The Human Computer with Ben Jeapes, Saturday 5th October 2019

Local author and friend of the shop Ben Jeapes will be running an interactive children's workshop to create a 'Human Computer'.  Learn about the inspirational Ada Lovelace with hands on activities and book reading.

This event on Saturday 5th October at 10am  is aimed at children aged 5-11 years old.

Tickets cost £7 per child,  price includes tea and biscuits for accompanying adults and £2 redeemable against Ben's book
  

Tickets available from Eventbrite or in shop.

TICKET NUMBERS STRICTLY LIMITED 

Ben's latest book 'Ada Lovelace' is published on 3rd October 2019.

Ada Lovelace by Ben Jeapes illustrated by Nick Ward.
Part of the 'first names' series this is the biography of a truly amazing woman: the world's first computer programmer, despite the disadvantage of having lived in a age with no electricity and indeed no computers.  Or so you would think.

Children's Illustration Workshop with Rob Jones: Monday 19th August

Children’s illustrator Rob Jones will be providing summer holiday entertainment by teaching children

how to draw people and pets! Come and join us in the shop for this fun interactive workshop plus book reading.

This event on Monday 19th August at 10am is aimed at children aged 4-8 years old.

Tickets cost £6 per child and include all drawing equipment, tea and biscuits for accompanying adults and £1 redeemable against one of Rob’s books.
  

Tickets available from Eventbrite or in shop.

Local illustrator Rob provided the illustrations for the The Funny Life of Pets and The Funny Life of Teachers

Funny Life of Pets by James Campbell, illustrated by Rob Jones

Uncover the sidesplitting life of cucumber scaredy-cats, non-stop pooping hamsters, exploding fish and everything in-between (and some things that have nothing to do with pets but are still ridiculously funny). This hilarious book answers all the big questions, like: do sausage dogs eat sausages? Why has my cat done a poo behind my wardrobe? And how can I persuade my parents to get me a pet? For real-life pet facts, imaginary stories, and a generally laugh-so-hard-snot-comes-out-your-nose read, this is the only pet book you'll ever need!

This is a book with outrageous facts, hilarious jokes, insanely funny online videos and brilliant stories all about pets, the author, and all sorts of other things.

Funny Life of Teachers by James Campbell, illustrated by Rob Jones

Ever wondered what teachers do when they're not in the classroom? Are they undercover detectives, champion roller-blade dancers or do they spend their evenings playing with their 576 cats?

This face-achingly funny book will also teach you why you should carry an emergency banana with you at all times, how to fart in class silently without anyone knowing it was you and how to catapult yourself to school by building a medieval style catapult in your back garden! 

But be warned – these are NOT normal books. You can read it forwards, backwards, sideways and in approximately 861,000 different ways in between. Whichever way you read it, look no further for fantastic real-life teacher facts, incredibly funny illustrations, imaginary stories and an impossibly silly read!

Heather Morris, Author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz in Conversation: Wednesday 23rd October

Heather Morris, author of the heart-breaking and unforgettable international best-seller: The Tattooist of Auschwitz, will be in Abingdon at 7pm on Wednesday 23rd October.

Heather will be in conversation with Lucy Adlington as she talks about her new novel, Cilka's Journey. This powerful sequel to the multi-million copy bestseller, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, has been described as “a touching and redemptive tale of love and selflessness”.

Mostly Books and Our Lady's Abingdon are excited to host the inspirational Heather Morris as part of her UK tour.

Heather and Lucy will be discussing the book and will open the floor for questions. Both authors will be signing copies of their books after the event.

Tickets are £17.50 (including a copy of Cilka's Journey), or £7.50 (admission only with £2.50 redeemable against a purchase on the night). Both tickets include a drink on arrival.  Click here to book your ticket.

The event will be taking place at Our Lady's Abingdon Senior School, Radley Road, Abingdon OX14 3PS.

Robert Harris in Conversation - Monday 9th September

Bestselling Robert Harris will be in conversation with broadcaster and book fanatic, Howard Bentham, at the Amey Theatre, Abingdon, on Monday 9th September.  

Join Robert Harris, author of bestselling novels such as Fatherland, Pompeii and Munich, as he talks about his new book, The Second Sleep, which will be published on 5th September.

1468. A young priest, Christopher Fairfax, arrives in a remote Exmoor village to conduct the funeral of his predecessor. The land around is strewn with ancient artefacts - coins, fragments of glass, human bones - which the old parson used to collect.

Did his obsession with the past lead to his death? As Fairfax is drawn more deeply into the isolated community, everything he believes - about himself, his faith and the history of his world - is tested to destruction.

