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Curate Your Festival | Book Club Outings

We know that the Festival has a lot of events to choose from so we’ve curated a selection of events to help you decide what to see based on your interests.

We also have multipack discounting available for when you book 4 events, 5 events or 6 or more events. Book all or some of the events in this selection to receive your discount.

For the Book Club Outings curated events, we’ve rounded up some of the biggest and buzziest books to stimulate lively discussion at your next meeting. Whether you favour non-fiction, speculative fiction or solid literary fiction, there’s something for everyone here.

David Nicholls: You Are Here | Thursday 22 May, 2pm

David Nicholls is best known for his love stories, including the Booker Prize–longlisted Us and One Day, which was adapted into a Netflix television show in 2024. His newest novel, You Are Here, is a love story of a different kind where two middle-aged people serendipitously meet on a country walking track, each on the search for answers.

Rumaan Alam’s American Dream | Thursday 22 May, 5pm

Rumaan Alam’s previous book, Leave the World Behind, was so popular it was adapted into a Netflix film starring Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali and produced by the Obamas. His newest novel is similarly interested in the subtle tensions between races, classes and genders in the United States.

Kaliane Bradley: The Ministry of Time | Thursday 22 May, 6pm

Ever since its publication, Kaliane Bradley’s debut novel The Ministry of Time has been causing waves for the way it romps through tropes of literary fiction, romance, spy thriller and time travel speculative fiction. It’s a genre-bending good time for all involved.

State of the Art: The Novel | Thursday 22 May, 8pm

Most of us love a good novel; it’s the linchpin of English literature. In this event, acclaimed novelists Rumaan Alam, Robbie Arnott, Samantha Harvey and Torrey Peters discuss the history of this literary form and their own works.

Catherine Chidgey: The Book of Guilt | Friday 23 May, 3pm

For something on the spookier side, New Zealand writer Catherine Chidgey’s latest novel is a combination of Shirley Jackson’s haunting short stories and Kazuo Ishiguro’s speculative-meets-literary classic Never Let Me Go.

Colm Tóibín: From Brooklyn to Long Island | Friday 23 May, 4pm

In his latest release, Irish novelist Colm Tóibín returns to the world of his bestselling Brooklyn as Eilis Lacey returns to her hometown Enniscorthy, 20 years after Rose’s death, when a baby unexpectedly enters her family’s life.

Samantha Harvey: Orbital | Friday 23 May, 6pm

While the 2024 Booker Prize–winning novel is slight in size, its impact has been dramatic. Six astronauts on the International Space Station work methodically collecting data and samples while contemplating our big blue planet slowly turning beneath them.

Maggie O'Farrell: Portrait of a Writer | Saturday 24 May, 6.30pm

Irish writer Maggie O'Farrell has been a pillar of literary fiction for decades but she really entered the public eye with her two most recent historical fiction novels: Hamnet, imagining the life of Shakespeare's son, and The Marriage Portrait, set in the court of Renaissance Italy. She reflects with Kate Evans on her career leading up to this moment.

Asako Yuzuki: Butter | Saturday 24 May, 7.30pm

Butter is Asako Yuzuki’s break-out success as her first novel translated from the original Japanese into English. In this conversation, translated live, Asako discusses the transgressive pleasure of food in this story of gourmet cooking and murder.

Rally all your book club members together to spend some time at the Festival with these exciting international guest authors.