Vouchers and Event Tickets
E-Vouchers will be emailed. We don’t provide event tickets. Name (s) will be on the guest list. No postage required
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Bookseller Consultation
Bibliotherapy sessions must be pre-booked so that our booksellers can dedicate time to you. You will be sent a questionnaire before your session, and arrange a date to have 30 minutes one-to-one time with a bookseller, over a cuppa. You will leave with a tote bag, a list of recommendations, 1 hardback and 1 paperback book A similar service can happen offline and options are HERE Read more about the power of bibliotheraphy here
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Talk with Crime Writer Mike Ripley
Thursday 29th January 2025, 6pm in person event (finished by 7-7.30pm)
A Life of Crime
In conversation with author Mike Ripley, over a glass of wine. Mike Ripley wrote his first novel on the train whilst commuting between Colchester and London. He has written a further 31 novels, two works of non-fiction and a collection of short stories, was a scriptwriter for the BBC series Lovejoy and edited two volumes of stories from the cult television series Callan. Mike won the Last Laugh Award for comedy crime writing three times, the Angel Award for East Anglian writers, a Sherlock Award and the H.R.F. Keating Award for non-fiction, for his history of British thrillers. He has appeared on stage for live audiences with, among others: Colin Dexter, Minette Walters, Stella Rimington, Sir Ian Rankin and Lee Child. As editor, he re-published more than a hundred crime novels and thrillers which had gone out of print for Colchester publisher Ostara, and developed a creative crime-writing course for the adult education department of Cambridge University. From 1989 to 2000 he was the crime fiction critic for the Daily Telegraph and from 2000 to 2008 for the Birmingham Post. He has also written on crime fiction for The Observer, The Times and The Guardian and for Radio 4. -
Bookshop Soiree February 2026
Author hosts. Shopping discount, goodie bag, welcome drink and a free raffle in person event which is mostly accessible to wheelchair users (the event takes place across 2 floors) Wednesday, 11th February, 6pm (home BY 8pm)
Elizabeth Lovatt – Thank you for calling the Lesbian Line
With warmth and humour, Elizabeth Lovatt reimagines the women who both called and volunteered for the Lesbian Line in the 1990s while also tracing her own journey.
Rebecca Hannigan – Darkrooms
A chilling mystery about damaged people and the secrets they keep from debut author Rebecca Hannigan.
Nicki Thornton – Little Bookshop of Murders
Bestselling children’s author, Nicki, has turned to adult crime and after more than ten years of being a bookseller, she feels a bookshop is the perfect place to solve a crime
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Live poetry reading with Jennifer Jones | Valentine’s Day
Live Poetry Reading with Jennifer Jones Saturday, 14th February between noon and 2pm, in person
Jennifer will be reading from her collection of poetry, THE POETRY SONGBOOK
She will set up outside Red Lion Books and hope for donations to Colchester Food Bank, in return for a poem.Poetry Songbook is a magic gem, gifting you with imagination and inspiration, filling you up with healing love and light and will be available to purchase at the event. To accompany it, is the poetry journal – a graceful and refreshing exploration of the life phases of the human condition. By helping you create poetry as you read, it enables you to write your way to happiness.This is a drop in event and doesn’t need to be booked.Jennifer will then join on our free monthly Poetry Group who meet on the 2nd Saturday of any month, led by Anita Philpott at 2pm -
The Romance Roundtable
The Romance Roundtable Sunday Afternoon, 26th April 2026, 2pm in person (1.5 hours
A panel of authors discussing the rise in the genre
Daisy Buchanan
Daisy Buchanan is an award-winning author, journalist and broadcaster. Her books include the novels Insatiable (long listed for the CWIP prize), Careering (as heard on BBC Sounds), Limelight, and Pity Party. Her non-fiction titles include How To Be A Grown Up and The Sisterhood and Read Yourself Happy She hosts the chart-topping podcast You’re Booked, where she interviews legendary writers from all over the world about how their reading habits shape their work, as well as the Daisy Is…series. You can also hear her on beloved podcasts including Comfort Blanket, Cuddle Club and Crushed. Daisy has also appeared on a number of TV and radio shows including Woman’s Hour, The Today Programme, Soul Music, A Good Read, This Morning and Good Morning Britain. She is a TEDx speaker and has guest presented the Booker Prize for BBC News.Gayathiri Kamalakanthan
Gayathiri is a champion queer and POC storyteller, using workshops and events. They run the poetry workshops WORD-BENDERS at The Common Press Bookshop and Queer Poetry Sauna at Hackney Sauna Baths. Bad Queer is their debut publication – a luminous and romantic verse-novel navigating first love as a non-binary teenager. It draws us deeply into queer friendship, family secrets, and the necessary act of loving yourself.Local authors Ria Alice and Jessica May
Ria and Jessica are two friends from the UK with a shared love of steamy romance novels. Their books contain pop culture references galore, fun, supportive friendships and a spicy relationship to top it all off! -
Cosy Crochet Club
Come and join Loui at the Cosy Crochet Club Suitable for all levels (once you know the basics) we are offering a safe place to crochet together, with Loui on hand to offer help and inspiration. Bring your own project Check in for again for future dates (usually last Friday) INTRODUCTORY PRICE: £5 Loui also runs structured workshops Limited to 8 places
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Death Club
Monthly on a Sunday, 9.30am at Red Lion Books, usually lasts 1- 1.5hr in person What is Death Club we hear you ask? We still can’t be sure but both Laura and Jo felt the need to facilitate conversation around it and decided to start Death Club. Conversation flows. What better way to celebrate life than to face all aspects of it. We look forward to developing this event. This event is free but we ask for donations free to Colchester Foodbank. Regrettably this event is not accessible to wheelchair users. Jo and Laura – hosts of Colchester Death Club
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Greek Tragedy Workshop
Further to our wonderful 4-week “Odyssey” course with David Huggon, he returns to Red Lion Books in 2026 with a new workshop GREEK TRAGEDY. You do not need to have any background knowledge. Books are included in this booking (x 2).
