An Evening with Rachel North
2025-07-03 18:30 - 21:00 (Europe/London) | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
Join us as we welcome back long-term friend of the shop Caroline Bond, writing as Rachel North. Privilege has a price but we’ll be asking ‘But who will pay it?’ as we discuss her brand new thriller described as’ creepy, compulsive and a stonking page-turner’.

About the Book

Privilege has a price. But who will pay it?

On the eve of her seventieth birthday, Geri gathers her brother’s spoilt adult children together on the family’s private island and tells them that she’s ready to name her successor as CEO of the lucrative global empire founded by their grandfather.

Her announcement triggers a frenzy of suspicion, rivalry and back-stabbing. Each of the three siblings believes the role should go to them – despite the dark secrets that they all harbour.

As Geri uncovers the black heart of her own family, will the best among them win the prize? Or will the heirs to the Chalice crown finally get what they so richly deserve?

Praise for Rachel North

‘Creepy and compulsive’ – Sabine Durrant

‘A stonking page-turner’ – Emma Curtis

‘Succession meets The White Lotus. Absolutely enthralling’ – Antony Johnston

‘Relentlessly page-turning’ – Philippa East

‘Pure escapism’ – L D Smithson

Truman's Book Club Social - 24th June
2025-06-24 18:30 - 20:00 | Cargo Wines, Twistings Gallery, Sunny Bank Mill, 83-85 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5UJ, United Kingdom
Due to huge demand, we’ve launched a second date for our monthly Truman’s Book Club Social. We’ll now also be discussing, ‘I Who Have Never Known Men’ by Jacqueline Harpman, at Cargo Wines in Farsley on the evening of Tuesday 24th June.

A ticket to attend Truman’s Book Club Social is £15. This includes the book (that you’ll be able to collect from the shop. We’ll send you an email when the book is here) and your first drink on the evening (beer, wine or soft drink). If you already have the book, you can select a ticket that will include a £10 Truman’s Gift Voucher instead of a book.

About the Book

Discover the haunting, heartbreaking post-apocalyptic tale of female friendship and intimacy set in a deserted world. Deep underground, thirty-nine women are kept in isolation in a cage. Above ground, a world awaits. Has it been abandoned? Devastated by a virus?

Watched over by guards, the women have no memory of how they got there, no notion of time, and only vague recollection of their lives before. But, as the burn of electric light merges day into night and numberless years pass, a young girl – the fortieth prisoner – sits alone and outcast in the corner. Soon she will show herself to be the key to the others’ escape and survival in the strange world that awaits them above ground. The woman who will never know men.

When & Where?

Tickets booked on this page will be for Tuesday 24th June, 6.30pm (for a 7pm start), at Cargo Wines, Sunny Bank Mills. One of the benefits of us hosting our Book Club in a Wine Bar means that when the book chat is done, if you wish, you’re free to stay on to continue to enjoy the company and the conversation, and maybe another drink or two.

We’d like a relaxed evening of booky chat, so if the thought of sitting round in a big circle feels a little intimidating, this is the Book Club for you. Our aim is to have a more informal feel, with smaller groups sat chatting around tables. We can help you find a seat and make sure everyone feels comfortable.

We’re thinking an hour of chat about the month’s book (and the topics and experiences it leads to). In the future, we’d love to be able to welcome guest authors to join us to discuss their books.

Hope to see you there!

Windrush Day with Howard Gardner
2025-06-22 15:00 - 16:30 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
To celebrate Windrush Day, we are very pleased to announce that we will have a guest Bookseller for the Day in the shop.

Howard Gardner, co-writer of ‘Finding Home’, the ground-breaking memoir that gives a vivid account of an important part of British history, will be in the shop between 11am and 3pm, so do pop in to say hello.

We will be hosting a FREE drinks reception at 3pm where Howard will give a reading from the book. There’s no charge to attend but we are asking people to book a spot. Ordering free tickets will confirm your places for 3pm.

In 2018, on the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the HMT Windrush to the UK, Howard’s father Alford Gardner, who was a passenger on the ship, became a bit of a celebrity, with many stories of his life being well-documented. It was then, Howard helped his Dad put pen to paper and the book ‘Finding Home’ came about.

‘Finding Home: A Windrush Story’, is not just about Alford, it traverses both the uplifting highs and intolerant lows that West Indian migrants of his generation encountered upon travelling to Britain to forge out a life.

At age 18, Alford served Britain in the Royal Air Force during WWII, returning to Jamaica once it was won, arriving back in the UK on the Windrush on 22nd June 1948 at Tilbury Docks, when the government decided it needed him again.

Alford sadly passed away in 2024, at the age of 98, after witnessing many milestone events of the 20th century that shaped the country. His heartening testimony is a celebration of those who endured hardships so that generations to come, could call this place home. And his story, lives on through his son.

The first 50 customers on the day will receive an exclusive tote bag.

Cosy Crime with a Windrush flavour - with debut author Mel Pennant
2025-06-19 18:30 - 20:30 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
We are delighted to bring you another debut author, Mel Pennant and the first of a gripping new crime series, starring unforgettable Jamaican sleuth Miss Hortense, which is out on 12th June.

Retired nurse, avid gardener, renowned cake maker and fearless sleuth Miss Hortense has lived in Bigglesweigh, a quiet Birmingham suburb, since she emigrated from Jamaica in 1960. She takes great pride in her home, starching her lace curtains bright white, and she can tell if she’s been short-changed on turmeric before she’s even taken her first bite of a beef patty. Thirty-five years of nursing have also left her afraid of nobody – be they a local drug dealer or a priest – and an expert in deciphering other people’s secrets with just a glance.

Miss Hortense uses her skills to investigate the investments of the Pardner network – a special community of Black investors, determined to help their people succeed. But when an unidentified man is found dead in one of the Pardner’s homes, a Bible quote noted down beside his body, Miss Hortense’s long-buried past comes rushing back to greet her, bringing memories of the worst moment of her life, one which her community has never let her forget. It is time for Miss Hortense to solve a mystery that will see her, and the community she loves, tested to their limits. A Murder for Miss Hortense is Mel’s first novel and she is currently writing another mystery starring Miss Hortense.

Mel Pennent is an award-winning playwright whose work has appeared in the National Archives, as well as on stage. Born in London, she was raised by an extraordinary village, which included her Jamaican grandparents who moved to England in the 1950s as part of the Windrush generation. Mel is drawn to stories that explore what’s hidden below the surface and celebrate the richness and strength of tight-knit communities. She lives in London with her family and their dog, Bleu.

‘It’s Murder She Wrote as you’ve never seen it before’ Sir Lenny Henry‘The formidable Miss Hortense will be your new favourite literary sleuth! Fresh, original and intriguing from start to finish!’ Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Examiner and The Appeal‘What a read! This is more than a cosy crime mystery [. . .] it’s the story of a community, one I hope I get to visit again soon’ Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things

Doors open 6:30 pm event starts 6:45pm

Truman's Book Club Social - June 11th
2025-06-11 18:30 - 20:00 | Cargo Wine Bar, Twistings Gallery, Sunny Bank Mill, 83-85 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5UJ
We’d love you to join us at the first ever Truman’s Book Club Social, taking place in June at Cargo Wines, here in Farsley. We’ll be discussing the book, ‘I Who Have Never Known Men’ by Jacqueline Harpman.

A ticket to attend Truman’s Book Club Social is £15. This includes the book (that you’ll be able to collect from the shop. We’ll send you an email when the book is there) and your first drink on the evening (beer, wine or soft drink). If you already have the book, you can select a ticket that will include a £10 Truman’s Gift Voucher instead of a book.

