by Gudrun Bowers | 1, Apr 2020
The eagerly awaited sequel to the Costa Award winning Days Without End by one of Ireland’s greatest writers and current Irish Laureate.
A Thousand Moons extends the sequence of Barry’s eight novels, which touch each time on the worlds of two families – the Dunnes and the McNultys. In this novel, as in Days Without End, we meet with Thomas McNulty and John Cole, American Civil War soldiers, now a couple, living on a tobacco farm in Tennessee. Their adopted Sioux daughter Winona is the narrator this time, and we follow her journey as she deals with the consequences of a violent act against her. Full of memorable characters and written in Barry’s gorgeous lyrical prose, dreamy yet unflinching when confronted by the darker side of humanity, this is a wonderful book.
by Gudrun Bowers | 12, Nov 2018
Lucia Berlin’s collection of short stories, A Manual for Cleaning Women was published posthumously to great acclaim, and Evening in Paradise is a follow-up selection from Berlin’s remaining stories.
The stories are loosely autobiographical, arranged chronologically to follow the arc of Berlin’s life, and take us from a pair of seven year olds running a scam in El Paso, through the beauty and disillusionment of a young girl’s first romantic liaison, to young wives coping with kids, their husband’s addiction, abandonment, to a furious old woman on the roof of her own house while her family try to celebrate Christmas. Savage, funny, shocking and beautiful, they present some unforgettable images – the iridescent, sulphurous smoke of the smelter in a mining town, the yellow aromo blossom sticking to a couple’s skin – in concise writing that brings the reader up short with its power. The dark thread of alcoholism runs through many of the stories as well as the brighter threads of love, romantic and maternal, and of beauty found in the most unlikely places. Outstanding.
by Gudrun Bowers | 21, Aug 2017
We are thrilled to present a fantastic science event with science writer Dr Michael Brooks and TV presenter/writer Rick Edwards. This entertaining and informative show, based on their hit podcast and upcoming book Science(ish) examines the science behind the movies. Illustrating their theories with film clips from iconic movies, Michael and Rick will ponder whether it’s really possible to bring back an extinct species (Jurassic Park), whether we will ever be able to travel back in time and meet our parents (Back to the Future) and if it is possible that we are, in fact, already living in a computer simulation (The Matrix).
Dr Michael Brooks is an author, journalist and broadcaster, holds a PHD in Quantum Physics and is editor-at-large of the New Scientist, as well as writing a weekly column for the New Statesman. He is the author of At The Edge of Uncertainty, The Secret Anarchy of Science and the bestselling 13 Things That Don’t Make Sense.
Rick Edwards is a TV presenter and writer with a particular interest in mathematics and the natural sciences. As a broadcaster Rick has most recently made a foray in to the world of quizzing as the host of BBC1’s daytime show !mpossible which aired in January 2017 and will return for an extended second run in May this year. Amongst his other numerous presenting credits are: ITV2’s comedy roast Safeword, BBC Three’s live current affairs debate show Free Speech and Channel 4’s Paralympic Breakfast Show. He also writes a monthly fashion column for The Observer, and has made forays into stand-up comedy.
Advance booking highly recommended for this event, as it promises to be fantastic fun and very popular!
Start time is 7.30pm, wine and soft drinks will be on sale, and a reduced price of £7 is available for under 18’s.
Booking is available online at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/FDFIGM
or by phoning us on 01903 812062.
by Gudrun Bowers | 26, May 2017
by Gudrun Bowers | 18, Mar 2026
Join award-winning children’s author/performer/musician Gareth P Jones for his brand new show, inspired by his hilarious new picture book CHICKEN VS EGG.
Expect live music, sing-along songs, a fast rapping fox, puppets, clucking chickens, cracking egg puns… and the answer to some of life’s biggest questions including Why did the chicken cross the road? and Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
A fun picture book event to entertain all ages from 4+
ABOUT GARETH P JONES & HIS BOOKS
Gareth is a children’s author responsible for the comic gothic cult classic, The Thornthwaite Inheritance, the Blue Peter Award winning The Considine Curse & a possibly one of the oddest books ever written for children, Death or Ice Cream?
He has written various children’s fiction series including Dragon Detective, Ninja Meerkats, Steampunk Pirates, Pet Defenders & the brilliant Solve Your Own Mystery Series. His picture books include Rabunzel, CinderGorilla, Snowy White, The Lion on the Bus, Are You The Pirate Captain & The Dinosaurs are Having a Party. He has also written for television and writes musicals.
CHICKEN VS EGG is a hilarious story about a crazy, thrilling race which may finally answer the question ‘Which came first, the chicken or the egg?’, with lively illustrations by Craig Shuttlewood.
