September Author Events
There is still time to confirm with us for the next retreat weekend and join us for 48 hours of bookish bliss! Last room available, 26-28 September - check it out here.
I have posted a lot about our authors on socials, but wanted to take a moment to highlight each of their books and our planned activities in September.
On Friday evening, we are opening with an outdoor BBQ and discussion of the gloriously smart and summer novel The Book Game, Written by Frances Wise, co-Authors, Chloë Houston and Adam Smyth. It’s a sexy, funny and intriguing story about old friends and past students getting together over a week long writers retreat and the secrets the hold from each other and the wider dramas in academia. You can tell both writers are professors as the book reads smart as it is fun and if you like to really apply your mind to things this will be the perfect novel for you. As we are waiting for a big reveal (or fallout) the story reads fast-paced and I found the writing is fluid and easily digestible for summertime. I cannot wait to talk a bit about their process of writing together and also their own experiences in academia.
Saturday afternoon we are stretching the genre bounds for most people and reading the debut novel from Jessie Elland, The Ladie Upstairs. You may know Jessie from her stint on TV show, Emmerdale here in the UK. This women is talented! The book is visceral, captivating and very fever-dream-esque towards the end - the writing captures you and its just the right side of scary. There is a big wave of movement in this ‘femgore’ genre and a lot to talk about and analyse. I cannot wait to sit down with Jessie over a class of champagne with a really sugar cake to get to the bottom of her story. I previously haven’t even considered reading horror and while this touches lightly on it, its opened my eyes to books I previously would have given a miss and my new favourite ‘botanical horror’. What I like about this novel is its character driven, making large statements about society, but in a fever dream fashion.
On a slow Sunday morning, over lots of tea and cinnamon buns, we will be meeting Sangu Mandanna to discuss her latest novel and cosy fantasy, The Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping (which hit the NYT bestseller list in Aug 2025). I am a huge fan of the romantasy genre and I devoured this book in a day. Her writing is like a hug, and the characters, setting and story arcs are a beautiful tool for any reader that needs a calm, cosy and funny pick-me-up. I am not always the biggest ‘cosy-vibe’ reader and I was delightful charmed and impressed with this book - there was enough jeopardy and darkness for this to be firmly fantasy!