Tickets are £20 and include a copy of The Second Sleep (RRP £20).  Tickets will be available from the Amey Theatre Box Office from 5th June.

Doors open at 6.45pm for a 7.30pm start. Robert will be signing copies of his book after the event.  Refreshments will be available to purchase at the Amey theatre bar. 

The Amey Theatre, Park Road, Abingdon OX14 1DE.

IBW Event: Kim Sherwood - Testament - 18th June

Come along to Mostly Books on Tuesday 18th June to hear Kim Sherwood talk about her critically acclaimed first novel, Testament. The event will be taking place during Independent Bookshop Week (IBW).

Of everyone in her complicated family, Eva was always closest to her grandfather. She is making a film about his life. She is with him when he dies.

It is only when she finds the letter from the Jewish Museum in Berlin, hidden in his painting studio, that she realises how many secrets he kept. As she uncovers everything he endured in the Holocaust - and what it took to learn to live again - Eva is confronted by the lies that haunt her family, and a truth that changes her own identity. Kim Sherwood's hope-filled first novel is a powerful portrait of survival echoing through the generations; a testament of love, legacy, and all the important questions we leave unasked.

Kim will be visiting Mostly Books as part of a tour to celebrate the paperback publication of Testament.  Doors will open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start.  Tickets £5, to include a drink on the night and £1 redeemable against a copy of Testament.  Tickets available from Mostly Books or on Eventbrite

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Testament - *Longlisted for the Desmond Elliot Prize * Winner of the Bath Novel Award * Shortlisted for the Author’s Club Best First Novel Award *

IBW Event: Katherine Rundell in Conversation with Lucy Mangan - 20th June

Award-winning author, Katherine Rundell, will be at Mostly Books on Thursday 20th June talking to Guardian journalist and author, Lucy Mangan, about why we should be reading more children's books. 

In 2016, Katherine Rundell - Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, and prize-winning author of five novels for children – found her understanding of the world she lived in upturned: by Brexit, Trump, a sweep across Europe towards nationalism and insularity, terrorist attacks.  Literary fiction did not help her understanding, so instead, she turned to old narratives, told for the benefit of children and adults and anyone who would listen.

This Independent Bookshop Week (IBW), join Katherine Rundell – author of The Good Thieves, Lucy Mangan, Journalist and author of Bookworm; a Memoir of Childhood Reading, for an inspiring conversation about how children’s books ignite, and can re-ignite, the imagination; how children's fiction, with its unabashed emotion and playfulness, can awaken old hungers and create new perspectives on the world.

Katherine Rundell is the bestselling author of five children's novels, for which she has won the Costa Children’s Book Award, the Blue Peter Book Award and the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize amongst many others. She spent her childhood in Africa and Europe before taking her degree at the University of Oxford and becoming a Fellow of All Souls College. As well as writing, she studies Renaissance literature; and is learning, as a direct result of writing her new stunning adventure story The Good Thieves (June 2019), to fly on the flying trapeze.

Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start.  Tickets are £12.50 and include a drink and a copy of Katherine's essay written exclusively for IBW called Why You Should Read Children's Books, Even Though You Are So Old and Wise.  

Copies of The Good Thieves and some of Katherine's backlist plus Lucy's new book, Bookworm; a Memoir of Childhood Reading will be available to purchase on the night.

Tickets are available from Mostly Books and from EventBrite.

Crime Author Panel – 17th May 2019

17th May is Crime Fiction night and have we got a line up for you!

Come along to Mostly Books for a spine-tingling night out with best-selling crime writers Cara Hunter, J.P. Delaney, Olivia Kiernan and William Shaw.

This event is an absolute must for Crime Fiction fans.

Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start.  Tickets are £7.50, including a drink with £2.50 redeemable against a purchase on the night.  Tickets are available from Mostly Books and from EventBrite.

Ruby Wax: How To Be Human - 8th January 2019

Join successful comedian, TV writer and performer, Ruby Wax, as she talks about her latest book How to be Human at the Amey Theatre, Abingdon on Tuesday 8th January.  

This book is about how to be human.  Why we haven't figured this out by now, I do not know.

Tickets are £22.50 and include a paperback copy of How to be Human and a glass of wine or soft drink on the night.

Copies of Ruby's previous book, Frazzled, will be available for sale at a discounted price.

Doors open at 6.45pm for a 7.30pm start.  

The Amey Theatre, Park Road, Abingdon OX14 1DE.

Buy tickets online here. 

