News

AUTHORS ANNOUNCED

BIG BOOK GROUP

The book selected for the Big Book Group on Sunday evening is SWEAT by Emma Healey whose first book Elizabeth is Missing sold many thousands of copies all over the world. SWEAT is a novel exploring obsession, revenge and control and it will provide lots of points for discussion.

IAIN DALE

First up at 10am on the Saturday morning is British broadcaster, author and political commentator Iain Dale coming to talk about his book on Mrs Thatcher, which is published in June.

Andrew Ziminski author at Cuckfield book festival

ANDREW Ziminiski

Also on Saturday, we have a new venue for a session – Holy Trinity Church. Church Going by Andrew Ziminski is a stonemason’s guide to the churches of the British Isles. This book is a celebration of Britain’s most important and iconic buildings and the historic Holy Trinity Church is the perfect place for this session.

BARONESS LOLA YOUNG

In 2004, Baroness Lola Young became one of the first Black women members of the House of Lords. Eight Weeks tells the powerful story of her determination to defy the odds; she has been an actress, an academic, an activist and campaigner for social justice and a crossbench peer. She is also a very beguiling speaker.

lucy hughes-hallett

From the winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize, Lucy Hughes-Hallett writes The Scapegoat, an extraordinary story of the meteoric rise and fall of George Villiers, the first Duke of Buckingham.

‘A delicious, grippingly paced tale of rogues, riotous sex, regicide and realpolitik’

INDEPENDENT BEST BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS

PHIL CRAIG

The latest book by The Scandal Mongers podcaster and TV producer, Phil Craig, looks at the legacy of WW2 in his book 1945 The Reckoning. Clearing away the haze of nostalgia, he considers the many uncomfortable truths that emerge about attempts to rekindle empires and the clumsy decisions that have informed the shape of the world today.

TIM WIGMORE

In his new book Test Cricket: A History, award-winning author Tim Wigmore, tells the full,gripping story of the players and stories that have shaped the game’s evolution since 1877.

Featuring over forty exclusive interviews with cricket greats, including Sachin Tendulkar, Pat Cummins, Michael Holding, Muthiah Muralidaran, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Chappell, Dale Steyn and Rahul Dravid – his book brings to life both Test cricket on the pitch and the game’s social significance around the world.

STEVE RICHARDS

When Tony Blair became Labour party leader in 1994 aged 41 after the death of John Smith he became the youthful leader of a party still bruised by having lost four elections. Despite this, many viewed him as the next prime minister.

In his new biography, Tony Blair, leading political columnist, journalist, author and presenter Steve Richards provides a provocative short biography and casts new light on the man and his legacy.

ROGER MORGAN-GRENVILLE

The Restless Coast: A Journey around the Edge of Britain, is a moving and beautiful account of a journey around the island of Britain, during which the author Roger Morgan-Grenville, travels its length to discover its challenges and opportunities, and to talk to the people trying to protect it.

At once informative, angry and funny, The Restless Coast is a very personal love letter to our island edge.

Jonathan SumptIon

Across the globe, democracy is in crisis – in the UK alone, it has been rocked by Brexit, the pandemic and successive attempts by governments to bypass legal norms. But how did this happen, and where might we go from here?

Jonathan Sumption cuts through the political noise with acute analysis of the state of democracy today – timely, incisive and wholly original, The Challenges of Democracy applies the brilliance of the cleverest man in Britain; to the most urgent and far reaching political issue of our day.

“Incisive and eloquent” The Telegraph

Jonathan Sumpton Author at Cuckfield Bookfest 2025

Isabel Losada

The Joyful Environmentalist by Isabel Losada is an engaging and uplifting guide to sustainable living that approaches environmental activism with humour and practicality.

Unlike many doom-laden climate books, Losada presents a positive approach to tackling environmental challenges, sharing personal anecdotes and practical tips that readers can implement in their daily lives.

Her core message is that making eco-friendly choices can be joyful rather than sacrificial, encouraging readers to take small, meaningful actions without guilt or perfectionism.

Dr Jenna Macciochi

In Immune to Age, Immunologist Dr Jenna Macciochi explores the crucial role our immune system plays in longevity and reveals why understanding its impact on our health and how we age is the key to living longer, better.

Blending cutting-edge scientific expertise with beautiful storytelling and actionable advice to explore the importance of good immune health at every stage of life, this is the ultimate preventative care framework that equips readers with the knowledge and tools to reclaim control over their health and ensure every year is a good one.

Dr Jenna Macchiochi author speaking at Cuckfield Book festival west sussex

Anna Sebba author west sussex book festival cuckfield

AnnE Sebba

In her new book, The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz, historian and an award-winning biographer, Anne Sebba draws on meticulous archival research and exclusive first-hand accounts to tell the full and astonishing story of the women who played in the orchestra.

What role could music play in a death camp and what was the effect on those women who owed their survival to their participation? Anne traces these tangled questions of deep moral complexity with sensitivity and care.

“Anne Sebba brings meticulous research and brilliant writer’s eye to one of the darkest questions of World War Two. What would you do to survive and what might be the price?”
ANTHONY HOROWITZ