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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260929T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260929T190000
DTSTAMP:20260717T125848Z
CREATED:20260628T114550Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260717T125848Z
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SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT: 'The Mare' Angharad Hampshire in conversation with Louise Savidge
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is excited to welcome Angharad Hampshire to the store on Tuesday 29th September at 6pm to discuss her book\, The Mare\, Winner of the Walter Scott Prize. As well as a discussion on her book\, there will also be a Q&A\, plus the chance to get your books signed by Angharad. Angharad will be in conversation with booktuber\, Louise Savidge. \nTickets \nBuy a book and ticket here \nBuy a ticket only here \nAs always\, we have a limited amount of complimentary tickets for this event for anyone who needs it. Please contact us directly at bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com or call 07597365380. \nAbout the book  \nBased on a true story\, The Mare offers a gripping portrait of the descent of ordinary people into inhumanity.  \nBefore the Second World War broke out\, Hermine Braunsteiner was an ordinary young woman\, a teenage housemaid from Vienna. By the time the war ended\, she had transformed into one of the most notoriously cruel and violent guards in the Nazi concentration camps\, the ‘Stamping Mare’ known for kicking prisoners to death. \nIn the aftermath of WWII\, she disappeared back into civilian life\, her crimes largely unknown and unpunished. Then she met a US war veteran\, a bachelor holidaying alone in Austria. Ignorant of her past\, he fell in love with her\, married her and brought her back to America\, where she lived for years as a well-liked suburban housewife. Until one day a tip-off from a Holocaust survivor sent a New York Times journalist to the couple’s door…
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-event-the-mare-angharad-hampshire-in-conversation-with-louise-savidge
CATEGORIES:Author Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260915T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260915T190000
DTSTAMP:20260914T103655Z
CREATED:20260730T152244Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260914T103655Z
UID:22556-1789495200-1789498800@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:SOLD OUT: William Ralston in conversation with Anthony Taylor 'The Impossible Job: The Truly Unbelievable World of Football Referees'
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is thrilled to welcome William Ralston\, author of The Impossible Job: The Truly Unbelievable World of Football Referees. William will be in conversation with Anthony Taylor\, a world-class retired referee. The event will take place on 15th September from 6pm – 7pm\, and will include a discussion between the two\, a Q&A\, and a chance to get your book signed by William. \nTickets \nWe are currently sold out for this event; if you would like to be placed on the waitlist please email bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com and we will add you to this list. \nAbout the book \nBooed by crowds. Sworn at by players. Spat on from the stands. Threatened\, accused\, hated. Welcome to the world of football refereeing. \nWe watch referees every week. But almost none of us understand what the job really demands. \nIn this meticulously reported book\, William Ralston goes deep inside football’s most exposed role\, speaking to officials from Sunday league pitches to World Cups to show what it takes to officiate at the highest level. \nWith rare access to UEFA\, FIFA\, and PGMO\, he embeds with referees across Europe’s five major leagues – Bundesliga\, Serie A\, La Liga\, Ligue 1\, and the Premier League – following them through training camps\, assessment rooms\, and matchdays\, where a single call can define a career. He also learns to referee himself\, experiencing first-hand the speed and scrutiny that come with every call. \nThrough defining matches and controversial decisions\, he examines the influence of VAR\, how referees judge fouls\, and the excruciatingly fine margins between control and chaos. \nAbout the author \nWilliam Ralston is a writer living in London. His work has appeared in the Financial Times\, GQ\, the Guardian\, Vanity Fair\, and Wired\, among other publications. He won the Best Sportswriting award at the 2023 British Journalism Awards. \nAbout Anthony Taylor \nAnthony Taylor is one of the most experienced referees in world football\, having officiated at two FIFA World Cups\, hundreds of Premier League matches\, and some of Europe’s biggest UEFA Champions League ties. He retired in 2026 after refereeing at the FIFA World Cup.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-event-william-raiston-in-conversation-with-anthony-taylor-the-impossible-game-the-truly-unbelievable-world-of-football-referees
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
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ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260911T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260911T210000
DTSTAMP:20260914T110323Z
CREATED:20260812T080807Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260914T110323Z
UID:22873-1789149600-1789160400@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:SOLD OUT: 'The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI' by Cory Doctorow
DESCRIPTION:To celebrate the launch of Take Back Big Tech\, House of Books and Friend is excited to welcome science fiction author\, activist\, and journalist Cory Doctorow\, in conversation with Jovan Owusu-Nepaul\, to discuss his new book ‘The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI: How to Think About Artificial Intelligence Before It’s Too Late’.\n\n  \nThe event will take place on Friday 11th September\, and will involve a discussion\, a Q&A\, and a chance for you to get your book signed by Cory. Doors open at 6pm\, with the event starting at 6:45pm.\n\n\n  \nPLEASE NOTE: This event will be recorded live for the podcast What’s Left\, hosted by Jovan and will be found on their website after the event.\n\n\n\nTickets: \nBook and ticket – £16.99 \nTicket only – £5 \nAs always\, we have a limited amount of complimentary tickets for this event for anyone who needs it. Please contact us directly at bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com or call 07597365380. \n\nAbout the book:\n\n\nIt’s not enough to ask what the technology does – we must understand who it’s doing it for and who it’s doing it to. \nAs we enter the age of AI\, we are in danger of being reduced to what Cory Doctorow dubs the ‘reverse centaur’. With that term he conjures a human being conscripted as the assistant to a dominant machine. It could be a driver made to deliver nonstop\, all day long; a warehouse worker packing shelves without bathroom or food breaks; or a programmer reviewing impossible amounts of AI-produced code. \nDon’t fall for the hype! The billionaires managing the rise of AI are putting on a command performance for the bosses and investors\, not for the ordinary people who might use the products. When this latest tech bubble bursts\, will there be something useful for us in the wreckage? \nIn The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI\, Doctorow examines why we find ourselves in this mess and how we can get out of it. Life after AI should mean the tools work for us\, not the other way around. \nAbout Jovan \nJovan Owusu-Nepaul is the co-host of the ‘what’s left?!’ Podcast\, a writer\, commentator\, consultant and former Labour parliamentary candidate in 2024. \nInterested in the big subjects of the day\, Jovan spends too much of his time trying to consider the practical solutions to our problems\, and since the general election has taken a keen interest in the rise of populism\, and where it stems from. \nMinded by issues of social justice\, fairness and access to opportunity\, this is what forms the thread of Jovan’s approach to the world! \nAbout Take Back Big Tech \nTake Back Big Tech is a pressure group and think tank. We exist to hold Big Tech accountable and fight for alternatives that actually work for the people who use them\, not just the companies that run them. \nSocial media promised to connect us. AI promised to help us. Instead\, our attention became the product\, and the platforms we rely on are now flooded with abuse\, fraud\, disinformation and AI-generated noise — while their profits keep climbing. We think that’s worth fighting. Learn more here.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-event-the-reverse-centaurs-guide-to-life-after-ai-by-cory-doctorow
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
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ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260907T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260907T190000
DTSTAMP:20260629T094727Z
CREATED:20260622T134639Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260629T094727Z
UID:21624-1788804000-1788807600@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT: 'The Ancient Ways' with Seren Hawley-Plows
