Independent Bookshop Week, Event Round-Up: 14th-21st June 2025!

As you may know, Independent Bookshop Week (IBW for short) is a celebration of independent bookshops across the UK, highlighting the vital role indie bookshops such as ourselves play in their communities. The campaign was launched in 2006 by the Booksellers Association and celebrated its 19^th birthday in June 2025.

This year, we had a jam-packed programme of events to celebrate IBW, kicking off with visits from The Tiger Who Came to Tea to both bookshops on Saturday 14^th June! Much fun was had for all the family, and thank you to everyone who came along to meet The Tiger on the day. We even let him loose behind the till!

Then, on Monday 16^th June, we held a sold-out event in Chorleywood with former sub-postmaster and a campaigner for victims of the British Post Office scandal, Jo Hamilton OBE, who many of you will have seen in the media. Jojoined us to chat about her new book, Why Are You Here, Mrs Hamiton? which tells the remarkable story of her fight for justice, which remains ongoing. It was inspirational to hear her speak so passionately about this issue, and the response from our audience was terrific to see. There was huge support for Jo in the room, and we were thrilled to be able to host this very special event as part of our programme of activities for IBW!

On Tuesday 17th, we were delighted to be joined by Consultant Geriatrician and leading author on ageing well, Dr Lucy Pollock, who chatted about her illuminating new book The Golden Rule: Lessons in living from a doctor of ageing. Once again, we had a great turnout for this one, reflecting the level of interest in health. This timely, insightful book contains the invaluable lessons Dr Lucy has learnt from over thirty years of working with older people, from tales of loss to impossible families and the importance of learning to live with uncertainty. A must-read for anyone interested in living longer and ageing well.

Then on Wednesday 18^th, it was off to The Grove Hotel, Chandlers Cross, for an evening of cosy crime fiction with bestselling crime writer and customer favourite Janice Hallett! Janice gave us the lowdown on her latest novel, the devilishly clever murder mystery The Examiner, now available in paperback. It was lovely to host this intimate event in a fabulous setting, topped off by the glorious weather on the night!

Independent Bookshop Week represents an opportunity for everyone across the UK to support their local independent bookshops in whatever way they can – typically by visiting a bookshop in person, buying from the shop’s own website or shop front on Bookshop.org, or participating in one or more of the bookshop’s events during the week. A huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who supported us during IBW, and beyond, this year. As always, we’re tremendously grateful for your support!

Do take a look at our forthcoming events programme as we have lots of exciting authors, celebrities, health experts and politicians lined up for the future, particularly for our autumn festival, which kicks off at the end of August. New events are being added all the time, so keep an eye on our email newsletter for more details!