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.

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: This event has sold out

East Sheen Library workshop:

Date: Thursday 21 November
Time: 10.30am to 12 noon
Tickets: This event has sold out

Whitton Library workshop:

Date: Tuesday 26 November
Time: 10.30am to 12 noon
Tickets: This event has sold out

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

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 25 November to Friday 29 November.

Visit our IT taster session page for more details.

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.