The weather’s getting colder, the days shorter, and storms are rolling in. What better time of year then for looking at all the new cookbooks on offer. From comfort food to Christmas presents, tis the season for them. And there are plenty of cookbook events coming up in the next few weeks to tempt you - featuring, among others, Harrods’ pastry chef Philip Khoury, Aran’s Fora Shedden, Olly Smith on wine, Wahaca’s Thomasina Miers, local favourite Jess Elliott Dennison, the Sportsman’s Stephen Harris, the Hebridean Baker, Robin Sherriff on fermentation, Rose Murray Brown on wine, Rick Stein with Christmas cooking, whisky events with Dave Broom and Kristiane Westray, Café Cùil’s Clare Coghill, Skye McAlpine’s Christmas offering, Padella’s Tim Siadatan and Ixta Belfrage on Brasilian cuisine.
But if that’s not enough for you, there’s news: Edinburgh is going to get its own specialist cookbook shop. The Cookbook Shop is planning to open on Leith Walk, “for people who love and think deeply about food: how it’s grown, prepared, served and remembered. A place with unmatched depth in each category, from regional recipe books to technique-forward professional tomes, foraging and fermentation guides, and essays on food history and culture. Cookbooks from everywhere and for everyone, no matter your interest, age or experience.”
Despite already having more cookbooks than any one person should have, I can’t wait. Check them out on Instagram or get involved by visiting the Cookbook Shop crowdfunder.
There can never be enough bookshops in Edinburgh!
As usual, give me your thoughts in the comments, and let me know of any events that I’ve missed. And please, please share this widely with all your Edinburgh friends.
Enjoy whatever events you go to this week.
This week’s events
October 6
Lea Ypi for Indignity: A Life Reimagined
7pm, Pilrig St. Paul’s / LARCH, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5AH
Lea Ypi’s first book, Free: Coming of Age at the End of History won the Ondaatje Prize and the Slightly Foxed Best First Biography Prize and was shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize and the Costa Biography Award. She joins Toppings for Indignity, an imaginative investigation into dignity and historical injustice through the story of a family from the fall of the Ottoman Empire to the dawn of Communism in the Balkans.
Early bird £8/including book £22
October 6
Author Talk - Ben Docherty on Lullabies for Satan
6pm, Stockbridge Library, 11 Hamilton Place
"The devil has trouble sleeping. Caretaking human souls has taken its toll and he is suffering from insomnia. Enter Peter, a human soul and former musician who the devil believes can write music to help him sleep. Peter is under the watchful eye of Balthazar, a demon and the devil's right-hand man. Their budding friendship will be tested as Balthazar tries to keep the devil's weakness a secret and fight off an attempted coup. Meanwhile, Peter attempts this seemingly impossible task while adjusting to his new life in hell, and reminiscing about his previous turbulent life."
Join us for interesting conversation with Leith based author Ben Docherty about his debut book Lullabies for Satan.
No booking required.
October 6
An Evening with Charlie Mackesy
7:30pm, Assembly Rooms, 54 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2LR
The Portobello Bookshop is really excited to be hosting Charlie Mackesy at the Assembly Rooms on George Street for a very special evening event as part of his book tour for Always Remember: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, the Horse and the Storm.
This will be the Edinburgh celebration of the hugely anticipated new book from Charlie Mackesy, revisiting the much-loved world of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse – the bestselling adult non-fiction book of all time, with over ten million readers around the world.
Book & in-person audience £22
October 7
Cooks & Books: Harrods' Head Pastry Chef Philip Khoury for Beyond Baking: Plant-based Baking for a New Era
7pm, Pilrig St. Paul's / LARCH, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5AH
Philip Khoury is an award-winning, classically trained pastry chef who spent six years as the Head Pastry Chef at Harrods. He joins Toppings for his new book, Beyond Baking, an exploration of how far baking can go when it's guided by flavour, process, and purpose, rather than tradition alone. Tasters can be expected!
Early bird £10/including book £28
October 8
Helena Fornells Nadal - I Could Not Ask You To
7pm, The Portobello Bookshop, 46 Portobello High Street, Edinburgh, EH15 1DA
We’re so delighted to announce that, for the first time, one of our booksellers is going to be launching their work in the bookshop! Helena Fornells Nadal joined the shop way back when we opened, and has been both a bookseller and assistant manager. She’s now pursuing a PhD, but happily still works at the shop occasionally. We’re extremely excited that her new poetry pamphlet, I Could Not Ask You To, will be published by Mouse Press.
Join us for an evening of poetry, with Helena reading from her work along with other fellow poets. We’ll have drinks to celebrate, and can’t wait to have her work on our shelves from next month!
Book and in-person audience £8/Voucher and in-person audience £5
October 8
Mary Portas: I Shop, Therefore I Am
7pm, Christ Church Morningside, 6a Morningside Rd, Edinburgh EH10 4DD, UK
The Edinburgh Bookshop is thrilled to welcome legend of the high street, beloved designer and broadcaster Mary Portas to Edinburgh, as she joins Sam Baker to discuss her brand new memoir, I Shop Therefore I Am.
Tickets £5 - £22
October 8
Sara Ahmed: No Is Not A Lonely Utterance
7pm, the Great Hall, 25 Nicolson Square EH8 9BX (round the corner from Bookshop)
That long awaited day has finally come: We're welcoming the feminist giant, Queer icon, academic, campaigner and author Sara Ahmed back to Edinburgh!
Event only £6.00/Event + book £20.00
October 8
A Festive Evening with Lindsey Kelk & Friends
7pm, The Parish Church of St Cuthbert, 5 Lothian Rd, Edinburgh, EH1 2EP
Join Lindsey and friends for great chats, fun and festivities to celebrate Christmas Fling. Special guests to be announced!
Book, Ticket & Pin Badge £15/General Admission £9
October 9
Carrion Crow with Heather Parry
7pm, Argonaut Books, Leith
Marguerite Périgord is locked in the attic of her family home, a towering Chelsea house overlooking the stinking Thames. For company she has a sewing machine, Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management and a carrion crow who has come to nest in the rafters. Restless, she spends her waning energies on the fascinations of her own body, memorising Mrs Beeton’s advice and longing for her life outside.
Cécile Périgord has confined her daughter Marguerite for her own good. Cécile is concerned that Marguerite’s engagement to a much older, near-penniless solicitor, will drag the family name – her husband’s name, that is – into disrepute. And for Cécile, who has worked hard at her own betterment, this simply won’t do.
Cécile’s life has taught her that no matter how high a woman climbs she can just as readily fall. Of course, both have their secrets, intentions and histories to hide. As Marguerite’s patience turns into rage, the boundaries of her mind and body start to fray.
And neither woman can recognise what the other is becoming.
Ticket only - free/Ticket plus signed book £9.99
October 9
Miranda Moore: A Beautiful, Terrible Thing Book Launch
7pm, the Edinburgh Bookshop, 176 Bruntsfield Place, EH10 4DF
Join us for the launch of Miranda Moore's debut YA novel, A Beautiful, Terrible Thing – A compulsively readable story about how grief, love and the poignant beauty of life intertwine.
Free event
October 9
Uncharmed, An Evening with Lucy Jane Wood
7pm, The Parish Church of St. Cuthbert , 5 Lothian Road, Edinburgh , EH1 2EP
Join Lucy Jane Wood on Thursday 9th October, 7pm, at The Parish Church of St. Cuthbert's, to celebrate her spellbinding new cosy fantasy, Uncharmed.
General Admission: £5 / Book & Ticket: £25
October 9
7pm, Lighthouse Bookshop, 43 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DB
Eli Erlick brings us lost stories from trans history.
Event only £4.00/Event + book £20.00
October 9
Dr Julia Shaw for Green Crime
7pm, Pilrig St. Paul's / LARCH, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5AH
Dr Julia Shaw is a criminal psychologist at University College London and the author of three books; Bi, The Memory Illusion and Making Evil. Julia joins Topping for her new book, Green Crime: Inside the Minds of the People Destroying the Planet, and How to Stop Them.
Early bird £8/including book £18.99
October 9
Amanda Block for The Haunting of Hero’s Bay
7pm, Topping & Company, 2 Blenheim Place, Edinburgh EH7 5JH
We are thrilled to be joined by the author of The Lost Storyteller for her second novel, The Haunting of Hero's Bay.
Early bird £8/including book £20
October 10
Meet & Greet with Jess and Norma's Jessica Asquith
7pm, Pilrig St. Paul's / LARCH, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5AH
Step into the world of Jess and her 91 year old grandmother Norma who, with over 4.8 million devoted followers, have taken social media by storm with their infectious sense of humour and heart-warming bond.
Ticket £22, including book.
October 12
Sex Beyond Yes: Quill Kukla on pleasure and agency
5.30pm, Lighthouse Bookshop, 43 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9DB
Every discussion of sexual ethics revolves around consent, but is this notion enough to help us understand good sex? We're thrilled to welcome philosopher Quill R Kukla for a discussion of pleasure and intimacy and the tools needed to navigate them!
Kukla's new book Sex beyond Yes is an invitation to think beyond reductive concepts of consent, gender, and freedom to reframe the communication and social support we need to establish sexual relationships founded on genuine respect, open discourse, and unhindered joy.
