Win an Exclusive Literary Tour of Kent with the author of Fleming’s Kent
To celebrate the release of Fleming’s Kent, Sorrento Books is giving 10 lucky readers the chance to join the author on an exclusive tour through the landscapes that shaped Ian Fleming and James Bond.
Your adventure begins with breakfast at the Thomas Wyatt Hotel, just outside Maidstone - the very spot where Gala Brand once matched wits with Sir Hugo Drax in Moonraker. Then we follow the route of Bond’s famous high-speed duel with Drax, between Leeds Castle and Charing.
Crossing the Kent Downs, we detour to Pett Bottom, where Fleming wrote You Only Live Twice and where a young Bond lived with Aunt Charmian. We’ll enjoy a drink at The Duck Inn before continuing to Higham Park, home of Count Louis Zborowski and the aero-engined cars that inspired Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Onward to Dover, passing “the wonderful cardboard castle… and the ruby-spangled masts of the Swingate radar station rising like petrified Roman candles.” After a stop at the Portrait Bench featuring Fleming, we travel to St Margaret’s Bay, where Fleming bought White Cliffs in 1952 — and where Bond and Gala Brand survive a dramatic cliff collapse.
Lunch is served at The Pines Garden Museum, home to a collection of Fleming memorabilia. Then it’s off to Goldfinger territory: The Royal St George’s Golf Club, reached via Swingate and Kingsdown.
Our return takes us along the A2 — Bond’s preference — for a glimpse of “Goldfinger-land”: Reculver and the atmospheric stretches of the Thames chosen as Goldfinger’s parish. After visiting the iconic towers, we head back to the Thomas Wyatt Hotel to toast the day with a farewell martini – and receive a special memento.
Readers who pre-order Fleming’s Kent before 19 December will be automatically entered for a chance to win this unforgettable literary experience.
The book is limited to 1000 copies.
Winners will be contacted week commencing 5 January 2026.
Please note the prize includes travel, food and drink, and all entry costs, for the duration of the tour only. Travel to and from Thomas Wyatt Hotel, and any accommodation is not included.
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Pre-order before 19 December for your chance to win this ultimate Bond-in-Kent experience.
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Even a Fool Learns to Love: The story of My Way
Paolo Hewitt and Simon Wady
Special pre-publication price - for a limited time only! Signed by the authors.
Pre-order now for 25% off. Only £7.49 RRP: £9.99
Sorrento Books is proud to announce the release of Even a Fool Learns to Love: The Story of My Way, an exploration by acclaimed author and journalist Paolo Hewitt and Simon Wady into the fascinating history of one of the most iconic songs ever written: My Way.
From its origins as the French hit Comme d'habitude to David Bowie’s little-known failed attempt at an English adaptation, the book traces the extraordinary journey that ultimately led Paul Anka to write My Way for Frank Sinatra—and the birth of an anthem that would define generations.
But Even a Fool Learns to Love goes beyond the melody and lyrics. Hewitt and Wady delve into Sinatra’s own story, exploring how “doing it his way” reflected not just his artistry but also his complex politics and social liberalism, traits that often made him a controversial figure.
The book also uncovers the astonishing cultural afterlife of My Way:
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its countless cover versions across genres and decades,
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its enduring presence at funerals worldwide,
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the darkly infamous “karaoke killings” it inspired, and
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its unlikely echo in geopolitics through Mikhail Gorbachev’s “Sinatra Doctrine”
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and explores its future through social media.
Part biography, part cultural chronicle, and part musical detective story, Even a Fool Learns to Love is a deeply researched and entertaining portrait of how one song came to define individuality, defiance, and the human spirit itself.
Even a Fool Learns to Love is the first title in Sorrento Books’ new series, The Song of A Lifetime, where authors re-evaluate an artist’s life and legacy through the lens of a single song.
Published 30 January 2026. Available to order now at a special pre-publication price — for a limited time only. Signed by the authors.
Sorrento Books
Sorrento Books is an independent publisher dedicated to reviving the spirit of chapbooks, with a focus on popular culture from our leading contemporary voices.
Our chapbooks echo the rich tradition of these small, accessible booklets that once brought stories, ideas, and commentary to the masses.
We’re proud to launch with three chapbooks by acclaimed journalist and author Paolo Hewitt, part of his When My Soul Was in the Lost and Found series. Hewitt’s work captures the essence of music, culture, and personal reflection—perfectly aligning with the ethos of chapbooks as a platform for unique and compelling narratives.
Historically, chapbooks emerged in the 16th century from broadsides, offering folk tales, ballads, religious texts, and political commentary. Sold by itinerant “chapmen,” they were a lifeline between cities and rural communities and played a key role in making literature accessible.
Morning Glory Prosium
La Famiglia
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Neil Sheasby
Neil Sheasby is a founding member of the band Stone Foundation and has enjoyed a career in music spanning over four decades. Born and raised in Atherstone, Warwickshire—where he still lives—Neil is a lifelong music obsessive with an extensive vinyl collection that’s rarely out of reach.
He is the author of two previous books: Boys Dreaming Soul (2019) and Bass Notes: Life and Times on the Road with Stone Foundation (2023), an illuminating chronicle of life on the road with Stone Foundation, with whom he continues to tour the world, playing bass guitar and cowriting and producing a string of Top 40 albums.
Away from the stage, Neil is a proud father to three sons—Lowell, Sonny, and Mason—and has shared his life with his partner Claire for over 30 years. He’s a passionate DJ, hat collector, and devoted Leeds United supporter.
Neil divides his time between performing, writing, contributing to Paninaro magazine, and in his spare time helping out at Urban Village Records in Henley-in-Arden.
Janette Beckman
British-born photographer Janette Beckman began her career in the punk rock era working for music magazines The Face and Melody Maker. She shot bands from The Clash to Boy George as well as three Police album covers.
In 1983 she moved to New York to document the underground hip-hop scene photographing pioneers Run DMC, Salt-N-Pepa, LL Cool J, Slick Rick and many more.
Her work has been shown in galleries worldwide and is in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Museum of the City of New York and the British National Portrait Gallery.
She has published five books, including Rap Portraits & Lyrics of a Generation of Black Rockers (1991), Made in the UK (2005), The Breaks Stylin’ & Profilin' (2008) and The MashUp (2018) a collaboration with iconic New York graffiti artists reinterpreting her hip hop images. Her monograph covering 40 years of photography Rebels From Punk To Dior was published by Drago in November 2021.
Janette continues to chronicle sub-cultures as well as photographing campaigns for brands like Dior and Levis . She is represented by the Fahey Klein Gallery.
Latest playlist
It's no surprise - we love music.
Every Monday, we publish a playlist of what we're listening to in the Sorrento Books office.
Check out all our playlists on our Spotify page.
Wed 25 MarLondonEach Soirée @ The Social is a celebration of the cultural moments we love, blending comedy, spoken word, conversation, live music, and DJs. You never quite know what the mix will be – and that’s half the magic.