscape that drove her mother to madness\, or marry and leave. And so\, when two English anthropologists arrive on the island\, Manod senses the possibility of a thrilling new life. But\, as she becomes entangled in their work\, and their strange relationship\, the outside world she had yearned for appears a much darker place than she could ever have imagined. \nThe quiet cadences of Whale Fall contain a deep melody of loss held and let go. It is a gentle\, tough story about profound change — Anne Enright \nEvocative and haunting . . . written with a care and restraint that is rare in a debut novel. It teems with visceral imagery — Jude Cook\, The Guardian \nAn excellent debut . . . Brief but complete\, the book is an example of precisely observed writing that makes a character’s specific existence glimmer with verisimilitude — Maggie Shipstead\, New York Times \n  \nAbout the Author\n\nElizabeth O’Connor lives in Birmingham. Her short stories have appeared in The White Review and Granta\, and she was the winner of The White Review Short Story Prize in 2020. She has a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Birmingham\, on the modernist writer H.D. and her writing of coastal landscapes. Whale Fall is her first novel.
URL:https://www.pickeringbooktree.co.uk/event/elizabeth-oconnor/
LOCATION:Pickering Book Tree\, 43a Market Place\, Pickering\, YO18 7AE
CATEGORIES:Fiction,Historical Fiction,In Conversation With,Literary Fiction,Meet the Author
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250529T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250529T210000
DTSTAMP:20250831T193423Z
CREATED:20250502T155723Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250831T193423Z
UID:10000006-1748547000-1748552400@www.pickeringbooktree.co.uk
SUMMARY:Naomi Kelsey
DESCRIPTION:Join us in conversation with Naomi Kelsey about her gripping new historical fiction novel\, The Darkening Globe\, a page-turning psychological mystery set in Elizabethan England.\nWe’re excited to welcome Naomi Kelsey back to the Book Tree to discuss her atmospheric and pacy historical fiction novel\, The Darkening Globe! \nThose who joined us the last time Naomi visited the Book Tree in 2023\, or read The Burnings\, will know what a great storyteller she is. Her books are infused with historical detail and pack a page-tuning punch. Part Gothic mystery\, part ghostly thriller\, The Darkening Globe is no exception. \nThe shop door will be open from 7pm and the event will start at 7.30pm in our atmospheric upstairs event space. We’ll chat with Naomi about the book (spoiler free!)\, her writing\, research and inspiration. There’ll also be a chance to ask your questions and Naomi will sign copies of the book at the end of the evening. \nTickets are free\, but please book places by filling out the form at the end of this page\, or by contacting us in the shop. We hope to see you there! \n  \nAbout the Book\nAn Elizabethan psychological thriller – who could ask for more? Confident\, vividly imagined\, infused with historical detail and riven by dramatic tension\, Naomi Kelsey’s The Darkening Globe will make your head spin – and keep you turning the pages late into the night — Annie Garthwaite\, author of Cecily \nEach time the globe turns\, murder strikes… \n1597\, London. When Beatrice’s husband returns from exploring the New World\, he comes home with unexpected company: a mysterious woman\, and an enormous painted globe. \nAs Hugh refuses to explain who their female guest is\, Beatrice’s foreboding grows. The unwieldy globe now strikes her as sinister – a reminder of the world of secrets pervading her household. \nThen one night\, the great\, hulking globe begins to turn of its own accord. Terrifying new illustrations appear on its face – and when untimely deaths ensue\, Beatrice is convinced that the drawings are connected. \nDesperate to prove that she is not paranoid\, Beatrice risks everything to uncover the truth. What sinister force is behind these killings? What really happened on Hugh’s excursion to the Americas? Who is the strange woman who won’t leave her house? And on this otherworldly map of murders\, who will be painted as the final victim? \nDeliciously gothic and twisty\, Naomi Kelsey has crafted a deeply haunted mystery novel that I found impossible to put down. The Darkening Globe is filled with chilling and beguiling prose\, and right at the centre\, an atmospheric and stirring mystery keeps the ghostly pages turning — Lucy Rose\, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Lamb \n  \nAbout the Author\nNaomi Kelsey is the winner of two Northern Writers’ Awards and of the HWA Dorothy Dunnett Competition in 2021. Her fiction has been published in Mslexia magazine and shortlisted for several further awards including the Bridport Prize and the Bristol Prize. \nHer first novel The Burnings\, which tells a gripping story set amidst the North Berwick witch trials\, was first published in June 2023. \nNaomi’s second novel\, set in Elizabethan England\, was published in April 2025 by HarperNorth.
URL:https://www.pickeringbooktree.co.uk/event/naomi-kelsey/
LOCATION:Pickering Book Tree\, 43a Market Place\, Pickering\, YO18 7AE
CATEGORIES:Fiction,Historical Fiction,In Conversation With,Meet the Author
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20250408T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20250408T210000
DTSTAMP:20250831T193438Z
CREATED:20250225T192535Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250831T193438Z
UID:10000003-1744140600-1744146000@www.pickeringbooktree.co.uk
SUMMARY:Stephen May
DESCRIPTION:Join us in conversation with Stephen May about his fantastic new historical novel\, which explores the unsolved mystery of socialist politician Victor Grayson’s disappearance in 1920. Intriguing\, original and convincing\, Green Ink is a Book to Look Out for in 2025 (The Times).\nWe’re very much looking forward to welcoming Stephen May to talk about his vivid historical novel\, Green Ink. The story explores what could have happened to British socialist politician Victor Grayson\, who vanished in 1920 after threatening to expose a government scandal. \nVictor’s disappearance remains an unsolved mystery to this day\, and this fascinating imagining brings the historical details to life. This is a highly anticipated book which has been highlighted by The Times in their Books to Look Out for in 2025 list. \nBook Blurb\nStephen May has a nose for fascinating historical events — The Times \nThe spry\, sardonic voice of the new historical fiction — Hilary Mantel \nDavid Lloyd George is at Chequers for the weekend with his mistress Frances Stevenson\, fretting about the fact that his involvement in selling public honours is about to be revealed by one Victor Grayson. \nVictor is a bisexual hedonist and former firebrand Socialist MP turned secret service informant. Intent on rebuilding his profile as the leader of the revolutionary Left\, he doesn’t know exactly how much of a hornet’s nest he’s stirred up. Doesn’t know that this is\, in fact\, his last day. \nNo one really knows what happened to Victor Grayson – he vanished one night in late September 1920\, having threatened to reveal all he knew about the prime minister’s involvement in selling honours. Was he murdered by the British government? By enemies in the Socialist movement (who he had betrayed in the war)? Did he fall in the Thames drunk? Did he vanish to save his own life\, and become an antiques dealer in Kent? \nWhatever the truth\, Green Ink imagines what might have been with brio\, humour and humanity; and is a reminder that the past was once as alive as we are today. \nVivid and wholly credible recreation of post-Great War London — Robert Edric \nIntrigue\, betrayal\, redemption — Rachel Seiffert \nAbout the Author\nStephen May is the author of six novels including Life! Death! Prizes! which was shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award and The Guardian Not The Booker Prize. He has been shortlisted for the Wales Book of the Year and is a winner of the Media Wales Reader’s Choice Award. He has also written plays\, as well as for television and film. \nHis seventh novel\, Green Ink\, is published in March 2025. He is also an experienced Creative Writing teacher and the author of Write A Novel and Get It Published.
URL:https://www.pickeringbooktree.co.uk/event/stephen-may/
LOCATION:Pickering Book Tree\, 43a Market Place\, Pickering\, YO18 7AE
CATEGORIES:Fiction,Historical Fiction,In Conversation With,Meet the Author
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