TUESDAY MORNINGS
- 10am-11.30am Limited spaces
- 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th February 2026
David: “I retired three years ago from the Colchester Sixth Form College where I taught Classical Civilisation A level for 30 years. I have been an enthusiast of the ancient world ever since I was a teenager and a great devotee of Homer. My degree (back in the dark ages) was in Classics and French”
Contents of the course
- Week 1: Intro to theatre
- Week 2: Oedipus the King by Sophocles
- Week 3: The Trojan Women by Euripides
- Week 4: Euripides Bacchae
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Poetry Club
2nd Saturday of the month, 2pm
This is a free event but must be pre-booked
Our poetry group, Poesie, hosted by Anita Philpott meet upstairs at Red Lion Books which, regrettably, isn’t accessible to wheelchair users. The group is for anyone who loves poetry and is led by Anita. We hope you’ll enjoy meeting other poets and sharing your work with the group. If you prefer to choose published poetry to read that is absolutely fine. There is no payment for this group currently. Instead we are suggesting a donation to Colchester Food Bank. Your virtual booking allows us to plan accordingly and provide enough seating -
Gift Vouchers
Vouchers can be spent in store or by emailing us their preferences. They do not need to visit us if they quote the reference given on the voucher. Please note:- Vouchers have no expiry date
- Vouchers can be personalised
- Vouchers will be EMAILED to you so that you can email the recipient on a day of your choice
- The recipient doesn’t need to print out the voucher.
- The recipient can shop instore or online and need to quote the unique reference number (bottom right corner of the voucher)
- With further instructions we are happy to email the recipient directly.
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Who the voucher is for
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Any message
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Who it is from
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Silent Book Club
First Monday of the month, 5pm
Turn up, read your book. The simplicity of it is beautiful and, in our case, very necessary as we are struggling to find the time to read! We are too busy talking about books to actually read them. Bring your own book and perhaps a blanket and a take out coffee. Your £8 ticket provides the space to read and you will be given a £10 book voucher (which can be exchanged at any time) The idea was created by bookseller Joe Hedinger in response to research from the UK charity The Reading Agency, which found that 67% of UK adults would like to read more and we couldn’t word it better. Here he says,‘The research found that reading wasn’t just for entertainment. Nearly two thirds of people said they’d like to turn to a book in times of stress, anxiety or illness. However, people struggle to find time to read, because the demands and distractions of hectic lifestyles get in the way. ‘Our idea was to think about reading as a practice. Rather than snatching a few lines before bed or on your commute, what if reading was something you committed regular time to — just like putting an hour aside for the gym, yoga or meditation? ‘Considering the pace of modern life, taking a moment to slow down and focus on one thing isn’t just good for our wellbeing – it’s actually quite a rebellious act!’
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Bibliotherapy Prescription
Click HERE to read about the same service but with an in-person consultationIt’s all about you. This is your chance to get a personalised book prescription to fit your needs, or to send to a friend. Let us know how you would like to feel and we’ll do the rest! Use the contact form below to provide us with information about what you like to read, which genres excite you, what you’d prefer to avoid, and we’ll put together a prescription of 3, 5 or 10 books that we think you should read next.Use the dropdown menu below to choose which prescription you’d like, then let us know about you so we can build your prescription. -
Subscriptions
We offer 3, 6 and 12 month subscriptions
Subscriptions can be gifted to yourself or a loved one. Postage is included for 1, 2 or 3 books, for a 3, 6 or 12 month period. Your book choices may include fiction or non-fiction for children or adults. We will email you to discuss your book choices before anything is posted so there is still time to tailor your choice.
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Simply choose how many months
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Select how many books per month (hardback or paperback options)
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When booking please let us know if this is a gift and if there is any message
Here are some suggestions..
1-Book subscription: we recommend our monthly ‘underwraps’: the surprise choice! It is always fiction, it’s always new and we aim to select an author you may not have read before. 2-Book subscription: Underwraps + Book Club book, chosen from the Appetite Book Club or the Cocoa Book Club reading list. We can let you know this title ahead of posting. 3-Book subscription: Underwraps + Book Club book + Pick A Genre – you tell us what you like, whether fiction or non-fiction, and we find your perfect match. If these don’t appeal we can tailor subscriptions to suit your budget and taste. If you prefer poetry, then ask about our poetry subscription, where you will be surprised by a different poet every month. The Classics subscription is perfect for anyone who loves a bit of Bronte in their lives. Each month they will receive a beautiful hardback classic to treasure and read. If you would like to diversify your bookshelves, try the Translated Subscription, where we select an author from another country who has had their work translated into English. What a wonderful way to find a new favourite author. And for those who prefer the lesser known gems and wish to support a smaller publishing house, we have the Small Press Subscription, where independent publishing houses are our main focus. -
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Writing Club
Saturday 10am-11.30am
This is a free event but must be pre-booked
Our writing group meet twice monthly and takes place upstairs at Red Lion Books. The group is led but there is a side room where you can sit and write. No payment is required. Instead we suggest a donation to Colchester Food Bank. Your virtual booking allows us to plan accordingly and provide enough seating This is a friendly group offering you a place to write, fun activities to spark your inspiration and a community to talk and share with (only if you want to!) Bring a project you’ve been working on, an idea for something you’ve always wanted to write but haven’t got round to yet, or just join in and create something new.