Newham Bookshop events and news

Thursday 1 March at 7.15 pm at Wanstead Library

“Tim and I both understood we had done something really stupid. We had under-estimated the danger involved in going out to sea. We had no radio, compass, life raft or flares. In other words, we were a couple of idiots.”

This is the story of Shane and Timothy Spall and their Dutch barge The Princess Matilda. After a summer on the Thames they head out to sea with only a road atlas and a vast amount of ignorance – and it is absolutely terrifying!

Shane Spall’s father named her after a character in a Western, played by Alan Ladd. As a teenager she worked in Birmingham and on her day off would sit in New Street station and wonder where everyone was going. Timothy Spall arrived at New Street in 1981. He fell passionately in love with her when he had accidentally touched her arm one night. He is now considered to be a national treasure, and is a bit of a show off. Shane doesn’t mind; she keeps his feet on the ground.

The Voyages of the Princess Matilda is published by Ebury Press in paperback at £11.99.

Tickets £5 from Newham Bookshop or Wanstead Library, telephone: 020 8708 7400.

Wednesday 14 March at 7.30 pm at Bishopsgate Institute

One of the great imaginative writers of all time, Charles Dickens was a consummate storyteller who could draw his readers into the heart of his narrative. Michael Rosen delves into Dickens’s story-telling skills and techniques, including how his voice appeared both as the narrator and in the minds and mouths of his characters. With the skill of the modern-day film-maker, Dickens could convey the broadest scene to the most intimate detail.

Michael Rosen is a broadcaster, children’s novelist and poet who was Children’s Laureate from 2007 to 2009. He is the author of 140 books which include Dickens: His Work and His World later reformatted as What’s so special about Dickens? as well as contributing to numerous learning resources for schools on Charles Dickens.

What’s so special about Dickens? is published by Walker Books in paperback at £4.99.

Newham Bookshop is the official bookseller at this event.

Tickets £8, concessions £6, from Bishopsgate Institute, telephone 020 7392 9220.

The New Global Revolutions

The world is facing a wave of uprisings, protests and revolutions: Arab dictators swept away, public spaces occupied, slum-dwellers in revolt, cyberspace buzzing with utopian dreams. Events we were told were consigned to history – democratic revolt and social revolution – are being lived by millions of people.

In this compelling new book, Paul Mason explores the causes and consequences of this great unrest. From Cairo to Athens, Wall Street and Westminster to Manila, he goes in search of the changes in society, technology and human behaviour that have propelled a generation onto the streets in search of social justice. In a narrative that blends historical insight with first-person reportage, he shines a light on these new forms of activism, from the vast, agile networks of cyberprotest to the culture wars and tent camps of the Occupy movement. The events, says Paul Mason, reflect the expanding power of the individual and call for new political alternatives to elite rule and global poverty.

Paul Mason is the economics editor of BBC Newsnight. He has covered globalisation and social justice stories from locations around the world, including Latin America, Africa and China. His book Live Working, Die Fighting was longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award.

Why It’s Kicking Off Everywhere is published by Verso in paperback at £12.99.

Tickets £5 from Newham Bookshop or Wanstead Library, telephone: 020 8708 7400.

Tuesday 20 March at 7.30 pm at Bishopsgate Institute

Despite the previous male preference that dictated the succession to the throne, the English seem to like their queens. In this debate, four historians, known affectionately as the ‘History Girls’, argue their cases for who is Britain’s greatest Queen. From Matilda of Flanders and Eleanor of Aquitaine to Elizabeth I and Queen Victoria, they give an insight into these enduringly fascinating female monarchs and in which you, the audience, will have a chance to have your say and vote.

Tracy Borman is chief executive of the Heritage Education Trust as well as working for Historic Royal Palaces. Her most recent biography is Elizabeth’s Women.

Sarah Gristwood writes historical biographies, novels and recently produced the 50th anniversary companion to Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Alison Weir is one of this country‘s most successful historians and novelists. She has studied the British monarchy since the age of 14. Her most recent bestseller was The Captive Queen.

Dr Kate Williams specialises in the 18th and 19th centuries. She has written successful biographies of Emma Hamilton and the young Queen Victoria.

In 2011 they co-wrote The Ring and the Crown: A History of Royal Weddings 1066-2011.

The Ring and the Crown is published by Hutchinson in hardback at £20.

Newham Bookshop is the official bookseller at this event.

Tickets £8, concessions £6, from Bishopsgate Institute, telephone 020 7392 9220.