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is thrilled to welcome Seren Hawley-Plows to the store on 7th September at 6pm to discuss their book\, The Ancient Ways: A Year of Folklore\, Traditions and Rituals to Reconnect with Nature. As well as a discussion on their book\, there will also be a Q&A\, plus the chance to get your books signed by Seren. \nTickets \nClick here to buy a book and ticket – £16.99\nClick here to buy a ticket only – £5 \nAbout the book \nStep into an ancient world of rituals and folklore in this stunning seasonal guide. \nTales of gods and goddesses told around a crackling fire. The light of the rising sun streaming through an ancient site on a solstice morning. Hot cider poured over the roots of apple trees to wake them for the spring. \nTold through the pagan wheel of the year\, The Ancient Ways explores how nature changes throughout the seasons\, looking at solstices\, equinoxes\, legends\, and festivals and how these stories and traditions can help you deepen your connection with nature. Discover megalithic sacred sites where crowds still gather to see the sun rise and fall through doorways of the past. Meet Eostre\, goddess of the spring and dawn or the Cailleach\, queen of winter and the Green Man\, a personification of the wild. Celebrate festivals like Beltane\, a summer celebration of fire and fertility or Samhain\, the festival of the dead and precursor to modern Halloween. \nHedgewitch Seren Hawley-Plows weaves these myths and stories together beautifully with tools and inspiration of how to bring the power of ancient tradition into a modern world and help you find magic in the wilds of nature. \nWith stunning illustrations\, seasonal recipes and more\, whether you live in a sleepy village or a bustling city\, The Ancient Ways takes you on a journey of untamed landscapes\, old communities and connection – the perfect gift for yourself or others.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-event-the-ancient-ways-with-seren-hawley-plows
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
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ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260901T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260901T190000
DTSTAMP:20260804T141714Z
CREATED:20260804T134733Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260804T141714Z
UID:22684-1788285600-1788289200@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT - Pete Wharmby discusses 'Different Minds: How We Can Help Our Autistic School Children Thrive'
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is excited to welcome Pete Wharmby to discuss his book ‘Different Minds: How We Can Help Our Autistic School Children Thrive’. The event will take place on 1st September at 6pm\, and will last one hour\, and will include a discussion\, a Q&A\, and a chance to get your book signed by Pete. \nTickets \nClick here to buy the book and ticket. \nClick here to buy the ticket only. \nAbout the book \nIf you have an autistic child in school\, you may be painfully aware that mainstream education wasn’t built with them in mind. \nIn Different Minds\, former teacher and neurodivergence campaigner Pete Wharmby reveals what it’s really like to be autistic in school today\, why so many children are misunderstood\, and how we can help them. \nThrough a blend of impassioned storytelling and empathetic advice\, Wharmby: \n\nExposes the inadequacies of the current system.\nReveals how neurodivergent differences are often mislabelled ‘challenging behaviour’.\nExplains how to bridge the gap between the autistic and non-autistic worlds.\n\nGalvanising\, validating and compassionate\, Different Minds empowers parents\, teachers and carers to take a stand for our children and create the conditions they need to truly thrive. \nAbout the author \nPete Wharmby was diagnosed as autistic at the age of 34. Shocked by the statistics around depression\, anxiety and life expectancy for autistic people\, Pete has immersed himself in working to improve neurodiversity awareness\, acceptance and making the world a more suitable place for the neurodivergent community to live in. Pete was diagnosed as ADHD in April 2024. He has written two books on autistic experience: Untypical and What I Want to Talk About: How Autistic Special Interests Shape a Life.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-event-pete-wharmby-discusses-different-minds-how-we-can-help-our-autistic-school-children-thrive
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
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ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260825T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260825T190000
DTSTAMP:20260809T133846Z
CREATED:20260515T150843Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260809T133846Z
UID:20605-1787680800-1787684400@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT: 'Carnaval Fever' by Yuliana Ortiz Ruano and Madeleine Arenivar
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is overjoyed to welcome author Yuliana Ortiz Ruano and translator Madeleine Arenivar to discuss their book\, ‘Carnaval Fever’. The event will take place on 25th August\, and will involve a discussion\, a Q&A\, and a chance for you to get your book signed by Yuliana and Madeleine. The event will be chaired by our bookseller\, Jessica. \nThis event is in partnership with Instituto Cervantes\, who are providing us with an interpreter for the event. \nTickets \nBook and ticket £14.99 \nTicket only £5 \nAs always\, we have a limited amount of complimentary tickets for this event for anyone who needs it. Please contact us directly at bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com or call 07597365380. \nAbout the book \nSheltered within her grandmother’s fiercely protective household\, Ainhoa blossoms under the guidance of her constellation of aunts—women who become her teachers\, guardians\, and spiritual anchors. Through Ainhoa’s keen observant eyes\, readers experience how music and dance – particularly during the explosive energy of Carnaval – don’t merely entertain but form the very heartbeat of existence\, a pulsing testament to Afro-Ecuadorian identity and resistance. \nYet beneath this tapestry of warmth and celebration\, Carnaval Fever fearlessly confronts the shadows: crushing economic hardship\, the heartbreak of migration\, and the ever-present threat of male violence hovering at the community’s edges. At its luminous core\, however\, this novel stands as a defiant celebration of women’s resilience\, collective power\, and the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood that sustain communities through generations. \nAbout the authors \nYuliana Ortiz Ruano (Esmeraldas\, Ecuador\, 1992) is a research professor at the University of the Arts of Ecuador\, and an Afro-music DJ. A novelist and a poet\, she is the author of the collections Sovoz\, Canciones desde el fin del mundo\, and Cuaderno del imposible retorno a Pangea. Carnaval Fever won the Joaquín Gallegos Lara Award\, the Primo Romanzo Latinoamericano Award\, and the PEN Presents English PEN Award. \nMadeleine Arenivar is a literary translator from Spanish living in Quito\, Ecuador. Her short translations have been published in Another Chicago Magazine\, Latin American Literature Today\, Los Angeles Review\, and the Best Literary Translations Anthology (Deep Vellum\, 2024). She is a winner of the PEN Presents program (2023)\, and a past attendee of Bread Loaf Translator’s Conference. She has degrees from Vassar College and the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) Ecuador. \nAbout Instituto Cervantes \nThe Instituto Cervantes is an official language body created by the Spanish government. It is responsible for teaching and promoting the Spanish language\, the co-official languages of Spain and the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries. It is present in 90 cities across the world and has more than 200\,000 students. \nAt the Instituto Cervantes Manchester\, they offer in-person and online Spanish courses for adults\, kids and teens taught by highly qualified\, native teachers. They also run training courses for teachers of Spanish as a foreign language. Additionally\, they organise the official DELE\, SIELE and CCSE exams\, as well as the DADIC exam for teachers of Spanish as a foreign language. Moreover\, we hold preparation courses for DELE\, DADIC\, GCSE and A level exams. \nThey have an extensive on-site library\, and our library team arrange extracurricular activities for schools and cultural activities for all.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-event-carnaval-fever-by-yuliana-ortiz-ruano
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
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ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260818T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260818T190000
DTSTAMP:20260626T093927Z
CREATED:20260616T124347Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260626T093927Z
UID:21521-1787076000-1787079600@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:PRIDE PANEL: Layla McCay and Sacha Coward in conversation
