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

  • Saturday Morning Surgery | Guest Speaker | Michael Robb talking about SHELF LIFE
    Saturday Morning Surgery | Guest Speaker | Michael Robb talking about SHELF LIFE

    Weekly round up. The Saturday Surgery is open and we are delighted to welcome Author Michael Robb to this weekly event
    • Check out this week’s new releases
    • Find out out about industry book awards, winners and shortlists
    • Have a cuppa with us (bring your own mug)
    • Share your book recs
    • Take our book advice if needed

    GUEST SPEAKER Michael Robb talking about SHELF LIFE

    Embark on a captivating journey through the ages with Shelf Life, a meticulously crafted exploration of bookselling and publishing that spans two millennia. This engaging narrative unveils the resilience and innovation of key figures who have shaped the literary landscape, from the pioneering days of William Caxton to the contemporary influence of Jeff Bezos. As the narrative navigates the ever-evolving terrain of book retail, it delves into the seismic changes of the past forty years and reflects on the current state of the industry, as well as offering insights into the challenges and future opportunities that lie ahead for publishing and bookselling in the twenty-first century. A must-read for anyone passionate about books, bookshops and the enduring legacy of the written word.   In the basement from 11am We’d love to see you here. If there is any thing in particular you would like us to research before hand please drop us an email  us@redlionbooks.co.uk

  • Saturday Morning Surgery | Weekly drop-in | Free to attend
    Saturday Morning Surgery | Weekly drop-in | Free to attend

    Weekly half-hour round up. The Saturday Surgery is open!

    • Check out this week’s new releases
    • Find out out about industry book awards, winners and shortlists
    • Have a cuppa with us (bring your own mug)
    • Share your book recs
    • Take our book advice if needed
    In the basement from 11am We’d love to see you here. If there is any thing in particular you would like us to research before hand please drop us an email  us@redlionbooks.co.uk

  • School holiday fun
    School holiday fun

    Tuesdays during the School Holidays. Free event July 28th – August 25th 2026 A free event for parent/carers with their children. Writing club from 2pm, Storytime from 2.30pm Writing Club is suitable for 10+ Expect a different activity each week. Storytime is better suited to early years This is a free event and a drop-in but if you know you are coming, do let us know so that we can save you a space You don’t need to bring anything along unless you wish to share a favourite book or piece of writing with the group

  • The Country Nurse by Sally Tarpey
    The Country Nurse by Sally Tarpey

    This is a free event, but due to limited seating we ask that you reserve a place, either in store at Red Lion Books or by choosing the ‘EVENT ONLY’ option Please note: books will only be available for purchase before the event using the following link, and there will be no general book sales on the night.    

    Book Launch Celebration – A Special Evening in Memory of a Much-Loved Author

    We warmly invite you to join us for a very special evening celebrating the launch of the third book in this remarkable series, and the life and work of its author, Sally Tarpey. This final novel was completed and submitted to publishers before she died. In a deeply moving turn of events, she was informed shortly before her passing that it had been accepted for publication. Her family and friends are immensely proud of her achievement and wish to share this moment of celebration with friends, readers, and supporters. Hosted by Peter of Red Lion Books, whose support throughout her writing journey has been invaluable, and alongside her publishers who have championed her work with such care, this will be an evening of remembrance, storytelling, and celebration. The event will also be co-hosted by her dear friends and fellow book lovers Sheila and Angie.
    About the Book
    Set against the sweeping backdrop of the Second World War, this emotional and uplifting saga tells a powerful story of courage, heartbreak, love, and the enduring strength of family ties. From Hampshire to the Isle of Wight, from war-torn France to the deserts of North Africa, the novel follows Tilly Truscott, her family, and those whose lives become entwined with hers as war changes everything. It is a moving portrait of friendship, sacrifice, and hope in the darkest of times.
    Event Details
    Date: 3 July 2026 Venue: Patch, 24 Trinity Street, Colchester (please see www.patchcolchester.co.uk ) Time: 6:00pm arrival for a 6:30pm start This will be a seated event. The evening will include some short readings from the book, reflections on the author’s life and writing, and time to celebrate her work together in a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
    What to Expect
    Hosted by Peter (Red Lion Books) Co-hosted by Sheila and Angie Seated event with a reading and tributes A celebration of the author’s life, writing, and legacy Drinks and refreshments available to purchase from the lovely venue A warm, informal and community-focused atmosphereTickets

    This is a free event, but a ticket must be purchased to attend. Please note: books will only be available for purchase with a ticket, and there will be no general book sales on the night.