ABOUT THE EVENT
This event is perfect for children aged 4+. Start time 11am. Duration approx 1 hour including book-signing. The venue is the rear kitchen of the bookshop, it may be a bit of a squash with kids seated on the floor.
Tickets: £7 per child INCLUDES a copy of CHICKEN VS EGG! Additional siblings £3 – without a book. Accompanying adults do not need to purchase a ticket but please only 1 parent / carer per child due to space restrictions.
Tickets available online via link below or direct from the bookshop.
by Gudrun Bowers | 18, Mar 2026
A creative, fun workshop for children aged 9+. Join amazing children’s author HELEN PETERS for a fun, informal creative writing workshop inspired by Helen’s ‘timeslip’ stories for older children, Evie’s Ghost and Anna at War.
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time? Where would you like to go? How would you get there? And what magical powers does this seemingly ordinary pebble contain? In this fun, interactive workshop, Helen will show how magical objects and portals to other worlds can create mystery and tension, and offer tips on creating settings and characters. Children will have the opportunity to share their writing and receive constructive feedback if they wish. Perfect for budding writers, keen readers and anyone with a wild imagination!
ABOUT HELEN PETERS AND HER BOOKS
Helen Peters is an accomplished children’s author who has written over 24 books for children. Her novels for older children include the Hannah’s Farm series, two WW2 novels (Anna at War and Friends & Traitors) and a spooky timeslip story, Evie’s Ghost. Helen is also the author of the JASMINE GREEN series for younger readers.
ABOUT THE EVENT
Start time 2pm, Duration approx 60-80 mins, refreshments provided. £7 ticket price includes a copy of a Helen Peters book. ccompanying adults who wish to stay do not need a ticket.
Tickets available via link below (small online booking fee applies) or direct from the bookshop
by Gudrun Bowers | 18, Mar 2026
WEDNESDAY 1st APRIL at 11am
A lovely event for creative kids aged 7+! Join amazing children’s author HELEN PETERS for a fun, informal creative writing workshop inspired by Helen’s latest book, A CHICK CALLED CHARM.
Helen will help children to create animal characters, settings and a maybe slightly Easter-y storyline. This event will suit children aged 7-10 who love writing stories, reading stories, and animals!
ABOUT HELEN PETERS & THE JASMINE GREEN SERIES
Helen Peters is an accomplished children’s author who has written over 24 books for children. Her JASMINE GREEN series of animal rescue are shorter illustrated chapter books which are adorable, exciting and well-written reads for children aged 7-9.
A CHICK CALLED CHARM is the 18th book in the series, and a perfect Easter book for animal lovers! Jasmine Green’s dad is a farmer, and her mum is a large-animal vet, so Jasmine spends a lot of time caring for animals and keeping them out of trouble. When Jasmine finds a little chick which has been abandoned by its mother and left for dead, of course she has to intervene, but even after she nurses the chick back to health, her family still reject her. An old cockerel takes the little chick under his wing, saving her from a buzzard attack and showing that friendship can be found in the most unlikely of places.
ABOUT THE EVENT
Tickets are £7 per child, this includes the workshop, refreshments AND a copy of A CHICK CALLED CHARM (or other book from the Jasmine Green series). Accompanying adults are free to stay or ‘drop and go’, and do not need a ticket. The workshop will last between an hour and 80 mins, starting at 11am.
Tickets available via the link below (small online booking fee applies) or in person from the bookshop
by Gudrun Bowers | 20, Feb 2026
We are delighted to welcome a panel of 3 outstanding female psychological thriller writers: Katherine Bradley, Araminta Hall, and Ruth Ware, for an evening of twists, turns and thrilling insights, as they discuss their latest books and ponder the concept of Unreliable Narrators in psychological thrillers.
Katherine Bradley will be introducing her new high-concept psychological thriller The Institute, in which a disturbing rise in mass suicide incidents is investigated by a mysterious shadowy institute. Araminta Hall will be launching her latest book Unreliable Narrator, in which a young woman’s life is ruined by a fatal disaster (or was it?) and Ruth Ware will be discussing her new thriller The Woman in Suite 11 – a gripping follow-up to her earlier book The Woman in Cabin 10. We guarantee you’ll discover your new favourite page-turning read tonight!
ABOUT THE EVENT
Tickets are £12 and include a £10 voucher towards a book purchase on the night, and a welcome drink.
Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start. The panel discussion will last approx 1 hour and be followed by audience Q and A, and a chance to buy books and get them signed.