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is excited to welcome Layla Mccay and Sacha Coward to the store on Tuesday 18th August at 6pm to discuss their books\, ‘The Queer Bookshelf’ and ‘Queer as Folklore’. As well as a discussion on their books\, there will also be a Q&A\, plus the chance to get your books signed by Layla and Sacha. \nTickets \nClick here to buy your ticket for £5. You can add on Layla Mccay’s title for an additional £15 (£20 total)\, Sacha Coward £5.99 (£10.99 in total)\, or we are offering a bundle for both books and a ticket at £29. These will be available for collection on the night. \nAbout the books \nThe Queer Bookshelf \nWe are in the middle of a vibrant renaissance of queer writing. But LGBTQ+ writers\, characters and readers have been here since the beginning — quietly\, defiantly\, and persistently telling their stories — if you know where to look. \nThe Queer Bookshelf is your guide to this essential queer history\, and to its contemporary flourishing. Drawing on the author’s own journey as a queer reader and book club host\, and packed with recommendations from authors\, booksellers\, and book lovers around the world\, The Queer Bookshelf is a celebration of the books that have helped generations of LGBTQ+ people find themselves on the page. \nFrom literary fiction to memoir\, to crime\, fantasy\, and young adult\, and even cowboy romance\, The Queer Bookshelf is a warm\, entertaining companion for anyone beginning or deepening their own queer reading adventure. \nQueer as Folklore \nA celebration of queer history like you’ve never seen it before. \nQueer as folklore travels across centuries and continents to reveal the unsung heroes and villains of storytelling\, magic and fantasy. Featuring images from archives\, galleries and museums around the world\, each chapter investigates the queer history of different mythic and folkloric characters\, both old and new. \nLeaving no headstone unturned\, Sacha Coward takes you on a wild ride through the night from ancient Greece to the main stage of RuPaul’s Drag Race\, visiting cross-dressing pirates\, radical fairies and the graves of the ‘queerly departed’ along the way. Queer communities have often sought refuge in the shadows and created safe spaces in underworlds. But these forgotten narratives tell stories of resilience that deserve to be heard. \nJoin any Pride march and you will see a glorious display of papier-mâché unicorn heads\, drag queens in mermaid tails and more fairy wings than you can shake a trident at. These are not just accessories: they are queer symbols with historic roots. To truly understand who queer people are today\, we must confront the twisted tales of the past.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-panel-layla-mccay-and-sacha-coward-in-conversation
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
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ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260722T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260722T190000
DTSTAMP:20260622T081050Z
CREATED:20260603T141900Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260622T081050Z
UID:21211-1784743200-1784746800@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:50 Years of Punk: John Robb and Russ Bestley in conversation
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is excited to celebrate 50 Years of Punk with John Robb and Russ Bestley on 22nd July at 6pm. John will be discussing his memoir\, Punk Rock Ruined my Life: and other stories\, while Russ discusses his new title\, Turning Revolt into Style: The process and practice of punk graphic design. The talk will take place for one hour\, and will involve a Q&A and a chance to get your books signed by John and Russ. The event will be chaired by Kevin Quinn. \nTickets \nClick here to buy your ticket for £5. You can add on John Robb’s title for an additional £15 (£20 total)\, Russ Bestley £20 (£25 in total)\, or we are offering a bundle for both books and a ticket at £40. These will be available for collection on the night. \nAbout the books \nPunk Rock Ruined my Life: and other stories \nThe irresistible story of a one-man cultural phenomenon. \nMinister for the Counterculture\, Mancunian mainstay and alternative national treasure John Robb has lived a life in music. In this book he charts his adventures on the cultural frontline\, chronicling the making of a DIY icon. \nRobb’s quest began in his hometown of Blackpool – where punk was a battle against the odds – and went international when he toured the world with his band. The first person to interview Nirvana\, he also discovered The Stone Roses for weekly newspaper Sounds and did early interviews with The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Manics\, before moving on to legends such as Mark E. Smith\, Nick Cave and Patti Smith. Along the way\, he became an on-screen commentator and author of bestselling books. \nRobb’s memoir tells of deep friendships with figures from Poly Styrene to Chris Packham. Packed with riotous stories\, it provides an alternative account of British musical and cultural history and a triumphant blueprint for a punk rock life. \nTurning Revolt into Style: The process and practice of punk graphic design \nDrawing on interviews with leading punk and post punk designers including Malcolm Garrett\, Bill Smith\, Chris Morton\, Steve Averill\, Mike Coles\, Bob Last\, Rob O’Connor\, Jill Mumford and Neville Bordy along with detailed archival and historical research\, this book reveals the implicit tensions between a new creative vanguard and the design establishment\, together with the opportunities offered by new technologies and dramatic parallel changes in labour relations and working practices. \nAlong with a close analysis of punk and post punk record covers\, fanzines and other artefacts\, Turning revolt into style charts the story of a seismic cultural shift thar was to have a lasting impact for decades to come. The text centres on two key questions: how did a new generation of young\, punk inspired graphic designers navigates the music graphics profession the lates 1970s and early 1980s? And how did significant changes in printing technology\, labour relations and working practices in the design profession impact their work during that period? \nAbout the chair \nKevin Quinn is completing a PhD as a researcher at Central Saint Martins\, University of the Arts London. His thesis title is The NME: Counterculture and change\, 1980 – 1985 which maps a new history of the influential magazine the NME. Kevin is also a member of the UAL Subcultures Interest Group\, who have been extant since 2019 and in that time has produced five newspapers consisting of a broad range of topics\, hosted film screenings with Doc’n’Roll and other independent filmmakers\, and in July 2026 will be launching the new newspaper in conjunction with the newly opened Museum of Youth Culture in Camden\, London.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/50-years-of-punk-john-robb-and-russ-bestley-in-conversation
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
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ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260716T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260716T140000
DTSTAMP:20260704T093253Z
CREATED:20260702T172703Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260704T093253Z
UID:22024-1784203200-1784210400@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:FREE - Signing and Live Portrait with Navya Raju
DESCRIPTION:Join illustrator Navya Raju on 16th July for a free live portrait and book signing event! Navya will be with us from 12pm – 2pm\, offering live illustrations of you and your little bookworms\, as well as signing copies of her books ‘The Twirly Wiggly Dance’ and ‘Not Now\, Goldilocks!’. Books will be available to purchase on the day. \nAttendance is free; we recommend arriving early to avoid disappointment as each portrait takes time and there may be a queue. \nWe look forward to seeing you there!
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/free-signing-and-live-portrait-with-navya-raju
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/nAVYA-RAJU-2.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260702T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260702T190000
DTSTAMP:20260505T122903Z
CREATED:20260503T104446Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T122903Z
UID:19615-1783015200-1783018800@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT: 'Who’s the Real Dad?' with Doug Sharples\, Sanjay Sood-Smith\, and Amber Stein
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is excited to welcome Doug Sharples\, Sanjay Sood-Smith\, and Amber Stein to the store on 2nd July at 6pm to discuss their book\, Who’s the Real Dad? Two Dads\, One Surrogate: Our Journey to Become LGBTQ+ Parents. As well as a discussion on their book\, there will also be a Q&A\, plus the chance to get your books signed. \nTickets \nClick here to buy a book and ticket – £20\nClick here to buy a ticket only – £5 \nAs always\, we have a limited amount of complimentary tickets for this event for anyone who needs it. Please contact us directly at bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com or call 07597365380. \nAbout the book \nA candid\, humorous and moving account of how two men and their surrogate came together to make a family. \nLike countless other couples\, Sanjay and Doug (AKA The Travelling Gays) met\, fell in love – and were soon married. But when they decided they wanted a family of their own\, it was the beginning of an incredible journey that would see them become proud parents to three children – and have a new friend for life in their surrogate\, Amber. \nPart practical guide to the international surrogacy process with a first-hand account of what it’s really like to be a surrogate\, part memoir and social commentary about same-sex parenting\, Who’s the Real Dad? follows their experience step by step – from choosing between adoption and surrogacy to the legal and financial complexities along the way\, and from fertility treatment and embryo transfers to pregnancy\, birth\, and life with three children under two. \nExploring the long-term impact of growing up under Section 28\, changing social attitudes\, and the expanding possibilities for LGBTQ+ parents\, Who’s the Real Dad? demystifies the surrogacy process and offers a fresh perspective on what family really means in the twenty-first century.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-event-whos-the-real-dad-with-doug-sharples-sanjay-sood-smith-and-amber-stein
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/WHOS-THE-REAL-DAD-new-fatherhood.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260615T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260615T190000
DTSTAMP:20260505T133115Z
CREATED:20260419T110417Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T133115Z
UID:19822-1781546400-1781550000@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT: 'I'm Just A Girl' with Jess Bacon
