COGITO FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHT - From the huge range of wonderful events at this year's Hexham Book Festival, we've picked out a selection that we're particularly looking forward to. We have also reviewed a number of the books associated with these events in our Recommendations pages.

We'll have our book filled stall at all of the events, but if you would like to get a head start on your festival reading, we've already got many of the authors' books in the bookshop. Copies of the full programme of events are available to pick up in Cogito, or alternatively look online at the Hexham Book Festival website

Natalie Haynes

Star of the BBC Radio 4 series, Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics, Natalie brings us her unique combination of ancient history and stand-up comedy to coincide with her latest novel, A Thousand Ships. A tour around the Trojan War, the greatest conflict in ancient literature, perhaps in literature full stop. From the causes of the war (divine displeasure) to its complex aftermath, this show encompasses some of the greatest poetry ever written: The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Oresteia, The Trojan Women and much more. The stories of the women whose lives the war affected have been largely untold, from the Amazon warrior, Penthesilea, to the priestess who saw the whole thing coming, Cassandra. Natalie takes the women out of the shadows and puts them back where they belong: in the middle of the story.