Event voucher £4/ticket plus book £14.99
Upcoming events
And if you’re inclined to look ahead, there’s lot’s more to choose from:
October 13
Poetry/translation: Menna Elfyn’s Parch & more
6.30pm, Lighthouse Bookshop, 43 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DB
Join us for an evening of poetry celebrating the Edinburgh launch of Menna’s latest collection, Parch, featuring readings from Menna and local poets writing at the intersection of translation and language, including Marcas Mac an Tuairneir.
Menna Elfyn is perhaps the best-known, most travelled and most translated of all Welsh-language poets – until now writing exclusively in Welsh. Her work has been translated into English and other languages by leading poets from around the world. Following many years of campaigning, Menna Elfyn is moving towards her own sense of resolution as the Welsh language is now accepted and respected as an official language in Wales.
Ticket £4/Ticket & book £12.99
October 13
Book Launch: Andrew Sclater, Quite Joyful
6.30pm, Fruitmarket, EH1 1DF
Join us to celebrate the publication of Quite Joyful, Andrew Sclater’s latest poetry collection, published by Mariscat Press. Introduced by Scotland’s Makar, Peter Mackay. All welcome.
Andrew Sclater’s poems are like no others’. They can immediately establish a sense of intimacy or unease or both together, often underlaid with hurt and pain; there’s a felicity and facility of tone, technical brilliance and virtuoso rhyming. On the edge of things, as in ‘The Cave’, or simply lyrical, as in ‘Quince on Fence’, the poems draw the reader deep into Sclaterland.
Free, but ticketed.
October 13
M. L. Rio for Hot Wax
7pm, Broughton St Mary's, 12 Bellevue Cres, Edinburgh EH3 6NE
This October Topping is overjoyed to host M. L. Rio for her latest novel, Hot Wax, a nostalgic love-letter to the late 80s rock and roll scene, following a band on the cusp of stardom and a woman dealing with the violent legacy of the tour decades later.
Early bird £8/including book £20
October 13
7.30pm, Assembly Rooms, 54 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2LR
Join the Portobello Bookshop in welcoming Ben Elton to Edinburgh's Assembly Rooms for an evening 'in conversation' event as he discusses his one-of-a-kind (and one volume only) autobiography, What Have I Done?. Elton will be in conversation with actor, writer and presenter Sanjeev Kohli.
Stalls - Early Bird Book & In-person Audience £22.50/Stalls - Book & In-person Audience£25/Stalls - In-person Audience £18
October 14 - new listing
Scottish Left Review: Time for a New Party?
7pm, Lighthouse Bookshop, 43 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DB
Come and join the writers and readers of the Scottish Left Review, Scotland’s radical magazine, for the launch of the latest issue: the first of SLR’s 25th anniversary year.
We’ll start the evening with discussion about the prospects and priorities of the left. With debate heating up about new parties both in Scotland and south of the border, and with a Holyrood election on the horizon, is the end of 2025 the time for a big parliamentary push, or do the hopes and perils of our world demand a different energy and focus?nThen we’ll hear from other contributors to our broad-ranging issue – with insights and reflections on the radical Clydesiders who rewrote the history of slavery, the software that is changing warfare, and the Jews resisting the genocide in Palestine.
Event voucher £2
October 14
An Audience with Philippa Gregory
7pm, Assembly Roxy, 2 Roxburgh Place, , Edinburgh, EH8 9SU
Join Philippa Gregory, on Tuesday 14th October at 7pm, as she takes you on a journey through the history you thought you knew, with her new book, Boleyn Traitor.
General Admission: £9 / Book & Ticket: £27
October 14
Gyles Brandreth on Somewhere, A Boy And A Bear
7pm, Pilrig St. Paul's / LARCH, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5AH
Gyles Brandreth is a writer, broadcaster, podcaster, trustee of The Queen’s Reading Room charity, former MP and Chancellor of the University of Chester, as well as a regular on shows like Just a Minute, QI, Celebrity Gogglebox and This Morning. Gyles joins us to tell the extraordinary story of A.A. Milne, Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh, just in time for the centenary of the publication of Winnie-the-Pooh in 2026.
Early bird £10/including book £25
October 15
6.30pm, Golden Hare Books, 68 St Stephen Street, EH3 5AQ
Join us in the bookshop for an evening of poetry celebrating Robert Fergusson with Scotland's Makar, Peter Mackay and friends. Peter Mackay will be joined by some of the book's other contributors: Ellen Galford, Andrew Redmond Barr, Chris Tait, Ash Caton, Alan Riach, Matt Brady.
Ticket £6/Ticket plus book £12.99
October 15
The Evolution of Devolution in Scotland: Unfinished Business with James Mitchell & Henry McLeish
7pm, Topping & Company, 2 Blenheim Place, Edinburgh EH7 5JH
Unfinished Business is a compelling read, essential for political enthusiasts, policymakers and anyone passionate about the evolution of Scottish governance. Henry McLeish and James Mitchell dissect the legacy of the 1998 Scottish Parliament legislation, revisiting the core principles that shaped its foundation.
Early bird £8/including book £12.99
October 16
Flora Shedden - Winter in the Highlands
7pm, The Portobello Bookshop, 46 Portobello High Street, Edinburgh, EH15 1DA
We're really excited that Flora Shedden is coming to the bookshop to celebrate the publication day launch of her new cookbook, Winter in the Highlands. Banish the winter blues, embrace the stark beauty of the colder months and step into an invitingly warm world of comfort and culinary delight. We know there are so many foodies in and around Portobello so we hope many of you can join us!
Book & In-person Audience £26/Voucher & In-person Audience £5
October 16
The Society of Unknowable Objects, An Evening with Gareth Brown
7pm, Edinburgh - West End
Join Gareth Brown on Thursday 16th October, 7pm, to celebrate the publication on his A fast-paced flight of magic and mystery, The Society of Unknowable Objects.
General Admission: £5 / Book & Ticket: £20
October 16
Manya Wilkinson for Lublin
7pm, Topping & Company Booksellers, 2 Blenheim Place, Edinburgh EH7 5JH
Manya Wilkinson is a Jewish New Yorker who has lived in the North of England for over twenty years. Formerly a senior MA lecturer on prose and scriptwriting at Newcastle University, she is currently teaching prose workshops for Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts and Mslexia magazine. Absurd, riveting, alarming, hilarious, the dialogue devastatingly sharp and the pacing extraordinary, Lublin is a journey to nowhere that changes everything it touches.
Early bird £8/including book £14.99
October 17
Jules & Greg's Wild Swim
7pm, Pilrig St. Paul's / LARCH, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5AH
Following on their successful BBC TV series, Jules Wilson Nimmo and Greg Hemphill explore Scotland and give us their guide to all that's best about wild swimming.
Early bird £10/including book £26
October 17
Chris Kraus - The Four Spent the Day Together
7pm, Portobello Bookshop, 46 Portobello High Street, Edinburgh, EH15 1DA
We're excited to be welcoming Chris Kraus to the bookshop for an event to celebrate her latest novel, The Four Spent the Day Together. An unforgettable new novel from the author of the modern classic I Love Dick— a witty, probing journey into a fractured America, culminating in the investigation of a teenage murder. Kraus will be in conversation with interdisciplinary writer Maria Fusco.
Book & In-person Audience £16.99/Voucher & In-person Audience £5
October 18
Mona Awad for We Love You, Bunny
7pm, St Cuthbert's Church, 5 Lothian Rd, Edinburgh EH1 2EP
Mona Awad is the bestselling author of Rouge, All's Well, Bunny, and 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl. She is a three-time finalist for a Goodreads Choice Award, the recipient of an Amazon Best First Novel Award, and she was shortlisted for the Giller Prize. Bunny was a finalist for a New England Book Award and was named a Best Book of 2019 by Time, Vogue, and the New York Public Library. She joins us for the much anticipated follow up, We Love you, Bunny.
Early bird £8/including book £16.99
October 20
An Evening with The Map Men: This Way Up - Mark Cooper-Jones & Jay Foreman
7pm, Waterstones, Edinburgh - West End, Princes Street, Edinburgh
Join Mark Cooper-Jones and Jay Foreman – also known as The Map Men – the online sensation, as they bring us their debut book, all about the world’s worst maps. Some are decades old, some are centuries old, and some are so recent they’re still being published today (or yesterday, if you’re reading this tomorrow). Whether you’re an avid map junkie or simply ‘map-curious’, each chapter uncovers a unique tale of adventure, error and unexpected humour – as they attempt to answer the question: ‘What on earth happened here?’
So, ditch the compass (or disable location services) and set out into a world of cartographic chaos and mappy mishaps. Because the worst maps are the best maps.
General admission £5/book plus ticket £20
October 20
Frances Tophill for A Wildflower Year
7pm, Pilrig St. Paul's / LARCH, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5AH
Join Toppings to welcome Frances Tophill, British horticulturist, author, and television presenter known for her contributions to Love Your Garden and Gardeners' World. The author of Rewild Your Garden, The First-Time Gardener and The Modern Gardener, she joins us to celebrate the release of A Wildflower Year: A Guide to Wildflowers, their Habitats & Histories.
Early bird £8/including book £12.99
October 20
Jonathan Freedland for The Traitors Circle
7pm, Pilrig St. Paul's / LARCH, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5AH
Jonathan Freedland’s previous book The Escape Artist was Book of the Year for The Times, Guardian, and many other publications. It was shortlisted For The Baillie Gifford Prize, Rathbones Folio Prize, and was a Waterstones Book Of The Year. Jonathan joins Toppings for The Traitor's Circle, a thrilling true story of courage, resistance and ultimately betrayal in the Third Reich.
