Events

18 June 2025 [5:30-7:30PM]

Function Room @ 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 function room of 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 up

All readers welcome, no purchase necessary! No need to register – just pop in. See you there & happy reading!

19 June 2025 [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 up

All readers welcome, no purchase necessary. And no need to register in advance – just pop in. See you there & happy reading!

21 June 2025 [2:00-3:00PM]

First Draft Books, 54 Fore Street, Bovey Tracey TQ13 9AE

Free & drop-in session

Celebrate the final day of Independent Bookshop Week with local author A.D. Downton. He will be leading a fun, free fantasy map-drawing session for ages 7+ (books for ages 10+).

A.D. is the author of two adventure stories for middle grade readers – The Cavern at the Lake and Tales of Dwellerstone. He’ll bring along his trusty adventure maps for inspiration and will set you up to create your own fantasy world. All materials will be provided.

Drop in between 2-3pm to have a go and to meet the author.

23 June 2025 [6:30-8:00 PM]

In the Shop, 54 Fore Street, Bovey Tracey TQ13 9AE

SAVE YOUR SEAT HERE // Free event

Join us in the bookshop for an evening with the brilliant Julia Armfield to celebrate the paperback release of her chilling sisterly drama, Private Rites. We will explore this latest book, longlisted for the 2024 Climate Fiction Prize, as well as her other works and her life as a writer.

If you’re already a fan of Julia’s writing, you know that she writes evocative, slightly unsettling, deeply human stories that leave your head spinning and heart aching. Our Wives Under the Sea is one of this bookshop’s favourite books ever!

Come enjoy this conversation, ask your questions of Julia and pick up a signed copy or two of her books. This is a free, but ticketed event. Please reserve your seat early to avoid disappointment.

About Julia

Julia Armfield is a fiction writer, living in London with her wife and cat. Her work has been published in Granta, The White Review and Best British Short Stories 2019 and 2021. In 2019, she was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year award. She was longlisted for the Deborah Rogers Award 2018, and won the White Review Short Story Prize 2018 and a Pushcart Prize in 2020. She is the author of salt slow, a collection of short stories, which was longlisted for the Polari Prize 2020 and the Edge Hill Prize 2020. Her debut novel, Our Wives Under The Sea, was shortlisted for the Foyles Fiction Book of the Year Award 2022 and won the Polari Prize 2023. Her second novel, Private Rites, was longlisted for the inaugural Climate Fiction Prize in 2024.

2 July 2025 [7:00-9:00PM]

Moretonhampstead Community Club, 17 Court Street, Moretonhampstead TQ13 8NE

SOLD OUT // Join the Wait List

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.

How does it work? Once a quarter(ish), Liz cooks 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. Leslie provides 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 July meal will be inspired by There Are Rivers in the Sky, Elif Shafak’s rich & layered story of love, loss and belonging set across 19th century & modern times, along the River Thames and River Tigris.

Bonus: your ticket entitles you to 10% off the purchase price (£9.99) of the supper club book at First Draft Books. Request a copy through your registration form or pop into the shop to pick one up.

Space is limited so book early. Bon appétit & happy reading!

5 July 2025 [10:00AM-12:00PM]

Newbridge Car Park, Newbridge Hill, TQ13 7NT

BOOK YOUR SPOT // £5 per person (plus fees)

Back in February, Ben Pering delighted the audience at our Devon Anthology with his reading from One Moor Time. Since then, we’ve been chatting about how best to continue the conversation we started there – about trying & failing, about Dartmoor & Exmoor, about getting out & doing something. We landed on our very first Book Walk (a format we’ve been keen to try since the idea of our bookshop in Devon took hold!). Think: part friendly walking group, part book club.

Join us on Saturday, 5 July, for a leisurely walk along one small portion of the Two Moors Way, led by the highly knowledgeable Ben Pering. We will meet at the Newbridge Car Park and walk along the River Dart to Holne for a quick break, before heading back again. Along the way, we will be peppering Ben with questions about his experiences walking the Two Moors Way. You do not need to have read the book in advance to participate.

So lace up your walking boots and let’s hit the trail. Full details about the route, accessibility and Ben’s excellent book can be found on the registration link above. Note: we will be keeping this group small so please book early to avoid disappointment. See you there!

8 July 2025 [7:00-8:30PM]

In the Shop [54 Fore Street, Bovey Tracey TQ13 9AE]

JOIN THE CLUB // £5. Please reserve your spot in advance.

The Curious Readers Club has lined up an absolute gem. Fire Exit by Morgan Talty is all about the ties that bind. If you love Claire Keegan & Ron Rash, you’ll love Morgan.

We will dig into all the big ideas and small moments that made us feel the feelings. Then, Morgan will join us virtually from Maine to answer our questions. Plus, when you register for this event, you get 10% off the paperback of Fire Exit (out now, £14.99) in the shop – and some swag!

What to expect:

+ 7:00pm – Settle in with a drink & a biscuit

+ 7:15pm – Book club chat commences

+ 8:00pm – Q&A with Morgan

+ 8:30pm – The end

The 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 debut titles. Always in paperback. Always discussion-worthy. Join us!

9 July 2025 [6:30-8:30 PM]

The Bishop Lacey, 52 Fore Street, Chudleigh TQ13 0HY

We will continue meeting in Chudleigh over the summer. Meet in the function room of the Bishop Lacey Inn, where local author Madeline Dyer will be guest hosting.

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 Ends

It’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. And even drawing (credit to Sarah McIntyre for our banner image created at the first Social!) So bring whatever you’re working on – or hoping to start – and let’s write together.

This event is free.

25 September 2025 [6:30-8:00PM]

The White Hart Hotel, The Square, Moretonhampstead TQ13 8NF

SAVE YOUR SEAT // Free

Join us in Moretonhampstead for a very special book talk with Sophie Pierce & Alex Murdin, authors & illustrators of Rock Idols: A Guide to Dartmoor in 28 Tors .

With captivating original artwork, personal stories and practical information, Sophie & Alex gift us with fresh eyes through which to explore the ancient stones that have always fascinated us. They will share some of the artwork, a few stories and, of course, answer your questions. Plus, copies of their book will be available to purchase on the night to be signed.

This is a free but ticketed event. Please save a seat to guarantee a spot on the night. If we reach capacity, we will activate a waitlist.

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About the book

Rock Idols tells the story of Dartmoor through the lens of its tors. Fantastical yet natural, Dartmoor’s 280-million-year-old tors are among the most iconic landmarks in Southern Britain. Victorian antiquarians described them as ‘rock idols’, believing them to be stone deities worshipped by the Druids. Thousands of years before that, they inspired our ancestors who built ceremonial stone rows and circles aligned with them. Today, the tors are loved by walkers, climbers and locals, who visit in their thousands every year. Rock Idols is a hymn to these mysterious monoliths, in which the authors share tales of their trips to 28 of the tors. With stunning original drawings, the book delves into the moor’s archaeology, folklore and geology. It is a meditation on the human relationship with ancient stones and wild places, and the hold they have over our imagination.