Discover Isadora Moon with Author Harriet Muncaster - 18th October 2018

Harriet Muncaster is the creator of a shop favourite part fairy, part vampire, Isadora Moon.  Harriet will be at the shop from 4pm on 18th October, introducing children to the latest of her fabulous books, Isadora Moon Makes Winter Magic, with an interactive event and book signing.

Expect plenty of wings, fangs and lots of laughs.  The Isadora Moon books are extremely popular so this event will sell out fast.  Book today to avoid disappointment!

Tickets are £3, including £1 redeemable off the price of Isadora Moon Makes Winter Magic on the day.  Available from Mostly Books and on EventBrite.

Shaun Usher - Speeches of Note - 3rd October 2018 - CANCELLED

Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, the event with Shaun Usher on 3rd October has been cancelled.  Full refunds will be offered on all tickets.  Mostly Books would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

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Shaun Usher will be at Mostly Books at 7.30pm (doors open 7pm) on 3rd October talking about his new book, Speeches of Note.  

Shaun is the founder of the Letters of Notes blog archives and the editor of two bestselling Letters of Note compendiums. In Speeches of Note, Shaun has chosen history’s most famous, enlightening, disturbing, brilliant, funny and poignant speeches.  He shines a light on speeches which, despite their brilliance, have until now been largely ignored.  

Some of them have, for compelling reasons, never been delivered – such as the chilling public announcement that was to have been made by President Nixon should Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin have become stranded on the Moon – and not returned.

Join Shaun as he talks about the reasons behind his curation and hear audio clips of the speeches as he talks about why each speech was included.

Tickets will be £5, to include a drink and £2 off the book on the night. Tickets are available from Mostly Books and on EventBrite

Sarah Dunant at the Abingdon Arts Society - 21st November 2018

Getting Under their Skins - Finding Character and Story in Renaissance Art

Sarah Dunant will be speaking at the Abingdon Arts Society at 10.30am and 2pm on Wednesday 21st November.  The event will be taking place at Trinity Church, Conduit Road, Abingdon OX14 1DB.

International bestselling novelist of the Italian Renaissance, Sarah Dunant, shares the secrets of her trade in this richly illustrated lecture.  Sarah visited churches, archives, museums and art galleries all over Italy to recreate the past as a living and breathing place. During her travels she discovered how the decoding of old paintings, alongside the work of the most modern historians, helped her to penetrate hidden worlds inside the Renaissance and find wonder and drama in the ordinary lives of the period.

Mostly Books will be present with a pop-up shop selling Sarah's books which she has kindly agreed to sign.

Non Members of the Abingdon Arts Society are welcome, £6.00 incl tea or coffee.  Tickets available from Mostly Books.

Elys Dolan and Santa's Wonderful Workshop - 24th November 2018

Hugely talented children’s author and illustrator, Elys Dolan, will be at Mostly Books on 24th November at 11am.  

Elys has written a wide range of children's books including Knighthood for Beginners & Steven Seagull Action Hero and will be at Mostly Books to talk about her new picture book, Santa's Wonderful Workshop.  Get your children excited about writing and illustrating in the build up to Christmas by meeting a fun and inspiring author.   

After the event, Elys will be creating a winter themed window display for us which we will keep in the run up to Christmas - Keep your eyes peeled to see her wonderful creation!

Tickets are £3 with £1 redeemable off the price of Santa's Wonderful Workshop.  Tickets available at Mostly Books or on EventBrite.

Event Review: Tara Westover at Fitzharrys School

There was an air of anticipation at Fitzharry’s School in Abingdon on Wednesday evening as people started to gather for an author event with Tara Westover.

Tara’s new book ‘Educated’ was published on 22^nd February and has taken the publishing world by storm.  The book is a memoir that covers Tara’s amazing journey from growing up in Idaho with no formal education to obtaining a PhD from Cambridge University.  The book not only covers Tara’s experience with education but also goes into a lot of detail about her tumultuous relationship with her family.  The book is an amazing read and leaves you reeling with the thought of what Tara has been through throughout her life.

After a brief introduction from Fitzharry’s librarian Stacey Holt, Mostly Books’ Sarah took to the stage to introduce Tara.  The event took place in a conversation format with Sarah asking questions about the book and the writing process and Tara responding and giving some great insight into her experiences.

The floor was then opened for Q&A and it became apparent that the story had really touched a lot of the guests.  Questions ranged from Tara being asked about her family relationships to a general wondering about the impact of a formal education (or lack thereof) on someone’s ability to be accepted into university.

Once the conversation was closed, guests were invited to purchase a copy of the book and to get it signed by Tara. The length of the queue waiting for book signings demonstrated the impact that the book has on people and this was highlighted when we were told that people had travelled from as far as Kent to hear Tara speak.