The venue is the comfortable upstairs ‘salon’ at Awen Furniture, 54 High Street, Steyning.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Katherine Bradley (as Kate Bradley) is the author of two suspense thrillers – To Keep You Safe and What I Did, and, as Katherine Bradley, recently published The Sisterhood, a feminist retelling of Orwell’s classic novel 1984. Her work has been described as ‘addictive, original and brilliantly twisty’ by T. M. Logan and ‘heart-stopping’ by David Nicholls. Katherine lives in a small coastal town just outside of Brighton with her husband and sons.
Araminta Hall is the critically-acclaimed author of seven novels. Both Everything & Nothing and One of the Good Guys were Richard and Judy picks. Four of her novels are under option and Imperfect Women is now a major series for Apple TV, starring Elisabeth Moss and Kerry Washington and airing in March 2026. She lives in Brighton with her husband and various combinations of her three grown-up children.
Ruth Ware is an international number one bestseller. Her thrillers include In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Lying Game, One by One, The It Girl, Zero Days, One Perfect Couple and The Woman in Cabin 10, which is now a now a hit Netflix film, starring Keira Knightley. Ruth’s books have sold more than ten million copies, and many have been optioned for film and TV. Ruth lives near Brighton with her family on the south coast of England.
Tickets available now: Either in store, by phone on 01903 812062, or via the link below (small booking fee applies to online bookings)
by Gudrun Bowers | 16, Feb 2026
Meet novelist LORI INGLIS HALL as she discusses her debut novel THE SHOCK OF THE LIGHT, an intimate, immersive and page-turning novel set during and after the Second World War. This is an ‘open book group’ event, we invite members of the public to join us alongside the members of our 3 bookshop book groups. Ideally, we’d like everyone to read the book prior to the event- purchase the ‘book with ticket’ ticket for £18 and pick up your book from the bookshop asap!
ABOUT THE SHOCK OF THE LIGHT
The Shock of the Light is a delicately told study of twinhood, and the shattering impact of war on two ordinary lives. Anglo-French twins Tessa and Theo have always had a deep bond, until Tessa leaves Cambridge to study at the Sorbonne, and the war sends them their separate ways – the RAF for Theo, clandestine operations behind enemy lines in France for bilingual Tessa. Two years later, only one of them comes home. Has their interwoven thread been severed for ever by the dark violence of war?
ABOUT THE EVENT
Lori Inglis Hall will be ‘in conversation’ with fellow novelist JULIET WEST, author of Before the Fall and The Faithful. This will be followed by audience / book group Q and A and a chance to get your book signed. Find out about the inspiration, research and real-life experiences behind this heart-wrenching story, and hear all about Lori’s amazing experience of becoming a publishing sensation!
The venue will be UPSTAIRS at AWEN FURNITURE, doors open at 7pm, event starts at 7.30pm.
A welcome drink will be served upon entry.
Ticket only £5 or grab our bargain ‘Book with Ticket’ deal for £18 (book RRP £18.99. If buying ‘book with ticket’ please mention whether you’ll pick the book up at the shop prior to the event, or if you’d prefer to receive your book on the night) Tickets via link below (small booking fee applied to online bookings) or in person from the bookshop (no booking fee)
About Lori Inglis Hall
Lori Inglis Hall has an MA (research) in history from Goldsmiths College, University of London, and works as a researcher and rights manager for the estate of the photographer Lee Miller. Previously, she spent a decade working in politics at the House of Commons. She lives rurally in Sussex with her family and an inordinate number of books. The Shock of the Light is Hall’s first novel.
by Gudrun Bowers | 22, Jan 2026
Come and meet JULIA DONALDSON at a very special signing event at the Steyning Bookshop on World Book Day, as she celebrates the publication of her beautiful new picture book ‘THE MAGIC FEATHER’!
THE MAGIC FEATHER is a rhyming fairy-tale adventure about the magic of nature and caring for our environment. It features stunning, delicate illustrations by Catherine Rayner, who also illustrated Julia’s previous books The Go-Away Bird and The Bower Bird.
This is an amazing opportunity to meet the nation’s favourite children’s author and be the first to get a collectable, signed, first edition copy of The Magic Feather, 8 days before its official publication date!
ABOUT THE BOOK-SIGNING
The signing will be ticketed with four available time slots at 3.30pm, 4pm, 4.30pm or 5pm, with 20 families in each slot.
Your ‘ticket’ for the signing costs £12.99 which pays for your copy of THE MAGIC FEATHER, and entitles the ticket bearer, plus up to 5 additional family members, entry to the signing.