Early bird £8/including book £22
October 20
‘Vanishing World’ by Sayaka Murata with Camilla Grudova
7pm, St Paul’s and St George’s Church, Edinburgh
We’re absolutely thrilled to announce that we will be joined by Sayaka Murata, author of ‘Convenience Store Woman’ and ‘Earthlings’, this October, to coincide with her visit to the UK, for her only Scottish event to celebrate her new novel ‘Vanishing World’.
Ticket £5/Ticket plus book £16.99
October 21
Eleanor Doughty: Heirs & Graces
7pm, Blackwell's Bookshop, 53-62 South Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1YS
We are delighted to be joined by Eleanor Doughty as she discusses her wonderfully rich, often amusing and always revealing account of the fortunes of the aristocracy over the past century and a series of fascinating glimpses into what it is like to be an aristocrat in Britain today, in her new book Heirs & Graces. Exploring the rites, traditions and challenges that have shaped the modern British nobility, Eleanor's hugely entertaining volume sheds fascinating light on the lives, loves and eccentricities of the post-war British aristocrats.
General admission £5/book plus ticket £30
October 21
Fawn’s Blood: Queer Vampire Night with Hal Schrieve
7pm, Lighthouse Bookshop, 43-45 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DB
Vampires, vampire slayers, and a bloodthirsty underground resistance converge in a campy YA fantasy about being a queer teen in a world that wishes they did not exist. The librarian and critically acclaimed author of Out of Salem puts a pulpy spin on vampire fiction, and bites back at anti-trans moral panic!
See in spooky season with a delicious queer monster night!
Event only £4.00/Event + book £18.99
October 21
Lyse Doucet for The Finest Hotel in Kabul
7pm, Edinburgh New Town Church, 13 George St, Edinburgh EH2 2PA
Lyse is the BBC's Chief International Correspondent and has led BBC coverage of events ranging from the Arab Spring to the Sudanese Civil War. She first arrived at the Kabul Inter-Continental Hotel on Christmas Day 1988, the day after her 30th birthday. She still visits whenever she is in Afghanistan. She counts many of its staff and fellow guests her close friends and here, she uses its story to craft a richly immersive history of modern Afghanistan. The result is a remarkably vivid history of how Afghans have survived a half century of destruction and disruption. It is the story of a hotel but also the story of a people.
Early bird £8/including book £25
October 21
Wine Tasting with Olly Smith for Wine
7pm, The Royal Scots Club, 29-31 Abercromby Pl, Edinburgh EH3 6QE
Olly Smith is the UK's best-loved wine expert, with 18 years' presenting wine on BBC1's Saturday Kitchen. He has written about wine for theMail on Sunday and the Daily Mail for 17 years and has six award-winning Glass House wine bars across the P&O Cruises fleet. He joins us for a talk with tastings for his brilliant new book WINE: Everything You Need to Know!
Early bird £12/including book £16.99
October 21
T. L. Huchu - Secrets of the First School
7pm, Portobello Bookshop, 46 Portobello High Street, Edinburgh, EH15 1DA
We are thrilled to welcome T. L. Huchu back to the bookshop to launch the fifth and final mystery-filled instalment of his enchanting Edinburgh Nights series, Secrets of the First School. Huchu will be in conversation with Ann Landmann, founder and director of Cymera: Scotland's Festival of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Writing.
Book & In-person Audience£20/Voucher & In-person Audience£5
October 22
Intermediaries: an evening of queer history with Brandy Schillace
7pm, Lighthouse Bookshop, 43 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DB
Join us for an evening exploring the fascinating history behind the daring team of sexologists who built the first trans clinic in the shadow of the Third Reich.
With the ongoing eradication of trans rights in the UK, The Intermediaries is an important reminder that grassroots organisers have always found ways to deliver care and mutual aid to those who need it most – do not despair, organise! Brandy Schillace is a historian, former professor and museum professional, and editor of Medical Humanities, a social-justice journal. She writes about gender, medical history, and neurodiversity for outlets including Scientific American, Wired, CrimeReads, and Undark. She lives in Ohio.
Ticket £4/Ticket plus book £23.99
October 22
7pm, Blackwell's Bookshop, 53-62 South Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1YS
Join us for an unforgettable evening with Mairi Kidd, the bestselling author of The Specimens, as we celebrate the release of her compelling new novel, which delves into the complex and haunting world of a young Mary Godwin, the brilliant mind who would go on to birth Frankenstein's monster.
Dundee, 1812. Isabel Baxter awaits the arrival of Mary Godwin, a girl of precocious intellect and grand passions, sent north to cure a mysterious ailment. Nestled in woodland on the banks of the Tay, the Baxter family home seems a perfect place for a troubled girl to recuperate. But The Cottage is a place of secrets, memories . . . and monsters.
We know Mary Shelley as the girl who wrote Frankenstein, but there are great holes in the fabric of her story.
Ticket £3/Ticket & book £17
October 22
Take Me to the River: Vicky Allan & Jackie Kemp
7pm, Waterstones, Edinburgh - West End, Princes Street, Edinburgh
Immerse yourself in an ocean of great literature by joining us as Vicky Allan and Jackie Kemp take us on a dive into the deep sea of words with their new book Take Me to the River.
From gentle dips in calm waters to fights for survival in stormy seas. From the erotic charge of a streamlined body to moments of revelation amidst the waves . . . Take Me to the River is an anthology not just of wild swimming writing, but of stories of how a jump into deep waters can change us.
General admission £5/book and ticket £23
October 22
An evening with Oyinkan Braithwaite
7pm, Rare Birds Books
RBB is so excited to welcome acclaimed novelist Oyinkan Braithwaite to Rare Birds for her brilliant new novel, Cursed Daughters. Oyinkan's debut, My Sister the Serial Killer was a Rare Birds Book Club pick in 2019 and continues to be a best seller in store. With Cursed Daughters, Oyinkan delivers another unforgettable story which is laced with her signature wit & dark humour.
Tickets are £5 and can be redeemed against any purchase on the evening of the event.
October 22
Wahaca's Thomasina Miers for Mexican Table
7pm, The Royal Scots Club, 29-31 Abercromby Pl, Edinburgh EH3 6QE
Cook, writer and winner of MasterChef, Thomasina Miers has made cheese in Ireland, cheffed in Michelin-stared kitchens and, having travelled to Mexico in 1994, went to live there to research the cuisine. She joins Toppings for a Talk with Tastings for her fabulous new cookbook Mexican Kitchen.
Early bird £12/including book £28
October 22
F1 Academy's Susie Wolff for Driven
7pm, McEwan Hall, The University of Edinburgh, Teviot Pl, Edinburgh EH8 9AG
Former racing driver and Managing Director of F1 Academy Susie Wolff lifts the bonnet on her incredible journey to the top of motorsport.
Early bird £10/including book £25
October 22
An Evening with Nicola Sturgeon
7.30pm, Portobello Town Hall, 147-149 Portobello High St
The Portobello Bookshop is delighted to be welcoming Nicola Sturgeon to Portobello Town Hall for an evening event to discuss her new memoir, Frankly. Sturgeon has always been a huge supporter of independent bookshops and we're really looking forward to welcoming her back to Portobello.
*Limited* SIGNED Book & In-person Audience£28/In-person Audience£15
October 23
The Tower with Thea Lenarduzzi and Ann Landmann
7pm, Argonaut Books, Leith
Once upon a time, there was a tower on a hill, beyond the dark trees, somewhere north. An octagonal tower on two levels: glass upstairs and stone below, beneath a steep slate roof – a folly, it was said. According to locals, a young woman named Annie who fell ill was confined to the tower by her father for three years and died there, alone. Fascinated by Annie’s story, Thea Lenarduzzi attempts to piece the past together in a formidable act of imagination, which, tugging at the strings of the how, why and who of stories, begins to unravel the very idea of storytelling itself.
Veering between fiction, memoir, fairy tale and folklore, The Tower is an extraordinary book about power, abuse and why we don’t always tell the story we set out to tell.
Ticket only - free/Ticket plus signed book £14.99
October 23
Book Launch: The Rose Field
8am Waterstones, Edinburgh - West End, Princes Street
Join us at Waterstones Edinburgh West End to celebrate the publication of the - much anticipated - third volume in Philip Pullman's Book of Dust trilogy.
To mark this exciting occassion, we will be opening at an earlier time of 8.00 AM to allow you to be amongst the first to dive into The Rose Field. There will also be exclusive goodies on offer to the first purchases of the day, while stocks last.
Entry - free
October 23
Simple Minds' Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill for Our Secrets Are The Same
7pm, Ps and Gs Church, 46 York Place, EH1 3HP
Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill formed Simple Minds in 1977 and went on to turn it into one of the biggest, most influential, eclectic and pioneering groups of the past half century.
They join us for their long-awaited memoir Our Secrets Are The Same.
Early bird £10/including book £25
October 23
Weekend Recipes with Jessica Elliott Dennison
7pm, The Edinburgh Bookshop, 176 Bruntsfield Pl, Edinburgh EH10 4DF, UK
We are delighted to welcome Jessica Elliott Dennison back to the bookshop for a delicious event celebrating new recipes from her brand new book, Weekend Recipes.
Tickets £10-25
October 23
Ann Cleeves for The Killing Stones
7pm, Pilrig St. Paul's / LARCH, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5AH
Ann Cleeves is the author of more than thirty-five critically acclaimed novels, and in 2017 was awarded the highest accolade in crime writing, the CWA Diamond Dagger. Ann joins Toppings for her superb new novel The Killing Stones, which sees the long-awaited return of Shetland protagonist Detective Jimmy Perez.