The event was a great success and the team from Mostly Books would like to thank Tara for coming to Abingdon.

Tara’s book Educated is available at Mostly Books.  More photos of the event can be found on our Facebook page.

Brendan Cox In Conversation....

The doors of Fitzharrys School opened just before 7pm on Friday 2nd February and a wave of people appeared, all vying for the best spot in which to watch the evening’s events unfold.

Emma Beacham from the Abingdon chapter of More In Common first took to the stage to introduce the event and to talk about the More in Common movement. The Abingdon group runs activities and drop in sessions to encourage a greater community spirit across the town. The 2017 Great Get Together was a great success and plans are already underway to do more of the same in 2018.

Brendan then appeared with Mark Thornton, who was interviewing him for the evening. After an introduction by Mark, conversation ensued covering a range of topics including memories of Jo Cox (both from a personal and public perspective), the idea behind More in Common, life in the public eye and the impact of politics on Brendan’s life.

The interview progressed with a fine mix of humour and sadness throughout. The audience were engaged from the start and Brendan never lost their attention with his open and honest responses to Mark’s questions.

After 45 minutes conversation, the floor was opened for questions which ranged from robust liberalism to a deeper analysis of some comments that Brendan had made on the political framework in Poland.

The interview was closed with a thank you from Jonathan Dennett, the head of Fitzharrys School and both Brendan and Mark were presented with gifts as a token of appreciation from the co-organisers; More In Common Abingdon, Mostly Books & Fitzharrys School.

Once the official part of the evening ended, Brendan moved to the back of the hall for a book signing and to give  guests an opportunity to find out more about More In Common.  Books sold fast, and a queue quickly formed with people keen to chat to Brendan about a variety of topics.  He was an absolute delight, polite, chatty, funny and genuinely interested in hearing from the people of Abingdon.

As the evening drew to a close, I was lucky enough to have a bit of a chat with Brendan himself. He was utterly charming, thanking the team and I for the work done in helping to organize and promote the event. After the obligatory photo shoot, it was time to clear down the books and head home.

Many thanks to everyone involved for making this such a wonderful evening and a huge thanks to Brendan for inspiring so many people.  Ticket proceeds from the event are being donated to the Jo Cox Foundation and Abingdon More in Common.

More photos from the event can be found on our Facebook page here.

An Evening with Kate Young

After the shop had shut on a dark November evening, the team at Mostly Books cleared down the display tables in preparation for a books and food event with Kate Young. 

For one night, the fiction books were set aside to make space for some hungry guests and some gorgeous cookbooks.  As each guest arrived they were offered a glass of wine or a soft drink as they settled down around communal tables to wait for the event to start.  Conversation ensued with guests comparing book group experiences and chatting about their love of food and cooking.

At 7pm Sarah introduced everyone to Kate Young and the official event began. Kate chatted about her experiences of creating the Little Library Cookbook, the inspiration behind the idea and how she had made it happen.

Kate described how she had initially had aspirations of owning her own cafe and had never expected things to move in the direction that it had.  Through a series of unexpected events, she found herself making copious amounts of food for her close friends over a hot few days in June so that it could all be photographed for her new cookbook.

As the floor opened for questions, the group were clearly interested and engaged in Kate’s experiences.  There was a lot of discussion around the books that inspired the recipes in The Little Library Cookbook and what they meant to Kate.

During the discussion guests dug into some spice cookies from We Have Always Lived in the Castle and sausage rolls from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  Halfway through the evening tasters of Chocolatl (inspired by Book of Dust by Philip Pullman) appeared much to everyone's delight.

As the event drew to a close, Kate answered the final questions and, after Sarah closed the official section of the event, guests rushed to grab their copy of the Cookbook and to get it signed by Kate.

Gradually the crowd dispersed and, as everyone left, all that could be heard were exclamations about how much they had enjoyed the event and what a pleasure it was to meet Kate.

A huge thanks to Kate for travelling to Abingdon from London. This was the first foodie related event at Mostly Books for quite some time and it definitely won’t be the last!

More pictures can be seen on our facebook page here.

Kate Young at Mostly Books

On Thursday 16th November, we will be welcoming Guardian food columnist, Kate Young, into Mostly Books for an evening of food tastings and book chat - (check out her column by clicking here).  If you love wonderful cook books and great food, this event is for you!

Kate Young is an Australian-born, London-based food writer & cook. After moving to the UK in 2009, she started her award-winning blog, thelittlelibrarycafe.com, which now has readers all over the world and is regularly featured in the Guardian.