About the Book

Discover the haunting, heartbreaking post-apocalyptic tale of female friendship and intimacy set in a deserted world. Deep underground, thirty-nine women are kept in isolation in a cage. Above ground, a world awaits. Has it been abandoned? Devastated by a virus?

Watched over by guards, the women have no memory of how they got there, no notion of time, and only vague recollection of their lives before. But, as the burn of electric light merges day into night and numberless years pass, a young girl – the fortieth prisoner – sits alone and outcast in the corner. Soon she will show herself to be the key to the others’ escape and survival in the strange world that awaits them above ground. The woman who will never know men.

When & Where?

The first Truman’s Book Club Social will take place on 11th June, 6.30pm (for a 7pm start), at Cargo Wines, Sunny Bank Mills. One of the benefits of us hosting our Book Club in a Wine Bar means that when the book chat is done, if you wish, you’re free to stay on to continue to enjoy the company and the conversation, and maybe another drink or two.

We’d like a relaxed evening of booky chat, so if the thought of sitting round in a big circle feels a little intimidating, this is the Book Club for you. Our aim is to have a more informal feel, with smaller groups sat chatting around tables. We can help you find a seat and make sure everyone feels comfortable.

We’re thinking an hour of chat about the month’s book (and the topics and experiences it leads to). In the future, we’d love to be able to welcome guest authors to join us to discuss their books.

Hope to see you there!

An Afternoon with The Reverend Richard Coles
2025-06-07 13:00 - 15:00 | Old Woollen, Sunnybank Mills, 83-85 Town Street, Farsley, LS28 5UJ, United Kingdom
Are the parishioners of Farsley ready to welcome The Reverend? Join us at the Old Woollen as we talk to writer, broadcaster and Anglican priest, The Reverend Richard Coles about the fourth novel in the No.1 bestselling Canon Clement series ‘A Death on Location.’

In the spring of 1990, we return to Champton, where the characters we’ve come to love are all aflutter as a glamorous movie set takes over the village. As the actors don their bonnets, gowns and crowns, a murder interrupts filming on set – and it’s an ingenious murder . . . Can Canon Daniel solve the mystery with help from his sidekick Detective Sergeant Neil Vanloo – even when things are so sticky between them?

The Canon Clement Mystery books have all been Sunday Times No.1 bestsellers; collectively, they have sold hundreds of thousands of copies across physical, audio and ebook, and gained critical acclaim from the likes of the Guardian, to the Telegraph, to Dawn French and Ian Rankin.

Many of the characters which made Murder Before Evensong and A Death in the Parish instant hits are back: Daniel himself, his mother Audrey, the inhabitants of Champton and – of course – Cosmo and Hilda, Daniel’s beloved dachshunds.

An evening with Stuart Maconie
2025-06-03 20:00 - 22:00 | Old Woollen, Sunnybank Mills, 83-85 Town Street, Farsley, LS28 5UJ, United Kingdom
We are delighted to be able to welcome Stuart Maconie for an evening in the Old Woollen to talk about his latest publication ‘With A Little Help From Their Friends’ The Beatles changed the world. But who changed theirs?

From this bestselling writer and broadcaster comes a book about the global icons we all know, told through the eyes of people we don’t. Paul, John, Ringo, George. Four lads from Liverpool whose music changed the world as we know it. Theirs is a tale that has become one of the core stories we tell about ourselves as a nation. But their meteoric rise to the top of the charts and lifelong stardom wasn’t achieved in isolation.

From roadies to cabbies, muses to mavericks, photographers to hairdressers, With A Little Help From Their Friends shares the incredible stories of the people who made the Beatles who they were. Bringing a lifetime worth of music knowledge, Maconie takes us behind the narrative we know and reveals more about who was there ‘Before’, ‘With’ and ‘Beyond’ the band’s success. He also adds his own experiences, encounters and conversations that show the Beatles like you’ve never seen them before.

Doors open 7pm

Stuart Maconie_ Credit The Sunday Times News Licensing

An evening with 'Virdee' creator AA Dhand
2025-05-20 20:00 - 22:00 | Old Woollen, Sunnybank Mills, 83-85 Town Street, Farsley, LS28 5UJ, United Kingdom
Join us for an evening at the Old Woollen as we talk to Bradford based writer A. A. Dhand about his latest adrenaline-filled, compulsive page-turner ‘The Chemist.’ A. A. Dhand is the author of five previous novels, and has been shortlisted for the CWA Steel Dagger Award. His DI Harry Virdee novels are currently being adapted for TV by the BBC. He was raised in Bradford and spent his youth observing the city from behind the counter of a small convenience store. After qualifying as a pharmacist, he worked in London and travelled extensively before returning to Bradford to start his own business and begin writing.

The history, diversity and darkness of the city have inspired all his novels. As a pharmacist, A. A. Dhand was surrounded by drugs, dealers, and incredible stories of maverick drug-deals, which on one hand blew his mind in their ingenuity, and on the other sickened him with how easily they preyed on the most vulnerable. His experiences inspired the writing of ‘The Chemist.’

Local pharmacist and pillar of the community, Idris Khan, spends his days doling out methadone to the hundreds of addicts in his care. They trust Idris with their secrets, and so he knows more than his mild manner suggests. So when his childhood sweetheart, Rebecca, doesn’t turn up for her daily methadone dose, Idris is worried. Worried enough to go looking for her in the most deprived area of Leeds, alone.The mess Idris finds catapults him into the middle of a turf war between the two most powerful drug cartels in Yorkshire. Now, he must use every bit of intelligence and cunning he has to keep those he loves safe. Because a war is on the way. And when Idris goes after his enemies, they won’t see him coming.

‘I doubt I’ll read a better thriller this year’ M. W. CRAVEN‘Outstanding – relentless, multi-layered suspense and real human drama’ LEE CHILD‘Timely, and a compulsive page-turner’ LIZ NUGENT‘This man knows how to keep me up into the early hours. Relentlessly thrilling!’ VASEEM KHAN

An evening with bestselling author S.J. Parris
2025-05-12 18:30 - 21:00 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
We are excited to be able to bring you another fantastic author event in the bookshop. Million copy bestselling historical fiction author S.J. Parris will be joining us to talk about Traitor’s Legacy, the first book of an incredible new historical series.

England, 1598. Queen Elizabeth’s successor remains unnamed. The country teeters on a knife edge.When a young heiress is found murdered at the theatre, the Queen’s spymaster Robert Cecil calls upon former agent Sophia de Wolfe to investigate.

A cryptic note found on the dead girl’s body connects to Sophia’s previous life as a spy, and her quest soon takes her into dangerous waters. Powerful enemies emerge, among them the Earl of Essex: the Queen’s favourite courtier and a man of ruthless ambition.

This is a murder that reaches directly into the heart of the court. And Sophia is concealing a deep-buried secret of her own. She must uncover the truth before her past threatens to destroy her.

‘Successful historical thrillers need three elements: a killer plot that weaves seamlessly into the history; an engaging protagonist; and an atmospheric sense of place. Parris nails all three.’ The Times

No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller S. J. Parris is the pseudonym of the author and journalist Stephanie Merritt. It was as a student at Cambridge researching a paper on the period that Stephanie first became fascinated by the rich history of Tudor England and Renaissance Europe. Since then, her interest has grown and led her to create this series of historical thrillers featuring Giordano Bruno, which has now sold over one million copies.

Stephanie has worked as a critic and feature writer for a variety of newspapers and magazines, as well as radio and television. She has also written the contemporary psychological thrillers While You Sleep and Storm under her own name. She currently writes for the Observer, and she lives in Surrey.

Book signing with Kevin Sinfield
2025-04-07 15:30 - 17:00 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
We are proud to announce that Leeds Legend, Kevin Sinfield will be joining us in the shop again to meet fans and sign copies of the paperback publication of Try.

