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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260902T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260902T190000
DTSTAMP:20260809T142922Z
CREATED:20260808T100542Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260809T142922Z
UID:22806-1788372000-1788375600@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:The Global Stories Book Club with Laviya Cooke - September
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends are delighted to announce that we are hosting The Global Stories Book Club\, facilitated by Laviya Cooke. Taking place on the first Wednesday of every month\, The Global Stories Book Club is a space where the voices of people of colour are explored and celebrated. People of colour are welcome\, as is anybody interested in stories from diverse perspectives. \nThis will be taking place Wednesday 2nd September at 6pm. \nFor our first meeting\, we will be reading Jamaica Road by Lisa Smith. You have until the day of the meeting to read the book. \nTickets \nClick here to buy a book and ticket \nClick here to buy a ticket only \nAbout the book \nSouth London\, 1981: Daphne is the only Black girl in her class. All she wants is to keep her head down\, preferably in a book. The easiest way to survive is to go unnoticed. \nDaphne’s attempts at invisibility are upended when a boy named Connie Small arrives from Jamaica. Connie is the opposite of small in every way: lanky\, outgoing\, and unapologetically himself. Daphne tries to keep her distance\, but Connie is magnetic. As they navigate growing up in a volatile\, rapidly changing city\, their families become close\, and their friendship begins to shift into something more complicated. But when Connie reveals that he is ‘nuh land’ – meaning he’s in England illegally – Daphne realises that she is dangerously entangled in Connie’s fragile home life. Soon\, long-buried secrets in both families threaten to tear them apart permanently. \nSpanning one tumultuous decade\, Jamaica Road is an emotionally expansive debut novel about race and class\, the family you’re born into\, the family you choose and the limits of what true love can really conquer. \nAbout Laviya \nLaviya is the founder and facilitator of the Global Stories Book Club. A Mancunian native\, Laviya has mixed Congolese heritage. In her current role at Arts Council England\, she works in the North Combined Arts division\, where she supports funding for ethnically diverse theatre makers. Previously\, she worked in the Libraries Development Team at Arts Council. Before that\, she went to Manchester Metropolitan University where she studied Criminology\, and completed research projects with a special interest in library prison services and literacy of inmates. An avid reader\, Laviya particularly enjoys Literary horror\, Black Contemporary Fiction and fantasy. When she’s not got her nose in a book\, you’ll find Laviya watching classic ‘80s teen movies\, doing karaoke with her sisters\, and going to the theatre.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/the-global-stories-book-club-with-laviya-cooke-september
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:The Book Club
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/THE-GOLBAL-STORIES-BOOKCLUB-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260906T110000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260906T120000
DTSTAMP:20260801T091937Z
CREATED:20260801T091311Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260801T091937Z
UID:22610-1788692400-1788696000@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:Little Bookworms September 2026
DESCRIPTION:Have you got a little bookworm in your life? Then look no further than House of Books & Friends. We are excited to invite you to Little Bookworms\, our monthly book club for 8-12 years. The book club runs the first Sunday of every month\, 11am-12pm. \nFor September\, we will be reading The Ministry of Manners by David Solomons. You have until the day of the book club to finish the title – this is available to buy as part of your ticket\, or you can purchase a ticket only. \nAs well as discussing the book\, there will be book-related activities each month for our Little Bookworms to get stuck into\, fun quizzes and games\, and squash and biscuits for all. Our Little Bookworms will also get their own book lovers passport to add to each month they attend as they jet set around the world through reading. \nAll sessions will be ticketed: £7.99 for the book and ticket\, and £2 for just the ticket. All little ones must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets can be purchased on our website and in store. A limited number of complementary tickets will also be reserved for those who might need them so please do let us know. \nIf you have any questions about the book club or tickets\, you can always take a look at our website\, email us\, or ask a friendly bookseller in store \nAbout the book: \nBe quiet. Be polite. Or be silenced. \nAlfie and Margot Hawthorne have grown up under the Ministry of Manners\, where politeness isn’t a choice – it’s the law. And one wrong word can change your life. He knows how to stay out of trouble\, but she has never been one for quiet obedience. \nWhen the Ministry takes Margot\, everything changes. Inside the Manners Retreat\, she fights to stay herself in a place built to erase her. Meanwhile\, Alfie falls in with the Unsilenced – those who still dare to speak. But the Ministry has plans of its own. And if they succeed\, rebellion won’t just be punished. It’ll be impossible.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/little-bookworms-september-2026
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Children's Events,The Book Club
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ministry-of-Manners-Little-Bookworms.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260916T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260916T193000
DTSTAMP:20260913T142835Z
CREATED:20260808T093529Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260913T142835Z
UID:22798-1789581600-1789587000@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:The Feminist Book Club - September
