You know when summer is here as the Book Festivals start to proliferate. So many of them and in so many lovely places. I only wish I could visit them all. Perhaps one summer I should get in my car and drive off and do a Binge. A thought....
One that is near me and with which I have been involved from the start, is the Felixstowe Festival. I love going there. Not only is the town delightful with a slightly old fashioned air about it (and I mean that in the nicest and most complimentary way) but the Festival itself is just fun. And it is friendly and has a lovely atmosphere.
I missed last year entirely - I was on my cruise, then in Australia and then just so busy but I was determined that I was not going to miss 2019. It has a great line up including James Runncie, Jane Thynne, Nicola Upson, Alison Weir to name but a few. Do visit their website for more information and, of course, if you wish to buy tickets. And I hope you will.
I am very much looking forward to the Runcie talk as the difference between Sidney Chambers in his books and the louche vicar of the tv series is so wildly different that I want to ask why? The stories are gentle and nice and ditto Sidney, but turning him into a drunken womaniser is just plain weird. We shall see.
I am introducing Duncan Barrett who has written a terrific book on the occupation of the Channel Islands during WW2. Simon and Schuster very kindly sent me a copy and I have spent most of the last two days reading it. It is marvellous and I hope to review it more fully soon.
I am attending the talk by Jane Thynne, author of the Clara Vine series of books set in war time Berlin, and which I adore. I have “known” Jane as a facebook friend for some time now and it will be great to actually meet in person.
Then I will be meeting up with Guy Fraser-Sampson again who is a stalwart of the Festival and his books on Mapp and Lucia are a joy. More recently he has been engaged in writing detective stories and I do wonder what he will turn his hand to next...
And then on Sunday afternoon I have the pleasure of introducing Alison Weir. This will be her third appearance at the Festival talking about her novels on the lives of Henry VIII’s wives. She could not attend last year so we missed out on Jane Seymour, but this time we have Anne of Cleves. She is the wife that I have always found the most interesting. She survived Henry, was friends with Queen Mary and Princess Elizabeth and managed to Iive out her life in England and keep her head. Quite an achievement! I read the book last week loved it.
So a weekend of books, chat and meeting up with friends. What could be better?
Do check out the website here:
https://felixstowebookfestival.co.uk/
