Aurora Metro Books

26/09/2025

Join us for a wonderful evening on October 2nd with authors April de Angelis, Katie Lumsden, Mary Hamer, Jen Francis, and Caitlin Grills, alongside poets Karenjit Sandhu and Kim Bailey, who will share and discuss their work. Academic Jennie Batchelor and editor Cheryl Robson will talk about the journey of writing and editing the new book Encounters with Jane Austen, which features contributions from over 30 creatives.

Link to purchase tickets can be found below.
https://buff.ly/990gnWG

25/09/2025

Have a read of The Virginia Prize For Fiction winner, "The Wilder Path" by Deborah Tomkins.
Caught between the cliffs and an unforgiving storm, Rosalie’s fight for survival becomes a reckoning with her troubled past. Can she find a way back—not just to safety, but to herself?

Get your copy using the link below:
https://buff.ly/y5CsVsX

21/09/2025

In the Scene: Agnes Varda is out this September!

Always ahead of her time, Agnes Varda’s work often blended documentary and fiction, showing an openness to experimentation through her unique personal expression. She became an iconic figure in the world of cinema, celebrated for her originality, her empathy, and her trailblazing contributions to filmmaking. Her reputation as one of the world’s most important and influential filmmakers continues to grow.

20/09/2025

Why do some women either have to, or choose to, live secret lives? We all have secrets, but what drives these women to hide part of themselves from others?

"Secret Women", set for release this November explores the hidden lives of a diverse group of women who operate with a degree of subterfuge, mystery or deliberate deception. From Freemasonry to fetishism, from Wiccan followers to espionage, the reasons for secrecy are as different as the women themselves. Together, they represent a rich tapestry of female experience, sensitively recounted by the author as she delves into each woman’s secret.

20/09/2025

We need to work for peace. The incredible grassroots peacebuilders in this book risk their lives to do so. Read the full review below and order the book today on our website or from online booksellers.
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/cheryl-robson/at-the-heart-of-conflict/

18/09/2025

Join us for a fantastic evening on October 2nd with authors April de Angelis, Katie Lumsden, Mary Hamer, Jen Francis and Caitlin Grills and poets Karenjit Sandhu and Kim Bailey will talk and read from their work. Academic Jennie Batchelor and editor Cheryl Robson will discuss the process of writing and editing the new book Encounters with Jane Austen which includes over 30 writers and artists.

Link to tickets can be found below.
https://buff.ly/FIm1Mvr

15/09/2025

This great book will help you challenge misogyny in the workplace and inspire you to succeed in STEM careers. Includes exclusive interview with Nobel prize winner Katalin Kariko.

50 Women in Technology is a full-colour book celebrating female pioneers and trailblazers in STEM. It features 25 extraordinary women in history from Ada Lovelace to Emmanuelle Charpentier, as well as over 25 exclusive interviews with incredible women who are leading the way in the fast-paced world....

11/09/2025

Hedy is featured in our landmark book ‘50 Women in Technology’ alongside many other surprising pioneers in STEM. Perfect for young people looking to work in tech and challenging misogyny of techbros.

Hedy Lamarr is famous as a glamorous movie star from the black-and-white era of film. But what many people don't know about her is that, in 1942, she co-invented a device that helped make possible the development of GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi technology!

Born in Austria in 1914, the mathematically talented Lamarr moved to the US in 1937 to start a Hollywood career. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, she was considered one of cinema's leading ladies and made numerous films; however, her passion for engineering is far less known today. Her interest in inventing was such that she set up an engineering room in her house complete with a drafting table and wall of engineering reference books. With the outbreak of World War II, Lamarr wanted to apply her skills to helping the war effort and, motivated by reports of German U-boats sinking ships in the Atlantic, she began investigating ways to improve torpedo technology.

After Lamar met composer George Antheil, who had been experimenting with automated control of musical instruments, together they hit on the idea of "frequency hopping." At the time, radio-controlled torpedoes could easily be detected and jammed by broadcasting interference at the frequency of the control signal, thereby causing the torpedo to go off course. Frequency hopping essentially served to encrypt the control signal because it was impossible for a target to scan and jam all of the frequencies.

Lamarr and Antheil were granted a patent for their invention on August 11, 1942, but the US Navy wasn't interested in applying their groundbreaking technology until twenty years later when it was used on military ships during a blockade of Cuba in 1962. Lamarr and Antheil's frequency-hopping concept serves as a basis for the spread-spectrum communication technology used in GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices.

Unfortunately, Lamarr's part in its development has been largely overlooked and her efforts weren't recognized until 1997, when the Electronic Frontier Foundation gave her an award for her technological contributions. Hedy Lamarr passed away in 2000 at the age of 85 and, in 2014, she was as long last inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for her invention of a "Secret Communication System" many years ago.

To introduce kids to her incredible story, we recommend the inspiring picture book "Hedy Lamarr's Double Life" for ages 5 to 9 (https://www.amightygirl.com/hedy-lamarr-double-life) and the graphic novel "Hedy Lamarr and a Secret Communications System" for ages 7 to 10 (https://www.amightygirl.com/hedy-lamarr)

For adult readers, Hedy Lamarr's incredible story is told in the exceptional historical fiction novel, "The Only Woman in the Room," at https://www.amightygirl.com/the-only-woman-in-the-room

She is also the subject of an excellent documentary "Bombshell: Hedy Lamarr" at https://amzn.to/32xAHcI

For a fun way to celebrate this pioneering inventor, she is among several women of science featured on the "Greatest Women in Science Socks" for teens and adults at https://www.amightygirl.com/greatest-women-in-science-socks

For children's books about more real-life women in engineering and girls who love to invent, visit our new blog post "30 Books About Mighty Girls and Women in Engineering," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=35594

11/09/2025

Join us at the bookshop for an evening of live music at our Women on Wednesday's series!

11/09/2025

Our author Sarah Tucker on stage at Chiswick Book Festival- with a rhyme about the need for thinking differently. Much needed today.

08/09/2025

Arriving this September, "In The Scene: Agnès Varda!"

Celebrating Agnès Varda, a trailblazer of French cinema who left an indelible mark with her films, enchanting viewers with her creative vision, intellectual inquiry, and empathetic perspective. This book delves into Varda's life and body of work, examining key films in relation to her personal experiences, cultural backdrop, and predominant themes.

07/09/2025

Althea Gibson is one of many pioneers in’50 Women in Sport’ on sale now.

Happy Birthday to tennis trailblazer . She was born on this day, August 25. She broke the color barrier in tennis in 1950. She went on to make history as the first Black player to win the Women’s Singles at the three Grand Slam Tournaments— ( ) in 1956, (1957 and 1958), and the (1957 and 1958). She also won in the Doubles and Mixed Doubles categories.

Gibson (1927-2003) grew up in Harlem and learned tennis at the Harlem River Tennis Courts. Would you like to learn more about her in her own words? Our Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division holds a first-edition copy of her autobiography, “I Always Wanted to Be Somebody,” in its collections. An appointment is not needed to view. https://ow.ly/8wur50WLa5B