    This evening is an opportunity to come together to honour a writer who poured her heart into her work, and to celebrate a legacy that will continue to be read and loved. We hope you will join us. Additional information: https://www.patchcolchester.co.uk/

  • The Spinster Cookbook | Author Event with Eli Davies
    The Spinster Cookbook | Author Event with Eli Davies

    Wednesday , 10th June at 6.30pm

    **Author Talk Only.  Supper fully booked.  You are booking for author talk from 7.15pm and your booking will include a copy of the book**

    Author Eli Davies will talk about The Spinster Cookbook

    The Spinster Cookbook : Culture, politics and pleasure in the single woman’s kitchen

    This event will be held at Jo’s House (a 27 minute walk from Red Lion Books or a 7 minute drive, with parking available address will be supplied).  £20 will include a copy of The Spinster Cookbook and a bowl of Puttanesca. Please bring your own drink. THE SUPPER IS NOW FULLY BOOKED The Spinster Cookbook is a piercing exploration of what it means to cook for one in a society designed for couples and families. With sharp cultural insight, Eli Davies takes us on a culinary tour of the single woman’s kitchen, a space shaped as much by a search for freedom as by appetite.  The kitchen has always been a complex space for women: a place of labour and gendered expectations, as well as a site of nourishment, care and company. But how does this change when you’re alone, not cooking for family or friends, but simply for yourself? Eli Davies explores what happens when food is uncoupled from domestic duty and romantic relationships and what it means to cook (or not) for yourself and by yourself. How does this shape your mealtimes, the way you shop for food, the kitchen equipment you use, and your relationship to cleaning up and looking after yourself? With warmth, humour and insight, The Spinster Cookbook explores shopping and leftovers, solo meals and dinner parties for one, joy and grief and the politics of living on your own. This is a book about making a home in the face of housing precarity, loneliness, heartbreak and social norms, and finding independence, pleasure and self-expression through cooking.

    It’s a cookbook of sorts, and a manifesto for living differently.

     

  • Appetite Book Club (Daytime)
    Appetite Book Club (Daytime)

    Red Lion Books in association with Appetite Book Club meet to discuss a book  on the last Thursday of the month at 11.30am  (excluding August and December).

    £16 booking includes a copy of the book, entry to book club  and a hot drink (with a cake or biscuit). We will confirm the venue a few days beforehand. If you don’t require a copy of the book you will receive a £6.99 book token instead.

    See our previous reads here Evening book club is hosted by Appetite Book Club. Meetings occur on the last Monday and the last Wednesday of each month (over Supper). Email Jo for more information appetite.book.club@gmail.com The same book is discussed at evening and daytime meet ups. “Book only” can be ordered HERE 

  • BOOKINGS CLOSED: Mitch Johnson is coming to YOUR SCHOOL 30th June
    BOOKINGS CLOSED: Mitch Johnson is coming to YOUR SCHOOL 30th June

    Mitch Johnson is visiting your school on 30th June If you would like to pre-order a book for this Author event please select below (free postage) as book will be available to collect at school Orders placed at Red Lion Book using the following links will be delivered to your school before the Author Visit so that Mitch Johnson can sign your child’s book at the event  

    To avoid postage charge: Add to Basket, View Basket, Go to Checkout, Choose FREE Delivery Option

    Please state the SCHOOL, Name of your child and form/year group. It’s vital that you say which school your child attends as we have 2 events on the same day.  Please use the notes section

  • Cat Weldon and Nene Lonergan are coming to NAYLAND PRIMARY 26TH June
    Cat Weldon and Nene Lonergan are coming to NAYLAND PRIMARY 26TH June

    Cat Weldon and Nene Lonergan is visiting your school on 26th June If you would like to pre-order a book for this Author event please select below (free postage) as book will be available to collect at school Orders placed at Red Lion Book using the following links will be delivered to your school before the Author Visit ___________________________________________________

    To avoid postage charge: Add to Basket, View Basket, Go to Checkout, Choose FREE Delivery Option

    Please state the SCHOOL, Name of your child and form/year group.  Please use the notes section

  • Celebrate ACOTAR 6: A Night in Prythian. Midnight Book Launch
    Celebrate ACOTAR 6: A Night in Prythian. Midnight Book Launch

    The price of the event will include a copy of the book.

    Hello Darling,
    After five long years of waiting, it is finally time to return to Prythian with the 6th ACOTAR book.
    If you attend our event you will be some of the first people in the country to get your hands on the much anticipated ACOTAR 6 book and have the chance to have fun with other SJM fans.
     
