The first of the month and another Bank Holiday: here we are in May, and this year is flying by!

It's a long month, though, so we have five weeks to read our book group title and I've chosen something we can really get stuck into. Written by Sarah Winman, it's called 'Still Life' and I can't put it down, so it's nice to have a Bank Holiday to indulge myself. I hope you'll join me and put Monday 30 May in your diary to come along to our discussion.

We had a great time debating April's book 'Barcelona Dreaming' this week. If you weren't able to be there, or would like to raise some of the issues with the author, Rupert Thomson is visiting Ipswich later this year to speak at Suffolk Book League. You can find out more about the organisation, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, here.

Of course we're marking the Queen's Platinum Jubilee next month and a rather special anthology has been produced.

Published by Suffolk company Boydell & Brewer, 'A New Suffolk Garland' has been compiled by Mary and John James at Aldeburgh Bookshop with former publisher Dan Franklin and radio producer Elizabeth Burke. Please scroll down for more details about the book, and read my article about it in this month's issue of 'Suffolk' magazine.

They've been busy in Aldeburgh. It's the Literary Festival next weekend and there are still tickets available in another broad ranging and fascinating programme. Hope to see you there!

Thank you for reading.