Julia will be happy to sign any number of books that are bought from The Steyning Bookshop on the day only. If you require multiple copies of THE MAGIC FEATHER please do NOT book multiple tickets – we will have PLENTY of extra copies for you to purchase on the day!
You will receive your copy of The Magic Feather upon entry to the bookshop, where you will get the chance to purchase other books by Julia, before going through to get the books signed and meet Julia!
There will be refreshments and activities for children while you wait.
ABOUT THE MAGIC FEATHER
Imagine if you could speak to birds . .that’s just what happens to one young girl when she is given a magic feather that transforms their trills and twitters into words – and she discovers that they need her help! Join her as she embarks on an amazing journey across the sea to save the birds nests from the queen’s woodcutters. A stunningly illustrated book with a wonderful rhyming tale about the magic of nature.
TICKETS
Tickets go on sale 24/1/26 at 9.30am.
You can book a place at the signing by following the link below (small booking fee applies) or calling the bookshop on 01903 812062.
The link leads to our Ticketsource page where ALL time slots are listed, please choose the one that suits you.
We regret that our bookshop is not easily wheelchair accessible, please call us if you need to discuss access options before booking.
by Gudrun Bowers | 14, Jan 2026
Calling all budding comic book creators! Join author / illustrator DAVID O’CONNELL for a fun comic workshop based around David’s hilarious BEASTIE BROS books.
You’ll create your own mini comic and learn the basics about how to put a story together, including designing the characters, and thinking about settings.
Suitable for children aged 6-10 years.
ABOUT DAVID O’CONNELL
David O’Connell is a writer and illustrator living in Brighton. He works mostly in children’s books, particularly humorous picture books and young fiction, with over fifty books to his name. His latest books are the BEASTIE BROS series, a highly illustrated chapter book series following the adventures of Dash the Firefly, Dribble the Snail and their gang of garden mini-beast friends! Perfect for fans of Bunny vs Monkey and Toto the Ninja Cat! David has also illustrated the upcoming KOALAS IN CAPES series, written by Terrie Chilvers, and illustrated Tom Vaughan’s recent HERCULES series.
ABOUT THE EVENT
START TIME 2.30pm FINISH TIME ends by 4pm
For children of 6+ years
Tickets £5 per child – entitles you to £5 OFF a purchase of any of David’s books!
All materials and refreshments will be provided. Parents welcome to stay and watch, no ticket required for parents.
Tickets via online link below (small booking fee appplies) or in person from the bookshop.
by Gudrun Bowers | 10, Jan 2026
Join geographer David Riviere for an illustrated talk on dew ponds, a neglected feature of the country’s landscape heritage. The talk will touch on his survey work for the South Downs National Park Authority, as well as the history, construction and recent revival of dew ponds.
David is the author of the book DEW PONDS, published by Amberley Publishing in 2025. Copies will be on sale on the night – your £5 ticket purchase entitles you to £5 off the RRP of the book.
Talk starts at 7.30pm, venue is the Steyning Bookshop – we will be squeezing into the bookshop rear kitchen/diner – it might be a squash and a squeeze!
Tickets £5 per person, online below (small booking fee applies to online tix) or in person from the bookshop.
by Gudrun Bowers | 7, Nov 2025
The return of this popular festive workshop for Xmas 2025! Join Gudrun & Alice for a relaxing evening of crafting, and learn how to upcycle old books into various charming handmade decorations.
Over the years, many customers have admired the paper tree garlands that hang over our tables in December, and the various paper creations that we craft for our shop windows, so now’s your chance to make some yourself!
There will be a chance to try your hand at one, two or even three different upcycled decorations, depending on how speedy you are with the scissors! All materials will be supplied and there will be festive snacks and beverages.
This crafting evening is for adults and older teens (13+) only, as the projects are fairly fiddly.
Only 10 spaces, so we can all fit around the table! Tickets are £7
by Gudrun Bowers | 7, Nov 2025
The return of this popular workshop for Xmas 2025! Join our relaxed and informal evening workshop and learn to make a simple linocut Christmas card!
The workshop will be led by (current and ex!) bookshop part-timers Alice and Sarah, who in their ‘real jobs’ run Patternmakers, a fabric block-printing company – so they know their cutting tools!
This workshop is for adults or older teens (sharp tools!) and is suitable for beginners. It will take place around the big kitchen table in the bookshop back kitchen. All materials are provided, but it’s a good idea to come with some simple design ideas in your mind (or on paper!). There will be drinks and Christmassy nibbles too!
Start time: 7pm. Ends by 9pm. Tickets £25 via link below (booking fee applies) or direct from the shop in person!
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