Richmond Reads

We are pleased to present Richmond Reads 2024. It's your annual season of events and activities that highlight the joys and benefits of reading.

The programme of live events includes storytellers, authors, workshops and dance. You will also find lots of activity on the libraries’ social media channels to keep the celebrations going, and help you discover reading communities online.

Get Online Week

Get Online Week is Good Things Foundation's annual digital inclusion campaign. The aim to help people get online in just one week. Whether people want to start managing their health online, learn about online safety or learn all about AI, free events are being held across our libraries for people to get connected.

Daily from Monday 14 October to Friday 18 October.

Visit our IT taster session page for more details.

Quality of Love

Author Ariane Bankes discusses the extraordinary life of her mother and her aunt, the remarkable Paget sisters.

Her book The Quality of Love is a sparkling portrait of the deep connection between spirited siblings. She weaves the story of these captivating identical twins and their friends and lovers, including Albert Camus, Sartre, and George Orwell.

A book signing follows this event in partnership with Books on the Rise.

Date: Saturday 19 October
Time: 2 to 3pm
Location: Twickenham Library
Price: £4.50

Book Quality of Love tickets

Digital drop-ins tour

If you’d like assistance using your tablet or mobile phone, bring it along to one of our drop-in sessions. Our friendly staff will be on hand to give you tips so that you can get the most out of your device.

Daily from Monday 21 October to Friday 25 October.

Visit our IT taster session page for more details.

Book Club for Super Spies

Angel Exit Theatre’s new interactive performance is coming to a library near you this half-term! The super-secret book club is looking for new recruits to help solve a mystery. Can you figure out who has been stealing the happy endings from our books? It’s a show full of music, mystery, and mayhem. With songs, puppetry, and puzzles, this is the perfect event for 5-to11-year-olds and their families.

Date: Saturday 26 October
Time: 11am to 12 noon at Whitton Library, 2.30 to 3.30pm at Teddington Library
Price: Tickets are free but booking is essential

Book Whitton Book club tickets

Book Teddington Book club tickets

An evening with Clare Chambers

Join us for an enchanting evening with Clare Chambers in conversation with Emily Rhodes.

Discover the magic behind her celebrated writing career, including her latest novel, Shy Creatures. This life-affirming story explores themes of love, family, freedom and the transformative power of kindness.

After the conversation enjoy a book signing in collaboration with Books on the Rise.

Date: Tuesday 5 November
Time: 7 to 8pm
Location: Richmond Library
Price: £4.50

Book Clare Chambers tickets

Greek Myths brought to life - Storytelling for grown-ups

Embark on a mythical journey with storytelling virtuoso Wendy Shearer as she breathes life into Greek legends.

Join Wendy for a mesmerizing evening where the Mediterranean’s winds and waves guide you to a realm of gods, goddesses, and heroic figures battling formidable beasts.

Experience the magic of one of Britain’s finest storytellers live at the library and let your imagination sail to another world. Suitable for ages 14 and over.

Date: Friday 8 November
Time: 7 to 8 pm
Location: Twickenham Library
Price: £4.50

Book Greek myths tickets

Crime writing workshop with Vaseem Khan

Do you have a story idea itching to become a novel? This interactive workshop is your chance to dive into the world of crime fiction. Led by award-winning author Vaseem Khan.

What you’ll discover:

The essential ingredients for crafting gripping crime stories
Practical tips for creating and editing your work
Strategies to make your work shine when submitting it to agents and publishers

Event details:

Date: Saturday 9 November
Time: 10.30am to 12 noon
Location: East Sheen Library
Price: £8

Book Crime writing workshop tickets

Fall of Civilizations

Historian and broadcaster, Paul Cooper, has captivated millions with his Fall of Civilizations podcast. In his new book, Cooper’s meticulous research and empathetic storytelling paints a vivid picture of societies triumphs and collapses. Explore history’s most profound lessons at this unmissable event.