Try, by fundraising heroes, rugby legends and best friends Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield, is a big-hearted picture book about a friendship between two young boys. What makes someone a hero? That’s what best friends Rob and Kevin are trying to find out.

But the answer isn’t quite what they expect! This joyful story about friendship, kindness and what heroes are really made of comes from the creators of the number one bestselling book With You Every Step.

Try is written with Emma Adams and illustrated by Ben Whitehouse.

‘Rugby mates illustrate the power of friendship.’ – The Times

This event will be in the bookshop. It will be a queue system to meet Kevin (this may include waiting outside so please dress for the weather!)

All children must be accompanied by an adult. A ticket will allow a parent and child to enter.

Book Signing with Gladiator Jodie Ounsley 'Fury'
2025-04-03 15:30 - 17:30 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
We are thrilled to announce that Yorkshire born BBC Gladiator ‘Fury’ will be joining us in the shop, to meet fans and sign her new book, ‘Keep Smashing It: Be Strong, Be Brave, Be Confident.’ But there is so much more to this Gladiator!

Jodie Ounsley is a talented athlete, England rugby star, Paralympics Broadcaster, patron of registered charity The Elizabeth Foundation and star of the hit BBC show, Gladiators, performing as ‘Fury’, an inspirational role model for deaf people, and now an author too! In her debut book, Keep Smashing It: Be Strong, Be Brave, Be Confident. Jodie wants to show young people everywhere that anything is possible when you believe in yourself.

Josie is proud to be a role model to children – in sports and beyond – offering important representation to the deaf community. In her book she draws on her experience as a professional rugby player – a woman in a ‘man’s game’. She is showing young people the value of being a physically powerful and strong woman; just because you’re strong doesn’t mean you’re not feminine! She shares the importance of family and having a strong team around you and promotes getting girls into sport.

Originally from Yorkshire, Jodie was diagnosed as profoundly deaf at three months old and was one of the youngest recipients of a cochlear implant in the country. Her deafness has never held Jodie back. Her mental and physical grit saw her win the World Coal Carrying Championships at just four years old and as an adult she became the first deaf female to play for a senior England side. As ‘Fury’ she’s a ball of energy, a powerful Powerball-er and the toughest opponent the two female finalists ever faced.

Credit Paul Marc Mitchell

In 2020 Jodie won the Deaf Sports Personality of the Year award and, in 2023, was named Honorary President of UK Deaf Sport and included in the prestigious BBC Woman’s Hour Women in Sport Power List.

This event will be in the bookshop. It will be a queue system to meet Jodie (this may include waiting outside so please dress for the weather!)

All children must be accompanied by an adult. A ticket will allow a parent and child to enter.

Jodie’s book is published on 27 March will be available to collect at the event or after.

“When life gets tough, this book reminds you that you’re tougher. Every family needs a copy!” Matt Morsia, also known for being Legend on Gladiators“Jodie’s Keep Smashing It is as inspiring as she is. Her journey from overcoming barriers as a deaf athlete to becoming a Gladiator on TV is packed with lessons on resilience, bravery and staying true to yourself . . . A must-read for anyone chasing their dreams!” Ed Jackson

Come along to meet Jodie in the bookshop and get your copy of Keep Smashing It personally signed.

A final farewell to The Dales Detective with Julia Chapman
2025-04-02 18:30 - 21:00 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
We are delighted that Julia Chapman will be joining us in the shop to share the final instalment of her much loved Dales Detective Series, ‘Date with Destiny‘ which is due for publication on 27 March.

From death to danger and malice to mystery, Samson and Delilah have weathered many storms. Finally, things should be going smoothly. Except life’s never that simple in Bruncliffe, is it?As the couple are beset with worries about their upcoming wedding, a charismatic celebrity comes knocking on the Dales Detective Agency’s door, seeking their services. Samson is initially reluctant to help, for many reasons. But things quickly escalate following a shocking murder at Fellside Court and, as a friend comes under suspicion, Samson and Delilah must set aside their personal problems to catch a killer.In a case that will bring so many of Bruncliffe’s secrets out into the open, this final investigation for the Dales Detectives may be the one that breaks them for ever . . .Date with Destiny is the final instalment in Julia Chapman’s much-loved Dales Detective series set in Yorkshire.

Julia Chapman is the author of the internationally bestselling crime series, The Dales Detective. Born in England, she has a wanderlust that has kept her moving and has followed her restless feet to Japan, Australia, the USA and France. She spent the majority of that time as a teacher of English as a Foreign Language but also dabbled in bookselling, pawnbroking and waitressing.

Alongside her husband, she ran an auberge in the French Pyrenees for six years which provided the setting for her first series, The Fogas Chronicles, published under her real name, Julia Stagg. Julia currently lives in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales where The Dales Detective is based and is hard at work on a new crime series which, if she stops running and cycling so much, should be on shelves by spring 2026. For a while at least, those feet have stopped itching…

An evening with Lindsey Burrow
2025-02-25 20:00 - 22:00 | Old Woollen, Sunnybank Mills, 83-85 Town Street, Farsley, LS28 5UJ, United Kingdom
We are proud to be able to bring you an event with Pride of Britain Award Winner and inspirational woman, Lindsey Burrow. Lindsey will join us in the Old Woollen for an evening to talk about her first publication Take Care, the life-affirming memoir of the working mother of three young children who has inspired the nation through her selfless commitment to husband Rob Burrow (CBE), the rugby league legend she cared for throughout his heroic battle with motor neurone disease (MND).

Take Care is A Memoir of Love, Family & Never Giving Up explores the deepest reserves of resilience, personal sacrifice and hope that Lindsey exhibited on a daily basis when her family’s life was upended by the terminal MND diagnosis. Juggling her day job for the NHS as a physiotherapist, with round-the-clock care for Rob, who couldn’t move or talk, and could only eat with Lindsey’s assistance, she simultaneously raised her brilliant young family and helped to raise awareness for MND. The efforts of Rob, Lindsey and Kevin Sinfield have raised over £15 million for charity.

In 2023, Lindsey ran the inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon, which was co-founded by Rob and his former Leeds Rhinos teammate Kevin Sinfield to help raise awareness for MND. Together, the Burrow family and Sinfield have helped to raise over £15 million for charity. In the process, they have inspired the nation, offering families hope by sharing their MND journey. In 2023, Lindsey Burrow received a Pride of Britain award, together with Rob and Kevin. Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield were awarded CBEs by HRH The Prince of Wales in January 2024. Lindsey featured in the acclaimed BBC 2 documentary, ‘Rob Burrow: Living with MND.’

In 2024, Lindsey presented her debut ITV1 documentary, ‘Who Cares for Our Carers?’ which highlighted the emotional and practical hardships faced by thousands of her fellow unpaid carers, whose hidden work is worth an estimated £162bn a year in the UK, the equivalent of another NHS. Told in Lindsey’s characteristically humble, charming and inspirational style, Take Care explores her life and shares her honest experiences of finding strength in the good and the bad times, in order to offer readers and families hope to overcome challenges in their own lives. The book sheds a light on the many families across the UK who care for their loved ones with little support. Finally, the book is a rousing call to action, for us all as a society to take better care of one another.

