Kemps bookstore in Malton is hosting several exciting bookish events over the summer, providing the perfect opportunity for a learning experience or to simply escape into a fictional world for a couple of hours. Events stem from cosy crime to bookshop quizzes, as well as intersecting local culture and history with literature, writes Eleanor Whaley.

‘Treat Your Shelf’ is the first event of the summer. Before picking up Funny Story, the newest book by best-selling author Emily Henry, treat your shelf to the summer romance set in a small-town bookshop, Book Lovers. It is a great book for fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid and Rebecca Serle as well as a perfect summer read, so join Cindy on Saturday 8th June at 7:30 pm at the store for a relaxed discussion.

Independent Bookshop Week commences on Saturday 15th June and to celebrate Kemps will be hosting ‘A Very Puzzling Evening’ on Wednesday 19th June. Samuel Burr will be sharing his new book The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, a contemporary mystery, followed by a Bookshop Quiz with literary questions and bookish prizes. A £15 ticket includes: a glass of Puzzlers Punch, event and quiz entry for one person and 10% off all shopping in-store on the night. A £20 ticket includes all of the above and a signed copy of The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers.

Cosy mysteries are at the centre of the events this summer. Ian Moore is an author and comedian with regular appearances on Radio 4 and often visits Kemps bookstore. His Follet Valley Mysteries have proven to be hugely popular with Kemps customers as he brings us the fourth instalment of the series, Death in Le Jardin. Perfect for readers of cosy crime, An Evening with Ian Moore will be entertaining and generate lots of discussion.

Kemps values collaborative events to enhance local cultural establishments, hence the bookstore will be participating in the Ryedale Festival and Malton Museum’s Roman Festival in July. Ryedale Festival is an annual event that welcomes performers from all over the world to numerous venues across Ryedale, including the Milton Rooms and Castle Howard. Kemps will be the official Ryedale Festival Shop and onsite at most of the events. The festival commences on 12th July and concludes on the 28th July. Meanwhile, Malton Museum is hosting the annual Roman Festival in Orchard Fields on Sunday 21st July. The authors participating include Nick Brown, Nancy Jardine, Clive Ashman, Julian Morgan, Kate Cunningham and Horrible Histories author Terry Deary. Kemps will have a pop-up bookshop in the Author’s Tent where books by participating authors will be on sale.

July finishes with some more cosy crime with An Evening with J.M. Hall. Hall is a best-selling Yorkshire author of A Spoonful of Murder, A Pen Dipped in Poison and most recently A Clock Stopped Dead. Set in Yorkshire, these books are perfect for fans of mystery and are light-hearted reads. The author and playwright will be joining Kemps on Tuesday 30th July at 7:30 pm and will be perfect if you enjoyed An Evening with Ian Moore.

August commences with a Yorkshire author to coincide with Yorkshire Day. Milly Johnson, from Barnsley, is a Sunday Times bestseller and one of the Top 10 Female Fiction authors in the UK. Milly’s appearance will be valuable to Malton as her writing emphasises the importance of community spirit and the magic of kindness. However, she highlights the complexities in life while enhancing the strength of women, friendship and the possibility of second renaissances. This fun and uplifting evening will take place in the Milton Rooms at 7:30 pm on 1st August.

Moreover, some continuous events include monthly book groups on the first Tuesday and Thursday of each month, where pre-booking is essential; and monthly Cooking The Books event with The Cook's Place is also running with details to be found on the website.

Some fantastic authors are lined up and, with your support, Kemps aims to secure more high-profile authors in the future.

Liz Kemp said: "Your support and attendance at events is vital to enable and grow these opportunities.’

"We cannot thank Malton enough for supporting us by shopping at Kemps but why not enjoy us even more by attending some of our events? More details in-store or via our website. Watch this space for a fantastic Autumn lineup for History events too.2

All events can be booked via Eventbrite or in-store.