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is ecstatic to welcome Jess Bacon to the store on 15th June at 6pm to discuss their book\, ‘I’m Just a Girl’: How Reclaiming Girlhood Can Redefine Womanhood. As well as a discussion on their book\, there will also be a Q&A\, plus the chance to get your books signed by Jess. The event will be chaired by our bookseller\, Brooke. \nWe are leaning into bringing your ‘girlhood**’ into your current self\, so we encourage you to dress in a way that would make younger you proud\, and we will be writing notes to our younger selves in the talk! \n**’girlhood’ in this sense is gender neutral – what aspects of your youth do you wish to hold onto? What do you think you had to ‘leave behind’ as you entered adulthood? \nTickets \nClick here for a book and ticket \nClick here for a ticket only \nAbout the book \nIt is a truth universally acknowledged that boys will be boys and girls have to grow up… \nOver the past decade\, girlhood has repainted the cultural landscape pink. From Taylor Swift’s The Era’s Tour to Barbiemania\, this nostalgia for girlhood has become a billion-dollar business\, seen in the music we listen to\, the clothes we wear\, and the 2000s movies (and their long-awaited sequels) we watch on repeat. \nBut at a time when women’s rights are being rewritten\, this resurgence in girlhood is complicated. Women are caught between a genuine desire to relive the wild freedom\, joy and safety found in girlhood\, while facing an ever-growing pressure to hold onto their youth. The world demands women continue to look like girls\, yet they are rarely given the space to actually be girls. \nIn I’m Just a Girl\, journalist Jess Bacon introduces readers to the ‘second girlhood’\, the extended adolescence that adult women have crafted for themselves as a means to reconnect with the part of themselves they left behind: the girl. \nReconnecting with our inner girl is an empowering act of rebellion\, allowing us to reclaim what was once taken from us. Jess shows us how our second girlhood offers a return to creativity and play that can ultimately improve our relationships\, our mental wellbeing and establish a renewed sense of self. For far too long we have been presented with a false choice between womanhood and girlhood – this book is a celebration of a new way of being where we can fully embrace both.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-event-im-just-a-girl-with-jess-bacon
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/LITERALLY-EVENT-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260605T130000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260605T140000
DTSTAMP:20260407T114503Z
CREATED:20260402T182221Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260407T114503Z
UID:19200-1780664400-1780668000@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:LUNCHTIME LECTURE - Chris Moss 'Lancashire: Exploring the Historic County that Made the Modern World'
DESCRIPTION:House of Books and Friends is excited to introduce the next guest for their ‘Lunchtime Lecture’ series: Chris Moss\, author of Lancashire: Exploring the Historic County that Made the Modern World. Join us on 5th June at 1pm to hear Chris discuss his book\, with special attention paid to Manchester’s place in Lancashire. \nThe talk will begin at 1pm and last for 1 hour. \nTickets \nTicket only £5 \nBook and ticket £25 \nAbout the talk \nAuthor Chris Moss will talk about the development and writing process of his book\, with additional context of returning to Lancashire after living away from his home county for decades. Attendees will be encouraged to consider Lancashire’s central role in modern history as a pioneer of industry\, the heart of social change\, and how the identity of ‘Lancashire’ continues to shift in the 21st Century. \nWith a chapter dedicated to Manchester\, entitled ‘Mancashire… Madchester… Manchattan’\, Chris will invite audiences to consider the reinvention of the city and a sense of belonging unique to Mancunians.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/lunchtime-lecture-chris-moss-lancashire-exploring-the-historic-county-that-made-the-modern-world
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/lunch-time-4.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260603T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260603T190000
DTSTAMP:20260419T104416Z
CREATED:20260417T101524Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260419T104416Z
UID:19620-1780509600-1780513200@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT: 'Literally' with Ella Willis
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is thrilled to welcome Ella Willis to the store on 3rd June at 6pm to discuss their book\, Literally\, a joyful\, realistic and relatable guide to being autistic\, whether you know you are\, think you may be or love someone who is. As well as a discussion on their book\, there will also be a Q&A\, plus the chance to get your books signed by Ella. The event will be chaired by our bookseller\, Leah. \nTickets \nClick here to buy a book and ticket – £16.99\nClick here to buy a ticket only – £5 \nAs always\, we have a limited amount of complimentary tickets for this event for anyone who needs it. Please contact us directly at bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com or call 07597365380. \nAbout the book: \nThere are three reasons why this book is called Literally: \nNumber 1: Autistic people can take things literally.\nNumber 2: This is a literal book. Clear in its language\, easy to understand and accessible.\nNumber 3: It’s relatable. What do you say when someone says something so profoundly relatable that it connects to your own experience perfectly? ‘LITERALLY!’\nTenuous fourth reason: It looks great on a front cover. \nIllustrator and content creator Ella Willis was 22 when they were formally diagnosed with autism but this was no surprise. Growing up they felt like they’d surely been dropped on earth by aliens and would eventually be rescued. Social blunders\, overstimulation\, intense joyful special interests: with the label of autism\, these experiences made so much more sense. \nIn Literally\, Ella is here to help you navigate all parts of being autistic\, destigmatize neurodivergence and offer accessible\, practical and hopeful advice. From getting a diagnosis to self-diagnosis\, stimming to masking\, navigating relationships to sensory issues\, Ella uses their personal story\, research\, illustrations and interviews to provide a clear-eyed view of the autistic experience\, \nThis is the book to help you – or your loved ones – thrive.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-event-literally-with-ella-willis
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/LITERALLY-EVENT.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260602T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260602T190000
DTSTAMP:20260414T105320Z
CREATED:20260412T144033Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260414T105320Z
UID:19536-1780423200-1780426800@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT: 'The New Fatherhood' Kevin Maguire in conversation with Sacha Lord
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is excited to welcome Kevin Maguire to the store on Tuesday 2nd June at 6pm to discuss his book\, The New Fatherhood: Why Everything They Told You About Being a Dad Is Wrong and How Embracing It Will Transform Your Life. As well as a discussion on his book\, there will also be a Q&A\, plus the chance to get your books signed by Kevin. Kevin will be in conversation with Sacha Lord\, co-founder of The Warehouse Project and Parklife Festival\, and fellow dad. \nTickets \nBuy a book and ticket here \nBuy a ticket only here \nAs always\, we have a limited amount of complimentary tickets for this event for anyone who needs it. Please contact us directly at bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com or call 07597365380. \nAbout the book  \nFatherhood will change you. That much is certain. But whilst it can never be under your control\, it can be under your influence. \nThe old rules of fatherhood are no longer fit for purpose. It used to be simple: you had to protect\, provide for\, and preside over your family. But the world has changed\, seeing today’s dads question the role they play in society\, at work\, and in their homes\, as they feel the once-solid foundation of fatherhood crumble beneath their feet. \nThis redefinition of a role previously set in stone for generations has sent dads looking for answers. Thousands have found them in their inboxes\, via The New Fatherhood\, the #1 fatherhood newsletter on Substack from Kevin Maguire. For five years\, he has interviewed some of the world’s best thinkers\, studied the output of our most creative minds\, and dove deep into the archives of peer-reviewed parenting. This book transforms those sources into an updated operating system for modern dads: delivered through deeply personal stories\, transformative perspectives on success and sense of purpose\, compact frameworks\, habits that stick\, and techniques you can apply in even the most turbulent moments.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-event-the-new-fatherhood-with-kevin-maguire
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/WHOS-THE-REAL-DAD-new-fatherhood-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260514T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260514T190000
DTSTAMP:20260307T104225Z
CREATED:20260207T152914Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260307T104225Z
UID:17791-1778781600-1778785200@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT: 'Rose and Renzo' with Carolyn O'Brien