‘Thank you for what you are teaching us, about what it is to fight, what it is to love, and what it is possible for us to do and to be as human beings’ Michael Sheen, Pride of Britain Awards 2023, to Rob and Lindsey Burrow

‘Lindsey’s strength and love shines through’ Lorraine, ITV

‘You are an inspirational couple’ Loose Women ITV

‘Lindsey and Rob Burrow’s moving love story from teenage sweethearts to ‘superhero’ wife’ has stood the test of time – overcoming the hardest and most heartbreaking of challenges. Mirror

‘A story of compassion, perseverance and love. By sharing her story, Lindsey is shining a light on those who are dealing with incredibly difficult situations, putting other’s needs before their own and making great personal sacrifices every day. I hope this book provides all those going through their own challenges with some comfort and optimism, and that it inspires us all to look out for one another’ HRH Prince William

An evening with debut author Rachel Bower
2025-02-18 18:30 - 21:00 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
We are excited to bring you another local debut author to provide cosy reading in dark February. Join us in the shop to chat with Rachel Bower about her debut novel ‘It Comes from The River’ which is out on 30th January. Infused with the folklore of Northern England, It Comes from the River is an unforgettable, uncanny debut about violence, resilience and hope – and the power of women when they work together.

Alex is trying to hold her growing family together with a husband who is becoming more and more difficult to keep happy. Lauren hopes that the new man in her life might present a fresh start for her and her two boys. And Nancy’s son has moved her into a care home where she feels entirely out of place, longing for her lost dog while dreaming of her own escape. But there is something else at play here. Something lurking in the water or at the end of an unlit street; a shadow in a bag of strangers’ clothing; a chorus of voices calling in the distance.

As each woman’s world spirals from her grasp, they feel it getting closer, revealing the truth of what binds them together, and what must be done to set each of them free.

From the river it comes; to the river it always returns.

‘Haunting, lyrical and thoroughly gripping … These characters and their lives will stay with me for a long time’ Clare Fisher, author of ALL THE GOOD THINGS‘A rich, wild, completely absorbing novel’ Sarah Butler, author of TEN THINGS I’VE LEARNT ABOUT LOVE‘This is a debut that heralds a masterful new literary great’ Karina Lickorish Quinn, author of THE HOUSE OF SKIN‘A powerful story that will leave you changed’ Kimberly Campanello, author of MOTHERBABYHOME

Rachel Bower is a prize-winning poet and short story writer from Bradford. She is the author of two poetry collections and a non-fiction book on literary letters. Her poems and stories have been widely published in literary magazines, including The London Magazine, The White Review, Magma and Stand. Bower won The London Magazine Short Story Prize 2019/20 and the W&A Short Story Competition 2020. She has also been listed for the White Review Short Story Prize 2019, the RSL V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize and the BBC Short Story Prize.

An evening with Weyward author Emilia Hart in conversation with Jennifer Saint
2025-02-10 20:00 - 22:00 | Old Woollen, Sunnybank Mills, 83-85 Town Street, Farsley, LS28 5UJ, United Kingdom
We are heading straight into our 2025 events programme and bringing you an evening with one of Truman Books best selling authors of 2024, the talented Emilia Hart. Emilia’s debut novel Weyward has sold over 500,000 copies worldwide, including 200k in the UK. Her second novel ‘The Sirens,’ due for release on 13 February, is already receiving amazing reviews. Emilia will be in conversation with historical fiction bestselling author Jennifer Saint, writer of mythological novels Ariadne, Elektra and Hera.

Lucy is running from what she’s done – and what someone did to her. There’s only one person who might understand: her sister Jess. But when Lucy arrives at her sister’s desolate cliff-top house, Jess is gone.Lucy is now alone, in a strange town steeped in rumour. Stories of men disappearing without a trace. A foundling discovered in a sea-swept cave. And women’s voices murmuring on the waves… As Lucy searches for her sister, those voices get ever louder. They tell of two sisters, two centuries ago, bound and transported across the world. A world where men always get their way. A world that is at once distant, and achingly familiar.Are these voices luring Lucy closer to her sister? Or will the secrets of the past pull them both under?

This event will be held at the Old Woollen, providing the perfect ambiance for an intimate gathering of book lovers. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet one of Truman Books most loved authors and connect with fellow fans, as well as being one of the first to get your hands on a copy of ‘The Sirens’.

‘Enthralling, compelling, poignant … It made me cry on a railway platform’ BRIDGET COLLINS, author of The Silence Factory‘Absolutely wonderful. It’s a profoundly moving and rich historical story wrapped up in a contemporary murder mystery’ ROSIE ANDREWS, author of The Leviathan‘Full of allure and brimming with undercurrents of buried secrets… beautifully written and utterly compelling’ EVIE WOODS, author of The Lost Bookshop

BEAUTIFUL, ATMOSPHERIC, THRILLING WRITING FROM A TALENTED YOUNG WRITER. The Sirens delivers everything from Weyward and more. An incredibly involving combination of powerful dual-timeline storytelling, feminist themes and mythical elements.

INSPIRED BY AUTHOR’S OWN FAMILY HISTORY. Emilia is a British-Australian writer and author and discovered her ancestors had been involved in captaining the convict ships between Ireland and Australia. She was born in Sydney and studied English Literature and Law at the University of New South Wales before working as a lawyer in Sydney and London. Emilia is a graduate of Curtis Brown Creative’s Three-Month Online Novel Writing Course and was Highly Commended in the 2021 Caledonia Novel Award. Her short fiction has been published in Australia and the UK. She lives in London.

Jennifer Saint grew up reading Greek mythology and was always drawn to the untold stories hidden within the myths. She read Classical Studies at King’s College, London where she is now a Visiting Research Fellow in the Classics department. After thirteen years as a high school English teacher, she wrote Ariadne which tells the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur from the perspective of Ariadne – the woman who made it happen. Ariadne was shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year in 2021 and was a Waterstones Book of the Month, as well as being a Sunday Times bestseller. Jennifer is now a full-time author, living in Yorkshire with her husband and two children. Her second novel, Elektra, and third novel, Atalanta, were number one Sunday Times bestsellers. Her latest mesmerising mythological retelling is titled Hera, out in paperback on 10th April 2025.

Launch event for 'Swell' by Maria Ferguson in conversation with Helen Mort
2025-02-06 18:30 - 21:00 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
We are delighted that local author Maria Ferguson will be in the shop to chat to readers and celebrate the launch of her latest poetry collection ‘Swell’. Maria will be in conversation with the award winning British poet and novelist, Helen Mort.

In the consultation room I staredat the purple flowers in their purplevase and imagined my insides:an ocean, a cave, a storm.

Maria Ferguson’s second poetry collection is a raw and powerful documentation of one woman’s experience of becoming a mother. Against a backdrop of the sounds and sensations of daily life, she longs for her own mother’s embrace, observes as her body changes and charts a course through loss and wilting house plants towards recovery, empowerment and renewal.

Tender, direct and winningly witty, Swell distils the poet’s complex feelings surrounding family and domesticity, exploring the contending weight and levity felt as she contemplates a thrillingly unfamiliar new chapter. Ferguson is a poet as alert to the absurd as to the shattering, and these are large-hearted poems, full of life and thought. Together, they invite the reader to join them in a search for self-acceptance, for freedom from shame and for a path to stability in increasingly uncertain times.

Maria Ferguson is a writer and performer. Her poetry has been widely published and anthologized, and her debut collection, Alright, Girl? (Burning Eye, 2020), was highly commended in the Forward Prize. On the stage, her one-woman show Fat Girls Don’t Dance (Oberon, 2017) won the Saboteur Award for Best Spoken Word Show; Essex Girl (Oberon, 2019) was shortlisted for the Tony Craze Award and won Show of the Week at the VAULT Festival. She has been commissioned by the Royal Academy of Art, Stylist magazine and BBC Radio. She currently lives in Leeds.

