Booka Bookshop Oswestry and Linghams Booksellers are delighted to present an evening with Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, as she talks about her novel A Woman of Intrigue.

Scandals, seduction and secrets… and one woman’s quest to uncover the truth. The most intriguing historical romance of 2024, perfect for fans of Bridgerton.

Wallflower Lady Mary Montagu Douglas Scott has a secret. Moving effortlessly unnoticed amongst the ballrooms and palaces of Queen Victoria, her sharp intelligence and keen powers of observation allow her to quietly solve society crimes – coming to the rescue of those whose pride and fortune are at stake.

Overlooked and underestimated, Mary finds missing money, recovers stolen jewellery and saves reputations. When she meets Colonel Walter Trefusis, an unlikely and spirited alliance is formed. But Mary has more than met her match in her sleuthing partner. As she battles the expectations of society and her family, Mary must follow her heart – whatever the cost…

Sunday Times bestselling author Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, is also a bestselling memoirist and children’s book author, film producer. She currently campaigns for her international charity Sarah’s Trust which supports education, women and children’s causes, refugees and disaster relief. She works on historical documentaries and films that draw on her deep interest in Victorian history.

This ‘in conversation’ event is brought to you by Booka Bookshop and Linghams Booksellers in partnership with publisher Harper Collins. With a chance to ask your own questions, don’t miss the chance to see Sarah Ferguson ‘live’ in Chester.

Tickets: £20 (Admits One and includes a paperback copy of A Woman of Intrigue)

ndependent Bookshop Week 2024

Join us for an evening with award winning author Wyl Menmuir as he talks about his new book The Heart of the Woods, a deep and explorative companion piece to The Draw of The Sea.

Just as a parent leaves a legacy to their child, a tree leaves a legacy to its surroundings. 

Throughout history, trees have determined the tools we use, the boats we build, the stories we tell about the world and ourselves, the songs we sing, and some of our most important rituals. As such, our lives are intertwined with those of the trees and woodlands around us.

In this journey deep into the woods, Wyl Menmuir travels the length and breadth of Britain and Ireland to meet the people who plant trees, the ecologists who study them, those who shape beautiful objects and tools from wood, and those who use them to help others.

Wyl also explores how our relationship with trees is enduring, now and in the future – what we get out of spending time around trees, the ways in which our relationship with them has changed over time, and the ways in which our future is interconnected with theirs.

Written in close collaboration with makers, crafters, bodgers, and woodsmen and women in order to better understand the woods they know so well, the joys and frustrations of working with a living material, and the stories of their craft and skills, The Heart of The Woods will delight anyone who enjoys walking among the trees, and anyone who, when lost, has found themselves in the woods. We look forward to welcoming Wyl to Booka to celebrate its publication during Independent Bookshop Week.

Wyl Menmuir is a multi-award winning author based in Cornwall. His 2016 debut novel, The Many was longlisted for the Booker Prize and was an Observer Best Fiction of the year pick.  Wyl’s first full-length non fiction book, The Draw of the Sea, won the Roger Deakin Award from the Society of Authors and a Holyer an Gof Award. A former journalist, Wyl has written for Radio 4’s Open Book, The Guardian and The Observer, and the journal Elementum. He is a course leader for Curtis Brown Creative, co-creator of the Cornish writing centre, The Writers’ Block and lectures in creative writing at Falmouth University. 

Tickets: £8 without book (Admits One, ticket redeemable against a signed copy of The Heart of the Woods) or £17 with book (Admits One, includes a signed copy of The Heart of the Woods).