- Introducing First & Favour
9A West Street, Ashburton TQ13 7DT [Open Wed-Sat, 10am-4pm]
First Draft Books and Grace & Favour Home are teaming up on a new collaborative pop-up in Ashburton. Welcome to First & Favour at 9A West Street.
From through early July 2026 (and hopefully longer!), you’ll find our unique mix of books for all readers and British-made designs in Ashburton. We can’t wait to get to know our neighbours better. And don’t worry, Bovey, we’re not leaving you! It’ll be business as usual at 54 Fore Street.
So, see you at First & Favour! Tell your Ashburton friends!! - On the Edge: A Book Talk with Nicola Garrard
19 May 2026 [6:30-8pm]
First Draft Books, 54 Fore Street, Bovey Tracey TQ13 9AE
SAVE YOUR SEAT // Free, ticketed event
How does fiction build empathy and understanding?
We are thrilled to welcome Nicola Garrard to our corner of Devon to talk about her wonderful Young Adult book, On the Edge. Nominated for the Carnegie Medal for Writing 2026, Nicola has created a work of fiction that builds empathy with the lives of her working-class characters. We will dig into her writing, her life as an educator and the role books can play in deepening our connections.
Following a brief moderated conversation with Nicola & First Draft Books, you will be invited to ask your questions. Nicola will hang out after the talk to mingle and sign copies of her book.
This is a free, ticketed event for teens & adults. Please save your seat through the link above. You can also reserve a copy of the book during your registration. See you there for what is certain to be a thought-provoking chat.
- The Reading Social: Bovey’s Silent Book Club
20 May 2026 [5:30-7:30PM]
The Cromwell Arms, Fore Street, Bovey Tracey TQ13 9AE
Calling all you readers in Bovey Tracey who are looking for dedicated time each month to read amongst friends. Grab whatever you’re reading, however you’re reading it and join us in the Cromwell Arms for a bit of friendly, bookish chitchat and silent reading.
How it works:
+ 5:30pm – arrive, get settled, chitchat
+ 6:00pm – the silent reading hour
+ 7:00pm – more chitchat about what we read
+ 7:30pm – wrap upAll readers welcome, no purchase necessary! No need to register – just pop in. See you there & happy reading!
- The Reading Social: Torquay’s Silent Book Club
21 May 2026 [5:30-7:30PM]
Upstairs @ TQ BeerWorks, 1A Abbey Crescent, Torquay
Calling all you readers in Torbay who are looking for dedicated time each month to read amongst friends. Grab whatever you’re reading, however you’re reading it and join us upstairs at TQ BeerWorks for a bit of friendly, bookish chitchat and silent reading.
How it works:
+ 5:30pm – arrive, get settled, chitchat
+ 6:00pm – the silent reading hour
+ 7:00pm – more chitchat about what we read
+ 7:30pm – wrap upAll readers welcome, no purchase necessary. And no need to register in advance – just pop in. See you there & happy reading!
- Dragon Girl: Half-Term Fun with Jenny Moore
27 May 2026 [2:00-3:00PM]
First & Favour, 9A West Street, Ashburton TQ13 7DT
SAVE YOUR SEAT // Free, ticketed event
Come along to meet Emba, the Dragon Girl, as she embarks on a new adventure in Dragon Girl & the Graveyard of Doom. Expect action and adventure with a big pinch of fantasy from Jenny Moore’s latest tale.
Jenny will introduce us to her world full of dragons, read from her new book and help us create our own dragons. She’ll also answer your burning questions and even sign copies of her books, just for you!
Jenny was a big hit at Bovey Book Fest, and we can’t wait to host her again. This is a free but ticketed event. Recommended event age: 7+. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
About the book
That wasn’t a welcome, she realized. It was a warning.
“Evil stirs beneath the scales, As sleeping forces wake, As fleshless bones begin to glow And stony mountains shake. A treasure lost ere long is found By one who heeds the call Of secrets under stony spines Within the hidden hall.”
After the defeat of her cruel father, Emba Oak’s nights are haunted by strange dreams with beckoning dragons calling her to faraway mountain peaks. With an ever-flowing stream of questions about her nature, her dragon fire and fury, Emba knows she must go. But can Emba control the growing powers inside her or will everything fall apart along the way?
- The Writing Social
10 June 2026 [6:30-8:30 PM]
The Cromwell Arms, Fore Street, Bovey Tracey TQ13 9AE
The Writing Social is a monthly gathering to work on whatever you’re working on among fellow writers. All abilities welcome – just bring yourself and whatever you’re currently writing on whatever form you prefer (laptops, notebooks, phones, post-its, etc).
We meet on the second Wednesday of each month to write silently together. Here’s how it runs.
