Laura Kay, Lily Lindon and Bethany Rutter at Blackwell’s

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

Book now

Laura Kay, Lily Lindon and Bethany Rutter discuss Life, Love and Identity.

11 August 2022

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Author Bethany Rutter.
Author Bethany Rutter.
Book now

Rescheduled from June, if you’re looking for some holiday reading, this might be the event you need, as Laura Kay, Lily Lindon and Bethany Rutter pop into the Blackwell’s shop to discuss life, love and identity, and their latest books – described as “three brilliant new laugh-out-loud romantic comedies”. They’ll be in conversation with host Kiley Dunbar, a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and a graduate of their New Writers’ Scheme, and author of The Borrow A Bookshop Holiday.

If you’re looking for some holiday reading, this might be the event you need, as Laura Kay, Lily Lindon and Bethany Rutter pop into the Blackwell’s shop to discuss life, love and identity, and their latest books – described as “three brilliant new laugh-out-loud romantic comedies”.

Author and journalist Laura Kay has an MA in American History from the University of Sheffield, and now lives in East London. In 2018, Laura was selected as one of the ten PRH WriteNow mentees, where she developed her debut novel, The Split. Tell Me Everything is her second novel, in which unlucky-in-love therapist Natasha is walking the line between self-actualisation and self-destruction and needs to take control of her own happiness. Lily Lindon, see below, says: “Laura Kay’s writing is so warm and open-hearted, but also has a dry wit that makes you snort with delighted recognition.”

Also London based, writer and editor Lily Lindon studied English at Cambridge, where she wrote, directed and performed in Footlights theatre and comedy shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and across the States. She then worked at Penguin Random House, where she published the Vintage Classics’ Love Letters of Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West, and now she’s an editor on creative writing courses at The Novelry and hosts Wit Lit, an interview podcast about funny books. Double Booked is her debut novel, written during lockdown, described as: “A fresh, timely and genuinely laugh-out-loud romantic comedy about a sensible young woman in a long-term relationship who realises she’s bisexual.”

Bethany Rutter is a writer, podcaster and jewellery maker based in South East London. She writes books about women, bodies and clothes. Her latest, Welcome To Your Life, is “a story about love, forging your own path, and falling head over heels – with yourself”, following Serena Mills, who should be at her wedding but is instead “eating an ice cream sundae and drinking an obscenely large glass of wine in a Harvester off the M25”.

Where to go near Laura Kay, Lily Lindon and Bethany Rutter at Blackwell’s

The Manchester Museum on Oxford Road Manchester
Manchester
Gallery
The Study
at Manchester Museum

Manchester Museum opened The Study on 11 September 2015. A reworking of the entire top floor of its historic Grade II*-listed building, The Study has been reimagined as a space designed to spark wonder, curiosity and a passion for research in all of its visitors.

Manchester Museum Tours at Manchester Museum
Manchester
Museum
Manchester Museum

The Manchester Museum isn’t one of the UK’s leading university museums for nothing – it has six million objects in its stores, including a full size T-Rex skeleton, and that’s just for starters.

Utility Gift Shop
Manchester
Shop
Utility Gift Shop

Utility Gift Shop on Oxford Road is all about products that are new, unique, quirky and cool. High street shopping at its best.

Manchester
Restaurant
San Carlo Fumo

San Carlo Fumo is a sun trap on St Peter’s Square, serving up traditional Italian food at its best

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Kro Bar

Kro Bar, Manchester is an independent pub and music venue housed (somewhat ironically) in the former Temperance Society building.

Tai Wu
Manchester
Restaurant
Tai Wu

Long-standing, trend-swerving Chinese restaurant on Manchester’s Upper Brook Street, with a reputation for authentic dim sum and traditional Cantonese cuisine.

Culture Guides

Hofesh Shechter - Theatre of Dreams at Lowry
Theatre

Dark comedy, visceral dance theatre, Fringe hits and open-air performances on a railway viaduct - try something new this season.

Mermaid Chunky by Simon Pizzey.
Music

From manifesto-wielding DJs to bands blurring gigs with performance art, our music guide is newly stocked with artists who see live music as a place for risk.

Food and Drink in the North

It’s the early-May edition of the Food and Drink Guide and here's where to eat and drink while living out your warm-weather dreams.

a beach. red bricks are laid out in a spiral shape on the sand.
Exhibitions

We’ve got five new Manchester exhibitions this month, from thought-provoking photography to environmental art and community-led projects.

Emily Lloyd-Saini as Grace in Space and Harrie Hayes as Lieutenant Strong in Horrible Science
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.