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is thrilled to welcome Carolyn O’Brien on Thursday 14th of May from 6pm to discuss their new book\, ‘Rose and Renzo‘. The evening will involve a discussion\, a Q&A\, and a chance to get your book signed by Carolyn. Carolyn will be in conversation with Louisa Reid\, author of adult and YA fiction including ‘Handle with Care’. \nTickets \nBook and Ticket £9.99 \nTicket Only £5 \nAs always\, we have a limited amount of complimentary tickets for this event for anyone who needs it. Please contact us directly at bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com or call 07597365380. \nAbout the book \nAfter the death of their father\, two sisters arrive in Manchester’s vibrant ‘Little Italy’: creative misfit\, Rose\, and her much older sister\, Ivy. Frustrated and desperate to pursue her artistic passion\, Rose meets Renzo\, a painter arrived from Europe. Their connection is instant and powerful. Yet as their feelings deepen\, Renzo’s past in Mussolini’s Italy remains a mystery. In a time of looming fascism in Europe\, Blackshirts are marching the streets. Rose is drawn to fight this\, but what about Renzo? \nAbout the author \nCarolyn is a historical fiction writer from Manchester. Her writing has a strong sense of the north-west of England. Consistently drawn to the struggle for equality\, as illustrated in her first novel\, The Song of Peterloo\, her work features strong female characters striving to find their place in the world.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-event-rose-and-renzo-with-carolyn-obrien
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/CAROLYN-OBRIEN-ROSE-AND-RENZO-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260507T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260507T190000
DTSTAMP:20260412T105322Z
CREATED:20260118T131657Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260412T105322Z
UID:17318-1778176800-1778180400@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT: 'The Jackfruit Chronicles' by Shahnaz Ahsan
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is overjoyed to welcome Shahnaz Ahsan to discuss her book\, ‘The Jackfruit Chronicles: Memories and Recipes from a British-Bangladeshi Kitchen‘. The event will take place on 7th May at 6pm\, and will involve a discussion\, a Q&A\, and a chance for you to get your book signed by Shahnaz. Shahnaz will be interviewed by Dr Munza Rahman\, a senior lecturer from MMU whose research focuses primarily on contemporary Postcolonial writing and film\, and more specifically how this intersects with the interdisciplinary field of Food Studies. \nTickets \nClick here to buy a book and ticket \nClick here to buy a ticket only \nAbout the book \nWith insight and love\, Ahsan guides us through the vibrant flavours and captivating story of Bengali food and its place in Britain. Beginning with the arrival of her grandfather\, Habib\, in Manchester in the 1950s\, this is a spellbinding journey not just through one family story\, but also the broader tale of the Bangladeshi diaspora’s quest for a new life in Britain. \nAhsan beautifully weaves together this narrative of migration and hope with treasured family recipes\, including dishes like sour tomato broth\, jackfruit kofta curry\, lentil fritters\, fish with clementine peels and much more. \nAbout the author \nShahnaz Ahsan is an author\, columnist and award-winning food writer. Shahnaz’s debut novel Hashim & Family was an Observer Best Book of 2020 and was shortlisted for the Guardian Not the Booker Prize. Born and raised in West Yorkshire\, Shahnaz is of British-Bangladeshi heritage\, and has also lived in the USA\, Ethiopia\, Zimbabwe and Rwanda. Shahnaz regularly appears on national and international radio\, including BBC Radio 4\, BBC Asian Network\, BBC Scotland\, and ABC Radio Australia. She has also taught creative writing at the University of Westminster\, and facilitates sessions on food culture for public and private sector clients.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-event-the-jackfruit-chronicles-by-shahnaz-ahsan
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/jackfruit-rose-2.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260506T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260506T190000
DTSTAMP:20260316T113622Z
CREATED:20260316T101843Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260316T113622Z
UID:18686-1778090400-1778094000@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:POETRY EVENT: 'Little Bitch' launch with Ellora Sutton\, Betty Doyle and Roma Havers
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is thrilled to welcome Ellora Sutton on Wednesday 6th of May from 6pm to discuss their new poetry collection\, ‘Little Bitch’. Ellora will be joined by Betty Doyle\, author of poetry collection ‘Fruits of Labour’\, and Roma Havers\, author of poetry collection ‘The Natural Way’. There will be 8-10 minutes of reading from the poets\, and 20-30 min discussion with chair\, Stuart Bartholomew. There will also be a Q&A\, and an opportunity for attendees to get their books signed. \nTickets \nAs there are multiple authors in discussion\, you can purchase a ticket-only option\, or you can purchase a copy of the book from us to act as a ticket; see options below: \n£5 Ticket only and the option to buy ONE of the titles available here \n£27 for all 3 books to act as your ticket here \nAbout Little Bitch \nLittle Bitch hangs out in cemeteries\, art galleries\, hot-pink nuclear bunkers. She ruins your favourite movies and won’t stop talking about how hungry she is\, horses\, roses\, her dead mother\, the sea. She watches too much Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She is a Venusian hellhole. She is too pretty to cry. \nEllora Sutton’s hotly-anticipated debut collection is an unsettling exposé of wasted potential\, the precarity of desire\, and the violence of girlhood. With cameos from Hello Kitty\, Susan Sontag\, Tony Hawk\, and Marina Abramović\, Little Bitch uses a powderpuff to serve up a suckerpunch with a side of Black Forest gateau. \nAbout Fruits of Labor \nBetty Doyle’s Fruits of Labour charts coming to terms with childlessness\, from initial symptoms and diagnosis\, grief and uncertainty\, to emerging with acceptance\, hope\, and survival. Doyle explores the impact of childlessness\, and the threat of infertility on the speaker’s sense of self\, femininity\, and family. While initially the body is examined from a place of shame and regret\, it also becomes a site of resilience and abandon. \nThere is joy here\, too – in the unexpected freedom that childlessness brings. Doyle rejects enforced gender roles\, embracing independence and freedom of choice. While the body in these poems can be a site of suffering\, or even viewed by some as deficient\, it is also defiant\, and ultimately\, these poems emerge triumphant\, surviving and thriving on the speaker’s own terms. \nAbout The Natural Way \n‘We’re trying the natural way’\, Havers once said when asked about children in their queer partnership. What follows is their sparklingly disruptive debut\, drawing on inside jokes\, ironies and imaginings for new ways of thinking about what we call natural and the ways and paths we choose to get there. \nFrom Oscar Wilde to an unlikely pelican\, this book’s wandering way resists the traditional nature poem\, instead digging into the muck and rock of queer wilderness. Formally inventive\, these poems span the width of the page and draw on mathematics\, tablecloth patterns and swimming pools for their structures. Ingenious and funny\, Havers’ debut questions received ideas about inheritance and legacies: what if\, it asks\, we live outside the familiar\, familial archive? \nAbout Stuart Bartholomew / Verve Press \nVoted Most Innovative Press at Saboteur Awards and Winner of Michael Marks Publishers Award.\n‘…the always exciting Verve Poetry press’ – Andrew McMillan \nVerve Poetry Press is a Birmingham based poetry indie publishing poets from all corners of the UK. – with a focus on poets that chime with the city’s diverse and energetic qualities. We publish both full collections and pamphlets and favour performance poetry just as much as poems that are written for the page.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/poetry-event-little-bitch-launch-with-ellora-sutton-betty-doyle-and-roma-havers
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/LITTLE-BITCH.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260505T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260505T190000
DTSTAMP:20260313T180932Z
CREATED:20260309T103102Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260313T180932Z
UID:18468-1778004000-1778007600@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT: 'The Mercy Step' Marcia Hutchinson with Pete Kalu
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is excited to welcome back Marcia Hutchinson on Tuesday 5th of May to discuss her Women Fiction Longlist  title ‘The Mercy Step‘. The evening will begin at 6pm\, and involve a discussion\, a Q&A\, and a chance to get your book signed by Marcia. Marcia will be in conversation with Pete Kalu\, a Mancunian poet\, writer and playwright. \nTickets \nBook and Ticket £9.99 \nTicket Only £5 \nAs always\, we have a limited amount of complimentary tickets for this event for anyone who needs it. Please contact us directly at bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com or call 07597365380. \nAbout the book \nBradford\, December 1962. \nA precocious Mercy makes her reluctant entrance into the world\, torn from the warm embrace of her mother’s womb\, to a chaotic household that seems to have no place for her. Her siblings do not understand her\, her mother’s attention is given to the Church\, and the entire family lives at the whims of her father’s quick temper. \nLeft to herself\, Mercy finds solace in books\, her imagination\, and the quiet comfort of her faithful toy\, Dolly. But escapism has its limits\, and as the grip of family\, faith and fear threatens to close in\, Mercy learns she must act if she wants a different future; one where she is seen\, heard\, and her family set free. \nAbout the author \nMarcia Hutchinson was born in Manningham\, Bradford\, the seventh of nine children to Windrush generation Jamaican parents. The first pupil from her school to go to Oxford\, Marcia worked as a lawyer before returning to the North and founding the educational publishing company Primary Colours. She was awarded an MBE in 2011 for her services to Cultural Diversity. Now a full-time writer and member of the Black Writers’ Guild\, Marcia’s solo literary debut\, The Mercy Step (Cassava Republic Press)\, was published in July 2025\, and longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2026. The Mercy Step was also nominated for the Nibbies Book of the Year ‘Discover’ Category.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-event-the-mercy-step-marcia-hutchinson-with-pete-kalu