    As you know, we’ve been consulting our cauldron and are happy to say the event will be on October 26th and start at 10pm with faerie wine to keep you going till midnight when we can officially start selling the book which is included in your ticket price. Sarah J Maas will NOT be attending this event.
     
    We cannot promise any Bat Boys, but we can guarantee drinks made from Tamlin’s Tears Cocktails, games, crafts, dressing up & fun across two wheelchair accessible venues.
    So grab your cloaks made of night and stars and get ready to celebrate and socialise with your fellow SJM fans and discuss which Shadow Daddy is better! 
    Until then, sit down with a nice cup of Surriel tea and enjoy re-reading the first 5 books.  
     
    Cauldron Blessed,
     
    The High Fae at Red Lion Books
      The event will be October 26th 10pm – 12am and your ticket price (£30) includes a hardback first edition of ACOTAR 6 There is a ticket only option Visit the Night Court with us for fun, games and fae.

    *Sarah J. Maas will not be attending this event.*

    LIMITED TICKETS AVAILABLE

  • Feminist Reading Group
    Feminist Reading Group

    Ticketing includes a paperback edition of the book as well as the event. There are options to pay for the event only but please note that ticket/book option provides you with the best discount. Last Saturday of the month at 2 pm.

    To avoid postage charge: Add to Basket, View Basket, Go to Checkout, Choose FREE Delivery Option
    The Feminist Book Club is a space for curious minds, lively conversations, and collective empowerment. We read one book each month and meet on the last Saturday of every month for an engaging session of discussion, debate, critical thinking, self-empowerment, and a little bit of patriarchy-smashing! Along the way, we build meaningful connections and community with like-minded people who care about creating a more just and inclusive world. Led by Solange Gulizzi, an art and architectural historian and researcher exploring power, gender, and everyday lived experiences, the club brings together academic ideas and real-life conversations in an accessible, welcoming way. No prior knowledge is needed—just curiosity and a willingness to engage. This is an inclusive, welcoming, and respectful space. We celebrate diversity and warmly welcome people of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We ask all members of our community to approach conversations with curiosity, kindness, and respect for others. We may challenge ideas, but we always treat people with dignity. As a safe and supportive space, we want to hear your voice. Your opinions, experiences, questions, and reflections are not only welcomed but encouraged. Whether you love to debate, prefer to listen and reflect, or are just beginning your feminist journey, there is a place for you here. Together, we learn, grow, support one another, and imagine new possibilities for ourselves and the world around us
    To avoid postage charge: Add to Basket, View Basket, Go to Checkout, Choose FREE Delivery Option
     

  • Monthly Books Clubs

    We have a lot of book clubs.  Some have been running since 2007 and some are affiliated book clubs. We are also happy to advertise other book clubs in the area as well as offer discounted books to groups.

    All book clubs can be found here http://www.redlionbooks.co.uk/bookclubs

    To avoid postage charge: Add to Basket, View Basket, Go to Checkout, Choose FREE Delivery Option
     

  • SCHOOL VISIT: Ollie George Clark | Search for a Sorcerer
    SCHOOL VISIT: Ollie George Clark | Search for a Sorcerer

    Ollie is visiting your school and will discuss YOUNGEST FAIRCREST and the SEARCH FOR A SORCERER

    A spellbinding story of courage, friendship, and self-discovery. This debut novel by award-winning comedy writer Ollie George Clark is a perfect blend of humour, adventure, and heart.
    If you pre-order a copy of the book we can ensure that it is delivered to the school and will be signed by Ollie.

    To avoid postage charge: Add to Basket, View Basket, Go to Checkout, Choose FREE Delivery Option

    Please state the SCHOOL, Name of your child and form/year group. It’s vital that you say which school your child attends as we have 2 events on the same day.  Please use the notes section

    Ollie is an award-winning writer for screen, stage and radio. For TV he is currently developing projects with Riot Time Pictures, Brock Media and The Story Collective. He also shadowed in the writer’s room for Industry S3 for Bad Wolf/BBC/HBO and was in the writer’s room for Heat with Fingerprint/Climate Spring. Previously Ollie had comedy/drama projects in development with Esmerelda Productions and TOD Productions. He is currently developing a play with Tuckshop UK and Ollie’s radio play Nightmare(ish) was broadcast on BBC Radio4 where it was critics’ choice in The Times and The Radio Times. Further back Ollie’s theatre credits include plays at Edinburgh Fringe, The Almeida, Lyric Hammersmith, Southwark Playhouse and The Old Red Lion Theatre. Previously Ollie was the winner of the British Comedy Guide Sitcom Competition and Soho House Hot Seat. While he has also been nominated for the David Nobbs Memorial Comedy award, the BAFTA Rocliffe TV Comedy prize and the Liverpool Hope Playwriting prize. Ollie’s first novel, Youngest Faircrest and The Search For A Sorcerer will be released in June 2026 globally by DK. This marks the first of a new middle grade trilogy which will be releasing annually, with DK having won the rights in a four-way auction in 2024.

