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The Calamity Club is set in Oxford, Mississippi, in 1933, with the Great Depression pressing down on everyone, rich and poor alike. The story follows three women whose lives end up tied together. At a moment when far-right and authoritarian politics are gaining real ground across the West, a book about women being underestimated, controlled and written off is not simply a story about the past.

I think moving countries as a child changes you forever. Not always in dramatic ways. Sometimes it just quietly teaches you that life can change very quickly, that people disappear, that home can become a very flexible concept, and that you learn to adapt before you even fully understand what adapting means. Maybe that’s also why I’ve spent so much of my adult life saying yes to things before feeling ready for them. I was born in Colombia and moved to Spain when I was nine ye

By Alex Latte - Page-Turner & Cocktail Stirrer I've always loved books. I've always bought books. The problem, like most people I know, is that buying a book and actually finishing one are two very different things. A couple of years ago I looked at my shelf, full of books I genuinely wanted to read, and realised I'd barely got through any of them. Not because I didn't care, but because life kept pulling me in other directions. Work, friends, the weeks that disappear before y

Books are appearing in unexpected places lately, not just on bedside tables or café counters, but in fashion campaigns, accessories and wider cultural conversations. Coach’s new Explore Your Story campaign places literature at the centre of its Spring collection, introducing miniature readable book charms and using storytelling as a form of self expression. It feels telling. Because this is about more than accessories. It reflects a broader shift in what people want from the

May marks National Get Caught Reading Month, a campaign created to celebrate reading for pleasure and encourage people to make books part of everyday life. First launched in 1999, it remains a simple idea with lasting appeal, be seen reading and make space for it more often. At Cocktail & Book Club, what resonates most is not the visibility of reading, but what reading offers in return. A good book can change the atmosphere of an ordinary day. It can turn a commute into anoth

On Sunday 10th May 2026, we gathered once again for another Cocktail & Book Club afternoon. Held in collaboration with Penguin Random House and Century Publishing, as we welcomed author Kelly Mullen to discuss her book, A Murder in Eight Cocktails.

By Claire Gaura - Cocktail & Book Club Contributor At Cocktail & Book Club, we believe the setting matters just as much as the story. The right venue shapes the mood of an evening, creating the kind of atmosphere where conversation flows, new connections are made and every detail feels considered. That’s exactly why we host our gatherings in collaboration with Virgin Hotel London Shoreditch and Hidden Grooves. In the heart of London’s most creative neighborhood Virgin Hotel S

By Claire Gaura - Cocktail & Book Club Contributor April carries a quiet sense of renewal. The days stretch a little longer, gardens begin to bloom and the first truly warm afternoons invite us to slow down and spend more time outside. It’s the kind of month that calls for something uplifting to read and something fresh to sip, small rituals that mark the beginning of spring. Alongside our Book of the Month, we’re sharing an additional April recommendation, a novel that capt

Cocktail & Book Club gathered again at Virgin Hotels London Shoreditch for an afternoon of books, conversation, cocktails and creativity. A recap of our latest meet up.

on Sunday 8th March 2026, we held our first proper Cocktail & Book Club gathering at Virgin Hotels London Shoreditch, in collaboration with Hidden Grooves.