A book signing follows this event, in partnership with Books on the Rise.

'Cooper is a phenomenon…a mastery of anecdotage and accessible storytelling' - Max Hastings, Sunday Times.

Date: Thursday 14 November
Time: 7 to 8pm
Location: Teddington Library
Price: £4.50

Book Fall of Civilizations tickets

Conjuring up the past - Elizabeth Macneal and AJ West in conversation

Join Sunday Times bestselling authors Elizabeth Macneal and AJ West for an enthralling exploration of their latest historical fiction masterpieces.

This is your chance to peek behind the curtain and discover how literary magicians conjure up worlds so vivid, you’ll swear you’ve travelled through time.

A book signing follows this event, in partnership with Books on the Rise.

Date: Saturday 16 November
Time: 2 to 3pm
Location: Twickenham Library
Price: £4.50

Book Conjuring up the past tickets

Craft your own unique decorations

Join us for a delightful workshop where you can learn to make stunning Christmas decorations from recycled books. Embrace the joy of crafting with green, sustainable, and reusable materials.

Led by professional artist Gill Smith who will guide you through the creative process, you’ll take home a beautiful, self-made decoration.

All material is provided and no experience is required, so you can relax and enjoy this gentle and inspiring workshop.

Tickets cost £4.50. For ages 18 and over.

Hampton Library workshop:

Date: Tuesday 19 November
Time: 10.30am to 12 noon
Tickets: Book Hampton Library crafts

East Sheen Library workshop:

Date: Thursday 21 November
Time: 10.30am to 12 noon
Tickets: Book East Sheen Library crafts

Whitton Library workshop:

Date: Tuesday 26 November
Time: 10.30am to 12 noon
Tickets: Book Whitton Library crafts

The path to publishing

Are you an aspiring author, or eager to know more about the publishing world? Join us for an insightful panel discussion with industry experts.

Featuring a commissioning editor, literary agent, campaign director and a self-published author. Our panel will offer insights on finding an agent, exploring the publishing process and understanding what to expect at each step of your journey. A short question and answer session with the professionals will close the session.

Date: Saturday 23 November
Time: 1.30 to 2.45pm
Location: Twickenham Library
Price: £4.50

Book The path to publishing tickets

Secrets of the book industry

Dive into the fascinating world of publishing with our panel of experts.

Whether you’re a budding writer, book enthusiast or simply curious about the inner workings of the industry, you’ll love hearing from our experienced panel of professionals.

Our panel includes a diverse range of voices, from authors who’ve navigated the publishing world, designers who craft eye catching covers and the marketing experts behind compelling campaigns.

Date: Saturday 23 November
Time: 3.30 to 4.45pm
Location: Twickenham Library
Price: £4.50

Book Secrets of the book industry tickets

Join the Richmond Reads Reading Challenge

Library members can be in with a chance to win a Danieli’s gift card and a brand-new book to keep in our three book challenge.

To enter:

Sign up to the reading challenge
Read three books that match our prompts
When you’re done, mark the challenge as completed to be automatically entered into the raffle

The winner will be contacted on Wednesday 27 November 2024.

Audiobooks on BorrowBox

Especially for Richmond Reads, we’ve hand-picked a fantastic collection of instantly downloadable audiobooks exclusively for Richmond library members.

Romantics can listen to Krystle Zara Appiah’s poignant debut 'Rootless'. If you prefer a more established literary work, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Booker nominated 'Klara and the Sun' might be for you. Non-fiction aficionados might choose Katherine Rundell’s award winning 'Super-Infinite', exploring the extraordinary life of John Donne. For those of us wanting to know more about the Windrush generation (and Playschool babies), you can download Baroness Floella Benjamin’s fascinating biography 'What are you doing here?'.

You don’t even need to make such a difficult decision. Download all four, for free. Log in to BorrowBox with your library membership details to explore the available audiobooks.