‘A beautiful, powerful, profound collection of poems There is an honesty that is both heart-breaking and more hopeful than anything else I’ve read on this subject. She makes me weep and wonder in equal measure’ Hollie McNish‘Tender, lyrical, a family mise-en-scene, exploring the tiny narratives that write us. These poems are an umbilical, a feeding. Beautiful’ Joelle Taylor, author of C+nto‘Maria Ferguson articulates the previously unsayable in these radical, tender poems. Swell gives voice to the full complexity of motherhood – the love next to the guilt, the ambivalence next to joy, even the desire to sometimes run away’ Kim Moore, author of All The Men I Never Married‘These poems have an energy which is infectious. Reading them will make you feel free and fearless – Ferguson shows us how language can give new meaning to our tenderest moments’ Helen Mort

Helen Mort is an award-winning author based in Sheffield. Helen has published three poetry collections (Division Street, 2013 and No Map Could Show Them, 2016) and The Illustrated Woman (2022, shortlisted for the Forward Prize). She has also written a novel (Black Car Burning, 2019), a short story collection (Exire, 2019) she has also written drama and creative non fiction.

Helen’s first full length non-fiction book A Line Above The Sky (Ebury, 2022) was featured in the Guardian and Evening Standard’s ‘books to watch’ lists. She was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize and Costa Prize and won the Fenton Aldeburgh Prize in 2015. Helen appears regularly on BBC radio and sometimes on TV. She has taught creative writing for over ten years and is a Senior Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University. Helen offers freelance mentoring and runs workshops. She is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Helen collaborates with artists and musicians and is interested in interdisciplinary work of all kinds.

*** SOLD OUT *** An evening of Practical Positivity with Sophie Cliff, The Joyful Coach
2025-01-30 18:30 - 20:30 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
We are delighted to be able to bring you an event to fill your 2025 with positivity. Join us for an evening in the shop with local author and podcaster, The Joyful Coach – Sophie Cliff, as she share her latest publication The Hustle Cure with us.

The Hustle Cure is an empowering guide that offers a new approach to productivity that prioritizes making time for what you actually enjoy. With values-driven activities and mindful self-care tips, learn to embrace flexibility, find flow in your work, and take small, joyful steps toward meaningful achievements. Shift your mindset, reclaim your purpose, and lead the life you desire.

Sophie Cliff (aka The Joyful Coach) is a certified coach and positive psychology practitioner who uses her expertise to help individuals and organisations flourish by finding more joy and prioritising wellbeing. Early in her career, Cliff scaled the corporate ranks at companies like the Walt Disney Company and venture-backed start-ups. But while on paper her life seemed perfect, she couldn’t fight the feeling that something was missing. When a family tragedy shook her life, Cliff decided to stop delaying decisions and following the wrong path. In 2018, she started The Joyful Coach, a business helping individuals and companies find purpose and joy. Now through her coaching, workshops, and chart-topping podcast, Practical Positivity, Cliff helps people all over the world lead more joyful lives and has way more fun than she ever had in her previous career. Follow Sophie on Instagram @sophiecliff for your daily dose of joy, or visit www.sophiecliff.com.

An afternoon with Scottish crime writer Sir Ian Rankin
2024-11-22 12:30 - 15:00 | Old Woollen, Sunnybank Mills, 83-85 Town Street, Farsley, LS28 5UJ, United Kingdom
As part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival we are proud to announce, an afternoon at the Old Woollen with award winning author Sir Ian Rankin as he introduces us to the brand new John Rebus thriller ‘Midnight and Blue’, which will be released in October.

They say there is nowhere more dangerous for a cop than prison. John Rebus is about to find out just how true that is.

John Rebus’s appeal is stalled and his lawyers have stopped calling, as he hopes for the best but fears the worst. As the days bleed into each other, and the nights stretch before him, even the legendary detective struggles to keep his head. That is, until a murder in a locked cell presents a new mystery. They say old habits die hard. Everyone else is about to find out just how true that is too. On the outside, Siobhan Clarke investigates the disappearance of a girl who never came from school. Jasmine Andrews’ friends swear they haven’t seen her, and she hasn’t contacted them. But something about this case doesn’t add up. Is Jasmine, missing or on the run? Is she in danger, or is this something stranger?

Back inside, as new friends and old enemies begin to circle, Rebus finds himself at the centre of a case where the prisoners and the guards could all be suspects. But how do you find a killer in a place full of them?

Midnight and Blue is a masterfully executed twin-engine crime novel that combines Rankin’s gold standard Edinburgh-based police procedurals and a tough, tightly wound locked cell mystery. Rankin’s work is known for its integrity and ambition, as well as the topical socio-political commentary, and Midnight and Blue continues the series with a sense of a generational changing of the guards, the march of technology and its potential to be saviour and predator, the pressure on public institutions through budget cuts and a decaying sense of civic duty. It’s a story about groups and institutions – boys’ clubs and girl groups, schools and prisons, gangs and territory, power and control.

Sir Ian Rankin is the multimillion-copy worldwide bestseller of over thirty novels and creator of John Rebus. His books have been translated into thirty-six languages and have been adapted for radio, the stage and the screen. In 2024, a new Rebus six-part TV series was broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Sir Ian Rankin is the recipient of four Crime Writers’ Association Dagger Awards, including the Diamond Dagger, the UK’s most prestigious award for crime fiction. In the United States, he has won the celebrated Edgar Award and been shortlisted for the Anthony Award. In Europe, he has won Denmark’s Palle Rosenkrantz Prize, the French Grand Prix du Roman Noir and the German Deutscher Krimipreis. In 2022, he received a knighthood for his services to Literature and Charities.

This event is part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival – Doors open midday

Destination Thriller! Tom Hindle and Rachel North in conversation with JM Hall
2024-11-14 18:30 - 20:30 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
As part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival, join us in the shop as cosy crime writer Jonathan Hall chairs an evening of discussion with Tom Hindle and Rachel North. The panel will explore the lure of a glamorous location for thriller writers.

Tom Hindle released his third, locked room mystery, ‘Murder on LAKE GARDA’ in July. One happy couple. Two divided families. A wedding party to die for. On the private island of Castello Fiore – surrounded by the glittering waters of Lake Garda – the illustrious Heywood family gathers for their son Laurence’s wedding to Italian influencer Eva Bianchi. But as the ceremony begins, a blood-curdling scream brings the proceedings to a devastating halt. With the wedding guests trapped as they await the police, buried secrets are unearthed, and family rivalries threaten to bubble over.

In June Rachel North released her first compulsive thriller ‘Happily Never After.’ The Finca Incantata is a magical place-a castle with a cobbled courtyard, a deep, cold, fresh-water pool and a high tower that looks out over the surrounding wilderness. The guests arrive bringing with them their pretty dresses, their smart suits and their private thoughts about the upcoming marriage. Among them is one guest who is determined to ensure the wedding does not take place…

We are delighted that friend of the shop, Yorkshire crime writer, Jonathan Hall will be chairing the panel. Jonathon’s debut novel, A Spoonful of Murder is about retired primary school teachers who turn to sleuthing and has sold over 59,000 copies. In his second book, A Pen Dipped in Poison the ladies were back at their usual table at the Thirsk Garden Centre café with a brand-new mystery to solve. In April Jonathan celebrated the publication of his latest release A Clock Stopped Dead.

This event is part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival. Doors open 6:30pm event starts 6:45pm

Uncommon People: Britpop and Beyond in 20 Songs, with award winning music journalist Miranda Sawyer in conversation with freelance writer Daniel Dylan Wray
2024-11-13 20:00 - 22:00 | Old Woollen, Sunnybank Mills, 83-85 Town Street, Farsley, LS28 5UJ, United Kingdom
As part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival we are taking you back to the 90s for an evening at the Old Woollen with the definitive Britpop mixtape from award-winning pop-writer Miranda Sawyer. Sharing the vivid stories behind 20 key songs of the 90s – ‘Common People’ to ‘Girls and Boys’, ‘Connection’ to ‘Firestarter’; AND the bands that made them. Miranda will be interviewed by Daniel Dylan Wray, a freelance writer for The Guardian since 2017, covering music, film, TV, documentary, podcast as well as general interest stories.

