Caroline Quentin for Drawn to Nature

Caroline Quentin is coming to Topping & Company Booksellers on Wednesday 16 September, where she'll be talking about her new book, Drawn to Nature. It's a book she's illustrated herself, so you'll see her own artwork alongside the writing.

Most of us know her as an actor, and that's a fair place to start. She's worked across stage and screen for years, a leading lady at the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and on the West End. On telly, she's a familiar face from Men Behaving Badly, Jonathan Creek, Life Begins, and Blue Murder. But Drawn to Nature comes from a different side of her life. She's been a passionate gardener for a long time; she grew up in Reigate, Surrey, and now lives in a country farmhouse in Devon, where she grows her own vegetables and keeps a large orchard. That's the world the book is built from.

She describes Drawn to Nature as a comforting, inspiring companion for anyone who wants to nurture a greener, calmer life. It's less of a how-to guide and more of a reflection on the quiet, steadying side of gardening. If you've ever found a bit of peace in a patch of soil or just like the idea of a slower pace, that's where it lands.

The talk is at the Creative Centre Auditorium within Topping & Company Booksellers, running from 7:00pm to 8:00pm. It's an hour in the evening, so it's an easy one to fit in.