  • Bookshop Soiree May 14th 2026
    Bookshop Soiree May 14th 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) Thursday 14th May, 6pm (home BY 8pm)

    Philippa Malicka talking about In Her Defence

    Philippa Malicka grew up in Chelmsford but now lives in London. She is an alumnus of Oxford University and the Prose Fiction MA at the University of East Anglia. Her first novel, In Her Defence was pre-empted by Hodder in the UK while North American rights were pre-empted by Marysue Rucci at Marysue Rucci Books. In February 2026 it was selected as Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club pick  

    Josie Lloyd & Emlyn Rees talking about You & Me & You & Me & You & Me

    Josie Lloyd and Emlyn Rees each had novels of their own published before teaming up to write a series of titles together. This partnership has produces the bestsellers Come Together, Come Again, The Boy Next Door, Love Lives, We Are Family, The Three Day Rule and The Seven Year Itch. Their latest novel, You & Me & You & Me & You & Me publishes in February 2025.  

    Rebecca Anderson talking about Galentines Day

    Rebecca Anderson lives in Hertfordshire with her partner and beloved guinea pigs, who she is obsessed with (the guinea pigs, obviously). She is a twin, has a degree in graphic design and is a practising counsellor with too many creative hobbies to list. Her writing explores sex, relationships, friendships and mental health, which she tackles with honesty and humour.    

  • Bookshop Soiree October 15th 2026
    Bookshop Soiree October 15th 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) Thursday 15th October, 6pm (home BY 8pm) Amy Abdelnoor, Caitlin Blackwell-Baines and Laura Evans

    Amy Abdelnoor talking about Everland

    Alternating between past and present, and between Safa and Dinah, Ever Land is a gripping and powerful story that sheds light on the ongoing occupation of Palestine. It is a tale of belonging and identity, of devastation and displacement and – ultimately – of the enduring universality of humanity and love. Amy Abdelnoor is a British Arab author, writer and teacher; her maternal grandfather was Lebanese. She studied English and Arabic at the University of Cambridge. She lived and worked in the West Bank and in refugee camps in Lebanon in her early twenties, experiences that inspired Ever Land, her debut novel, an early iteration of which was shortlisted for the 2023 Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize.

    Caitlin Blackwell-Baines talking about How To A Haunted House

    Do you have what it takes to cross the threshold? Crumbling turrets, crenelated walls, creaking floorboards. We all know a haunted house when we see – or feel – one. That creeping sense of wrongness. An icy shiver stealing down the spine. But why do certain structures set this super-sensory alarm bell jangling, while others leave us unmoved? Can a house be purpose-built to be haunted? And does a building need a bloody legacy to set the skin tingling? Tiptoe through the haunted gallery at Hampton Court Palace, encounter the spectral residents of Chillingham Castle and lose yourself in the labyrinthine layout of Winchester Mystery House as Caitlin Blackwell Baines unravels the psyche, the history and the folkloric fabrication that make a haunted house take on a life of its own. Enter if you dare… Caitlin Blackwell Baines is an art historian and author, specialising in Georgian art and architecture. Born in Toronto, she later emigrated to the UK to pursue an MA from the Courtauld Institute of Art and a PhD from the University of York in art history. Upon completing her studies, she moved to the Isle of Bute off the Western coast of Scotland, and worked as a curator at Mount Stuart, a late Victorian Gothic Revival palace. When she isn’t visiting haunted houses and recording her ghost story-themed history podcast, Haunted Homes, Caitlin is based in East Sussex.

    Laura Evans talking about Little Wild

    Little Wild: Atonement meets Weyward, in this striking historical debut from new talent Laura Evans about queer love, privilege and the intoxicating dangers of embracing the wild . . Laura Evans was born in Burnley and grew up in the Midlands. She studied Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic at university before a career as a magazine editor, with a particular interest in travel and nature. A graduate of Curtis Brown Creative’s six-month novel-writing course, she lives with her family (and the world’s friendliest cockapoo, Maggie) in Norwich.

  • The Romance Roundtable
    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
    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