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/THE-OTHERS-2.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260430T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260430T190000
DTSTAMP:20260305T150547Z
CREATED:20260305T095055Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260305T150547Z
UID:18088-1777572000-1777575600@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT: The Others with Sheena Kalayil
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is thrilled to welcome Sheena Kalayil on Thursday 30th April at 6pm to discuss her book\, ‘The Others’\, recently longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. The evening will involve a discussion\, a Q&A\, and a chance to get your book signed by Sheena. The evening will be chaired by Isabelle Kenyon\, owner of Fly on the Wall Press. \nTickets \nBook and ticket £12.99 \nTicket only £5 \nAs always\, we have a limited amount of complimentary tickets for this event for anyone who needs it. Please contact us directly at bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com or call 07597365380. \nAbout the book \nSecrets\, lies and love as the DDR collapses.  \nIt is 1989\, and in a small Baltic city in East Germany\, the Deutsche Demokratische Republik\, three young people from vastly different backgrounds become friends. Armando is a factory worker from Mozambique\, Lolita is a medical student from India\, and Theo is an East Berliner who dreams of being a writer. \nWhen Armando and Lolita make a grisly discovery\, they find themselves caught up in the politics of Theo’s homeland more than ever before. While a quiet revolution sweeps through Eastern Europe\, and the Berlin Wall teeters\, the three find themselves entangled in a poignant love triangle which threatens their futures. \nAs the world order shifts\, their three lives are bound together in a web of love\, lies and fears\, leaving each irrevocably changed. \nAbout the author \nSheena Kalayil is a critically acclaimed Manchester-based author and teacher. ‘The Others’ is Kalayil’s fourth novel\, continuing her profound examination of untold stories from the crossroads of history and human experience. Kalayil’s debut novel\, ‘The Bureau of Second Chances’\, announced her as a major new literary talent\, winning the prestigious Writers’ Guild Award for Best First Novel and being shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Prize for Fiction with a Sense of Place. With a lifetime of experiences teaching around the world\, from Nepal and Mozambique to Tunisia and Venezuela\, Kalayil brings a truly global perspective to her writing. Since 2002\, she has called the UK home\, now teaching at the University of Manchester while penning rich\, immersive narratives that transcend borders.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-event-the-others-with-sheena-kalayil
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/THE-OTHERS.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260428T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260428T200000
DTSTAMP:20260423T132532Z
CREATED:20260318T161513Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260423T132532Z
UID:18778-1777399200-1777406400@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT: 'Darkening Song' with Delphine Seddon
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is overjoyed to welcome  Delphine Seddon to discuss her debut novel\,  ‘Darkening Song’. The event will take place in-store on 28th April\, at 6pm\, and will last for 1 hour. There will be a discussion\, a Q&A\, and a chance to have your book signed by Delphine. \nTickets \nTickets are £7\, with the option to add on a copy of the book. Click here to get your ticket. \nAbout the book \nPower dynamics in the entertainment world also feature prominently in debut author\, and former music industry executive\, Delphine Seddon’s fiercely feminist novel set in the music business. Daisy Jones & The Six meets Euphoria\, ‘Darkening Song’ follows a teen star from Manchester and her ambitious manager as they navigate friendship\, ambition\, and the devastating cost of success. Darkening Song has an original score soundtrack written and produced by an all-female team and performed by the incredible independent artist\, S.Michaud. The book is going to be adapted into a major TV series. \nAbout Delphine Seddon \nDelphine 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 an incredible roster which included Dua Lipa\, Liam Gallagher\, Foals\, Royal Blood and Enya. She managed artists for a while and most recently\, she was COO at September\, operationally responsible for the record label\, management company and publishing business across London and LA. September’s clients include Glass Animals\, Little Simz and Adele. Originally from Staffordshire\, England\, Delphine now lives by the sea in rural West Wales.  \n 
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-event-darkening-souls
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/darkening-song-3.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260416T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260416T190000
DTSTAMP:20260309T105648Z
CREATED:20260309T102607Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260309T105648Z
UID:18458-1776362400-1776366000@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT: 'Kingfisher' with Rozie Kelly
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is excited to welcome Rozie Kelly to the store on 16th April at 6pm to discuss her book\, Kingfisher\, which has just been longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2026. As well as a discussion on her book\, there will also be a Q&A\, plus the chance to get your books signed by Rozie. Rozie will be in conversation with Sara Hunt\, publisher at Saraband. \nTickets \nClick here to buy a book and ticket – £9.99\nClick here to buy a ticket only – £5 \nAs always\, we have a limited amount of complimentary tickets for this event for anyone who needs it. Please contact us directly at bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com or call 07597365380. \nAbout the book \nShe smelled like jasmine. No\, not exactly. She smelled like the earth beneath a jasmine plant on a hot day.  \n“Most of us are poets”\, she said. “It’s just a question of how it comes out.” \nWhen a creative writing academic becomes infatuated with his colleague – the poet – it is not long before it begins to threaten his relationship with his partner\, Michael. Michael is beautiful. Michael is safe. But the poet is everything he isn’t; she has everything he wants. \nWhile he writes about steel and sex\, she dreams about the movements of swallows. While he tends to his budding career\, she writes from her big\, white house in the woods. As he slips between his old life and this new one\, his fixation grows into something more powerful. The poet\, his Kingfisher\, is his sole focus. He is hypnotised. \nBut when simultaneous illnesses threaten to destroy the precarious reality he clings to\, he’s forced to question what he can and cannot take from someone. This is a novel about grief\, power and desire – and the tangles in between that make up a life. \nAbout the author \nRozie Kelly is a novelist based in West Yorkshire. After reading English Literature and Creative Writing she moved to Hebden Bridge\, where she works for the Arvon Foundation\, hosting creative writing courses. She was shortlisted for the PFD Queer Fiction Prize 2023 and was one of the eight participants in the inaugural Prototype Development Programme 2024. She won the 2024 NorthBound Book Award for Kingfisher\, her debut novel\, and this has now been longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2026.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-event-rozie-kelly-discusses-kingfisher
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/THE-OTHERS.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260324T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260324T190000
DTSTAMP:20260123T102909Z
CREATED:20260118T085754Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260123T102909Z
UID:17308-1774375200-1774378800@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT: 'An Army of Lovers Cannot Fail' with Hélène Giannecchini
