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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260901T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260901T190000
DTSTAMP:20260804T141714Z
CREATED:20260804T134733Z
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SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT - Pete Wharmby discusses 'Different Minds: How We Can Help Our Autistic School Children Thrive'
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is excited to welcome Pete Wharmby to discuss his book ‘Different Minds: How We Can Help Our Autistic School Children Thrive’. The event will take place on 1st September at 6pm\, and will last one hour\, and will include a discussion\, a Q&A\, and a chance to get your book signed by Pete. \nTickets \nClick here to buy the book and ticket. \nClick here to buy the ticket only. \nAbout the book \nIf you have an autistic child in school\, you may be painfully aware that mainstream education wasn’t built with them in mind. \nIn Different Minds\, former teacher and neurodivergence campaigner Pete Wharmby reveals what it’s really like to be autistic in school today\, why so many children are misunderstood\, and how we can help them. \nThrough a blend of impassioned storytelling and empathetic advice\, Wharmby: \n\nExposes the inadequacies of the current system.\nReveals how neurodivergent differences are often mislabelled ‘challenging behaviour’.\nExplains how to bridge the gap between the autistic and non-autistic worlds.\n\nGalvanising\, validating and compassionate\, Different Minds empowers parents\, teachers and carers to take a stand for our children and create the conditions they need to truly thrive. \nAbout the author \nPete Wharmby was diagnosed as autistic at the age of 34. Shocked by the statistics around depression\, anxiety and life expectancy for autistic people\, Pete has immersed himself in working to improve neurodiversity awareness\, acceptance and making the world a more suitable place for the neurodivergent community to live in. Pete was diagnosed as ADHD in April 2024. He has written two books on autistic experience: Untypical and What I Want to Talk About: How Autistic Special Interests Shape a Life.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.live/event/author-event-pete-wharmby-discusses-different-minds-how-we-can-help-our-autistic-school-children-thrive
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
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ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.live
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260907T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260907T190000
DTSTAMP:20260629T094727Z
CREATED:20260622T134639Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260629T094727Z
UID:21624-1788804000-1788807600@houseofbooksandfriends.live
SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT: 'The Ancient Ways' with Seren Hawley-Plows
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is thrilled to welcome Seren Hawley-Plows to the store on 7th September at 6pm to discuss their book\, The Ancient Ways: A Year of Folklore\, Traditions and Rituals to Reconnect with Nature. As well as a discussion on their book\, there will also be a Q&A\, plus the chance to get your books signed by Seren. \nTickets \nClick here to buy a book and ticket – £16.99\nClick here to buy a ticket only – £5 \nAbout the book \nStep into an ancient world of rituals and folklore in this stunning seasonal guide. \nTales of gods and goddesses told around a crackling fire. The light of the rising sun streaming through an ancient site on a solstice morning. Hot cider poured over the roots of apple trees to wake them for the spring. \nTold through the pagan wheel of the year\, The Ancient Ways explores how nature changes throughout the seasons\, looking at solstices\, equinoxes\, legends\, and festivals and how these stories and traditions can help you deepen your connection with nature. Discover megalithic sacred sites where crowds still gather to see the sun rise and fall through doorways of the past. Meet Eostre\, goddess of the spring and dawn or the Cailleach\, queen of winter and the Green Man\, a personification of the wild. Celebrate festivals like Beltane\, a summer celebration of fire and fertility or Samhain\, the festival of the dead and precursor to modern Halloween. \nHedgewitch Seren Hawley-Plows weaves these myths and stories together beautifully with tools and inspiration of how to bring the power of ancient tradition into a modern world and help you find magic in the wilds of nature. \nWith stunning illustrations\, seasonal recipes and more\, whether you live in a sleepy village or a bustling city\, The Ancient Ways takes you on a journey of untamed landscapes\, old communities and connection – the perfect gift for yourself or others.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.live/event/author-event-the-ancient-ways-with-seren-hawley-plows
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
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ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.live
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260911T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260911T210000
DTSTAMP:20260914T110323Z
CREATED:20260812T080807Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260914T110323Z
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SUMMARY:SOLD OUT: 'The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI' by Cory Doctorow
DESCRIPTION:To celebrate the launch of Take Back Big Tech\, House of Books and Friend is excited to welcome science fiction author\, activist\, and journalist Cory Doctorow\, in conversation with Jovan Owusu-Nepaul\, to discuss his new book ‘The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI: How to Think About Artificial Intelligence Before It’s Too Late’.\n\n  \nThe event will take place on Friday 11th September\, and will involve a discussion\, a Q&A\, and a chance for you to get your book signed by Cory. Doors open at 6pm\, with the event starting at 6:45pm.\n\n\n  \nPLEASE NOTE: This event will be recorded live for the podcast What’s Left\, hosted by Jovan and will be found on their website after the event.\n\n\n\nTickets: \nBook and ticket – £16.99 \nTicket only – £5 \nAs always\, we have a limited amount of complimentary tickets for this event for anyone who needs it. Please contact us directly at bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.live or call 07597365380. \n\nAbout the book:\n\n\nIt’s not enough to ask what the technology does – we must understand who it’s doing it for and who it’s doing it to. \nAs we enter the age of AI\, we are in danger of being reduced to what Cory Doctorow dubs the ‘reverse centaur’. With that term he conjures a human being conscripted as the assistant to a dominant machine. It could be a driver made to deliver nonstop\, all day long; a warehouse worker packing shelves without bathroom or food breaks; or a programmer reviewing impossible amounts of AI-produced code. \nDon’t fall for the hype! The billionaires managing the rise of AI are putting on a command performance for the bosses and investors\, not for the ordinary people who might use the products. When this latest tech bubble bursts\, will there be something useful for us in the wreckage? \nIn The Reverse Centaur’s Guide to Life After AI\, Doctorow examines why we find ourselves in this mess and how we can get out of it. Life after AI should mean the tools work for us\, not the other way around. \nAbout Jovan \nJovan Owusu-Nepaul is the co-host of the ‘what’s left?!’ Podcast\, a writer\, commentator\, consultant and former Labour parliamentary candidate in 2024. \nInterested in the big subjects of the day\, Jovan spends too much of his time trying to consider the practical solutions to our problems\, and since the general election has taken a keen interest in the rise of populism\, and where it stems from. \nMinded by issues of social justice\, fairness and access to opportunity\, this is what forms the thread of Jovan’s approach to the world! \nAbout Take Back Big Tech \nTake Back Big Tech is a pressure group and think tank. We exist to hold Big Tech accountable and fight for alternatives that actually work for the people who use them\, not just the companies that run them. \nSocial media promised to connect us. AI promised to help us. Instead\, our attention became the product\, and the platforms we rely on are now flooded with abuse\, fraud\, disinformation and AI-generated noise — while their profits keep climbing. We think that’s worth fighting. Learn more here.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.live/event/author-event-the-reverse-centaurs-guide-to-life-after-ai-by-cory-doctorow
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
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ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.live
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260915T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260915T190000
DTSTAMP:20260914T103655Z
CREATED:20260730T152244Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260914T103655Z
UID:22556-1789495200-1789498800@houseofbooksandfriends.live
SUMMARY:SOLD OUT: William Ralston in conversation with Anthony Taylor 'The Impossible Job: The Truly Unbelievable World of Football Referees'
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is thrilled to welcome William Ralston\, author of The Impossible Job: The Truly Unbelievable World of Football Referees. William will be in conversation with Anthony Taylor\, a world-class retired referee. The event will take place on 15th September from 6pm – 7pm\, and will include a discussion between the two\, a Q&A\, and a chance to get your book signed by William. \nTickets \nWe are currently sold out for this event; if you would like to be placed on the waitlist please email bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.live and we will add you to this list. \nAbout the book \nBooed by crowds. Sworn at by players. Spat on from the stands. Threatened\, accused\, hated. Welcome to the world of football refereeing. \nWe watch referees every week. But almost none of us understand what the job really demands. \nIn this meticulously reported book\, William Ralston goes deep inside football’s most exposed role\, speaking to officials from Sunday league pitches to World Cups to show what it takes to officiate at the highest level. \nWith rare access to UEFA\, FIFA\, and PGMO\, he embeds with referees across Europe’s five major leagues – Bundesliga\, Serie A\, La Liga\, Ligue 1\, and the Premier League – following them through training camps\, assessment rooms\, and matchdays\, where a single call can define a career. He also learns to referee himself\, experiencing first-hand the speed and scrutiny that come with every call. \nThrough defining matches and controversial decisions\, he examines the influence of VAR\, how referees judge fouls\, and the excruciatingly fine margins between control and chaos. \nAbout the author \nWilliam Ralston is a writer living in London. His work has appeared in the Financial Times\, GQ\, the Guardian\, Vanity Fair\, and Wired\, among other publications. He won the Best Sportswriting award at the 2023 British Journalism Awards. \nAbout Anthony Taylor \nAnthony Taylor is one of the most experienced referees in world football\, having officiated at two FIFA World Cups\, hundreds of Premier League matches\, and some of Europe’s biggest UEFA Champions League ties. He retired in 2026 after refereeing at the FIFA World Cup.
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.live/event/author-event-william-raiston-in-conversation-with-anthony-taylor-the-impossible-game-the-truly-unbelievable-world-of-football-referees
LOCATION:House of Books & Friends\, 81 King Street\, Manchester\, M2 4AH\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Author Event
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ORGANIZER;CN="House of Books & Friends":MAILTO:bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.live
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260929T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260929T190000
DTSTAMP:20260717T125848Z
CREATED:20260628T114550Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260717T125848Z
UID:21903-1790704800-1790708400@houseofbooksandfriends.live
SUMMARY:AUTHOR EVENT: 'The Mare' Angharad Hampshire in conversation with Louise Savidge
DESCRIPTION:House of Books & Friends is excited to welcome Angharad Hampshire to the store on Tuesday 29th September at 6pm to discuss her book\, The Mare\, Winner of the Walter Scott Prize. As well as a discussion on her book\, there will also be a Q&A\, plus the chance to get your books signed by Angharad. Angharad will be in conversation with booktuber\, Louise Savidge. \nTickets \nBuy a book and ticket here \nBuy a ticket only here \nAs always\, we have a limited amount of complimentary tickets for this event for anyone who needs it. Please contact us directly at bookworms@houseofbooksandfriends.live or call 07597365380. \nAbout the book  \nBased on a true story\, The Mare offers a gripping portrait of the descent of ordinary people into inhumanity.  \nBefore the Second World War broke out\, Hermine Braunsteiner was an ordinary young woman\, a teenage housemaid from Vienna. By the time the war ended\, she had transformed into one of the most notoriously cruel and violent guards in the Nazi concentration camps\, the ‘Stamping Mare’ known for kicking prisoners to death. \nIn the aftermath of WWII\, she disappeared back into civilian life\, her crimes largely unknown and unpunished. Then she met a US war veteran\, a bachelor holidaying alone in Austria. Ignorant of her past\, he fell in love with her\, married her and brought her back to America\, where she lived for years as a well-liked suburban housewife. Until one day a tip-off from a Holocaust survivor sent a New York Times journalist to the couple’s door…
URL:https://houseofbooksandfriends.live/event/author-event-the-mare-angharad-hampshire-in-conversation-with-louise-savidge
CATEGORIES:Author Event
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