What's On

Nick Bailey, leading English Plantsman, Garden Designer and BBC Gardeners' World Presenter, guides us through the knowledge captured in his best selling book, '365 Days of Colour in Your Garden', sharing tips on how to plant and manage your garden to ensure year-round colour and interest, whatever its size.

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Nick has created and and managed gardens on four continents and brings a wealth of gardening knowledge and experience to share with you at this sure-to-be inspirational event.

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After his talk, there will be an audience Q&A, and a book signing. Nick will have copies of his book available to purchase.

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'A beautifully photographed guide for gardeners' - Daily Telegraph

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Tickets: £15 - available in person at The Oundle Bookshop (cash only) or online via TicketSource by clicking 'Book Tickets' below.

Million-copy bestselling author, Joanne Harris sensationally returns to the world of 'Chocolat'  with her new novel, 'Vianne'.

Secrets.
Chocolate.
A touch of magic...

In this prequel to her best selling novel, 'Chocolat', Slyviane Rochas arrives in Marseille aged 21, with little but a change of clothes, a few hundred francs and a secret stowaway who will become Anouk. This book will answer the mysteries of Vianne's past, including how she gained her amazing affinity with chocolate.

The evening will feature a talk from Joanne, an audience Q&A and a book signing afterwards.  The Oundle Bookshop will have copies of 'Vianne' and a selection of Joanne's other books available for purchase.​

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Tickets: £11 Earlybird (limited ticket numbers), £13 general admission - available in person at The Oundle Bookshop (cash only) or online via TicketSource by clicking 'Book Tickets' below.​​​

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​6th August 2025 marks 80 years since the bombing of Hiroshima, arguably the most significant event of WWII.

 

Award winning writer, Iain MacGregor’s latest book, ‘The Hiroshima Men’ tells the decade-long story of the race for the atomic bomb, through the eyes of four main participants, the war across Europe and the Pacific, and what 'Little Boy' actually did to Hiroshima as detailed in John Hershey's iconic article in The New Yorker.

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'I can think of no more important book for our time. Written with moral clarity, tremendous verve... I recommend this magisterial, haunting book to all generations.' Fergal Keane - Foreign Correspondent, BBC

 

Iain has worked with bestselling historians such as Simon Schama, Alice Roberts and John Nicol and on podcasts with The Imperial War Museum and R4’s ‘In Our Time’ series with Melvyn Bragg. He has been published in The Guardian, BBC History Magazine, The Spectator and The Washington Post. The Hiroshima Men is his fourth historical non-fiction book. ​​​

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Tickets: £9 - available in person at The Oundle Bookshop (cash only) or online via TicketSource by clicking 'Book Tickets' below.​​​

Oundle welcomes international authors, Katherine Mezzacappa & Lisa Medved to discuss their latest historical fiction novels, which give voice to women history cast aside.

Based on true events, Mezzacappa's, book, tells the tale of orphan Giulia, who is thrust into the orbit of the powerful Medici's after they call the virility of a prince marrying into their family into question.
'Immaculately researched and imagined, rich in period detail and emotionally compelling, The Maiden of Florence is a historical fiction tour de force' —Deborah Swift, author of The Poison Keeper

Medved's 'The Engraver's Secret' melds history and thriller in this dual timeline tale. Charlotte's and Antonia's lives intertwine as they unearth long-buried secrets about a master artist and his engraver where theft, betrayal and the fallout of family loyalty run rampant.
'An inspired blend of history and suspense... This wonderful debut novel will inhabit your dreams.' -Dominic Smith New York Times bestselling author of 'The Last Painting of Sara de Vos'.

The evening will feature a conversation between Katherine, Lisa and our Festival Curator, Karen, an audience Q&A and a book signing.

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Tickets: £9 - available in person at The Oundle Bookshop (cash only) or online via TicketSource by clicking 'Book Tickets' below.

The great American jazz age novel...

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Dr Diana Hallam asks the key question at the heart of this book.

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'Who is Jay Gatsby?'

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Choose your hot beverage at the start of the event, take your table complete with a selection of cakes, and enjoy a thought provoking session as Diana guides us through this classic text.  ​

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Tickets: £12.50, (lecture, hot drinks, and a selection of homemade cakes), available at The Oundle Bookshop (cash only) or online via TicketSource by clicking 'Book Tickets' below.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

In the summer of 1941, German troops surrounded the Russian city of Leningrad – now St Petersburg – and began the longest blockade in recorded history. By the most conservative estimates, the siege would claim the lives of three-quarters of a million people. Most died of starvation.

At the centre of the embattled city stood a converted palace that housed the greatest living plant library ever amassed – the world’s first seed bank. After attempts to evacuate the collection failed, and as supplies dwindled, the scientists responsible faced a terrible decision: should they distribute the specimens to the starving population, or preserve them in the hope that they held the key to ending global famine?

Drawing on previously unseen sources, The Forbidden Garden tells the remarkable and moving story of the botanists who remained at the Plant Institute during the darkest days of the siege, risking their lives in the name of science.

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‘An astonishing story brilliantly told . . . It is as moving as it is gripping to read’ - Jonathan Dimbleby, author of Endgame: 1944

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Join award-winning author and journalist, Simon Parkin, as he talks about this inspiring book - how he unearthed the story and what he discovered during his journey to bring it to the world. 

 

The evening will feature a talk from Simon, an audience Q&A and a book signing afterwards.  The Oundle Bookshop will have copies of this and other books by Simon available to purchase.​

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Tickets: £9 available at The Oundle Bookshop (cash only) or online via TicketSource by clicking 'Book Tickets' below.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​