As part of Warwick Books ‘Meet THe Author’ series Professor Rebecca Probert spoke about her new book ‘The Rights & Wrongs of Royal Marriage’ on Wednesday March 30th 7pm at Lord Leycester’s Hospital  

At the launch of this, her latest book, Rebecca Probert in a wide-ranging, immaculately researched and very humorous talk, delved into the murky past behind the rules regulating royal marriages and revealed their impact upon individuals and even the very identity of the monarchy. Turning to the still-divisive issue of Prince Charles’ civil marriage in 2005, she explained why, despite its shaky legal foundations and New Labour’s grave mishandling, it is now impregnable. Finally, she argued for drastic reform: laws enacted in the 1700s are anachronistic and unfit for purpose in a secularized and multicultural society. With a new generation of royals approaching marriageable age, it is vital that we overhaul the law if the United Kingdom is to avoid constitutional problems and innocent couples are to escape challenges to their marital status. 

The large audience really enjoyed her talk particularly in the lovely setting of the medieval hall, and with a glass of wine! We are grateful to The Master as usual for his kindness in letting us use this magnificent facility. 

Rebecca Probert is Professor of Family Law at Warwick University, and as the leading authority on the history of marriage law has appeared on numerous TV and radio shows including Who Do You Think You Are?, Heir Hunters, Channel 4 News, and Law in Action.

Tuesday 15th February at 7pm Warwick Library  Emma Donoghue will talk about her Booker Short Listed ‘Room’

Wednesday 23rd February 7pm at Warwick Library Sophie Hannah will talk about her new psychological thriller ‘Lasting Damage’

Wednesday March 2nd 7pm at Warwick Library Ian Mathie will talk about his new memoir ‘Bride Price’

Wednesday March 30th 7pm at Lord Leycester’s Hospital Prof. Rebecca Probert will talk about her new book ‘The Rights & Wrongs of Royal Marriages’

Friday 8th April 7.30pm at The Stables, Kenilworth Castle Katherine Swift will talk about ‘The Morville Year’. This event is part of Kenilworth Festival.

Tuesday 12th April 7.30pm at The Bridge House Theatre Lord Digby Jones will talk about his new book  ‘Fixing Britain : The Business of Reshaping Our Nation’. This is a Warwick Words Xtra event.

Thursday 14th April 7.30pm at The Bridge House Theatre Jodi Picoult will talk about her new book ‘Sing You Home’. This is a Warwick Words Xtra event.

Sunday 8th May 4pm at Kenilworth Cricket Club Peter Baxter will talk about his new book ‘The Best Views From The Boundary’. This event is part of Kenilworth Festival.

Wednesday11th May 7pm at The Stables, Kenilworth Castle John Julius Norwich will talk about his latest book ‘The Popes : A History’. This event is part of Kenilworth Festival.

Friday 13th May 7.30pm at The Stables, Kenilworth Castle Lucy Worsley will talk about her book ‘If Walls Could Talk : An Intimate History of The Home’. This event is part of Kenilworth Festival.

Friday 13th May 7pm at The Unitarian Chapel Sir Nicholas Kenyon will talk about his new guide to Bach as a prelude to a Bach concert with London Baroque.

7th-15th May Kenilworth Festival         With Lucy Worsley, Peter Baxter, Kathryn Swift, Niki Segnit……

Wednesday 25th May 7pm Tim Pears will talk about his novel‘Disputed Land’

Thursday 2nd June 7pm at Lord Leycester’s Hospital Stephanie Williams will be talking about her new book ‘Running The Show’

Wednesday 15th June 7pm at Lord Leycester’s Hospital  in conjunction with The Warwick Society, Philippa Lewis will be talking about her new book ‘House’

Wednesday 29th June 7pm at Warwick Library Salley Vickers will be talking about ‘Aphrodite’s Hat’

Saturday 9th July 7.30pm at The Bridge House Theatre ‘An Evening With Rory McGrath……’

1-9th October Warwick Words

Tickets for the Library events can be booked at Warwick Books or Kenilworth Books, Warwick Library, Kenilworth Library and Leamington Library and are free but should be booked in advance. See individual events for other ticketing arrangements.

• Starting a vegetable plot
• week-by-week cultivation calendar
• A-Z what to plant where and when
• Ideas for cooking your produce

Paris is one of the most visited cities in the world. But do you know …Which is the most romantic spot to say ‘je’t'aime’? And the sexiest? Where to see fantastic art, away from all the crowds? Why Parisian men feel compelled to pee in the street? How to choose a hotel room where you might actually get a good night’s sleep? Stephen Clarke goes behind the scenes to reveal everything Parisians know about their city – but don’t want to tell you.

Robert Dallek’s masterful ‘John F. Kennedy: An Unfinished Life’ was a number one national bestseller, and it remains the most widely read one-volume biography of the 35th President. Now, in this marvelous short biography of John F.Kennedy, Dallek achieves a miracle of compression, capturing in a small space the essence of his renowned full-length masterpiece. Here readers will find the fascinating insights and groundbreaking revelations found in ‘An Unfinished Life’.

 The heart of the book focuses on Kennedy’s political career, especially the presidency.
The book sheds light on key foreign affairs issues such as the Bay of Pigs debacle, Khrushchev’s misguided bullying of Kennedy in Vienna, the Cuban Missile crisis, the nuclear test ban, the race for space, and the initial dealings with Southeast Asia, especially Laos. It also highlights the difficulties Kennedy faced getting a domestic agenda passed, from a tax cut to spur the economy, to federal aid to education, Medicare, and civil rights. Dallek reveals the thinking behind Robert Kennedy’s appointment as Attorney General and convincingly argues that Kennedy would never have expanded the war in Vietnam the way that Lyndon Johnson did.

The book also addresses questions about Kennedy’s assassination and concludes with his presidential legacy and why he remains so popular despite serving only a thousand days in office.