Early bird £8/including book £22
October 23
Look Away Now: a Linen Press Poetry Night
7pm, Lighthouse Bookshop, 43 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DB
Join us for an Edinburgh launch of Look Away Now, featuring readings from Jess Richards, Sally J Morgan, Regi Claire, Carol McKay, Lindsay Kellar-Madsen, Constance Hill & Chris Baral. Readings will be followed by a signing and an informal drinks reception.
Ticket £4/including book £12.99
October 23
Gavin Oattes: Confidently Lost
7pm, Waterstones, Edinburgh - West End
We are delighted to be joined by Gavin Oattes as he discusses his heartfelt, honest and hugely comforting new book, Confidently Lost: Finding Joy in the Chaos and Rediscovering What Matters Most in Life.
General admission £5/book and ticket £15
October 24
Alice Wilkinson: How to Stay Sane in a House Share
7pm, Blackwell's Bookshop, 53-62 South Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1YS
We're looking forward to welcoming journalist and serial house sharer Alice Wilkinson, as she helps us to navigate the choppy waters of communal living, from selecting the right housemate to the best ways to smooth over conflicts, in her new book, How to Stay Sane in a House Share.
How do you keep it together when you're living together?
If you’ve found yourself asking this question (returning home from a day of winning in the workplace only to realise you've lost the fight for your own living room — again), thankfully, Alice Wilkinson is here to help you stay sane when you're feeling stuck.
General admission £3/book plus ticket £15
October 24
Park Seolyeon for Capitalists Must Starve
7pm, Topping & Company, 2 Blenheim Place, Edinburgh EH7 5JH
Winner of Hankyoreh Literature Award
'Hur’s taut, masterful translation wisely refuses to pander to what anglophone readers might not know, but maintains the brittle tension of Seolyeon’s spare prose, and brilliantly succeeds in conjuring a time, a place and a movement and a pioneering activist who became a catalyst for change from within her cell.' - The Irish Times
Join us to celebrate the latest from the brilliant Park Seolyeon, Capitalists Must Starve, translated from Korean by Anton Hur.
Early bird £8/including book £14.99
October 25
Theatre Book Club: To Kill a Mockingbird
1.15pm Book Club discussion at Blackwell’s, 2.30pm Matinee performance of To Kill a Mockingbird, 5.20pm Post-show discussion in Festival Theatre Cafe
Do you want to dig in deep to the original story before seeing its adaptation? This collaborative book club from Blackwell’s and Capital Theatres is just the thing to take you from page to stage and ignite some fascinating conversations.
Our final book club of the autumn season is Harper Lee’s great American classic To Kill a Mockingbird.
Bookclub ticket £3, but you’ll also have to book a theatre ticket for the show.
October 26
Alan Davies for White Male Stand-Up
7pm, St Cuthbert's Church, 5 Lothian Rd, Edinburgh EH1 2EP
Alan Davies is a comedian, writer and actor, best known for starring in the hit BBC series Jonathan Creek and for his regular appearances as a panellist on QI. He joins Toppings for the new installment in his memoir: following Just Ignore Him, the bestselling memoir of his traumatic childhood, White Male Stand-Up is what happened next to Alan Davies...
Early bird £10/including book £25
October 27
Gabrielle Bates for Judas Goat
7pm, Topping & Company, 2 Blenheim Place, Edinburgh EH7 5JH
We are so excited to be hosting the Scottish launch of Gabrielle Bates' debut poetry collection, Judas Goat. The conversation will be chaired by beloved Edinburgh-based poet, Alycia Pirmohamed.
Early bird £8/including book £16.99
October 27
Ambrose Parry for the Final Raven and Fisher Mystery: The Death of Shame
7pm, Pilrig St. Paul's / LARCH, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5AH
This autumn, Toppings is overjoyed to welcome back Ambrose Parry to celebrate the Raven and Fisher Mysteries. The Death of Shame is the final installment in this sensational series, and we hope you will all join us in giving Will Raven and Sarah Fisher the send off to remember!
Early bird £8/including book £18.99
October 28
Louis D. Hall & Manni Coe, In Conversation with Dan Richards
7pm, Waterstones, Edinburgh - West End
We are looking forward to welcoming Louis D. Hall and Manni Coe as they talk to Dan Richards about their deeply engaging and equally powerful memoirs, In Green and Little Ruins.
General admission: £5/In Green and Ticket: £22 /Little Ruins and Ticket: £20
October 28
7pm, Lighthouse Bookshop, 43 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DB
Dr Janina Maschke on how women can thrive and find focus in a world built for men.
Event only £4.00/Event + book £12.99
October 28
Andrew Graham Dixon on Vermeer: A Life Lost and Found
7pm, Pilrig St. Paul's / LARCH, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5AH
Andrew Graham-Dixon is an art historian, biographer and broadcaster who has made more BBC television series about art than any other presenter. He was for many years the main art critic of the Sunday Telegraph and Independent. Andrew joins us for Vermeer: A Life Lost and Found.
Early bird £10/including book £30
October 28
Sunburn's Chloe Michelle Howarth for Heap Earth Upon It
7pm, Topping & Company, 2 Blenheim Place, Edinburgh EH7 5JH
Chloe's debut novel, Sunburn, was a sensation, shortlisted for the 2024 Polari First Book Prize, the 2024 Book of the Year: Discover Award at the British Book Awards and the 2023 Nero Book Award for Debut Fiction. Heap Earth Upon It is her hotly anticipated new novel. Beautifully written, Howarth tells a haunting story of longing and grief narrated by characters that draw you into themselves and the dark secrets threaded through each of them.
Early bird £8/including book £16.99
October 28
Emma Christie - Watch Your Back
7pm, Portobello Bookshop, 46 Portobello High Street, Edinburgh, EH15 1DA
t's always a pleasure to welcome Emma Christie to the bookshop for a launch event and her next visit is to celebrate the Edinburgh launch of Watch Your Back. Join us to hear more about this pacy, gripping thriller with an unbelievable twist! Christie will be in conversation with Dr Jacky Collins AKA Dr Noir.
Book & In-person Audience£10.99/Voucher & In-person Audience£5
October 29 - new listing
Bookshop Signing with Tricia O’Malley
5.30pm/6pm/6.30pm, Book Lovers Bookshop6 Melville Terrace, Edinburgh, EH9 1ND
From the international bestselling author, Charmed meets The Pumpkin Spice Café in this cosy bewitching romance. She’s hexed. He’s vexed. And for Scotland’s most magical small-town, their feud might just spell disaster.
An NY Times, USA Today, and WSJ bestselling author, Tricia O’Malley’s infectious joy in writing romance with an added dash of magic has touched hearts around the world. With over three million books read, O’Malley’s stories have been translated into several languages and enjoy a devoted following.
Tickets £3
October 29 - new listing
Ice Cream for a Broken Tooth - Robin Ince with James Matthewson
7.30pm, Typewronger Books, 4a Haddington Place, Edinburgh, EH7 4AE
Robin Ince will be reading from his debut poetry collection Ice Cream for a Broken Tooth with James Matthewson.
Robin Ince is many things. A multi award winning comedian, author, broadcaster, bibliomaniac and a populariser of scientific ideas. He is perhaps best known as the co-host and co-creator of the Sony Gold Award winning BBC Radio 4 series The Infinite Monkey Cage with Professor Brian Cox.
His debut poetry collection, Ice Cream for a Broken Tooth: Poems about life, death, and the odd bits in between pursues the psychological essence of personal and societal wellbeing, explored through experiential neurodivergence and humanism.
Free, but ticketed.
October 29
An evening with Allison Meldrum: Keep Me Safe
7pm, Edinburgh - West End
Join Allison Meldrum on Wednesday 29th October, at 7pm, to celebrate the publication of her absorbing and pacy new thriller, Keep Me Safe.
General Admission: £5 / Book & Ticket: £13
October 29
Stephanie Garber for Alchemy of Secrets
6pm, Ps and Gs Church, 46 York Place, EH1 3HP
Stephanie Garber is the No. 1 Sunday Times, New York Times, and internationally bestselling author of the Caraval series and the Once Upon a Broken Heart series. Toppings cannot wait to welcome back the global phenomenon in Edinburgh for her spectacular new novel, Alchemy of Secrets! Fusing spellbinding Hollywood secrets with a cinematic mystery, this book will transport you into another world. Chaired by fellow YA author, Adalyn Grace, this is not an evening to miss!
Early bird £10/including book £22
October 29
An Evening with TJ Klune
7pm, Pilrig St. Paul's / LARCH, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5AH
Join Toppings as cosy fantasy icon TJ Klune heads to Edinburgh to discuss the no. 1 bestselling sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea: Somewhere Beyond the Sea.
Early bird £8/including book £10.99
October 30
Mr Outside Event with Caleb Klaces
6.30pm, Golden Hare Books, 68 St Stephen Street, EH3 5AQ
During a time of restricted movement, the narrator of Mr Outside visits his reclusive father Thomas who is packing up to move into a care home. As father and son grapple with the task, long-buried conflicts resurface. Thomas, a poet and former radical priest, slips between affection and fear, while the narrator struggles to find the words he’s been holding back.
Caleb will be joined in conversation by Martin MacInes and Oli Hazzard.
