Upcoming Events.
Get a free ticket to our launch day party on THURSDAY 9th APRIL 2.30pm - 3.30pm when you pre-order the book: RRP £14.99
Lots of fun and games and be amongst the first to get your hands on Lottie’s latest adventure …..this time on skis!
From hilarious MEGA bestselling author, Katie Kirby, comes a brand-new story from the phenomenal Lottie Brooks series!
Lottie’s done with embarrassing herself. There can't possibly be any more ways to do it! Right?
Have her annoying little brother announce her bra size while shopping? Done.
Get her head stuck in a coffin during an escape room? Check.
Go viral and embarrass herself on national media? Completed it.
So surely nothing else could possibly phase her. Until an invitation from Amber to join her family ski holiday suddenly arrives . . .
Lottie Brooks Launch Day Party
The Seriously Epic Holiday of Lottie Brooks
Get a free invitation to our launch day party when you pre-order the book.
Along the Borders - Talk by Richard Collett
for Malmesbury Civic Trust
Friday 15th May 7pm ( Doors open 6.30pm
Malmesbury Town Hall
Tickets available from Malmesbury Civic Trust: http://malmesburycivictrust.eventbrite.com/ or on sale in BARN OWL BOOKS
Pre-Order your book here:
by Richard Collett
Hardback
£22
Published 30 April 2026
Description
Nationalities are often strongest on the border, where people define themselves in opposition to their neighbours. Flags fly, dialects become stronger, and the distance between ‘us’ and ‘them’ grows. But borderlands are also the spaces in between, where centuries of history and culture merge and collide to create complex and shifting identities.
Along the Borders chronicles Richard Collett’s multi-year journey, by bus, boat, train, plane, car and on foot, through hundreds of miles of borderlands. Exploring Cornwall, the Welsh Marches, the Midlands, the Anglo-Scottish border, the Scottish Highlands, Shetland, Northern Ireland and the Kentish coast, this is not just a book about the United Kingdom’s borders and boundaries: it’s about the people that live there. Collet speaks to a vivid cast of characters, from Cornish nationalists to town criers, from pub landlords to battle reenactors, and charity workers helping refugees on a search for national and personal identity in an increasingly fragmented United Kingdom.
By looking to the borderlands, we can discover the essence of what Britain is and what it isn’t. What it has been and what it can be. Ultimately, this is a book about how our borders and boundaries are bridged, and how they bring us together.
Talk by Jackie Morris and Cathy Fisher
The Wild Lullaby
Monday 14th September - 7pm
Malmesbury Town Hall - Assembly Room
Ticket with Book £20
Ticket Only £10
Jackie Morris is one of Britains most popular illustrators and writers. She was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway medal in 2016 and won it in 2019 for her illustration of The Lost Words, voted the most beautiful book of 2016 by UK booksellers.
Jackie has written and illustrated many books including Tell me a Dragon, Something about a Bear, I am Cat and The Lost Spells.
Loved by adults and children alike, this is a unique opportunity to hear about the creative process of writing and illustrating as Jackie introduces her newest book The Wild Lullaby written by her and illustrated by Cathy Fisher who Jackie has collaborated with previously for The Summer Puppy and Panda’s Child.
The Eights - In conversation with Joanna Miller
Thursday 2nd July - 7pm
Malmesbury Town Hall - Assembly Room
Ticket withh Book £15
Ticket Only £10
An evening with Joanna Miller, author of The Eights in conversation with Amanda from Barn Owl Books.
Thursday 2nd July
7pm
Malmesbury Town Hall
Ticket with Book £15
Ticket Only £10
Description of book
They didn’t know they would change each other. Oxford, 1920. For the first time in its 1000-year history, the world’s most famous university has admitted female students.
Giddy with dreams of equality, education and emancipation, four young women move into neighbouring rooms on Corridor Eight. They have come here from all walks of life, and they are thrown into an unlikely, life-affirming friendship. Dora was never meant to go to university, but, after losing both her brother and her fiancé on the battlefield, has arrived in their place.
Beatrice, politically-minded daughter of a famous suffragette, sees Oxford as a chance to make her own way – and her own friends – for the first time. Socialite Otto fills her room with extravagant luxuries but fears they won’t be enough to distract her from her memories of the war years. And quiet, clever, Marianne, the daughter of a village vicar, arrives bearing a secret she must hide from everyone – even The Eights – if she is to succeed.
But Oxford’s dreaming spires cast a dark shadow: in 1920, misogyny is still rife, influenza is still a threat, and the ghosts of the Great War are still very real indeed. And as the group navigate this tumultuous moment in time, their friendship will become more important than ever. The Eights is a captivating debut novel about sisterhood, self-determination, courage, and what it means to come of age in a world that is forever changed.
Adult Contemporary Fiction Book Clubs
We currently have three Adult book clubs running - two evening ones and one run in the afternoon. All are held in our “Reading Room” at our shop on Oxford Street , Malmesbury.
First Wednesday of each month at 7pm
Second Wednesday of every month at 7pm
Third Wednesday of every month 7pm * (new)
Second Tuesday of every month at 2pm
Third Tuesday of every month at 2pm
Fourth Tuesday of every month at 2pm *(new)
Come and share your love of books with likeminded others and make new friends! Our book clubs are relaxed, not too serious and an opportunity for you to extend your reading tastes by trying books from a wide range of genres.
Sessions cost £14 which includes a copy of the book and refreshments. If you want a tipple you are welcome to bring your own alcohol and we will provide the glasses. Payment is taken on arrival.
There is no need to make a long term commitment and you are not charged if you are unable to attend a session. If you already have the book that we are reading you can swap that months book for an alternative one.
Places are much in demand and we currently have a waiting list for both evening book clubs but if you would like to enquire about a place on any of our book clubs please email info@barnowlbooks.co.uk
What we are reading……
Young Adult Book Club
Last Thursday of every month at 3.45pm
Book Club for young adults aged 14 years and over.
Session Cost is £12.50 and includes refreshments and a copy of the book.
The Book Club will be held on a THURSDAY afternoon at 3:45pm on the LAST Thursday of every month
Pay as you go - no need to pay upfront and we do not charge you if you miss a session.
Book your place now by emailing: info@barnowlbooks.co.uk
Teens Book Club
First Thursday of every month at 3.45pm
Book Club for students year 8 and over
Session Cost is £12.50 and includes refreshments and a copy of the book.
The Book Club will be held on a THURSDAY afternoon at 3:45pm on the FIRST Thursday of every month
Pay as you go - no need to pay upfront and we do not charge you if you miss a session.
Book your place now by emailing: info@barnowlbooks.co.uk
Year 7’s Book Club
Book Club for year 7’s only
Session Cost is £12.50 and includes refreshments and a copy of the book.
The Book Club will be held on a THURSDAY afternoon at 3:45pm on the SECOND Thursday of every month
Pay as you go - no need to pay upfront and we do not charge you if you miss a session.
Book your place now by emailing: info@barnowlbooks.co.uk
Toddler Story Club
Held on the FIRST Thursday of every month 10am - 11 am
Suitable for children aged 2 years and upwards (younger siblings are welcome to attend)
Storytime session *** Songs and Rhymes *** Activities ***
Children will be encouraged to move about; explore; question; and ultimately engage in the session through the use of props, resources and story sacks. We follow a program to extend children’s literacy skills, vocabulary and language development and above all extend children’s self esteem and confidence through child centred practice that will make these sessions engaging and FUN!
Cost £3.50 for one adult and one child or £5 for two children.
Next session:
Thursday 7th May
10am - 11am
Story Reading/Songs and Rhymes
Activities