When Miranda Sawyer interviewed Noel Gallagher in 1995, his gag wishing Damon Albarn would die of AIDS became front-page news. This fascinating pop history, exploring the mid-90s moment when British music suddenly meant everything, explains why. Picking out twenty key songs, delving into the surprising stories behind them and their unlikely creators, Uncommon People takes us back to when Jarvis Cocker became a national hero, Trainspotting was a global hit, fire-starting seemed like a good night out – and it felt as though the revolution was happening.

Initially a music press nickname, Britpop became an unexpected musical movement centred around outsiders and misfits, drop-outs and weirdos who refused to compromise on their ideas, even when they were thrust into the international spotlight. Not just a scene for white guys with guitars, but something wilder and more interesting, with songs that have proved timeless. Exploring the era’s key artists – Oasis, Blur, Tricky, Pulp, Underworld, Manic Street Preachers, The Prodigy, Suede, Chemical Brothers, Garbage, Supergrass, Radiohead, PJ Harvey and more – through their definitive anthems, Miranda Sawyer transports us back to the beating heart of the nineties.

UNCOMMON PEOPLE re-lives the mad exhilaration of what it was like to hear these songs for the very first time – and what it was like to make them. With amazing new interviews, and I-was-there insight, this book offers a backstage pass to all the most interesting bits of Britpop’s Greatest Hits. Forget New Labour, forget earnest trend theories, this book is all about the music, the people and being right there, right now.

‘That tired old phrase ‘if you remember the 90s you probably weren’t there’ does have a ring of truth. Luckily, Miranda Sawyer was both there and has a far better memory than me. Even more fortunately, she writes about those days with great verve, style and acuity. Absolutely indispensable.’ IRVINE WELSH

Miranda Sawyer has written about pop culture for the Observer ever since they hired her to explain why Kurt Cobain’s death was such a big deal in 1993. She has since interviewed everyone from Liam Gallagher to Irvine Welsh. She has also written for the Face, Select, and Smash Hits and won several awards.The Culture Show’s Music Correspondent since 2007 and a regular on Radio 4, she has made documentaries about the Spice Girls and even co-presented Big Mouth with Tony Parsons in 1996. Her first book Park and Ride explored the British suburbs, her second Out of Time exploded the midlife crisis,Uncommon People takes us time-travelling back into the heart of 90s pop.

This event is part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival. Doors open 7:00pm event starts 8:00pm

Guy Shrubsole in conversation with Boff Whalley. The Lie of the Land: Who Really Cares for the Countryside?
2024-11-11 20:00 - 22:00 | Old Woollen, Sunnybank Mills, 83-85 Town Street, Farsley, LS28 5UJ, United Kingdom
As part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival we bring you an evening at the Old Woollen with Sunday Times Best Selling Author, Guy Shrubsole in conversation with Boff Whalley. They will be discussing Guy’s new book The Lie of the Land: Who Really Cares for the Countryside?

For centuries we’ve been sold a lie: that you need to own the land to care for it. Just 1% of the population own half of England, and this tiny landowning elite like to present themselves as the rightful custodians of the countryside. They’re even paid billions of pounds of public money to be good stewards. But what happens when they just don’t care?

A small number of landowners have laid waste to some of our most treasured landscapes, leaving our forests bare, our rivers polluted, our moorlands burned, and our fenlands drained. Here Guy Shrubsole journeys all over Britain to expose the damage done to our land, and meet the communities fighting back: the river guardians, small farmers and trespassing activists restoring our lost wildlife. Full of rage and hope, this is a bold vision for our nation’s wild places, and how we can treat them with the awe and attention they deserve.

It’s time to demand better for nature. We can start by replacing the lie of the land with a profound truth: that any of us can care for the countryside, regardless of whether you own it.

This is set to be a night of great discussion and their will be chance for the audience to ask Guy their own questions on this subject.

Guy Shrubsole is an environmental campaigner and writer. He is the author of Who Owns England?, an instant Sunday Times bestseller, and The Lost Rainforests of Britain, which won the Wainwright Prize for writing on Conservation and was shortlisted for the Richard Jefferies Society Literary Prize. For the past decade and a half Guy has campaigned on the climate and nature crises, working for a wide range of organisations from Friends of the Earth and the Right to Roam campaign, to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Guy lives in Devon.

This event is part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival. Doors open 7:00pm event starts 8:00pm

Beware it's Crime Day - Crime Scene Do Not Cross!
2024-11-10 15:00 - 22:00 | Old Wollen, Sunny Bank Mills 83-85 Town Street Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5UJ, United Kingdom
As part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival we are exited to bring you three author events in one sitting, are you ready for Crime Day at The Old Woollen?

3pm – We will be talking Cosy Crime – with Josie Lloyd, JM Hall and Antony Johnston

5pm – Creating Kick-Ass Female Protagonists – with Saima Mir and Lesley McEvoy

7pm – Take your seats as we are in conversation with Elly Griffiths

There are a number of ticket options with discounts if attending multiple author events on the day – please see below

Josie Lloyd, also writing as Joanna Rees, is the Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling international author of over twenty novels and has been translated into 27 languages. Come Together, which she co-authored with her husband Emlyn Rees, was number one for 10 weeks and made into a Working Title film. Josie Lloyd recently wrote contemporary women’s fiction novels The Cancer Ladies Running Club and Lifesaving for Beginners, which was a #1 Bookseller Heatseeker. Miss Beeton’s Murder Agency is her first crime novel.

J.M. Hall is an author, playwright and now retired deputy head of a primary school. His plays have been produced in theatres across the UK as well as for radio, the most recent being Trust, starring Julie Hesmondhalgh on BBC Radio 4. Jonathon’s debut novel, A Spoonful of Murder is about retired primary school teachers who turn to sleuthing. In his second book, A Pen Dipped in Poison the ladies are back at their usual table at the Thirsk Garden Centre café with a brand-new mystery to solve. Jonathan’s latest release A Clock Stopped Dead, good friend of the teachers, Marguerite claims to have uncovered a mysterious charity shop that has since vanished, they simply can’t resist investigating.

Antony Johnston is one of the most versatile writers of the modern era, with a body of work spanning books, film, graphic novels, videogames, and non-fiction. An award-winning author and New York Times bestseller, his creations include Atomic Blonde, The Dog Sitter Detective, the Brigitte Sharp thrillers, and many more.

Saima Mir has written for The Times, the Guardian and the Independent. Her debut novel, The Khan, was a Times Bestseller, a Guardian best crime and thriller and a Waterstones Thriller of the Month. Her essay for It’s Not About The Burqa (Picador) appeared in Guardian Weekend and received over 250,000 hits online in two days. She contributed to the anthology The Best, Most Awful Job: Twenty Writers Talk Honestly About Motherhood. Saima grew up in Bradford, where she worked as a rookie crime reporter and now lives in London. Vengeance is her second novel.

Lesley McEvoy was born and bred in Yorkshire and has had a passion for writing in one form or another all her life. The writing took a backseat as Lesley developed her career as a Behavioural Analyst / Profiler and Psychotherapist – setting up her own Consultancy business and therapy practice. She has written and presented extensively around the world for over 25 years specialising in behavioural profiling and training, with a wide variety of organisations. The corporate world provided unexpected sources of writing material when, as Lesley said – she found more psychopaths in business than in prison! Lesley’s work in some of the UK’s toughest prisons was where she met people whose lives had been characterised by drugs and violence and whose experiences informed the themes she now writes about. Lesley published her successful debut novel The Murder Mile in 2019 and has not stopped since.

