Nothing Like a Book
Experience everything that books spark
On 19th and 20th July, over 3,200 people gathered for our Nothing Like a Book weekender at The Truman Brewery in East London, where we celebrated books and everything they have the power to spark.
In our Curiosity Studio, cultural icons including Jacqueline Wilson, Munroe Bergdorf, Jordan Stephens and more took to the stage for talks and workshops. And in our Discovery Room, books came to life through installations designed to soothe, empower, and thrill.
A huge thanks to our partners, Crocs™, MOTH drinks and Dalston’s Soda. Check out the event highlights and photos below:
Event highlights
Author Talks
A range of authors and cultural figures spoke across the weekend, including Jacqueline Wilson discussing the power of books from childhood, and Jordan Stephens on how to broaden young men's horizons beyond the digital world.
The Book Nook
In our Book Nook, guests could receive a personalised book recommendation and free book – resulting in the giveaway of over 1,000 free books!
The Audiobook Cafe
Guests could relax and listen to a selection of calming audiobook extracts in our café dedicated to the immersive world of audiobooks.
Judge a Book by its Jibbitz™
Guests visited the Crocs™ pop-up stall to play a guessing game, where Crocs™ Classic Small Totes were decorated with Jibbitz™ charms that contained clues to a mystery book inside.
The Installations
From the soothing to the thrilling to the empowering, our Discovery Room installations brought the joy of reading to life.
The Penguin x MOTH party
To round off the weekend, we threw a party sponsored by MOTH drinks and Dalston's Soda, where the cocktails and conversation flowed alongside plenty of dancing.
With thanks to our event partners
Nothing like a Book around the UK
We partnered with a selection of independent bookshops across the UK, notable for their presence in the local community or social impact work, to extend the celebrations in July and across the summer.
- the book-ends - Wellington, Shropshire
- Forum Books - Corbridge, Northumberland
- Mostly Books - Abingdon, Oxfordshire
- The Bookery - Crediton, Devon
- Afrori Books - Brighton
- The Folkestone Bookshop - Folkestone, Kent
- Drake the Bookshop - Stockton-on-Tees, Durham
- David's Bookshop - Letchworth, Hertfordshire
- No Alibis Bookstore - Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Wave of Nostalgia - Keighley, West Yorkshire
- Little Acorns Bookstore - Derry, Northern Ireland
To find out more about the celebrations in each bookshop, check out their website and social media for further information.
Drake the Bookshop – Stockton on Tees, Country Durham
Young adult readers in Teesside were treated to a series of summer talks and workshops about all things horror and thriller books. The store will follow on with gothic fiction-inspired workshops this autumn.
No Alibis Bookstore - Belfast, Northern Ireland
This colourful, birthday-inspired window display in Belfast was created in collaboration with talented local artist Rebecca E. Elliott (see if you can spot the Penguin logo!). Readers and book-lovers in the area were also treated to author talks and a special in-store Penguin display.
The Bookery – Crediton, Devon
Primary and secondary school students in Devon celebrated with a series of Escape Room events in-store, with each receiving a gift voucher to choose their very own book to take home – a difficult decision, given the amazing selection of books!
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