News & What's On
Author Event:
Roxy Dunn and Hattie Crisell
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Join us for an In-Conversation evening with authors Roxy Dunn and Hattie Crisell as they discuss Roxy's newest book, Wants & Needs.
Both authors will be signing copies of their books afterwards.
Wants & Needs
Independence seems to be drifting away from Misty. Just months ago, she was living with her fiancé and planning their life together. Now she’s single, back in her childhood bedroom, on crutches from knee surgery, and relying on her mother to help her with the smallest of tasks. This isn’t how thirty-two was meant to look. When Misty turns to dating apps, she's immediately intrigued by charismatic, handsome Christopher – so intrigued that she doesn’t even notice the acronym ‘ENM’ on his profile. By the time she discovers that it stands for ‘ethical non-monogamy' – and that he’s in a long-term open relationship – she already feels such undeniable, chemistry that she decides to give things a go. And so Misty makes a pact with herself to date Christopher for the next six weeks while his partner is away. It’s all part of her plan: she wants to learn to become less attached, and to prepare herself for her next ‘real’ relationship. But is what she wants really what she needs?
In Writing : Conversations on Inspiration, Perspiration and Creative Desperation
The must-have companion for any writer, based on Hattie Crisell's hit podcast. Hattie Crisell invites some of our most-read authors, poets, journalists and screenwriters to share their secrets, as she asks them: where do ideas come from? What happens when confidence falters or the work fails? And what does writing success look like? The answers are as revelatory and entertaining as they are diverse. With contributions from André Aciman, Jesse Armstrong, Charlie Brooker, Wendy Cope, Cressida Cowell, Elizabeth Day, Kit de Waal, Geoff Dyer, John Lanchester, Emily St John Mandel, Liane Moriarty, David Nicholls, Maggie O'Farrell, Jon Ronson, Michael Rosen, David Sedaris, Curtis Sittenfeld, Brandon Taylor, Barbara Trapido, Meg Wolitzer and many many more.
Roxy Dunn - Roxy's debut novel, As Young as This (published by Fig Tree, Penguin) was sold at auction and was a Best Book of 2024 in The Independent, Harper’s Bazaar, Stylist, Cosmopolitan, and Sunday Times Style. She is also a screenwriter and alumni of the BBC Comedy Room. Her scripts have been optioned by several production companies and her pilot Useless Millennials was commissioned and broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Wants and Needs is her second novel. She lives in London.
Hattie Crisell is a freelance writer based in London. Her book, In Writing: Conversations on Inspiration, Perspiration and Creative Desperation, was published by Granta Books in November 2024. Since 2019 she has produced and hosted the podcast In Writing with Hattie Crisell, interviewing writers of all kinds in their studies. She is a contributing editor of Grazia magazine and has written for The Times, Bustle, Elle, Vogue, You, The Telegraph, The Evening Standard and The Sunday Times Style, among others.
Date: Wednesday 25th February
Time: 7-8.30pm
Place: Everybody Reads
Fee: £5. Refreshments are free.
Tickets: In advance only. Available in-store, by phone or online with Eventbrite (note: an additional fee is added to the price of tickets purchased through Eventbrite)
Daytime Group: Shared Reading
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At Shared Reading a short story or poem is read aloud in a group. People can just listen, or join in and talk with others about their responses to the piece. The sessions are led by the lovely Asya, trained by the charity The Reader. This is a great way to enjoy something thought-provoking together with others.
Dates: Nov 6 & 20, Dec 4
Time: 11am-12pm
Place: Downstairs at Everybody Reads
Fee: FREE
Register: No pre-booking required, but if you know you are coming let us know as it helps us to anticipate numbers
Book Group: Everybody Reads Fiction
This group meets monthly to discuss a new fiction title in paperback. Just buy the book at Everybody Reads (at 10% off) and register for the discussion at time of purchase. Feel free to bring refreshments on the night; we can provide glasses.
January Title:
FULL,
ask about our
waitlist
Death at the White Hart
by Chris Chibnall
The body is found abandoned on the A35 in Dorset –tied to a chair, stag antlers on his head. It's Jim Tiernan, landlord of Fleetcombe’s The White Hart pub – and now a murder victim.