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends are delighted to announce that we are hosting the Feminist Book Club\, with facilitator Kate Feld. Taking place monthly\, this will be a space for people of all genders to discuss feminist books. In September\, we will be discussing Helen of Nowhere by Makenna Goodman. It will take place September 16th at 6pm. \nTickets \nClick here to buy a book and ticket \nClick here to buy a ticket only \nAbout the book \nIn the middle of the countryside\, a realtor is showing a disgraced professor around an idyllic house. She speaks not only about the home’s many wonderful qualities but about its previous owner\, the mystifying Helen\, whose presence still seems to suffuse every fixture. Through hearing stories of Helen’s chosen way of living\, the man begins to see that his story is not actually over – rather\, he is being offered a chance to buy his way into the simple life\, close to the land\, that’s always been out of reach to him. But as evening fades into black\, he will learn that the asking price may be much higher\, and stranger\, than anticipated. Philosophically and formally adventurous\, at once intimate and cosmic in scope\, Helen of Nowhere asks: What must we give up in exchange for true happiness? \nAboutKate \nKate Feld is a writer who grew up in in the U.S. state of Vermont and now lives outside Manchester\, UK. She writes poetry\, short fiction\, essays and prose that sits between forms. Her writing explores the natural world\, mythology and the unconscious\, often taking the form of lyric narratives that both interrogate and celebrate lived experience. Her work has been published widely in journals and anthologies including The Stinging Fly\, The Letters Page\, Hotel and Tolka. She is the founding editor of UK creative nonfiction journal and reading series The Real Story\, and lectures in Journalism at the University of Salford. Her chapbook of poetry and photography\, Deeryard\, is forthcoming from Death of Workers Whilst Building Skyscrapers.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/the-feminist-book-club-september
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:The Book Club
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/FEMINIST26-1.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260921T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260921T200000
DTSTAMP:20260830T125109Z
CREATED:20260830T124229Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260830T125109Z
UID:22831-1790017200-1790020800@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:The Book Club Online - September
DESCRIPTION:Join us on Monday 21st September from 7pm online. For this month’s Book Club\, we are reading The Girls by John Bowen. \nPurchase the book and a ticket to the event for £9.99. The book can be delivered directly to you (please add your shipping address and tick the box for shipping) or you can collect it in store free of charge. \nYou can buy a book and ticket here. \nIf you already own a copy of the book\, you can purchase a ticket alone for £3. \nYou can purchase a ticket only here. \nFor those unable to afford a book or ticket at present\, we have a limited amount of complementary books/tickets. Please contact the bookshop via bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com or call 07597365380. \nOne of our booksellers will lead the book club\, and we will split into smaller groups to discuss the questions. We always ask that you be respectful and kind whilst discussing the book and others’ opinions of it. \nAbout the book:  \nIn summer\, and particularly when the wind blows south-west across the lawn\, the sceptic tank gives out a strong stench… ‘Oh\, it is a body\,’ the girls say. ‘We have a body in there. No one you know. It decomposes\, of course\, but so slowly one quite despairs.’ \nIn their lovely\, quiet Cotswolds village\, Janet and Susan are known to the villagers simply as ‘the girls’. Partners in love and work\, co-proprietors of a picturesque shop\, they lead an enviable\, enviably settled life. \nBut when a moment of small\, surprising passion intrudes into the equilibrium of their world\, the girls’ lives take a deeply unsettling turn. First comes motherhood. Then comes murder. \nPart-macabre comedy\, part-crime thriller\, part-cosy romance\, John Bowen’s The Girls is a novel like none other. Told with warmth\, affection and fun\, yet laced with darkness and unease\, ‘the girls’ will ensure you never look on Middle England quite so quaintly again.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/the-book-club-online-september
CATEGORIES:The Book Club
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Our-July-title-is.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260923T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260923T190000
DTSTAMP:20260830T124556Z
CREATED:20260830T124238Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260830T124556Z
UID:22828-1790186400-1790190000@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:The Book Club Evening - September
DESCRIPTION:Join us on Wednesday 23rd September from 6pm in person. For this month’s Book Club\, we are reading The Girls by John Bowen. \nPurchase the book and a ticket to the event for £9.99. The book can be delivered directly to you (please add your shipping address and tick the box for shipping) or you can collect it in store free of charge. \nYou can buy a book and ticket here. \nIf you already own a copy of the book\, you can purchase a ticket alone for £3. \nYou can purchase a ticket only here. \nFor those unable to afford a book or ticket at present\, we have a limited amount of complementary books/tickets. Please contact the bookshop via bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com or call 07597365380. \nOne of our booksellers will lead the book club\, and we will split into smaller groups to discuss the questions. We always ask that you be respectful and kind whilst discussing the book and others’ opinions of it. \nAbout the book:  \nIn summer\, and particularly when the wind blows south-west across the lawn\, the sceptic tank gives out a strong stench… ‘Oh\, it is a body\,’ the girls say. ‘We have a body in there. No one you know. It decomposes\, of course\, but so slowly one quite despairs.’ \nIn their lovely\, quiet Cotswolds village\, Janet and Susan are known to the villagers simply as ‘the girls’. Partners in love and work\, co-proprietors of a picturesque shop\, they lead an enviable\, enviably settled life. \nBut when a moment of small\, surprising passion intrudes into the equilibrium of their world\, the girls’ lives take a deeply unsettling turn. First comes motherhood. Then comes murder. \nPart-macabre comedy\, part-crime thriller\, part-cosy romance\, John Bowen’s The Girls is a novel like none other. Told with warmth\, affection and fun\, yet laced with darkness and unease\, ‘the girls’ will ensure you never look on Middle England quite so quaintly again.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/the-book-club-evening-september
