Past events

THURSDAY 10th March 2022, 7pm - 8.15pm

I, Mona Lisa
by Natasha Solomons
Illustrated Talk

Best-selling author and screenwriter Natasha Solomons delighted the packed audience at Fairplace Church, Okehampton with a lively and fascinating illustrated talk about her new novel I, Mona Lisa.

In Leonardo da Vinci's studio, bursting with genius imagination, towering commissions and needling patrons, as well as discontented muses, friends and rivals, sits the painting of the Mona Lisa. For five hundred tumultuous years, amid a whirlwind of power, money, intrigue, the portrait of Lisa del Giocondo is sought after and stolen.
Over the centuries, few could hear her voice, but now she is ready to tell her own story, in her own words - a tale of rivalry, murder and heartbreak. Weaving through the years, she takes us from the dazzling world of Florentine studios to the French courts at Fontainebleau and Versailles, and into the Twentieth Century.
I, Mona Lisa is a deliciously vivid, compulsive and illuminating story about the lost and forgotten women throughout history.

FRIDAY 17th DECEMBER 2021, 11am

Michael Morpurgo Book Signing

The progress of the pandemic meant a in-person signing was not possible this year, however Michael Morpurgo kindly offered to sign and dedicate pre-ordered books off-site on the day.

WEDNESDAY 24th November 2021, 7pm-8pm

An evening with
A.J. MacKenzie:
A Clash of Lions

A war on two fronts. A deadly threat from within.
1346: Sent back to England in the wake of the tremendous victory at Crecy, the Prince of Wales' herald Simon Merrivale is at once caught up in a new emergency as a powerful Scottish army sweeps into northern England. Joining up with the Archbishop of York, Lord Percy and their army mustering in the north, Merrivale discovers a hotbed of treason. He will have to use all his wit and guile to uncover a spy operation so powerful that no throne in Europe is safe...
To celebrate the paperback launch of A Clash of Lions, the second historical espionage thriller in their gripping Hundred Years’ War series, we hosted an lively and fascinating evening reading/Q&A with A.J. Mackenzie (the pseudonym of Marilyn Livingstone and Morgen Witzel, an Anglo-Canadian husband-and-wife team of master historians and writers).

MONDAY 25th October 2021, 3.30pm - 4.30pm

Robin Ince
The Importance of Being Interested: Adventures in Scientific Curiosity

Comedian Robin Ince quickly abandoned science at school, bored by a fog of dull lessons and intimidated by the barrage of equations. But, twenty years later, he fell in love and he now presents one of the world’s most popular science podcasts. Every year he meets hundreds of the world’s greatest thinkers.

In this latest book Robin reveals why scientific wonder isn’t just for the professionals. Filled with interviews featuring astronauts, comedians, teachers, quantum physicists, neuroscientists and more – as well as charting Robin’s own journey with science – The Importance of Being Interested explores why many wrongly think of the discipline as distant and difficult. From the glorious appeal of the stars above to why scientific curiosity can encourage much needed intellectual humility, this optimistic and profound book will leave you filled with a thirst for intellectual adventure.

THURSDAY 24th JUNE, 9am

Author book signing:
Liz Fenwick

As part of Indie Bookshop Week, we were delighted to welcome Liz Fenwick to Dogberry & Finch Books for a book signing. Her new novel, The River Between Us is set on the banks of the Tamar, and beautifully explores the mystery and secrets of a long-forgotten love affair.

SUNDAY 20th JUNE, 10am - 4pm

Exeter City of Literature Book Market at Powderham Castle

www.exetercityofliterature.com/event-picks/powderham-castle-exeter-city-of-literature-book-market
We were thrilled to be part of the very first Powderham Book Market on 20th June. Organised by Exeter Unesco City of Literature & Powderham Castle, this bookish extravaganza was a fabulous and well-attended day out.

THURSDAY 17th SEPTEMBER - SATURDAY 31st OCTOBER

Still Life on Dartmoor in Lockdown

Dogberry & Finch Books were delighted to host an atmospheric, and apt, exhibition by local fine artist Rachel Van der Steen entitled 'Still Life on Dartmoor in Lockdown'.
For more information and portfolio, see Rachel's website: www.rachelvandersteen.co.uk

SATURDAY 7th MARCH, 10am - 11am

World Book Day Free Story-Time Bonanza

Dogberry & Finch Books is signed up to World Book Day's Share A Million Stories campaign and today the shop was chockablock with families enjoying a morning of story-telling, craft activities, and fantabulous freebies alongside swapping their tokens for their own, special WBD books.
Don't forget you can redeem your tokens at Dogberry & Finch Books at ANY time during World Book Day month (27 February – 29 March).
World Book Day is sponsored by National Book Tokens
Illustration © Rob Biddulph