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is thrilled to welcome Hélène Giannecchini on Tuesday 24th March at 6pm to discuss their new book\, ‘An Army of Lovers Cannot Fail’. The evening will involve a discussion\, a Q&A\, and a chance to get your book signed by Hélène. \nTickets \nClick here to buy a book and ticket \nClick here to buy a ticket only \nAs always\, we have a limited amount of complimentary tickets for this event for anyone who needs it. Please contact us directly at bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com or call 07597365380. \nAbout the book \nAfter she encounters a poem about love and friendship etched on the Homomonument in Amsterdam\, Hélène Giannecchini is moved to attempt to do justice to a form of relation often subordinated to romance. A friendship is a filiation we choose\, one that can reconfigure our understanding of co-existence. It holds love\, laughter\, dissent and solidarity; it can be a site of political struggle\, of reinvention and rest. Thinking back to her own unconventional family formation\, she sets out to piece together an alternative genealogy of lives excluded from normative discourses\, whose traces may only remain in memory and archival fragments. \nIn searching and sensitive prose\, Giannecchini sifts the past to bring marginal existences into communion with each other\, preserved through loving acts of witness and made full of meaning by friendship’s generative force. Roving from Saint-Just’s revolutionary ideal of amity to Donna Gottschalk’s photography documenting radical lesbian organizing in 1960s and ’70s New York\, interspersed with unpublished images acquired magpie-like through chance and circumstance\, An Army of Lovers Cannot Fail forms a slantwise account of queer life in the twentieth century\, and a moving testament to the liberatory power of friendship. \nAbout the author \nHélène Giannecchini is a writer and curator\, specialising in the relationship between text and image. In 2014 she published Une Image peut-être vraie. Alix Cléo Roubaud [translation by Theano Petrou\, A Portrait in pieces\, Sylph edition\, 2023] with Seuil and directed the Alix Cléo Roubaud retrospective at the Bibliothèque nationale de France that same year. Her following novel\, Voir de ses propres yeux [See With Your Own Eyes]\, was published in January 2020. Her new book Un désir démesuré d’amitié was released in August 2024. For several years now\, she has been writing in collaboration with contemporary artists and she curated several exhibitions. \nAs a Doctor of Literature\, she has given lectures at the Pompidou Centre\, the Complutense University of Madrid\, the University of Basel\, the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation\, the Jeu de Paume\, the Maison Européenne de la Photographie\, galerie Buchholz New York\, among others. She was a resident of Villa Médicis in 2018-2019 and of Villa Albertine in 2022.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-event-an-army-of-lovers-cannot-fail-with-helene-giannecchini
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/an-army-of-lovers.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260319T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260319T190000
DTSTAMP:20260202T135947Z
CREATED:20260201T165609Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260202T135947Z
UID:17626-1773943200-1773946800@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT: 'Storm Over Camelot' Sophie Keetch in conversation with Emma Hinds
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is excited to welcome Sophie Keetch on March 19th at 6pm to discuss the final book in her ‘Morgan Triology’\, ‘Storm Over Camelot‘. The evening will involve a discussion\, a Q&A\, and a chance to get your book signed by Sophie. Sophie will be in discussion with Emma Hinds\, author of ‘The Knowing‘ and ‘The Quick and the Dead‘. \nTickets \nClick here to buy book and ticket \nClick here to buy a ticket only \nAbout the book \nThe thrilling conclusion to the bestselling Morgan Le Fay series \nGrieving over a devastating loss\, Morgan has retreated to the sanctuary of Belle Garde behind a veil of fairy magic\, after swearing vengeance upon King Arthur and Camelot. \nSteeped in her rage\, she becomes a storm of retribution\, battling to avenge her brother’s wrongs while trying to undo a terrible tragedy. But with her resurrection skills elusive and Camelot growing in glory and strength\, Morgan is failing\, her freedom under threat in the wake of her chaos and treasonous reputation. \nAll appears futile\, until her efforts bring news of scandal in the Royal Court\, and Morgan is once again drawn inside Camelot’s golden walls. When an encounter with Arthur’s trusted knight\, Sir Lancelot\, sparks suspicions of Queen Guinevere’s adultery\, Morgan falls deeper into obsession\, the need to punish those who betrayed her driving her further away from her loved ones\, and the woman she once wished to be. \nAs the Age of Camelot darkens\, and the forces of love\, fate and truth collide\, she must choose between her thirst for vengeance and the power to heal what is broken\, and decide who Morgan le Fay truly is\, in her own future and for all time. \nAbout the author \nSophie Keetch read English Literature at Cardiff University\, including the study of Arthurian legend. Her debut trilogy is a feminist retelling of the story of sorceress Morgan Le Fay. The first book\, Morgan is my Name\, was a #1 Audible bestseller and one of the Sunday Times’ Best Historical Fiction novels of 2023. The audiobook\, narrated by Oscar-nominated actress Vanessa Kirby\, was a The Times Audiobook of the Week. Sophie is Welsh and lives with her husband and son in South Wales.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-event-storm-over-camelot-sophie-keetch-in-conversation-with-emma-hinds
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Storm-Over-Camelot-2.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260312T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260312T190000
DTSTAMP:20251203T110904Z
CREATED:20251127T121248Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251203T110904Z
UID:16746-1773338400-1773342000@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT: 'Beyond Palatable' with Sophie Lee
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is thrilled to welcome Sophie Lee on Thursday 12th March to discuss her new book\, Beyond Palatable: A Manifesto for Unapologetic Women. Sophie will be here from 6pm\, and the event will consist of a discussion\, a Q&A\, and a chance for you to get your copies signed by Sophie. \nTickets \nBook and ticket option £14.99\nTicket only option £5 \nAs always\, we have a limited amount of complimentary tickets for this event for anyone who needs it. Please contact us directly at bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com or call 07597365380. \nAbout the book \nBeyond Palatable is a transformative manifesto for women seeking to embrace their true selves unapologetically. In this powerful work\, Sophie Lee acts as both a revelator and a rebel\, challenging the societal norms that keep us small and confined. \nSophie’s compelling voice guides readers to confront the pressures of conformity that stifle individuality. Each chapter is rich with actionable insights\, somatic practices and practical tasks\, all designed to deepen self-understanding and spark meaningful change. \nWith tools for self-reflection\, Beyond Palatable fosters a sense of empowerment that encourages readers to stand firm in their truth\, even amidst external resistance. This heartfelt invitation to reclaim authenticity serves as a reminder that the essence of who we are is rooted in our hearts. \nA must-read for those on a journey of personal growth and liberation\, Beyond Palatable challenges you to break free from limitations and redefine what it means to be you. Embrace the journey and discover the power of living authentically. \nAbout the author \nSophie is a storyteller\, strategist and writer\, and is the founder of Electric Peach. She helps organisations build movements and turn ideas into real-world impact. She also works closely with female founders on voice and visibility\, helping them speak with clarity and become unignorable. Her work sits at the intersection of strategy\, storytelling\, and social change. Beyond Palatable is her first book.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-event-beyond-palatable-with-sophie-lee
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/BEYOND-PALATABLE-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260226T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260226T190000
DTSTAMP:20260118T084320Z
CREATED:20251110T155943Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260118T084320Z
UID:10714-1772128800-1772132400@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT: Helen Gaskell discusses 'The Regency Switch'
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is excited to welcome Helen Gaskell to the store on 26th February at 6pm to discuss her new book\, The Regency Switch. As well as a discussion on her new book\, there will also be a Q&A\, plus the chance to get your books signed by Helen. The evening will have drinks on arrival\, and goody bags provided for all our romance-loving bookworms. \nTickets \nClick here to buy a book and ticket – £9.99\nClick here to buy a ticket only – £5 \nAs always\, we have a limited amount of complimentary tickets for this event for anyone who needs it. Please contact us directly at bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com or call 07597365380. \nAbout the book \nEtta Moore expects nothing more from a Tuesday than another dull day in the office. But when her morning commute ends in Regency England\, she is forced to accept the impossible: she and her ancestor Miss Henrietta Bainbridge – or ‘Mad Hetty’\, as she’s known amongst the ton – have switched bodies. \nSuddenly Etta and Hetty must get to grips with the new worlds they find themselves in. For Etta\, it’s goodbye to dating apps and the daily commute and hello to the list of things ‘Ladies Do Not’ do. Luckily the dashing Lord Stanhope is on hand to aid her through even the most shocking of faux pas. \nMeanwhile Hetty\, who has always felt unseen and unknown\, finds her truest self blossoming with the help of 21st century medicine and the most welcome attentions of her rather beautiful Adult Learning teacher\, Stella. \nTwo hundred years away from everything they’ve ever known\, might Etta and Hetty have actually found a place where they each truly belong? \nAbout the author \nA member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association\, Helen writes Regency and contemporary romantic fiction with a twist. When not writing fiction\, Helen is a lead content designer. She lives semi-anonymously in deepest\, darkest suburbia\, splitting her time fairly evenly between sleeping\, eating raspberry trifle\, and over-thinking Oxford commas.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-event-helen-gaskell-discusses-the-regency-switch
