Join us on Tuesday, 16 June 2026 at 6:30 pm at the Bürgerbegegnungsstätte Bayreuth for our next Book Club meeting, where we will be discussing The Marmalade Diaries – the true story of an odd couple by Ben Aitken.

Out of the most inauspicious of soils – and from the author of The Gran Tour – comes a book about grief, family, friendship, loneliness, life, love, lockdown and marmalade.

ONE HOUSE. TWO HOUSEMATES. THREE REASONS TO WORRY: WINNIE AND BEN ARE SEPARATED BY 50 YEARS, A GULF IN CLASS, AND MAJOR DIFFERENCES OF OPINION.

When hunting for a room in London, Ben Aitken came across one for a great price in a lovely part of town. There had to be a catch. And there was. The catch was Winnie: an 85-year-old widow who doesn’t suffer fools.

Full of warmth, wit and candour, The Marmalade Diaries tells the story of an unlikely friendship during an unlikely time. Imagine an intergenerational version of Big Brother, but with only two contestants. One of the pair a grieving and inflexible former aristocrat in her mid-eighties. The other a working-class millennial snowflake. What could possibly go wrong? What could possibly go right?

*****

Whether you have read the book in full or are simply curious, you are very welcome to join us. Expect a thoughtful and open discussion in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

We look forward to seeing you there!