6:30PM – Doors open, get settled, say hello
6:45PM – Silent Writing Block #1 Begins
7:30PM – Break, chat about the work; option to head off
7:45PM – Silent Writing Block #2 Begins
8:30PM – Social EndsIt’s a great mix of people at all points in their writing journey. At recent Writing Socials, people were editing articles, starting new stories, and refining novel drafts. So bring whatever you’re working on – or hoping to start – and let’s write together.
This event is free.
- Adventuremice with Reeve & McIntyre
20 June 2026 [11:00AM-12:00PM]
First & Favour, 9A West Street, Ashburton TQ13 7DT
SAVE YOUR SEAT // Free, ticketed event
Our favourite duo are heading to Ashburton to delight us with their Adventuremice antics.
Adventuremice fans are invited to join us for this high-energy, interactive session with the legendary (and Devon-based!) author-illustrator duo Reeve & McIntyre. Together, we will get to know the Adventuremice books & characters, draw and maybe even play a little game. After the session, Reeve & McIntyre will stick around to sign copies of their books, available for purchase in the shop, including the latest in the series: Adventuremice: Of Mice & Mummies.
This is a free, ticketed event. Recommended for ages 5+. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Curious Readers Club: The Usual Desire to Kill
30 June 2026 [7:00-8:30PM]
First Draft Books, 54 Fore Street, Bovey Tracey TQ13 9AE
BOOK YOUR SEAT // £5 to join, plus 10% off the book in-store
The next Curious Readers Club will be diving into Camilla Barnes’ The Usual Desire to Kill from 7:00-8:30pm. We will dig into all the big ideas and small moments that made us feel the feelings. Listen to a snippet of the book here. Camilla will join us virtually from France to answer our questions. Plus, when you register for this event, you get 10% off the book when you buy it from the shop (£9.99 RRP).
What to expect:
+ 7:00pm – Settle in with a drink & a biscuit
+ 7:15pm – Book club chat commences
+ 8:00pm – Camilla’s virtual Q&A
+ 8:30pm – End of event
Curious Readers Club is a book club for, you guessed it, curious readers. Books are selected by Leslie at First Draft Books with an eye towards unique, thought-provoking (and often debut) titles. Always in paperback. Always discussion-worthy. Join us!
About the book
‘Witty, moving’ Ann Napolitano ‘Hilarious and heartbreaking’ Monica Ali ‘Made me hoot with laughter’ TLS ‘Reminds me of Nancy Mitford’ Telegraph
Miranda’s parents live in a dilapidated house in rural France that they share with two llamas, eight ducks, five chickens, two cats, and a freezer full of food dating back to 1983. Miranda’s father is a retired professor of philosophy who never loses an argument. Her mother likes to bring all conversation back to the War, although she was born after it ended. Married for fifty years, they are uncommonly set in their ways.
Miranda plays the role of translator when she visits, communicating the desires or complaints of one parent to the other and then venting her frustration to her sister and her daughter. This wry, moving, exquisitely observed novel introduces a singularly eccentric family and the long-buried secrets that have shaped them.
- From Page to Plate: The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
5 August 2026 [7:00-9:00PM]
Moretonhampstead Community Club, 17 Court Street, Moreton TQ13
SOLD OUT // Tickets are £22 – to join the waitlist, email Leslie at [email protected]
Good food, good books, good company. The perfect trio! The Van du Pain and First Draft Books invite you to join us for our literary supper club, From Page to Plate.
How does it work?
-> We cook up a delicious two-course meal inspired by a great book. And it’s BOYB – we’ll have water but you can bring anything else you might enjoy.
-> We provide prompts throughout the evening to support an engaging conversation about the book.
-> You enjoy a wonderful evening of delicious food and rich discussion at your table.
Our next literary supper club will be inspired by The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka. A magical realism whodunnit set amid the Sri Lankan civil war, this book will be the inspiration for a delightful conversation and delicious meal.
Copies of the book are available in store. Most dietary restrictions can be accommodated when noted during registration. Tickets are transferrable until one week before the event.
Bon appétit and happy reading!
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ABOUT THE BOOK
WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE 2022 & SHORTLISTED FOR THE RSL ONDAATJE PRIZE 2023
A magical realism whodunnit set amid Sri Lanka’s civil war. Colombo, 1990. Maali Almeida, war photographer, gambler and closet gay, has woken up dead in what seems like a celestial visa office. His dismembered body is sinking in the serene Beira lake and he has no idea who killed him. At a time where scores are settled by death squads, suicide bombers and hired goons, the list of suspects is depressingly long, as the ghouls and ghosts with grudges who cluster round can attest. But even in the afterlife, time is running out for Maali. He has seven moons to try and contact the man and woman he loves most and lead them to a hidden cache of photos that will rock Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka’s foremost author delivers a rip-roaring epic, full of mordant wit and disturbing truths.