Cookery writer Kate will be talking about her gorgeous new cookbook, The Little Library Cookbook, which was published on 5^th October.  The cookbook contains 100 delicious recipes inspired by Kate’s well-stocked bookshelves.

Paddington Bear's marmalade, a Neapolitan pizza with Elena Ferrante, afternoon tea at Manderley...

From Before Noon breakfasts and Around Noon lunches to Family Dinners and Midnight Feasts, The Little Library Cookbook captures the magic and wonder of the meals enjoyed by some of our best-loved fictional characters.

Join us for an evening of food related delightfulness!  Tickets are £7.50 and include food tastings, £2 redeemable off the price of the book and a glass of wine or soft drink.  Doors open at 6.30pm for a 7pm start.  Contact the shop to reserve your ticket.

UK Launch of Andrew Jamison's new poetry book: Stay

On Tuesday 24th October, a small crowd gathered at Mostly Books for the UK launch of Andrew Jamison's new poetry book, Stay.  The book has been five years in the making and covers a range of subjects from a commissioned poem for his Andrew's new nephew to some time whiled away in Paris and.

The event was attended by poetry enthusiasts and newbies alike, including a young boy who attends the school where Andrew teaches and is a massive poetry fan.  After everyone grabbed a drink (kindly provided by Jill at Added Ingredients), Andrew captured their attention from the word go as soon as he started to delve into his work.  There is something quite magical about hearing poetry read by the poet himself and Andrew soon had the entire room under his spell.

Interspersing readings from his book with talk about how it came to fruition and the inspiration behind his poems, Andrew took us on a journey across the three sequences contained within the book.

After 45 minutes of readings, Andrew was asked some questions before finishing the formal part of the evening and starting on the book signing.  There was a lovely atmosphere in the shop all evening as people met for the first time and chatted about all things poetry, books and life in general. 

As the evening drew to a close, people started to drift off and we were all left with a feeling of having attended something really quite special. 

A tweet from one of our bookshop regulars who came to the event as a poetry newbie really summed it up: "The ace @MostlyReading strikes again!  Poetry scares me, but @Andrew_Jamison made it good."

A huge thanks to Andrew and his publisher, Gallery Press, for giving us the opportunity to host his UK launch.  After hearing him read, there is no question why Stay has recently been voted book of the week on US poetry website: Poetry Daily.

Julia Golding at OLA

On Tuesday 26^th September, pupils from four schools; OLA, OLA Juniors, St Edmunds and Long Furlong, excitedly waited for Julia Golding to arrive. 

Julia is a multi-award winning writer for children and young adults. She is the author of the ‘Cat Royal’ series of books set in eighteenth century London.

. . 'Reader, you are set to embark on an adventure about one hidden treasure, two bare-knuckle boxers, three enemies and four hundred and thirty-eight rioters.

I was brought up in Drury Lane, so I have become accustomed to a life less than ordinary. But this turn of events, I have to say, surprised even me. Follow me, and I will show you in The Diamond of Drury Lane.'

Julia has also written ‘Mel Foster and the Demon Butler’ a warm and witty gothic tale, perfect for fans of Chris Riddell's Goth Girl and lovers of historical adventure. You can find out more about Julia and her books at www.juliagolding.co.uk.

Before the event began, the sharp eyed among the crowd noticed Julia outside

the auditorium as she signed a pile of pre-ordered books .  Once signing was complete, Julia headed into meet the crowd and what a crowd it was….!  The energy was noticeable in the room with some children clearly very excited to be hearing from such a great author.

Over the course of the next hour or so, Julia regaled the audience with stories of her books and the writing process.  She has been writing since 2006 (longer than some of the audience had been alive!) and writes under three different names so there were plenty of good stories to share with the excitable crowd.

Towards the end of the event, three children were invited to pick out hats from a range offered by the author and were then asked to say what they thought the hat represented.  The favourite response (by far!) was from the young boy who decided that his hat had turned him into an assassin!!!

After hearing Julia speak, the floor was opened to questions.  The questions posed to Julia were intelligent and relevant, ranging from why Julia was an author (because she realised that someone was willing to pay her to do something that she loved) to information about her website (Julia does all of her own web design).

At the end of the event, Julia invited any children whose questions had not been answered to come and meet her at the signing table.  A long queue formed as questions were asked and more books were signed.

Before long, it was time for the children to head home so the last goodbye was said as the final books were signed (we got some for the shop).  All of the children left happy and laden with books.

A huge thank you to Julia for such a great event and to Barbara and the team at OLA for hosting.