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/REGENCY-SWITCH-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260217T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260217T190000
DTSTAMP:20260213T140158Z
CREATED:20260110T155347Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260213T140158Z
UID:17211-1771351200-1771354800@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT: 'Broken Biscuits; and Other Male Failures' with Adam Farrer
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is thrilled to welcome Adam Farrer on February 17th at 6pm to discuss their paperback book\, ‘Broken Biscuits; and Other Male Failures’. The evening will involve a discussion\, a Q&A\, and a chance to get your book signed by Adam Farrer. \nTickets \nClick here to purchase a ticket only \nClick here to purchase a book and ticket \nAs always\, we have a limited amount of complimentary tickets for this event for anyone who needs it. Please contact us directly at bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com or call 07597365380. \nAbout the book \nBroken Biscuits vividly recounts Adam’s struggles to live up to masculine expectations\, real or imagined. From the calamity of his first serious relationship to an obsession with Prince that sees everyone questioning his sexuality\, and from the repercussions of his adult circumcision to his doubts about his ability to survive the apocalypse\, this candid and personal collection of essays is astonishingly far-reaching and riotously funny. Holding up a mirror to Adam’s own body image\, his relationship with his family\, his sense of self-worth and the mortifying experience of arriving at a teenage party wearing strawberry-patterned short shorts\, this book is about growing up and trying to define yourself as a man but somehow always missing the mark. \nAbout the author \n\n\n\nAdam Farrer is a writer\, a lecturer and the editor of the creative nonfiction journal The Real Story. He has been a photo lab technician\, an illustrator\, a ceramicist\, a musician\, a music journalist and currently works at the University of Salford\, where he is the Writer in Residence for Peel Park. His first book\, Cold Fish Soup\, won the Northbound Book Award.\n\n\n\n\n 
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-event-broken-biscuits-and-other-male-failures-with-adam-farrer
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/BROKEN-BISCUITS-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260213T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260213T200000
DTSTAMP:20260109T125535Z
CREATED:20260107T141832Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260109T125535Z
UID:17150-1771005600-1771012800@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:Book Swap with Fly on the Wall Press
DESCRIPTION:This ‘Palentines Day’\, why not spend it with your friends\, or make new connections! \nHouse of Books and Friends welcomes Fly on the Wall Press on Friday 13th of February (6-8pm) for an uplifting evening of connections\, friends and books! \nBring along a book you’d love to find an appreciative home for – perhaps one you’d like to tell people about. Or bring more than one to give away if you have too many! \nTickets include two books – one you can select from Fly on the Wall Press on the night\, and one you gain after having swapped a book with a fellow attendee. There are also tickets available to receive a tote bag on the night. \nTickets can be found here.   \nWe can’t wait to welcome everyone in our beautiful bookshop venue. Turn up any time from 6pm.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/book-swap-with-fly-on-the-wall-press
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/HOUSE-OF-BOOKS-FRIENDS-4.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260206T130000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260206T140000
DTSTAMP:20260107T140758Z
CREATED:20260103T162646Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260107T140758Z
UID:17078-1770382800-1770386400@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:Lunchtime Lecture: Useful Art with John Byrne
DESCRIPTION:House of Books and Friends is bringing back their ‘Lunchtime Lecture’ series\, and are excited to welcome Professor John Byrne to discuss his book ‘Useful Art: How Activist Artists Can Change the World.’ The talk will begin at 1pm and last for 1 hour. \nTickets \nTicket only \nBook and ticket \nAbout the book \nDoes art have to be beautiful? What if it can be useful instead? In this cutting-edge book\, John Byrne shows how the concept of ‘Useful Art’ is helping artists and communities fight back against the neoliberal takeover of our spaces\, services and lives. \nExploring an international selection of projects\, exhibitions and activism\, this important new work champions the shift from aesthetics to use value\, challenging traditional ways of seeing the world symbolically through art. Reaching beyond the financial logic of the art world\, Byrne shows how Useful Art can offer an artistic toolkit for implementing radical change. \nJohn Byrne is Professor of Useful Art at Liverpool School of Art and Creative Industries. For over a decade he has been at the forefront of research into art and use value\, working with world-renowned artists and curators to explore how art can resist\, engage with or offer alternatives to the current conditions of global neoliberalism.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/lunch-time-lecture-useful-art-with-john-byrne
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/lunch-time.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260129T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260129T190000
DTSTAMP:20260118T084309Z
CREATED:20251203T112952Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260118T084309Z
UID:16808-1769709600-1769713200@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT: 'Wayward Women' with Rhonda Carrier and Tracey Davies
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is thrilled to welcome Rhonda Carrier and Tracey Davies on Thursday 29th January at 6pm to discuss their new book\, ‘Wayward Women: Sex\, Friendship and the Midlife Reset‘. The evening will involve a discussion\, a Q&A\, and a chance to get your book signed by Rhonda and Tracey. \nTickets \nClick here to buy a book and ticket – £14.99\nClick here to buy a ticket only – £5 \nAs always\, we have a limited amount of complimentary tickets for this event for anyone who needs it. Please contact us directly at bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com or call 07597365380. \nAbout the book \nWayward Women is a unique\, searingly honest\, devastatingly raw two-person memoir about the friendship\, travels and sex lives of two fiftysomething women finding their way again after divorce. \nIt’s an entertaining\, emotional and geographical journey that bounces around the world from Florida to India\, Lapland to Hong Kong\, as the authors -both leading travel writers – relay their experiences as midlife women – love\, loss\, parenthood\, divorce\, menopause – along with the tales of the inspirational women they meet along the way\, and the growth of their friendship. \nAbout the authors \nRhonda Carrier \nRhonda Carrier is a travel and lifestyle journalist\, award-winning fiction writer\, literary translator and sometime poet. Having written for almost every national newspaper\, magazine and guidebook publisher over the last 30 years\, including the Guardian\, Red magazine. Condé Nast Traveller and Lonely Planet\, she’s roamed the globe taking in destinations as disparate as the icebergs of Antarctica and the Australian rainforest\, the fjords of Greenland and the Malaysian jungle. She has a special interest in women’s travel and women’s empowerment through travel. \nTracey Davis \nTracey is a veteran travel writer whose byline regularly appears in Metro\, the Daily and Sunday Telegraph\, The Times/Sunday Times\, the Guardian\, iPaper\, Country Living\, Red Online\, Good Housekeeping\, Platinum\, Breathe\, Teen Breathe\, and Travel Weekly. She was co-host of the Carry On travel podcast and is a regular panellist on radio and travel shows. She is also a stand-up comedian.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/author-event-wayward-women-with-rhonda-carrier-and-tracey-davies
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/WAYWARD-WOMEN.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20251122T110000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20251122T150000
DTSTAMP:20251119T140921Z
CREATED:20251119T113530Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251119T140921Z
UID:16681-1763809200-1763823600@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:Manchester Winter Book Fair
DESCRIPTION:Join us at the House of Books & Friends for the Manchester Winter Book Fair! This exciting event will take place on Saturday 22nd November between 11am and 3pm. \nAt the fair\, you’ll have the opportunity to explore a wide selection of books and gifts from local publishers. Whether you’re a book lover or looking for the perfect holiday gift\, this is the perfect event to find something special. \nDon’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity to support local publishers and discover new literary treasures. Mark your calendars and join us for the Manchester Winter Book Fair! \nRegister your attendance through Northodox Eventbrite here. \nThis is an externally managed event; please contact Northodox Press if you would like to discuss details/attendance.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/manchester-winter-book-fair-2
CATEGORIES:Author Event
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END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR