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Music, art, drama and more will be showcased at the inaugural Chelsea Arts Festival in September 2025. But today we’re celebrating the written word, which is woven through the long weekend across events spanning mental health, the power of art, the joy of fiction and the treasure trove of women’s voices we can find across the globe. Here we’ve gathered 14 books to read to bring you up to speed with our speakers ahead of the festival.
Books to Read Ahead Of Chelsea Arts Festival 2025
Avoidance, Drugs, Heartbreak and Dogs by Jordan Stephens
Rizzle Kicks star Jordan Stephens made headlines when his strikingly honest memoir hit the shelves last year. In Avoidance, Drugs, Heartbreak and Dogs, Jordan welcomes us into his world, chronicling the adolescence of a young boy with ADHD growing into a teen and young adult wrapped up in a spellbinding whirl of success and friendships yet hedonism, destruction and heartache. Unsparing and tender, it’s a must-read ahead of his Chelsea Arts Festival talk with fellow mental health advocate and author Matt Haig, chaired by beloved broadcaster and DJ Annie Mac (21 September; tickets). And it has just come out in paperback!
Paperback, £10.44
The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse
Having co-founded what is now known as The Women’s Prize for Fiction, it’s no overstatement to say Kate Mosse CBE is a national treasure. From an undergraduate degree at Oxford to a job in publishing to abandoning it all for her own career in writing, to founding the Women’s Prize for Fiction which celebrates its 30th birthday in 2025, and Kate will host a special panel at Chelsea Arts Festival to commemorate the anniversary (21 September; tickets available now). She’ll be joined by a stellar panel celebrating the power of women’s voices – but until then, we will be racing through Kate’s gripping historical Joubert Family quartet, beginning with The Burning Chambers where we meet 19-year-old Minou Joubert in Carcassonne, 1562.
Paperback, £9.99
Black Earth Rising by Ekow Eshun
Acclaimed writer Ekow Eshun will discuss his vibrant new art anthology at Chelsea Arts Festival, in conversation with Katy Wickremesinghe (20 September; tickets). Drawing together the world of African diasporic, Latin American and Native American artists, Black Earth Rising explores the complex ties between race, colonialism and the climate crisis, addressing vital questions of land, presence and social and environmental justice. It’s visually stunning and a must-read; but for something more narrative, try Eshun’s acclaimed The Strangers which delves into the lives of five very different Black men and the contexts that shaped them.
Hardback, £50
Iconic: My Life in Fashion in 50 Objects by Zandra Rhodes
In a conversation with Daniel Lismore chaired by journalist Kate Hutchinson (20 September; tickets), Zandra Rhodes will tell the tale of her remarkable journey through fashion’s most defining moments – which you can read all about in her compelling memoir, Iconic: My Life in Fashion in 50 Objects. Expect an exuberant journey across iconic moments, unique perspectives and anecdotes starring rock legends and royalty alike.
Paperback, £10.99
The Comfort Book by Matt Haig
Perhaps best known for his fiction – especially The Midnight Hotel – Matt Haig’s roster of non-fiction books are truly life affirming, from Reasons to Stay Alive to Notes on a Nervous Planet. Our top pick ahead of Chelsea Arts Festival, where Matt will be in conversation with Jordan Stephens and Annie Mac (21 September; tickets), is his latest non-fiction title The Comfort Book. This is a collection of consolations learned in hard times, plus suggestions for making bad days better. Think of it as wisdom from a good friend, or even a hug when you need it.
Paperback, £10.99
Lessons by Ian McEwan
In his upcoming novel What Can We Know (18 September), Ian McEwan takes an unflinching look at a future version of Britain ravaged by climate change. Need to get to know the man ahead of his talk with George Monbiot and book signing at Chelsea Arts Festival (18 September; tickets)? Pick up Lessons, McEwan’s most autobiographical work to date taking us back to a post-WWII Britain where young boarding school boy Roland Baine’s life is turned upside down.
Paperback, £9.99
Friendaholic by Elizabeth Day
Elizabeth Day will launch her new novel, One of Us, at Chelsea Arts Festival at an event hosted by the delightful Marian Keyes (21 September; tickets). Before then, the best book to read is Friendaholic, a delicious meditation on friendship questioning why great loves are so frequently framed as romantic when the true loves of our lives are often the friends who stick with us for a lifetime.
Paperback, £10.99
Gabriel’s Moon by William Boyd
Gabriel’s Moon is the first in a new spy series penned by beloved (and prolific) globetrotting British author William Boyd. The Predicament, the series’ second installment – centring once again on reluctant journalist-turned-spy Gabriel Dax – will be published on 4 September, just before Boyd speaks at the inaugural Chelsea Arts Festival (19 September; tickets).
Paperback, £9.99
Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken by Daniel Lismore
This 2017 collection is the perfect amuse bouche Daniel Lismore’s Chelsea Arts Festival event with Zandra Rhodes and Kate Hutchinson, which promises a vibrant afternoon of fashion and art. In Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken, Daniel gathers 30 ensembles from around the world, bursting at the seams with rich contexts, wild imagination and sartorial creativity.
Hardback, £40
Bright Stars by Kate Bryan
Curator, art historian and broadcaster Kate Bryan describes her upcoming book with artist David Shrigley How To Art as a ‘passion project’, something she has always wanted to write to dispel art’s purposeful opacity. It’ll hit the shelves on 18 September, two days before she and David take to the Chelsea Arts Festival stage to delve between the pages (20 September; tickets). Until then, we’ll be leafing through Bright Stars, Kate’s re-evaluation of the legacy left by 30 great artists who died too young, from Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat to Vincent van Gogh and Amrita Sher-Gil.
Hardback, £16.99
Get Your Shit Together by David Shrigley
In How To Art, Kate’s words are brought to life with the eccentric artwork of her good friend David Shrigley, who she describes as having ‘such brilliant wit’ despite also being ‘very profound and very poetic when he talks about art and how meaningful it is’. For a taste of what to expect from How To Art, pick up David’s book Get Your Shit Together, which brings together the artist’s notoriously absurd and deadpan sensibility through an array of work. A thoroughly enjoyable book to read.
Hardback, £30
The Arts Dividend by Darren Henley
Sticking with the art theme, Chelsea Arts Festival is excited to welcome Arts Council England’s chief executive Darren Henley, who will be discussing his new book The Arts Dividend with broadcaster and journalist Samira Ahmed (20 September;tickets). Henley’s book draws on his wealth of experience traversing the length and breadth of England and noticing how public investment in creativity helps us all to live happier lives.
Paperback, £12.99
My Favourite Mistake by Marian Keyes
Best selling Irish author Marian Keyes has a hefty back catalogue – and you can’t really go wrong picking up any of her novels which variously explore themes like addiction, depression and bereavement while also being laugh-out-loud funny and endlessly life affirming. Her latest publication, My Favourite Mistake, returns to the life of beloved heroine Anna Walsh who is now a high-flying PR falling out of love with New York – but it holds up as a standalone. Catch Marian in conversation with Elizabeth Day to launch the latter’s new novel One of Us at Chelsea Arts Festival (21 September; tickets).
Paperback, £9.99
The American No by Rupert Everett
Beloved actor Rupet Everett is best known for his roles in My Best Friend’s Wedding and An Ideal Husband, but he’s also a distinguished author. Pick up his latest literary offering, The American No ahead of his appearance at Chelsea Arts Festival (18 September; tickets coming soon) to be exhilarated by various worlds and exuberant characters across a series of short stories spanning Oscar Wilde’s last night in Paris to a Russian countess confronting middle age in the Cotswolds.
Hardback, £20
BUY IT
Plenty of books to read here before the festival… In the meantime take a look at the What’s On page and browse the full selection of events on sale.