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Red Lion Books Ltd

125 High Street, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1SZ
T: 01206 578584
Accepts customer orders - Lead time: overnight
Accepts Gift Cards
Accepts Paper Vouchers
Accepts E-Gift Vouchers
Book clubs / reading groups
Web: www.redlionbooks.co.uk

Bookshop Description: (Est. 1978)

Red Lion Books is the sole surviving independent bookshop in Colchester. (There were once 6). Situated on the High Street in the town centre it is still owned by Peter and Sarah Donaldson who founded the shop back in 1978. We are strongly embedded in the cultural life of our town and beyond. We have strong relationships with schools, taking books into Colchester schools, supporting author visits and providing book fairs particularly around World Book Day. We host in-store author events as well as monthly book clubs for adults and children. Through our involvement with the Essex Book Festival we travel around the county to provide books for literary events We support literary excellence enthusiastically in both adults & children's sections and do this by filling our shop with a large range of new titles each week, thoughtfully selected and attractively displayed, combined with a carefully curated stock holding. We have recently started to deliver books nationally which includes a monthly subscription. We look forward to seeing you.

Opening hours:

Mon-Sat 9am-5.00pm

Specialism


Children's

Offers and Events

Event
Monthly 5pm SILENT BOOK CLUB Bring your own book and a blanket
Expires: 20-04-2024
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Address

Red Lion Books Ltd, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1SZ
T: 01206 578584   W: www.redlionbooks.co.uk

Offer Details

Bring along your own book and maybe a blanket.
Because we all need to schedule time to read. Meeting between 5pm and 6pm on the last Monday of the month (usually) but we have a meet up on Monday 8th April

It costs £8 to reserve a place and you will be given a £10 book voucher.

This event happens all over the shop so it is suitable for wheelchair users

Offer Terms

Please go to our website to reserve a place
www.redlionbooks.co.uk/events
Event
Monthly DAYTIME BOOK CLUB Last Thursdays, 11.30am
Expires: 20-04-2024
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Address

Red Lion Books Ltd, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1SZ
T: 01206 578584   W: www.redlionbooks.co.uk

Offer Details

Daytime Bookclub Event in association with Appetite Book Club
£14.99

Red Lion Books daytime book club (in association with Appetite Book Club) will meet .to discuss a book over coffee & a biscuit £14.99 includes a copy of the book which can be collected from Red Lion Books.
11.30am, last Thursday of the month

Evening book club is hosted by Appetite Book Club. They occur on the last Monday and the last Wednesday of each month.

The same book is discussed at all book club events. Red Lion Books offer £2 off the RRP on the Appetite Book Club Choice

June 27th 2024 In collaboration with Essex Book Festival, hosted by Appetite Book Club at Colchester Arts Centre

May 30th 2024 The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa

April 25th 2024 Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

Offer Terms

https://www.redlionbooks.co.uk/product/daytime-bookclub-event-in-association-with-appetite-book-club/

www.redlionbooks.co.uk/events

Or pop into book
Event
Monthly Writing Club at Red Lion Books, 10am Saturdays (monthly)
Expires: 20-04-2024
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Address

Red Lion Books Ltd, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1SZ
T: 01206 578584   W: www.redlionbooks.co.uk

Offer Details

Monthly Writing Club, Saturday 10am-11.30am

Usually the last Saturday of the month but please check before attending as subject to change

Next meeting is 27th April upstairs at Red Lion Books which, regrettably, isn't accessible to wheelchair users

This event needs to be pre booked to ensure you have a seat.  It is free but there is a hope you will donate to Colchester Food Bank

This Month's Guest Host is Olive Sawyer.

Please make a booking to ensure your place. There is no payment in this booking as we are starting a Pay What You Can system on the day - this virtual booking is solely so we know the number of attendees and can plan accordingly.

Offer Terms

Reserve a seat by emailing us@redlionbooks.co.uk
Free
Event
Authors in Conversation A trio of Thriller Writers 20th April 2024, 11am
Expires: 20-04-2024
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Address

Red Lion Books Ltd, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1SZ
T: 01206 578584   W: www.redlionbooks.co.uk

Offer Details

Three historical fiction writers in conversation about their respective books and the ‘thriller’ genre – talking 1930s spies, conspiracies and crime set against World War II

Alec Marsh is the author of the Drabble and Harris series set in the late 1930s. Rule Britannia, was described by Ian Rankin as ‘a rollicking good read’

Mark Ellis is the creator of the Frank Merlin series. DCI Frank Merlin, a Scotland Yard detective battling crime on the Home Front in Second World War London.