Ticket £6/Book and ticket £12
October 30
Poet Laureate Simon Armitage for New Cemetery
7pm, Pilrig St. Paul's / LARCH, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5AH
Poet Laureate Simon Armitage joins us for his major new collection New Cemetery. In this highly imaginative and wide-ranging collection, he makes peace with the dead.
Early bird £10/including book £14.99
October 30
Joe Hill & Keith Rosson: An Evening of Horror
7pm, St Cuthbert's Church, 5 Lothian Rd, Edinburgh EH1 2EP
Join Toppings on Halloween Eve for a night of horror to celebrate the release of two of the most hotly anticipated tales of terror this year! Let us welcome you into the ghostly season proper with stories of vengeful vampires and sacrifice hungry demonic dragons. And that's not all: our evening with Joe Hill and Keith Rosson will also be chaired by another horror veteran: V Castro!
Early bird £10
October 30
Enda Delaney: Making Ireland Modern
7pm, Blackwell’s Bookshop, 53-62 South Bridge, EH1 1YS
Join Enda Delaney as he discusses his new book, Making Ireland Modern.
General admission £2.50/Ticket and book £35
October 30
Silent Bones withVal McDermid in conversation with Nicola Sturgeon
7.30, Assembly Roxy, 2 Roxburgh Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9SU
The Portobello Bookshop is absolutely delighted to be hosting Val McDermid's Edinburgh launch of the latest Karen Pirie thriller, Silent Bones. Join us in welcoming the Quine of Crime to the Assembly Roxy for an evening event that's set to be as thrillingly entertaining as McDermid's novels, as she will be in conversation with Nicola Sturgeon.
Early Bird - Book & In-person Audience £20 *Limited*/ Early Bird - In-Person Audience £15 *Limited*/Book & In-person Audience £22/In-person Audience £18
October 31
Rahul Soni for Shrikant Verma's Magadh
7pm, Topping & Company, 2 Blenheim Place, Edinburgh EH7 5JH
We are absolutely thrilled to welcome writer, editor and translator Rahul Soni for his translation of Shrikant Verma's (1931–1986) masterpiece Magadh. Rahul Soni's landmark translation stays faithful to the spare, haunting, incantatory cadences of the original, revealing how startlingly prescient and relevant Magadh remains today.
Early bird £8/including book £14.99
October 31
Hamza Yassin for Homeward Bound
7pm, Pilrig St. Paul's / LARCH, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5AH
Hamza Yassin is a Scottish wildlife cameraman and presenter, a skilled ornithologist and the winner of the 2022 season of Strictly Come Dancing! He joins Toppings for his new book Homeward Bound, telling the story of his life outdoors and the joy he has found in nature.
Early bird £10/including book £22
October 31
Ghosts, Romance and the Paranormal: An Author Event & Signing with BK Borison
6.15pm, Christ Church Morningside, 6a Morningside Road, Edinburgh, EH10 4DD
Join Book Lovers Bookshop for a Halloween evening event with author BK Borison to celebrate her new ghostly paranormal romance GOOD SPIRITS! Chaired by Elliot Fletcher, author of Whisky Business.
Event Entry Ticket £6/Book + Ticket £9.99
November 1
Sports Romance: A Conversation and Signing with Liz Tomforde!
7pm, Community Church Edinburgh King's Hall, 41 South Clerk Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9NZ
Join us for an in-person event with author Liz Tomforde to celebrate the Windy City series! The event will be chaired by our very own Book Lovers bookseller Anna.
Ticket-only for entry into Q&A and book signing £6.00/Ticket + Rewind It Back + a sticker sheet £9.99/Ticket + 5 x Pre-Signed Windy City Books + a tote bag £49.95
November 3
Pine's Francine Toon for Bluff
7pm, Pilrig St. Paul's / LARCH, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5AH
Francine Toon's debut novel Pine was a Sunday Times bestseller and number one Times bestseller. It won the 2020 McIlvanney Prize, was shortlisted for Bloody Scotland Debut Prize and longlisted for the Highland Book Prize and the Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award. We are delighted to welcome Francine back for her highly anticipated new novel, Bluff.
Early bird £8/including book £16.99
November 3
Cooks & Books: Stephen Harris for The Sportsman at Home
7pm, Topping & Company, 2 Blenheim Place, Edinburgh EH7 5JH
Stephen Harris is a self-taught chef who opened The Sportsman in 1999, turning something ordinary into something extraordinary. Under his guidance, the restaurant has earned and retained a Michelin star, as well as being named the UK's best restaurant multiple times.
Early bird £10/including book £30
November 4
Debut Author Showcase: Emily Buchanan, Natalie Jayne Clark and Elspeth Wilson
7pm, Waterstones, Edinburgh - West End, Princes Street, Edinburgh
Join us as we celebrate the thoroughly brilliant debut novels of Emily Buchanan, Natalie Jayne Clark and Elspeth Wilson.
Emily Buchanan: Flowers - Fiona, better known as eco-influencer @FoliageFifi, hasn't left her flat since her boyfriend, Ed, died. She blames herself for what happened to him and for the failure of their climate activist group. But when Ed's favourite plant appears on her doorstep with an anonymous note, Fifi feels a glimmer of hope…
Natalie Jayne Clark: The Malt Whisky Murders - When a dilapidated distillery comes up for sale in rural Kintyre, Eilidh and her wife Morag jump at the chance. But their ambition to run the first women-owned whisky distillery in Scotland seems to be scuppered when a grisly, decades-old secret is revealed: two dead bodies have been stuffed into barrels, perfectly preserved in single malt.
Elspeth Wilson: These Mortal Bodies - Leaving behind her childhood in coastal Scotland, Ivy Graveson arrives at an all-girls college at a prestigious university and throws herself into the deep end of life on campus. In just one life-changing year in these hallowed halls, Ivy will have to decide how much sisterhood means to her and how far she’ll go to become the person she was destined to be.
General admission £5
November 4
CL Clark with Hannah Kaner for Fate's Bane
7pm, Topping & Company, 2 Blenheim Place, Edinburgh EH7 5JH
Award winning author, and bookseller favourite, C. L. Clark comes to Edinburgh for the release of their brand new novella; Fate's Bane. Delve in the fens and marshes, as forbidden love and ancient magics blossom against the backdrop of warring clans. Not to be missed!
The event will be chaired by the brilliant Hannah Kaner, author of Godkiller, Sunbringer and Faithbreaker, all three #1 Sunday Times bestsellers.
Early bird ticket £8/including book £14.99
November 4
Dominic Hinde - Drifting North - Finding a Sustainable Future in Scotland's Past
7pm, The Portobello Bookshop
We're really pleased to be welcoming Dominic Hinde to the bookshop for an event to celebrate the Edinburgh launch of his latest book, Drifting North: Finding a Sustainable Future in Scotland's Past. Past and future collide in this engaging journey through climate change, fossil capitalism and the struggle for a sustainable world.
Book & In-person Audience £20.00/Voucher & In-person Audience £5.00/Free In-person Audience FREE
November 5-9
Edinburgh’s Radical Book Fair 2025: Ecosystems of Change
Assembly Roxy
Lighthouse's annual 4-day community gathering-meets-festival of ideas features over 20 events, workshops, shared-meals, activist and publisher stalls and much more.
The theme for this year's Book Fair is ecosystems of change, focusing on how we forge the coalitions vital to meaningful change and to building the world we deserve.
History shows us that when we come together across the boundaries of single issues, in embodied solidarity and with common goals, the most effective victories happen, with consequences far beyond what we imagined. Now, more than ever, we see the need for these ecosystems of change - from the climate justice movement working in solidarity with Palestine to trans rights framed as a class issue. Siloed struggles play into the hands of oppressors - the opposite is the road to liberation.
To that end this year's speakers include Joelle Taylor, Nikita Gill, Rachel Charlton-Dailey, Sunny Singh, DJ Paulette, Keio Yoshida, Dan Hicks, George Abraham, Basma Ghaylani, Remi Graves, Boff Whalley, Fariha Róisín, Xuanlin Tam and many more.
November 5
Andrew O'Hagan for On Friendship
7pm, Edinburgh New Town Church, 13 George St, Edinburgh EH2 2PA
Andrew O'Hagan is the bestselling author of novels including Mayflies, Our Fathers and Caledonian Road. He has been nominated for the Booker Prize, was voted one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists in 2003, and won the E. M. Forster Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He is Editor-at-Large of the London Review of Books and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Now, Andrew joins us for On Friendship, a heart-enriching celebration of what makes us great: our friends.
Earlybird ticket £8/including book £12.99
November 5
Clare Carlisle for Transcendence for Beginners
7pm, Topping & Company, 2 Blenheim Place, Edinburgh EH7 5JH
Clare Carlisle is Professor of Philosophy at King's College London, and the author of eight books on philosophy and philosophers, including Philosopher of the Heart: The Restless Life of Soren Kierkegaard and most recently The Marriage Question: George Eliot's Double Life.
In Transcendence for Beginners, Clare Carlisle examines life writing and philosophy across certain European and Indian traditions, exploring questions of childhood and mortality, art and religion, beauty and loss.
Early bird £8/including book £12.99
November 6-16
Mitchell Library, North Street, Glasgow, G3 7DN
Aye Write is Glasgow's book festival and is a celebration of books and literature, with lively discussion and debate.