SUNDAY 1st MARCH, 2pm - 5pm

Michael Morpurgo at Film Premiere in Okehampton

Sir Michael Morpurgo, attended the cinematic adaptation of his book 'Waiting for Anya', which premiered in Okehampton on Sunday 1st March.
Dogberry & Finch Books was proud to be the official bookseller for this highly-anticipated event.
The film was screened at Okehampton's New Carlton Cinema followed a star-studded meet & greet and book-signing at Toast Coffee House with Sir Michael Morpurgo and family, Director Ben Cookson and Screen Writer Toby Torlesse. Collections were made for Farms for City Children.

SATURDAY 22nd FEBRUARY 2020, 11am - 12pm

Rebecca Tope West Country Mysteries Talk & Book Signing

It was a pleasure to host a lively Q & A and signing by much-loved author Rebecca Tope this Spring. Rebecca was concentrating on her West Country Mystery novels: the Den Cooper series "set amidst the muck and mayhem of contemporary farming life", and the series featuring undertaker sleuth Drew Slocombe.

SATURDAY 8TH FEBRUARY 2020, 7pm - 8pm

Karen Eugenia Boreham: Official Autobiography Launch & Talk

SELL-OUT official Book Launch of 'Song out of Darkness', memoir of author and poet Karen Eugenia Boreham (multi-published under the pen names Karen Hayes & Karen Nelson). Signed copies available instore.
"In an age of increasing international insecurity, the concept of home becomes of still greater importance, as does our relationship with other races and cultures. This account of an American-born woman of Ukrainian extraction, married for 50 years to a Devon farmer, offers a small but entrancing vision of what unlikely meetings of culture, blood and tradition can produce.
This wise and spirited account of one woman’s life suggests how old traditions, transplanted, can become renewed and how brave life choices can generate creative outcomes. I read Karen’s story with the kind of quiet pleasure that only the truly authentic can deliver.”
- Salley Vickers

WEDNESDAY 11th DECEMBER, 5pm - 6pm

Michael Morpurgo at Dogberry & Finch Books

We were delighted to have the wonderful Sir Michael Morpurgo signing copies of his books at Dogberry & Finch Books on 11th December. People from Okehampton, the Dartmoor area, and even Cornwall, came to meet the UK's best-loved children's author. Michael's generosity in not only supporting a new independent bookshop, but in taking the time to talk to each child who had come to see him, made for a truly magical evening and will feature bright in the memories of those children as they grow.

SATURDAY 30th NOVEMBER, 10:30am - 12:30pm

Medieval thriller event with Karen Maitland & Michael Jecks

Dogberry & Finch Books hosted a double-bill event featuring Karen Maitland & Michael Jecks. The audience was treated to an enlightening & humour-filled insight into researching and writing medieval crime/thrillers, from two experts in the field.

MONDAY 18th NOVEMBER, 1pm - 3pm

Stories @ Dogberry

Dogberry and Finch Books hosts Okehampton's new writing group - Stories@Dogberry. This is held once a month on a Monday, 1-3pm and is for local writers, new and experienced, to get together to talk about writing, create stories and more. All welcome!

Join group

SATURDAY 16th NOVEMBER, 10am - 11am

Holly Watt in conversation: CWA Steel Dagger Award Winner 2019

Author Holly Watt was at Dogberry & Finch for an open Q & A session and signing of her debut novel - 'To the Lions' - which won the Crime Writer's Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award 2019.
An award-winning journalist, Holly has reported from a wide range of countries, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Libya, Jordan and Lebanon. As well as flying around the world on everything from Lynx helicopters to Air Force One, Holly also worked as an undercover journalist.

WEDNESDAY 13th NOVEMBER, 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Quay Words Winter reading at Exeter Custom House

Dogberry & Finch Books was the official book stockist for the first Quay Words Winter Reading at Exeter Custom House featuring:
Poetry Positive with Joe Dunthorne and Matt Harvey

SATURDAY 9th NOVEMBER, 11am - 12pm

Philip Pullman Story-Reading & Dæmon-Drawing Activity

Free children's event to celebrate the new on-screen adaptation of Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' this Autumn and the recent publication of 'The Secret Commonwealth', the second book in the 'Book of Dust' series.
Writer Joanna Eden read from the first 'His Dark Materials' book: 'Northern Lights', then led a drawing activity for children (and adults!) to imagine and draw their own 'dæmon'.
Joanna Eden is a writer living on Dartmoor, where she home-schools her son Atlas. She and her husband run The Art of Imagination training sessions to empower people in their intuition.”