Alex Gerlis was a BBC journalist for nearly 30 years. His first novel – The Best of Our Spies – was published in 2012, since when he has had a further ten Second World War espionage novels published

Our event space is, regrettably, not accessible to wheelchair users. £5

Offer Terms

https://www.redlionbooks.co.uk/product/author-event-a-trio-of-thrillers-alec-marsh-mark-ellis-alex-gerlis/

£5 ticket for 3 authors
Book in store or at www.redlionbooks.co,uk/events
Event
Poetry Reading Rory Waterman & Declan Ryan April 20th, 2.30pm
Expires: 20-04-2024
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Address

Red Lion Books Ltd, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1SZ
T: 01206 578584   W: www.redlionbooks.co.uk

Offer Details

We are thrilled to know that such well regarded poets will be at Red Lion Books on the afternoon of April 20th. Regrettably our event space is unsuitable for wheelchair users

Rory Waterman‘s fourth collection, Come Here to This Gate, is published by Carcanet in April 2024. His first collection was a PBS Recommendation and was shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney Award, and in 2019 he was shortlisted for the Ledbury Forte Prize. He lives in Nottingham, and teaches at NTU. He also co-runs the pamphlet publisher New Walk Editions, and publishes a lot of literary journalism.


Declan Ryan’s Crisis Actor chronicles various kinds of failures and farewells. It is peopled by faded heroes and deferential devotees, a hanged donkey and a bloated rat, solitary bachelors and disillusioned youths—these are the watchers, not the players.

Offer Terms

www.redlionbooks.co.uk/events
£5
Event
Jason Fox book signing in Colchester: Embrace The Chaos
Expires: 26-04-2024
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Address

Red Lion Books Ltd, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1SZ
T: 01206 578584   W: www.redlionbooks.co.uk

Offer Details

Jason Fox BOOK SIGNING on Friday 26th April at lunchtime (from noon)

Jason Fox – star of SAS: Who Dares Wins and bestselling author of Battle Scars will be signing his new book, Embrace the Chaos on Friday 26th April at Lunchtime (12.30)



Offer Terms

£22 is for first edition, hardback copy of EMBRACE THE CHAOS,. to be signed by Jason.
Books will be available on the day but to avoid disappointment please pre order via us@redlionbooks.co.uk

(Please note, Jason is unable to sign previous titles or books bought elsewhere)
Event
Kathy Lette is coming to Colchester!
Expires: 13-05-2024
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Address

Red Lion Books Ltd, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1SZ
T: 01206 578584   W: www.redlionbooks.co.uk

Offer Details

The smart, funny, feminist fiction of Kathy Lette has been published in 17 languages and she is coming to Colchester to talk about her new book

When the odds are against you, it’s time to get even. Matilda, Jo, Penny and Cressy are all women at the top of their game; so imagine their surprise when they start to be personally overlooked and professionally pushed aside by less-qualified men. Only they’re not going down without a fight. Society might think the women have passed their amuse-by dates but the Revenge Club have other plans. After all, why go to bed angry when you could stay up and plot diabolical retribution? Let the games begin

‘Fast moving and frothing with the fun kind of female fury’ JO BRAND

‘Deliciously rude and darkly funny’ Nicole Kidman

‘Unputdownable’ Stephen Fry

Offer Terms

£5
www.redlionbooks.co.uk/events or instore
Our event space for this event is regrettably inaccessible to wheelchair users
Event
Author Talk with Master Storyteller Conn Iggulden 4th June, 6pm Talking about NERO
Expires: 04-06-2024
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Address

Red Lion Books Ltd, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1SZ
T: 01206 578584   W: www.redlionbooks.co.uk

Offer Details

Join Master Storyteller Conn Iggulden, one of the most successful authors of historical fiction today, who will be speaking about his new epic NERO (first in an enthralling new trilogy about the tyrant of Rome.

Set in the corridors of power in Ancient Rome, the first book in the series tells the story of Agrippina, mother of young Nero, and will cover the reigns of notorious Emperors Tiberius, Caligula and Claudius. The granddaughter of Emperor Augustus, Agrippina’s son is born in the dying days of the reign of the tyrannical Emperor Tiberius. But their imperial blood is no protection. The closer you are to the heart of the empire, the closer you are to power, danger and death. But Agrippina knows that opportunity waits, even in the darkest moments. Her son is everything. She can shape this boy into Rome itself – the one all must kneel before. But first, they must survive.


Offer Terms

£5 ticket
www.redlionbooks.co.uk/events or instore
Our event space for this event is regrettably inaccessible to wheelchair users
Event
Daytime Author event with Helen MacDonald and Sin Blache PROPHET at Colchester Arts Centre
Expires: 27-06-2024
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Address

Red Lion Books Ltd, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1SZ
T: 01206 578584   W: www.redlionbooks.co.uk

Offer Details

Helen Macdonald & Sin Blache in conversation in association with Essex Book Festival
H is for Hawk and Vesper Flight are award winning non-fiction books for Helen, and now…

An uputdownable, fast paced, page-turner of a novel!

‘Present-day science fiction that feels like the best sort of spy novel’
NEIL GAIMAN

Helen is a poet, naturalist and historian of science. H is for Hawk won many prizes. Sin is an author and musician. They have been writing horror and sci fi stories their whole life. As well as obsessing over obscure folk instruments.

We are thrilled to have both authors talking about PROPHET



Offer Terms

£14.99 to include paperback copy of PROPHET as well as the ticket entrance to Colchester Arts Centre
This event is accessible to wheelchair users
Book in store or via our website www.redlionbooks.co.uk/events
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