CATEGORIES:The Book Club
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Our-July-title-is.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260924T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260924T113000
DTSTAMP:20260830T124812Z
CREATED:20260830T124245Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260830T124812Z
UID:22833-1790245800-1790249400@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:The Book Club Baby Friendly - September
DESCRIPTION:Join us on Thursday 24th September from 10:30am in person. For this month’s Book Club\, we are reading The Girls by John Bowen. \nPurchase the book and a ticket to the event for £9.99. The book can be delivered directly to you (please add your shipping address and tick the box for shipping) or you can collect it in store free of charge. \nPLEASE NOTE: This is a baby friendly session of our adult bookclub\, parents are able to bring little ones and we understand there may be noise and interruption. Much like baby friendly movie screenings\, the books will still contain adult themes and language etc. We ask that all in attendance understand and expect this. \nYou can buy a book and ticket here. \nIf you already own a copy of the book\, you can purchase a ticket alone for £3. \nYou can purchase a ticket only here. \nFor those unable to afford a book or ticket at present\, we have a limited amount of complementary books/tickets. Please contact the bookshop via bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com or call 07597365380. \nOne of our booksellers will lead the book club\, and we will split into smaller groups to discuss the questions. We always ask that you be respectful and kind whilst discussing the book and others’ opinions of it. \nAbout the book:  \nIn summer\, and particularly when the wind blows south-west across the lawn\, the sceptic tank gives out a strong stench… ‘Oh\, it is a body\,’ the girls say. ‘We have a body in there. No one you know. It decomposes\, of course\, but so slowly one quite despairs.’ \nIn their lovely\, quiet Cotswolds village\, Janet and Susan are known to the villagers simply as ‘the girls’. Partners in love and work\, co-proprietors of a picturesque shop\, they lead an enviable\, enviably settled life. \nBut when a moment of small\, surprising passion intrudes into the equilibrium of their world\, the girls’ lives take a deeply unsettling turn. First comes motherhood. Then comes murder. \nPart-macabre comedy\, part-crime thriller\, part-cosy romance\, John Bowen’s The Girls is a novel like none other. Told with warmth\, affection and fun\, yet laced with darkness and unease\, ‘the girls’ will ensure you never look on Middle England quite so quaintly again.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/the-book-club-baby-friendly-september
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:The Book Club
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Our-July-title-is.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260924T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260924T150000
DTSTAMP:20260830T124828Z
CREATED:20260830T124252Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260830T124828Z
UID:22826-1790258400-1790262000@houseofbooksandfriends.com
SUMMARY:The Book Club September - Afternoon
DESCRIPTION:Join us on Thursday 24th September from 2pm in person. For this month’s Book Club\, we are reading The Girls by John Bowen. \nPurchase the book and a ticket to the event for £9.99. The book can be delivered directly to you (please add your shipping address and tick the box for shipping) or you can collect it in store free of charge. \nYou can buy a book and ticket here. \nIf you already own a copy of the book\, you can purchase a ticket alone for £3. \nYou can purchase a ticket only here. \nFor those unable to afford a book or ticket at present\, we have a limited amount of complementary books/tickets. Please contact the bookshop via bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com or call 07597365380. \nOne of our booksellers will lead the book club\, and we will split into smaller groups to discuss the questions. We always ask that you be respectful and kind whilst discussing the book and others’ opinions of it. \nAbout the book:  \nIn summer\, and particularly when the wind blows south-west across the lawn\, the sceptic tank gives out a strong stench… ‘Oh\, it is a body\,’ the girls say. ‘We have a body in there. No one you know. It decomposes\, of course\, but so slowly one quite despairs.’ \nIn their lovely\, quiet Cotswolds village\, Janet and Susan are known to the villagers simply as ‘the girls’. Partners in love and work\, co-proprietors of a picturesque shop\, they lead an enviable\, enviably settled life. \nBut when a moment of small\, surprising passion intrudes into the equilibrium of their world\, the girls’ lives take a deeply unsettling turn. First comes motherhood. Then comes murder. \nPart-macabre comedy\, part-crime thriller\, part-cosy romance\, John Bowen’s The Girls is a novel like none other. Told with warmth\, affection and fun\, yet laced with darkness and unease\, ‘the girls’ will ensure you never look on Middle England quite so quaintly again.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/event/the-book-club-september-afternoon
CATEGORIES:The Book Club
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://houseofbooksandfriends.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Our-July-title-is.png
ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.com
END:VEVENT
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