Acclaimed crime author Elly Griffiths worked in publishing before becoming a full-time writer. She is best known for her award-winning Dr Ruth Galloway series and The Brighton Mystery series. Elly has won the CWA Dagger in the Library, has been shortlisted six times for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and longlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for The Lantern Men.

This event is part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival

Acts of Creation with Hettie Judah
2024-11-07 18:30 - 20:30 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
As part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival we are delighted to announce, an evening at the Sunny Bank Mills Gallery with writer and art critic Hettie Judah, as she talks about ‘Acts of Creation.’ Exploring motherhood through the work of artists from prehistory to the present day, Acts of Creation addresses the abiding mother-shaped hole in art history.

Long taboo, lived experiences of motherhood – and all that accompanies it – are now the subject of urgent discussion. Acts of Creation: On Art and Motherhood delves into the joys and heartaches, mess, myths and mishaps of motherhood through over 150 artworks, from ancient goddess artifacts to contemporary interpretations of pregnancy in the present.

While the Madonna and Child archetype has dominated Western art, we rarely encounter art about real motherhood, in all its raw, unfiltered complexity. Renowned author and curator Hettie Judah examines how shifting ideals of motherhood have been constructed and promoted through visual culture.Moving into the 20th and 21st centuries, it also looks at how women artists – among them Barbara Hepworth, Jenny Saville, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Betye Saar, Suzanne Valadon, Louise Bourgeois, Carrie Mae Weems – have worked to subvert these ideals and reclaim the narrative. Women have long been told that they cannot be both an artist and a mother: here the artist mother is instead addressed as an important cultural paradigm. Acts of Creation explores lived experience of motherhood – and of not becoming a mother – offering a complex account that engages with ongoing concerns around gender, caregiving and reproductive rights.

Published to coincide with the acclaimed Hayward Gallery touring exhibition of the same name, Acts of Creation is an engaging, thought-provoking and richly illustrated must-read on the evolving discourse on motherhood, offering a fresh perspective that challenges conventions and inspires change.

Hettie Judah is a writer and art critic, contributing regularly to the Guardian, Apollo, Frieze and the Times Literary Supplement among many other publications. She has lectured widely on art and motherhood, and in 2022 co-founded the Art Working Parents Alliance. Recent books include Lapidarium:The Secret Lives of Stones (2022) and How Not To Exclude Artist Mothers (and other parents) (2022).

This event is part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival

Bedsit Land - The Strange Worlds of Soft Cell by music journalist, DJ & author Patrick Clarke in conversation with journalist, broadcaster and musician John Robb
2024-11-06 20:00 - 22:00 | Old Woollen, Sunnybank Mills, 83-85 Town Street, Farsley, LS28 5UJ, United Kingdom
As part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival we are excited to announce, an evening at the Old Woollen with music journalist, DJ & author Patrick Clarke about his latest release Bedsit Land – The Strange Worlds of Soft Cell. Patrick will be joined in conversation with journalist, broadcaster and musician John Robb.

Soft Cell are more than just a pop band. Marc Almond and Dave Ball may be best known for the string of hits they released in 1981, but the powerful first phase of their collaboration embraced a staggering array of sounds, influences and innovations that would change the face of music to come.

In Bedsit land, Patrick Clarke plunges into the archives and interviews more than sixty contributors, including the band members themselves, to follow Soft Cell through the many strange and sprawling worlds that shaped their extraordinary career. They lead him from the faded camp glamour of the British seaside to the dizzying thrills of the New York club scene. From transgressive student performance art to the sleaze and squalor of pre-gentrified Soho. From the glitz of British showbiz to the drug-addled chaos of post-Franco Spain. He emerges on the other side with the most in-depth, innovative and entertaining account of the duo ever written.

Patrick Clarke is a music journalist and live DJ. He is the deputy editor of the Quietus and a freelance contributor to the Guardian, NME, DIY Magazine and many more. He has also written for a number of specialist titles, including No Depression, N By Norwegian and MARVIN.

Patrick will be joined in conversation by the well-known media figure who has been active in music for decades John Robb. John is a journalist, broadcaster and musician. He is the author of Punk Rock: An Oral History (2006) and The Art of Darkness: The History of Goth, the first major book on Goth culture. He is the founder of culture website louderthanwar.com and plays bass in the post-punk band The Membranes.

This event is part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival – Doors open 7pm

Destination Fabulous - Find your way to your best you yet with Anna Murphy
2024-11-03 14:00 - 15:30 | Old Woollen, Sunnybank Mills, 83-85 Town Street, Farsley, LS28 5UJ, United Kingdom
As part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival we are bringing you another fabulous event, join us in the Old Woollen as we chat to Anna Murphy, Fashion Director of The Times. Anna will be introducing Destination Fabulous – her inspirational and invigorating guide to embracing your age and celebrating the wisdom and inner beauty that comes with it.

From the Fashion Director of The Times comes a wise and inspiring guide to making the most of life as a grown-up woman – from the practical (how to dress your best) to the existential (how to feel your best).

At 52, Anna Murphy feels more visible than at any point in her life to date. In Destination Fabulous, she offers a toolkit to help you embrace your age and celebrate the wisdom and inner beauty that comes with it. It’s not about impossible goals. It’s not about running a marathon (unless you want it to be). It’s not about denying the ageing process, nor attempting to erase its signs. It’s not about letting everything go, either. It’s about balance. It’s about the possible and the present. And it’s about the future you want. How do you lift and smooth your face naturally? Should you go grey, and, if so, how? How do you deal with menopause? Anna combines her knowledge from years of writing about fashion and beauty with her openness to the alternative ways of thinking found in disciplines such as yoga and Chinese medicine. For her natural is always best.

As for fashion, Anna knows better than anyone that this can be the ultimate route into surfacing the true you. She shares all her tricks for finding your way to a wardrobe that will transform not just the way you look but the way you feel. And she shares the highlights of her conversations over the years with super-stylish agers such as Iris Apfel and Miuccia Prada. How have they got it right? Drawing on the wisdom of writers as diverse as Pema Chödrön and Eckhart Tolle, Dorothy Rowe and Osho, Nora Ephron and Mary Oliver, she writes about saying goodbye to what doesn’t serve you and welcoming what does; about forging relationships that work for you as well as others; and about finding your purpose, whether in your personal or professional life. Discover how the bumps on her road have helped her find her way to her true path. Her hope is that this book will help you to find yours, too.

This event is part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival. Doors open 1pm event starts 2pm

An afternoon with award winning historical novelist Kate Mosse
2024-11-02 13:00 - 15:00 | Old Woollen, Sunnybank Mills, 83-85 Town Street, Farsley, LS28 5UJ, United Kingdom
As part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival we are delighted to announce, An afternoon with Kate Mosse at the Old Woollen. Kate Mosse CBE FRSL is an award-winning novelist, playwright, performer, campaigner, interviewer and non-fiction writer. The author of ten novels and short-story collections, her books have sold over five million copies, been translated into thirty-eight languages and published in more than forty countries. Kate will be talking to us about her latest novel The Map of Bones, which will be released on 10th October.

A story of adventure and hardship, dispossession and injustice, The Map of Bones is the sequel to the No. 1 bestselling The Ghost Ship, and the fourth – and concluding – novel of The Joubert Family Chronicles.

Olifantshoek, South Africa, 1688. When the vicious Cape wind blows from the south-east, they say the voices of the unquiet dead can be heard whispering through this deserted valley. Suzanne Joubert is here to walk in the footsteps of her cousin, Louise Reydon-Joubert, pirate and commander of the Ghost Ship, who disappeared more than sixty years ago. Suzanne has come to find her — to lay the stories to rest. But all is not as it seems . . .