TUESDAY 29th OCTOBER - all day

Artist Demonstration by Rebecca de Mendonça

Acclaimed pastel artist, Rebecca de Mendonça spent the day at Dogberry & Finch Books giving an inspiring pastels masterclass to customers and signing copies of her critically-acclaimed book, 'Pastels for the Absolute Beginner'.

SUNDAY 27th OCTOBER, 11.30am

Special event - Baring Gould Folk Festival: UNCLE TOM COBLEY AND ALL

Recreation of Concert Lecture Tour of 1889 Uncle Tom Cobley & All as explored by Dr Todd Gray MBE. Lively & Informative event illustrating in words and song the full story of Devon’s anthem.
130 years ago `Widdicombe Fair’ was brought out of public houses and into concert halls. It became the county’s favourite song. This year the celebrated Concert Lecture Tour was recreated across Devon and came to Dogberry & Finch Books in Okehampton. For the first time the fascinating history of this ancient song was told and audiences were reintroduced to more than 50 variants, most of them long forgotten and some after hundreds of years.

SATURDAY 26th OCTOBER, 9.30am - 11.30am

Free Halloween Get Crafty-Creative in Dogberry & Finch

Children visiting the bookshop today were given the opportunity to make their own Isadora Moon vampire or fairy wings to wear at Halloween, or write a limerick like Matilda for the chance of winning oodles of awesome Roald Dahl prizes.

TUESDAY 22nd OCTOBER, 7pm - 8pm
SOLD OUT!

Frankenstein Talk by Professor Nick Groom

'Prof of Goth' Nick Groom gave a fascinating and entertaining talk, followed by a lively Q & A session and book signing of his newly-published editon of Mary Shelley's classic (Frankenstein or 'The Modern Prometheus': The 1818 Text).
Nick Groom is Professor in English at the University of Exeter. He is a frequent guest on radio and television shows discussing topics ranging from the Union Jack to environmentalism, but is perhaps best known for his work on the Gothic. Among his many books are The Gothic: A Very Short Introduction, The Vampire: A New History, and editions of Gothic novels including Matthew Lewis’s The Monk, Ann Radcliffe’s The Italian, and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. He is currently the vampirology advisor on a project to promote public awareness of blood conditions through theatre and literature, funded by the Wellcome Trust - the country's leading health charity.

SUNDAY 13th OCTOBER 1pm - 3.30pm

Okehampton Festival of Culture, Arts, Film & Music (CAFM)

Dogberry & Finch Books was pleased to be part of the first Culture, Arts, Film, Entertainment & Music Festival (CAFE-M) at Toast Coffee House & Wellness Centre in Okehampton. There were wonderful recitals by local poets Don Newton and Atlas Eden, and by poets and poetry-lovers in the audience. Children's poetry writing activities were on hand, a poetry 'lucky dip' and beautiful books of poems on sale, with drinks and snacks provided by Toast Coffee House.

THURSDAY 3rd OCTOBER, 7pm - 8pm

Poetry Karaoke Evening

On National Poetry Day this year's theme of Truth was explored at Dogberry & Finch Books through recitation of inspiring poetry. There was a full house for this 'open mic' event, and it was a joy to listen to favourite and new poems, in the company of favourite and new friends.

SATURDAY 21st SEPTEMBER, 10am - 1pm

Official Launch Day

The official launch of Okehampton's independent bookshop was a jam-packed celebration of books, art and creativity, held in the company of some very special guests:

Oscar-winning Tolkien illustrator & film conceptual designer, ALAN LEE
Award-winning children's author and illustrator PHILIP REEVE.
Renowned British landscape painter DANNY HOLMES-ADAMS.

There were talks, book signings and complimentary refreshments. We were also delighted to welcome the Mayors of Okehampton and of West Devon, Prof. Nick Groom from Exeter University, representatives from local schools and from local businesses and organisations.

SATURDAY 24th AUGUST, 9am - 5pm

New bookshop opening day

Everyone was warmly invited to come along to the opening day of Dogberry & Finch Books, Okehampton area's new, independent bookshop, selling the best new books, classic book illustration prints and local interest titles.
Around 100 people made their way today into their new bookshop at 15 St James Street. For those unfamiliar with Okehampton, on Fore Street turn right by the church tower and we are a few yards on the left between Room 13 and the DIY Supplies shop!