November 6
An Evening with Peter MacQueen and the Hebridean Baker
7pm, Blackwell's Bookshop, 53-62 South Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1YS
Join Peter MacQueen and Coinneach MacLeod as they chat about Tails of Scotland: The Story of Scottish Dogs. In his new book, Peter MacQueen embarks on an extraordinary journey through the hills, glens and islands of Scotland, meeting fourteen of the country’s most iconic breeds. From the noble Scottish Deerhound to the mischievous Westie, Peter uncovers the history, character and quirks of each breed - and the deep bond they share with the people of Scotland. Alongside beautiful photography and practical tips, Tails of Scotland is a celebration of heritage, heart, and our four-legged companions.
General admission £3/book and ticket £17
November 6
Sir Bradley Wiggins for The Chain
7pm, St Cuthbert's Church, 5 Lothian Rd, Edinburgh EH1 2EP
Sir Bradley Wiggins is one of the greatest cyclists the UK has produced.
He won five Olympic gold medals and eight World Championship titles in a long and distinguished career. In 2012 he became the first Briton to win the Tour de France. Just ten days later he won Time Trial gold at the London Olympics then cemented his National Treasure status by being voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
He joins us for his autobiography, The Chain. This is a raw and deeply personal memoir of self-discovery and mental resilience, from one of the UK's greatest sportsmen.
Early bird ticket £8/including book £22
November 6
The World of Jane Austen: Devoney Looser & Zoë McGee in conversation
7pm, the Edinburgh Bookshop, 176 Bruntsfield Pl, EH10 4DF.
In celebration of Jane Austen's 250th birthday, we're thrilled to welcome two experts on one of the world's most cherished novelists, Devoney Looser and Zoë McGee. They will take a deep dive into Austen’s life, writing and legacy.
Tickets from £5
November 6
7pm, The Portobello Bookshop
We're excited that Olga Ravn is coming to the bookshop to celebrate the publication day launch of her new novel The Wax Child, which has been translated from the Danish by Martin Stewart. Ravn is one of Denmark's most celebrated contemporary authors and is known for her previous novels, The Employees and My Work. Ravn will be in conversation with fellow author Heather Parry.
Book & In-person Audience £14.99/Voucher & In-person Audience £5.00/Free In-person Audience - FREE
November 7
Robin Sheriff: The Science of Fermentation
Join author and CEO of the Fermenters Guild, Robin Sherriff, as he dives into the complex microbiology and chemistry behind essential ferments, revealing the invisible ecosystems that shape flavour, preserve food, and enrich our diets, with his new book The Science of Fermentation.
Every culture has a long history of fermentation – from kimchi to beer, kombucha to kefir, and sourdough to soy sauce – but rarely do we contemplate the complex science behind these everyday treats. Learn how fermented food and drinks have changed our palates and health forever, explore scientific processes behind your favourite pickles, and discover how to recreate them in your own kitchen.
Ticket £3/Ticket and book £25
November 7
The Witcher's Joey Batey for 'It's Not A Cult'
7pm, St Cuthbert's Church, 5 Lothian Rd, Edinburgh EH1 2EP
We are pleased to welcome beloved actor and musician Joey Batey, best known as Jaskier from Netflix's The Witcher and frontman of folk band, The Amazing Devil, to celebrate his debut novel; Its Not A Cult!
Blending together his northern heritage, love of music and performing, and the creeping dread of old gods long forgotten, this is one autumn evening to cherish.
Early bird ticket £8/including book £16.99
November 7
Cooks & Books: ARAN's Flora Shedden for Winter in the Highlands
7pm, Topping & Company, 2 Blenheim Place, Edinburgh EH7 5JH
Flora Shedden is a food writer based in Perthshire, Scotland and the youngest ever semi-finalist on The Great British Bake Off. In 2017, she opened ARAN Bakery, named by The Times as one of the best bakeries in the UK. She is the author of Gatherings, Aran, and Supper.
Flora joins us for her eagerly anticipated fourth cookbook, Winter in the Highlands. Tasters can be expected!
Early bird ticket £8/including book £26
November 10
Wine Tasting: Rose Murray Brown talks A Taste for Wine
7pm, The Royal Scots Club, 29-31 Abercromby Pl, Edinburgh EH3 6QE
Rose Murray Brown is one of only 422 Masters of Wine - and one of only 154 female MWs - in the world. After training at Sotheby's for 12 years as a wine and spirit specialist, Rose set up her own wine school in Scotland in 2001. Her wine school, Rose Murray Brown Masterclass, was rated as Scotland's best in the Top Ten places to learn about wine in the UK by the Telegraph.
Toppings is delighted to announce their event and wine tasting with Rose for her new book A Taste for Wine, a complete guide to understanding, tasting and appreciating wine.
Early bird ticket £12/with book £25
November 10
Janina Ramirez for Legenda: The Real Women Behind the Myths that Shaped Europe
7pm, Pilrig St. Paul's / LARCH, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5AH
Professor Janina Ramirez is a Sunday Times bestselling author, an Oxford lecturer, BBC broadcaster and researcher. She has presented and written over 30 hours of BBC history documentaries and series on TV and radio, and written seven books for children and adults. Her book Femina was an instant Sunday Times bestseller.
Janina joins Toppings for Legenda, a brilliant reappraisal of the medieval women whose lives have been exploited over centuries for political, nation-building ends.
Early bird ticket £8/with book £25
November 11
Allan Radcliffe: Blurred Faces
7pm, Blackwell's Bookshop, 53-62 South Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1YS
We are looking forward to welcoming Allan Radcliffe to chat about his tenderly romantic and deeply thoughtful new love story, Blurred Faces.
Two men meet on a dating app. It's supposed to be a casual encounter between strangers. Jordan is only back in Edinburgh to visit his complicated family, and Davie is reeling from a painful breakup. Yet Davie recognises Jordan as someone he knew long ago, when they were both closeted teenagers at the same school. Back then, Jordan was relentlessly bullied - and Davie was one of the bullies. But Jordan doesn't remember him at all.
Against the backdrop of a city steeped in memories, Davie and Jordan find themselves drawn together again and again. A fragile intimacy blossoms between them, but can anyone ever be free of their past?
Ticket £3/Ticket and book £11
November 11
An evening with Amanda Block & CJ Cooke
7pm, Rare Birds Books, 13a Raeburn Place, Edinburgh, EH4 1HU
We're so excited to welcome Amanda Block & CJ Cooke to store to celebrate the publications of their new novels The Haunting of Hero's Bay and The Last Witch.
Tickets £5
November 11
Philip Paris: A Fire in Their Hearts
7pm, Waterstones, Edinburgh - West End, Princes Street, Edinburgh
We are delighted to be joined by bestselling author of The Last Witch of Scotland (Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year 2024), Philip Paris to discuss his powerful, epic tale of love, faith and survival, A Fire in Their Hearts. As civil war rages and King Charles II tightens his grip on the Church of Scotland, childhood sweethearts Violet and Samuel are swept into a violent struggle for religious freedom. They pledge their hearts to each other - and to a cause that will test their faith, courage and love beyond measure.
General admission £5/book plus ticket £20
November 11
The Story of Art Without Men's Katy Hessel for How To Live An Artful Life
7pm, Pilrig St. Paul's / LARCH, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5AH
This November, Toppings hosts the author of The Story of Art Without Men for her new book, How to Live an Artful Life.
Katy Hessel is an art historian, curator, broadcaster and author of The Story of Art without Men, a Sunday Times and New York Times Bestseller, and the winner of Waterstones Book of the Year 2022. Katy joins us to celebrate her new book, helping you find daily inspiration for every day of the year in a joyful collection of quotes and ideas from artists.
Early bird ticket £8/including book £16.99
November 11
Ella Risbridger - In Love with Love
7pm, The Portobello Bookshop, 46 Portobello High Street, Edinburgh, EH15 1DA
We are over the moon that Ella Risbridger will be returning to the bookshop this November for an event to celebrate the publication of her new book, In Love with Love: The Persistence and Joy of Romantic Fiction. Risbridger will be in conversation with fellow author Anahit Behrooz.
Book & In-person Audience £16.99/Voucher & In-person Audience£5.00
November 12
The Great North Road by Robert Louis Stevenson, with Stuart Campbell
7pm, Blackwell's Bookshop, 53-62 South Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1YS
Join Stuart Campbell as we celebrate 175 years of Robert Louis Stevenson. Stuart has taken it upon himself to complete The Great North Road. Acting as a literary sleuth he has located a list of twenty-five intended chapter headings and, after a robust discussion with the abandoned characters, he has concluded the unfinished tale, come along and celebrate his great achievement at Blackwell's Edinburgh.
‘IT SHALL BE FINISHED!’ Robert Louis Stevenson made this proud boast in a letter to Sydney Colvin. He was referring to his latest project, The Great North Road, a rollicking tale of highwaymen, murder, mayhem and doomed love, hoping it would emulate the success of Treasure Island.
General admission £3/book and ticket £12
November 12
Cooks & Books: Rick Stein for Rick Stein's Christmas
7pm, St Cuthbert's Church, 5 Lothian Rd, Edinburgh EH1 2EP
Rick Stein, one of the nation's most-loved chefs, celebrates the most wonderful time of the year with a book to cosy up and hunker down with. Rick joins us to celebrate his first ever Christmas cookbook, bringing together all his favourite seasonal recipes and stories.
