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Harrogate International Festivals, a registered arts charity with a mission to bring accessible arts, literature, community and education projects to Yorkshire and beyond is taking The Big Read on tour for a series of free events in libraries across Yorkshire and the North of England on 22-24 September.
With the UK’s literacy crisis growing and 16.4% – or 1 in 6 adults – in England described as ‘functionally illiterate,’ meaning that they have literacy levels at or below those expected of an eleven-year-old,* the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival’s popular reading scheme The Big Read aims to develop readers, support libraries and connect communities across the North through a shared love of books. Drawing on the appeal of crime and thriller writing – the UK’s best loved genre – and its popularity with TV viewers, the North of England’s biggest Book Club will visit both rural and urban areas for a series of engaging and inclusive events.
This year’s selected title is ‘The Potting Shed Murder’ by Paula Sutton published by Renegade Books, a humorous and warm murder mystery set in a countryside village where secrets, feuds – and murder – lurk beneath the idyllic exterior. The free events are hosted by the Festival’s Reader-In-Residence, bestselling crime novelist Luca Veste. Free copies of ‘The Potting Shed Murder’ are available from participating libraries.
The Big Read is produced by Harrogate International Festivals in partnership with Dialogue Books. The initiative has been running for 22 years and sits alongside the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival which takes place in Harrogate each July.
Chief Executive of Harrogate International Festivals, Sharon Canavar, said: “The Big Read is a great opportunity for people in our local community and beyond to connect through a shared love of crime fiction. Books and reading can really boost our wellbeing, and we’d like to encourage as many people as possible to read Paula Sutton’s entertaining whodunnit ‘ThePotting Shed Murder,’ and take part in the free library events this month or join in the discussion online and become part of the North’s biggest book club.”
Reader-in-Residence Luca Veste said: "By taking The Big Read on tour across the North, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival is creating a welcoming and accessible space where everyone is encouraged to come and share their thoughts about ‘The Potting Shed Murder’. I'm really looking forward to meeting readers and chatting to them about this wonderful, character-driven, twisty murder mystery."
DATES AND PLACES:
Monday 22 September 2025
10.00am: Hazel Grove Library, Stockport
1.30pm: Central Library, Sheffield
4.00pm: Wath Library and Neighbourhood Hub
Tuesday 23 September 2025
10.30am: Knaresborough Library
1.15pm: Harrogate Library
4.00pm: Acomb Explore Library, York
Wednesday 24 September 2025
9.30am: Cramlington Library, Northumberland
1.00pm: Seaton Carew Community Hub, Hartlepool
*Statistic taken from The National Literary Trust survey - Adult literacy | National Literacy Trust.
Header image: Author Paula Sutton at the lauch of the 2025 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival 'Big Read' (David Harrison)