Franschhoek, South Africa, 1862. One hundred and eighty years later, another member of the Joubert family, Isabeau, has journeyed to the small frontier town once known as Oliftantshoek in search of the long-lost women of her family. But the tragedies and crimes of the past are far from over, and Isabeau must race against time to not only discover the truth but escape with her life . . .

Kate’s fiction writing includes the multimillion-selling Languedoc Trilogy (Labyrinth, Sepulchre, Citadel), The Joubert Family Chronicles (The Burning Chambers, The City of Tears, The Ghost Ship, The Map of Bones) and No 1 bestselling Gothic fiction including The Taxidermist’s Daughter and The Winter Ghosts.

Her highly-acclaimed non-fiction includes An Extra Pair of Hands: A Story of Caring & Everyday Acts of Love and Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries: How Women (Also) Built the World, which inspired her one-woman theatre touring show.

A regular guest on radio and television for literature, Kate hosts the pre-show interview series at Chichester Festival Theatre and is a regular interviewer for literary and arts festivals including Letters Live, the Hay Festival, the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the British Library and the Royal National Theatre. Her new podcast, The Matilda Effect, will be launched in summer 2024.

The Founder Director of the Women’s Prize for Fiction and the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction – the world’s largest annual literary awards celebrating writing by woman – she is the founder of the global #WomanInHistory campaign and has her own monthly YouTube book show, Mosse on a Monday. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Kate is also an Honorary Fellow of the Society of Authors, a Visiting Professor of Contemporary Fiction and Creative Writing at the University of Chichester and President of the Festival of Chichester. In the broader arts, Kate is President of the Festival of Chichester, Patron of the Chichester Cathedral Festival of Flowers 2024, Vice-Patron of the Chichester Cathedral Platinum Music Trust and Patron of the Chichester Festival of Music, Dance and Speech. She is also an Ambassador for Parkinsons UK and has recently been appointed to Board of the British Library.

This event is part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival

Writing for Wellness with Charlotte Russell
2024-10-28 18:30 - 20:30 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
As part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival we are excited to bring you this new event, join us in the shop for an evening of Writing for Wellness. Join Charlotte Russell (MA CW) for a character driven, story-based journalling session to boost self-worth and leave you feeling empowered. Suitable for complete beginners or those who write often, this creative writing event will not only demonstrate the benefits of journalling but will leave you feeling empowered, restored and confident.

This event is part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival. Doors open 6:30pm event starts 6:45pm

Brand Brilliance for Female Entrepreneurs - with Abigail and Chloe Baldwin
2024-10-22 18:30 - 20:30 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
As part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival we are delighted to be able to bring you this event. Are you a female entrepreneur aiming to reach your highest potential? Then this is the book you need!

Authored and designed by Abigail and Chloe Baldwin — dynamic twin sisters and successful business owners — this book unveils a unique roadmap to building confidence and a strong personal brand. Drawing from their entrepreneurial journey, the Baldwins intertwine personal anecdotes with a practical branding framework. Emphasising teamwork, personal growth, and strategic business development, it offers ten actionable strategies for women to enhance their brand and elevate their business.Follow their framework, and you’re not just boosting your profile — you’re transforming your revenue.

Join us in he shop as we speak to twin sisters, Abigail and Chloe Baldwin. This duo are creative advocates, educators, and co-founders of the design agency Buttercrumble, a creative design studio based in Leeds and established in 2017. With a focus on delivering inclusive branding, graphics and illustration that educate and connect the young and the young-at-heart, they have collaborated with high-profile brands including Mamas and Papas and Santander, and are published authors of “The Brand Power Manifesto”.

This event is part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival. Doors open 6:30pm event starts 6:45pm

An evening in conversation with SJ Bradley
2024-10-17 18:30 - 20:30 | Truman Books, 95 Town Street, Farsley, Leeds, LS28 5HX
As part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival we are bringing you another fabulous event, join us in the shop for an evening in conversation with SJ Bradley, as she introduces us to her latest writing ‘Maps of Imaginary Towns’.

Stories emerging from the period of austerity under the leadership of Johnson and Cameron, from this established northern author and tutor of talent in literary fiction and a short fiction tutor.

From futuristic colonies to drab estates, SJ Bradley’s inventive stories showcase remarkable range. With lyrical prose and psychological depth, Bradley illuminates the quiet heroism pulsing through seemingly ordinary lives.

Beleaguered, yet resourceful social workers battle towering workloads; a harassed elderly childminder collapses under the strain; a victim of domestic abuse strikes out for freedom and disgruntled workers in dead-end jobs dream of a brighter future. These vividly rendered tales trace hard-won solace throughsmall acts of courage, exploring grief, ambition, and belonging. Gritty yet tender, ‘Maps of Imaginary Towns’ celebrates the resilience of the human spirit.

SJ Bradley is a writer from Wakefield. Her short fiction has appeared in various journals and anthologies including Conradology and Resist! Stories of Uprising from Comma Press, New Willesden Short Stories 7, Queen Mobs, Litro magazine, and Untitled Books. Her first novel, Brick Mother, and her second novel, Guest, are both published by Dead Ink. She is the editor of the Saboteur Award-winning anthology R|emembering Oluwale, which is available from Valley Press. Her work as an arts organiser involves the non-profit literary social Fictions of Every Kind (which ran for 10 years), The Northern Short Story Festivaland the Walter Swan Short Story Prize. She is also a teacher of creative writing including short story writing courses for Comma Press and First Story in Leeds and Bradford.

This event is part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival. Doors open 6:30pm event starts 6:45pm

Cecelia Ahern in conversation with Gaby Roslin
2024-10-14 20:00 - 22:00 | Old Woollen, Sunnybank Mills, 83-85 Town Street, Farsley, LS28 5UJ, United Kingdom
As part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival we are delighted to announce, an evening at the Old Woollen with multi-million bestseller and contemporary fiction powerhouse, Cecelia Ahern in conversation with one of the UK’s most popular TV and radio presenters, Gaby Roslin. Cecelia constantly defies expectations. Ever evolving, she is most recently known for her provocative, mind-bending collection Roar, adapted for TV by Nicole Kidman.

Cecilia will be taking about her latest gripping novel ‘Into the Storm‘ which is about motherhood, escaping the past, and what really happened on one wild, stormy night.

Surviving the storm is only the beginning… It is a wild night in the middle of December, and GP Enya is crouched over a teenage boy, performing CPR in the freezing rain. She found him on a mountain road near Dublin, the victim of a hit-and-run.The boy survives, but Enya goes to pieces. She leaves her husband, her son, and everything she knows to start a new life in remote rural Ireland.But even in the quiet of Abbeydooley, beneath the boughs of an ancient tree, Enya is still haunted by that night in the rain. Can the stories of strangers and a land steeped in legend lay the ghosts of her past to rest? Or will the storm she’s outrunning finally catch up with her?

Gaby hosts BBC1’s Morning Live and Ch5’s Shop Smart Save Money. She also presents on Radio 2, has released her first book Spread the Joy (Harper Collins) and also has her own incredibly successful podcast ‘Reasons to be Joyful’.She has hosted her own chat show on BBC Radio London since 2014 as well as creating and presenting Gaby’s Talking Pictures for Radio 4 & the live theatre show.

Cecelia Ahern is an Irish novelist whose work was first published in 2004. Her debut novel PS I Love You was an international bestseller and was adapted to film starring Hilary Swank. Her second novel, Where Rainbows End, was adapted into Love, Rosie starring Lily Collins. Her books have been published in over thirty-seven languages, and have sold over twenty-five million copies. In addition to her novels, she is also the author of a highly acclaimed collection of stories, Roar, which is now an Apple Original series starring Nicole Kidman on Apple TV+.

This event is part of the 2024 Farsley Literature Festival – Doors open 7pm
