Barbara Kingsolver: The Poisonwood Bible

Join Barbara Kingsolver for a discussion of her bestselling novel.

In 1959, evangelical Baptist Nathan Price moves with his wife and four daughters from Georgia, USA, to the Belgian Congo. But with their Betty Crocker cake mixes, Band-aids and rigid American faith the family are ill-equipped for their disastrous mission into the wilderness. The novel is narrated by the five women, and chronicles three decades of political turmoil in post-colonial Africa, from the Congo's fight for independence from Belgium, to the murder of it's first president and the CIA coup to install his replacement.

Hall Two, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG
£9.50 online/£11.50 from the box office

The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux

This summer John Mullan explores the art of travel writing with Paul Theroux.

In 1973 Theroux took an epic four month journey by rail through Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Forty years later, The Great Railway Bazaar is a modern classic of travel literature. Exploring legendary train routes – the Orient Express, the Khyber Pass Local, the Delhi Mail from Jaipur, the Golden Arrow of Kuala and the Trans-Siberian Express – the book is a romantic tribute to the joys of railways and train travel. But it is also full of wry and fascinating observations about landscape, culture and the people Theroux encounters on his way – such as Mr Radia, who intones Hindi Songs through his nose, Sadik, a shabby Turkish tycoon and the gun-toting opium smuggler Mr Pensacola.

Paul Theroux's novels include The Mosquito Coast, Blinding Light and Kowloon Tong. Among his many travel books are Dark Star Safari, The Old Patagonian Express and Ghost Train to the Eastern Star (2008), for which he retraced the route he took in the Great Railway Bazaar.

Date: Tuesday 4 June
Time: 7pm
Venue: Hall Two, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG
Price: £11.50/£9.50

William Fotheringham: Racing Hard

William Fotheringham has been obsessed with competitive cycling for as long as he has been old enough to reach the handlebars. It was an obsession that led him to a career as Britain’s leading cycling correspondent, writing for the Guardian. In Racing Hard he reflects on his more than 20 years in cycling journalism, juxtaposing articles written at the time with annotations and reflections enriched by hindsight. As the 2013 Tour de France approaches, William Fotheringham will be at the London Review of Books to discuss his work with Richard Moore, a former racing cyclist now turned writer, and the author of several acclaimed books on the history of competitive cycling.

Click here to pre-order Racing Hard (published 6 June) for £8.99, saving £4 off RRP.

Time: 7pm
Venue: London Review of Books, 14 Bury Place, London, WC1A 2JL
Price: £7