Early bird tickets £10/including book £28
November 13
Vaseem Khan: Quantum of Menace, with Kim Sherwood
7pm, Waterstones, Edinburgh - West End, Princes Street, Edinburgh
Centring on one of Ian Fleming's most beloved characters Q (aka Major Boothroyd), this delicious witty James Bond spin-off murder mystery finds the tech boffin investigating the suspicious death of his scientist friend after being unexpectedly ousted from his job at MI6.
Join Vaseem Khan as he chats to Kim Sherwood about his vibrant and dynamic new thriller, Quantum of Menace.
General admission £5/book plus ticket £23
November 13
Jeanette Winterson for One Aladdin Two Lamps
7pm, Edinburgh New Town Church, 13 George St, Edinburgh EH2 2PA
Jeanette Winterson published her first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, at twenty-five. Over two decades later she revisited that material in her internationally bestselling memoir Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?
One Aladdin Two Lampscracks open the legendary story of Shahrazad in One Thousand and One Nights to reveal new questions and answers we are still thinking about today. Who should we trust? Is love the most important thing in the world? Does it matter whether you are honest? What makes us happy?
Early bird tickets £8/including book £18.99
November 13
Owen Davies & Ceri Houlbrook - Folklore: A Journey Through the Past and Present
7pm, Blackwell's Bookshop, 53-62 South Bridge Edinburgh EH1 1YS
From village rituals and fairy tales to UFO legends and internet fanfiction, travelling through a landscape of witches, wizards and wicker men, Owen and Ceri reveal how folklore has been researched and written about in the past and show how it continues to be lived in the present. At the same time, they provide the reader with a valuable toolkit for understanding how to interpret the diverse examples given. The book's key message is that folklore is much more than the fossilised remains of a distant, rural past. Folklore is and always has been ubiquitous, dynamic and political. It is a living tradition that draws from many sources, including migrant communities, and is forever being renewed and updated.
Tickets £6/with book £20
November 13
Christina Riley: Looking Down at the Stars
7pm, The Portobello Bookshop, 46 Portobello High Street, Edinburgh, EH15 1DA
It's our great pleasure to welcome Christina Riley to the bookshop for the Edinburgh launch of her new essay collection, Looking Down at the Stars. We love Riley's work on The Nature Library, including a regular Substack newsletter, and we're excited to help her celebrate the publication of this eagerly anticipated essay collection. Riley will be in conversation with writer and academic Roxani Krystalli.
Book & In-person Audience £12.99/Voucher & In-person Audience£5.00
November 13
John Crace for The Bonfire of the Insanities
7pm, Pilrig St. Paul's / LARCH, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5AH
John Crace is the Guardian's parliamentary sketch writer & columnist and the author of several books, including Taking the Lead: A Dog at Number 10, Depraved New World, Decline and Fail, and I, Maybot. He joins Toppings this autumn for The Bonfire of the Insanities, his latest serving of political satire.
Early bird tickets £10/including book £16.99
November 13
Blurred Faces Launch Event with Allan Radcliffe
6.30pm, Golden Hare Books, 68 St Stephen Street, EH3 5AQ
Join us in the bookshop to hear Allan Radcliffe in conversation with Mary Paulson-Ellis about Blurred Faces.
About Blurred Faces: 'I mean, it's nothing really. An old face from the past.' Two men meet on a dating app. It's supposed to be a casual encounter between strangers...
Jordan is only back in Edinburgh to visit his complicated family, and Davie is reeling from a painful breakup. Yet Davie recognises Jordan as someone he knew long ago, when they were both closeted teenagers at the same school. Back then, Jordan was relentlessly bullied - and Davie was one of the bullies. But Jordan doesn't remember him at all. Against the backdrop of a city steeped in memories, Davie and Jordan find themselves drawn together again and again. A fragile intimacy blossoms between them, but can anyone ever be free of their past?
Book + ticket £10.99/ticket only £6
November 14
Sally Magnusson: The Shapeshifter's Daughter
7pm, Christ Church Morningside, 6a Morningside Rd, EH10 4DD
The Edinburgh Bookshop is thrilled to welcome bestselling author, journalist and broadcaster Sally Magnusson to Edinburgh, as she joins Eleanor Updale to discuss her brand new novel, The Shapeshifter's Daughter.
Tickets from £5
November 14
7pm, Blackwell's Bookshop, 53-62 South Bridge Edinburgh EH1 1YS
In 1290, England mourned the death of a queen, Eleanor of Castile, beloved wife of King Edward I. Her body was carried on a 200-mile journey from Lincoln to London, a solemn procession that would become immortalized in stone. To mark the places where her cortege rested, a heartbroken Edward commissioned twelve magnificent Eleanor Crosses. More than seven centuries later, bestselling historian Alice Loxton set herself an epic challenge: following in history's footsteps by walking the entire 200-mile funeral route on the corresponding dates.
As Alice journeys in search of England’s forgotten queen, over ancient paths and modern motorways, history comes alive in surprising ways. Lively and entertaining, Eleanor uncovers the extraordinary life and formidable character of this lesser-known royal, revealing her inspiring legacy and the hidden history of Britain.
Book plus ticket £22/book plus two tickets £27
November 14
Christopher Clark on A Scandal in Koenigsberg
7pm, Topping & Company, 2 Blenheim Place, Edinburgh EH7 5JH
Christopher Clark is the Regius Professor of History at the University of Cambridge. He was knighted in 2015. His previous books are The Politics of Conversion, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Iron Kingdom, The Sleepwalkers, Time and Power, Prisoners of Time and Revolutionary Spring.
He joins us for A Scandal in Koenigsberg, an electrifying micro-history of a city torn apart in a storm of scandal and sensation.
Early bird ticket £8/including book £22
November 16
Olivie Blake for Girl Dinner
7pm, Pilrig St. Paul's / LARCH, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5AH
‘A book that whets your appetite before devouring you whole. Girl Dinner is cunning, charged and - just as you're comfortable - a profound shock.' ~ Chloe Gong, author of Immortal Longings.
Olivie Blake, bestselling author of The Atlas Six, returns to celebrate her latest novel: Girl Dinner. Packed with twists, turns, and the aching reality of female rage, this is Olivie Blake as you have never read before.
Early bird £8/including book £22
November 17 - new listing
Or Something Worse: Why We Need to Disrupt the Climate Transition
7pm, Lighthouse Bookshop, 43 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DB
Featured speakers: Nicholas Beuret, Kate Whitaker and Nik Matheou.
The push for net zero has become a new arena for class conflict, where the powerful profit and the rest suffer.
Or Something Worse exposes the bleak realities of the transition to a carbon-neutral economy. Greening the economy has become a one-sided war, as governments and businesses squeeze the living standards of ordinary people. We need to seize control of the transition in order to reshape it to equitable ends.
Event voucher £4/Ticket plus book £11.99
November 17
Whisky Tasting with Dave Broom for The Japanese Way of Whisky
7pm, The Royal Scots Club, 29-31 Abercromby Pl, Edinburgh, EH3 6QE
Dave Broom is an internationally celebrated spirits expert. He has won two Glenfiddich prizes and, in 2013, the IWSC Communicator of the Year Award. In 2015, he won The Spirited Award for Best Cocktail & Spirits writer and in 2018, his book The Way of Whisky won an Andre Simon prize.
Dave's previous books include the first two editions of The World Atlas of Whisky, Whisky: The Manual, Gin: The Manual, Rum: The Manual, The Way of Whisky and A Sense of Place. Toppings is delighted to welcome Dave back to celebrate the updated edition of The Japanese Way of Whisky.
Early bird £15/including book £25
November 18
An evening of whisky tasting with Kristiane Westray
7pm, Rare Birds Book Shop, 13 Raeburn Place, EH4 1HU
We're so excited to welcome Kristiane Westray to the store for a fun evening of whisky wisdom and delicious drams. Kristiane will be chatting all about her new book, Savour, giving us some fun and interesting whisky facts and answering all your questions.
You'll also have the chance to have your book signed and best of all, we will be sampling some of the Whiskies from the book with Kristianes guidance!
Tickets £5
November 18
Alison Bashford: Decoding the Hand
7pm, Blackwell's, 53-62 South Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1YS
Join history Professor Alison Bashford as she chats to Richard Oosterhoff about her astonishing story of palmistry—from occultists to the very foundations of modern science and medicine, Decoding the Hand.
General admission £5/book plus ticket £25
November 18
Alistair Moffat for The North Sea
7pm, Topping & Company, 2 Blenheim Place, Edinburgh EH7 5JH
Alistair Moffat MBE was born in Kelso, Scotland in 1950. He is an award-winning writer, historian and former Director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Director of Programmes at Scottish Television. He is the founder of the Borders Book Festival and was awarded the MBE for services to literature and culture in 2025. He joins us to celebrate his latest book, The North Sea.
Early bird ticket £8/including book £20
November 20
An Evening with Natasha Siegel: As Many Souls as Stars
7pm, Waterstones, Edinburgh - West End, Princes Street
Join Natasha Siegel as we celebrate the publication of the sapphic Doctor Faustus retelling you’ve been waiting for, As Many Souls as Stars.
Lush with dark magic, impossible choices, and the slow burn of a love that transcends lifetimes, As Many Souls as Stars is a gothic literary fantasy full of feminine fury, queer longing, and the legacies women inherit, whether they want them or not.
General Admission £5/Book & Ticket £21
November 20
Stumbling Stones Event with Miriam Landor
6.30pm, Golden Hare Books, 68 St Stephen Street, EH3 5AQ
In this moving memoir, Miriam Landor shares her family's harrowing experiences of the Holocaust and the lasting impact this dark chapter of history had on the generations that followed.