Newly arrived DS Nicola Bridge has her work cut out. Fleetcombe is a picture-postcard village. Murder is the last thing on anyone’s mind. Except that here Nicola finds whispers, rumours, resentments and lie after lie. Because the smaller the village, the darker its hidden secrets . .
Date: Tuesday, 6th January
Time: 7 - 8pm
Place: Everybody Reads
Fee: FREE, with purchase of featured title
Register: At time of book purchase
Book Group: Everybody Reads Novellas
This group meets monthly to discuss short works of fiction. Just buy the book at Everybody Reads (at 10% off) and register for the discussion at time of purchase. Feel free to bring refreshments on the night; we can provide glasses.
January Title:
FULL,
ask about our
waitlist
When the Museum is Closed
by Emi Yagi
Rika Horauchi’s new part-time job is to converse with a statue of Venus – in Latin – every Monday, when the museum is closed. Initially reluctant, Rika starts to enjoy her strange new job. Recommended by her old university professor for her exemplary language skills, Rika leads an otherwise unassuming life, working the rest of the week in a frozen-food warehouse. As Venus comes to life in the quiet of the museum, they talk about everything. Venus opens up new worlds for Rika, both intellectually and emotionally...
146 pages
Date: Tuesday, 13th January
Time: 7 - 8pm
Place: Everybody Reads
Fee: FREE, with purchase of featured title
Register: At time of book purchase
Book Group: Ideas for Life
This group meets monthly to discuss a non-fiction title. Just buy the book at Everybody Reads (at 10% off) and register for the discussion at time of purchase. Feel free to bring refreshments on the night; we can provide glasses.
January Title:
Quiet
by Susan Cain
Cain uncovers the strengths of the quiet and thoughtful among us, in this classic exploration of what it means to be an introvert in an ever louder world.
Date: Tuesday, 20th January
Time: 7 - 8pm
Place: Everybody Reads
Fee: FREE, with purchase of featured title
Register: At time of book purchase
Book Group: Everybody Reads History
This group meets every other month to discuss a history title. Just buy the book at Everybody Reads (at 10% off) and register for the discussion at time of purchase. Feel free to bring refreshments on the night; we can provide glasses.
January Title:
The Golden Road
by William Dalrymple
William Dalrymple draws from a lifetime of scholarship to highlight India’s oft-forgotten position as the heart of ancient Eurasia. From the largest Hindu temple in the world at Angkor Wat to the Buddhism of China, from the trade that helped fund the Roman Empire to the creation of the numerals we use today (including zero), India transformed the culture and technology of its ancient world – and our world today as we know it.
Date: Monday, 19th January
Time: 7 - 8pm
Place: Everybody Reads
Fee: FREE, with purchase of featured title
Register: At time of book purchase
Children's Group: StoryTime!
For children over 2 (and their grown-ups)
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Join us as we read 3 picture books we love. 10% off any of the books we read on the day.
Date: Saturdays, 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th November
Time: 10.30-11.00am
Place: Downstairs at Everybody Reads
Fee: FREE
Register: no pre-booking required, just turn up!
Children's Group: BabyTime!
For children under 2 (and their grown-ups)
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It's never too early to read to your baby! This group is an opportunity for our youngest readers (and their parents!) to meet, socialise and enjoy age-appropriate board books together. 10% off recommended board books from our BabyTime! basket on the day.
Date: Wednesdays, 5th, 12th and 19th November (26 Nov Cancelled)
Time: 10.30-11.00am
Place: Downstairs at Everybody Reads
Fee: FREE
Register: no pre-booking required, just turn up!
Keep Sharing your Book Recommendations
and Win Free Books!
We’ve been enjoying speaking with the ‘Wild Readers of Chiswersmith' (pictured along the top of this page) and sharing their thoughts on what they are reading with you.
Congratulations to Gabe, one of our September Wild Readers and the winner of our September Free Book Draw. He won £20 in free books!
In addition to our Wild Reader recommendations, we have had a number of book recommendations submitted to us through our website. Many of these are now on our shelves, displayed with an accompanying customer review.
Thanks so much to everyone who has shared a recommendation with us so far and do, please, continue to do so - you might just be our next free book winner! Submit your book recommendations and reviews here.