Ticket £6/ticket plus book £9.99
November 20
Hen Party with Arthur Parkinson
7pm, The Edinburgh Bookshop, 176 Bruntsfield Place, EH10 4DF
We're delighted to welcome gardener, broadcaster, artist, florist and chicken enthusiast Arthur Parkinson to Edinburgh to talk about his life and celebrate the joy of keeping chickens. After starting his horticultural career working with Sarah Raven, Arthur Parkinson really came into his own after devoting his life to the keeping of chickens, of all shapes and sizes.
Joyful and inspiring, Hen Party is a riotous, clucking poultry show of a book for anyone dreaming of the good life. So come along and join the party!
Ticket £5/ticket plus book £16.99
November 20
Jay Kristoff for Empire of the Dawn
6.30pm, St Cuthbert's Church, 5 Lothian Rd, Edinburgh EH1 2EP
Join Toppings for the most hotly anticipated new epic fantasy finale of 2025!
Jay Kristoff is a #1 international, New York Times and Sunday Timesbestselling author of fantasy and science fiction series including The Nevernight Chronicle and The Aurora Cycle.
He is the winner of eight Aurealis Awards, an ABIA, has over two million books in print and is published in over thirty-five countries, most of which he has never visited. He is as surprised about all of this as you are. He is 6'7" and has approximately 10,000 days to live. He does not believe in happy endings.
Early bird ticket £10/including book £22
November 21
Chloe Gong for Coldwire
6pm, Pilrig St. Paul's / LARCH, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5AH
From Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author Chloe Gong comes the start of a daring new dystopian series. Joins Toppings to celebrate the launch of her electric new cyberpunk YA novel, Coldwire! Fans of These Violent Delights won't want to miss out.
Earl bird ticket £8/including book £20
November 25
Clare Coghill - Café Cùil Cookbook
7pm, The Portobello Bookshop, 46 Portobello High Street, Edinburgh, EH15 1DA
Cafe Cùil faces the sea just outside stunning Carbost in the Isle of Skye. In this idyllic setting, award-winning chef Clare Coghill celebrates Highland produce, reimagines traditional Scottish dishes and puts a Hebridean twist on some global ones...
Book & In-person Audience £25/Voucher & In-person Audience£5
November 25
How Animals Heal Us with Jay Griffiths
6.30pm, Golden Hare Books, 68 St Stephen Street, EH3 5AQ
From celebrated author Jay Griffiths comes a unique and heartfelt insight into the healing nature of our relationship with animals. Pet-owners and animal-lovers instinctively know that animals heal. This book offers the evidence, drawing widely on scientific discoveries, history, and Indigenous knowledge. We meet a pot-bellied pig who saved her owner's life, lions who guarded a girl from kidnappers, dolphins and whales rescuing people in danger, and dogs who can smell cancer and phone the Emergency Services. In conversation with Dan Richards.
Ticket £6/Ticket and book £20
November 25
Cooks & Books: Skye McAlpine for The Christmas Companion
7pm, Pilrig St. Paul's / LARCH, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5AH
Skye McAlpine is the author of A Table in Venice, A Table for Friends and A Table Full of Love. Skye writes a monthly column for The Sunday Times and has contributed to publications from around the world, including Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Conde Naste.
Her cookbooks are testament to her belief that food tastes best when shared with others. She joins us for her new cookbook The Christmas Companion, a festive guide to a cosy, relaxed and memorable Christmas.
Early bird ticket £10/Ticket and book £28
November 26 - new listing
Readers and Writers Against Genocide: A Fundraiser
7pm, Lighthouse Bookshop, 43 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DB
Join Lighthouse Bookshop for an evening of readings and performance in solidarity with Palestine. Readers and Writers Against the Genocide (@rwag_uk) is an informal group of authors, poets, literary agents, booksellers, publishing staff and readers who have come together to speak up against the genocidal actions of the Israeli state in Gaza.
All profits from tickets will be divided between Medical Aid for Palestinians, The Ghassan Abu Sittah Children’s Fund, and mutual aid for four Gazan writers.
Tickets £8 or £20
November 26
Marc Burrows: The Story of the Christmas No.1
7pm, Blackwell's Bookshop, 53-62 South Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1YS
Join author, comedian and musician, Marc Burrows, as he explores the power and cultural importance of the British Christmas No. 1 in his new book Mistletoe and Vinyl.
Marc Burrows explores the peculiarly British cultural phenomenon of the Christmas singles chart. The festive top spot was something that, prior to 1973, wasn’t particularly important but has since become a cornerstone of the December news cycle and, for years, an annual cultural moment … that may have reached the end of its life.
Ticket £3/Ticket and book £15
November 26
An Evening with the Authors Shortlisted for the 2025 Bloody Scotland Debut Prize
7pm, Waterstones Edinburgh West End, Princes Street
Join us in welcoming the very best of 2025's debut crime authors to Waterstones. Claire Wilson - Five By Five, David Goodman - A Reluctant Spy, Foday Mannah - The Search For Othella Savage, Natalie Jayne Clark - The Malt Whisky Murders and Richard Strachan - The Unrecovered, will be chatting to host of the In My Good Books podcast, Susie Green, all about the unforgettably thrilling crime novels that were shortlisted for this year's Bloody Scotland Debut Prize.
General admission £5
November 26
Cooks & Books: Tim Siadatan for Padella
7pm, Topping & Company, 2 Blenheim Place, Edinburgh EH7 5JH
Tim Siadatan graduated from the first intake at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen. After working at the iconic St John restaurant, he went on to work at Moro, before opening Trullo with his good friend and business partner Jordan Frieda in June 2010. In 2016 they opened the first Padella in London's Borough Market. It was the culmination of their long-held dream to open a pasta bar serving fresh, hand-rolled pasta with delicious sauces and fillings inspired by their trips to Italy.
Having been taught by the best, Tim and his chefs have maintained the highest quality, as proven by the continued popularity of the restaurants.
Early bird ticket £10/Ticket and book £25
November 27
Fated Love & Romantasy: Celebrate Fallen Stars with Imani Erriu & Emmy Rosam
6pm, Lady and the Bear Cafe, 1 Hope Park Terrace, Edinburgh, EH8 9LZ
Never make a bargain with a god. Elara is vengeful. Enzo is trapped between the realms of life and death and her enemy has vanished, taking her love’s only connection to the waking world with him.
But there is a darker force at play, one that even Ariete, King of the Stars, is afraid of. On the run with enemies at every turn, Elara must enlist friends, old and new, and learn to control her almighty powers if she has any hope of saving her soulmate. Whatever happens, there is one thing she is certain of - stars will fall.
Imani Erriu is the author of the romance fantasy series Heavenly Bodies. She is a graduate from the Manchester Metropolitan University where she received a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.
Ticket £6/Ticket and book £20
November 27
Blueprints: Crystal Jeans is Oversharing, a memoir launch
7pm, Lighthouse Bookshop, 43 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DB
Join us for the launch of a searing, reflective and truthful collection of essays by award-winning writer, Crystal Jeans.
My therapist believes that by the time we are seven, we already have our life mapped out. If we are going to be a workaholic, promiscuous or a high achiever or whatever, it’s all there in the blueprints by seven. ‘But we have the power to change the blueprints.
Jeans explores the struggles of addiction and mental health during the turbulent transition of adolescence into adulthood through to the strains of marriage, childbirth and parenting.
Ticket £4/Ticket and book £12
November 27
Cooks & Books: Ixta Belfrage on FUSAO ~ Brazilian Recipes
7pm, Pilrig St. Paul's / LARCH, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5AH
Described as 'one of the most influential women in food,' Ixta Belfrage began her culinary career at Ottolenghi's NOPI restaurant. She then moved to the Test Kitchen, where she worked for Yotam Ottolenghi for five years, contributing to his columns in the Guardian and The New York Times.
Ixta joins Toppings to talk, demo and dish out tasters from her new cookbook FUSAO. Brighten up your meal times with the flavours of Brazil.
Early bird ticket £10/Ticket and book £28
November 27
An Edinburgh Evening with Alexander McCall Smith
7pm, Edinburgh New Town Church, 13 George St, Edinburgh EH2 2PA
We are delighted to be joined by the brilliant, and perennially prolific, Alexander McCall Smith to celebrate three new novels: In The Time of Five Pumpkins, Bertie's Theory of Ice Cream, and The Private Side of Friendship.
Alexander is the author of over one hundred books on a wide array of subjects, including the award-winning The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agencyseries. He is also the author of the Isabel Dalhousie novels and the world's longest-running serial novel, 44 Scotland Street. He was knighted by the King in 2024 for services to literature, academia and charity.
Early bird ticket £8
December 1 - new listing
Eva Meijer for Sea Now
7pm, Topping & Company, 2 Blenheim Place, Edinburgh EH7 5JH
Eva Meijer is a philosopher, visual artist, writer and singer- songwriter. Their fiction and non-fiction has been translated into over twenty languages. Since the publication of their first novel in 2011, their works have received numerous awards, including the Halewijnprijs honouring their oeuvre. Their books have been met enthusiastically by the Dutch but also international press including reviews in the Guardian, Der Spiegel and New York Review of Books.
Early bird ticket £6/Ticket including book £12.99
But that’s not all…
More events, even further in the future…
Marc Mierowsky, Sam Heughan, Samin Nosrat, Nicola Sturgeon, Val McDermid, Rebecca Ferrier, Gavin Francis