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Over the past few years, more than ever, we've turned to books for escape and distraction and they've served us well! But I think we all still missed the opportunity to meet together to talk about our discoveries and opinions, or to have a book handed to us in a recommendation. So it's wonderful to find that attending a book group and browsing a bookshop are both natural and easy pursuits once again. 

And I'm pleased to be able to announce the return of another of our regular activities to stimulate our reading habits - the author event!

In a few weeks' time we will be hosting a book launch for the fabulous new, local, talent, novelist Kate Sawyer. This event is particularly special because Kate's first book was released during lockdown so, despite getting lots of much-deserved attention and acclaim, she wasn't able to have the usual rite of passage by introducing it to readers in person. We hope to put that right for this her second novel, called 'This Family', in an evening celebration at Woodbridge Library on 11 May. Please scroll down for more details or read more about Kate here.

Though Kate's first story 'The Stranding' was about a global disaster, set on the other side of the world, beside the carcass of a whale (if you haven't read it, do give it a try, I think it's amazing!), this book is set nearer to home in the Suffolk countryside and explores the events and relationships that shape us all in life, told through the prism of preparations for a family wedding. 

We'll have more details in the coming weeks but I hope you'll put the date in your diary and look forward to seeing you there!

We've often had the debate of whether we like to see our favourite novels turned into films or plays. If done well there's a great delight in seeing the characters, places and plots lived out in front of us. But the interpretation and the adaptation for a different medium often means we're disappointed or frustrated. And the choice of which stories make good dramatisations is often puzzling.

In recent weeks there's been a great deal of coverage for the staging of the bestselling, awardwinning novel 'A Little Life' which has just opened on the West End. I confess I haven't read the book but from what I understand it won't make for cheery viewing, assuming you can afford or acquire a ticket.

And tonight we'll see another Dickens tv adaptation with a new version of 'Great Expectations'. Of course many of us will be watching it to see Olivia Colman play Miss Haversham, but sometimes there have been such seminal productions in the past that the only way to challenge our viewing is to shock or push the boundaries. 

While we can understand programmers wanting to have a readymade audience for productions, achieved by adapting already popular stories, it seems a shame that we're not supporting more new work by the many screenwriters and playwrights eager to reach an audience. 

The annual INK Festival in Halesworth, Suffolk in a couple of weeks' time is a great way to sample new writing. For a day ticket, you have access to a number of venues throughout the town where short plays are performed by professional actors. For a small investment of time and money, you can be stimulated by and support new talent. It's a great idea.

But before then, we have our book group meeting! We'll be gathering together tomorrow evening to discuss 'The Sentence' by Louise Erdrich. If you haven't already replied, please drop me an email to let me know if you are coming along so that we can have everything in place and launch straight into our discussion. 

Thank you for reading.

It's lovely to see the spring flowers, hear the birds singing and hope for some warmer weather and sunshine very soon. Next weekend we'll be changing the clocks to enjoy lighter evenings, but it does feel as though time is rushing by!

Of course, with the end of the month in sight, this is the first call for the book group meeting. We'll be gathering to discuss 'The Sentence' by Louise Erdrich (scroll down for details) and if you'd like to come along, please do let me know by replying to this email. It's really helpful for me to know the numbers to expect so that I can have the chairs and catering in place. 

If you haven't been to the meeting before, do consider coming along. Whether you've finished the book, or not, enjoyed it or not, it's always so interesting to hear other people's comments and views on characters, themes or storytelling. 

It's great to try new writers or genres, but with so many books published each month the choice can sometimes feel rather overwhelming. This week I've found the shortlists for two book prizes rather interesting and may explore some of the titles that are unfamiliar.

The Yoto Carnegie prize for children's literature revealed an all-women shortlist, dominated by titles for young adults but which included The Blue Book of Nebo. This is one of my favourites and which we discussed in book group last summer. 

Meanwhile the New Angle Prize, which recognises literature associated with East Anglia, listed three novels, a book of poetry and two non-fiction titles in its shortlist. There were some familiar names here. Jill Dawson was recognised for her latest novel, and KA Hayton was nominated for her time-travelling children's story. The judges included children's writer Sophie Green and novelist Liz Trenow, both of whom have spoken to us here in Woodbridge. How good it is to bring some new writing to the fore.  

Thank you for reading.

Social media is once again dominating the headlines this week as a key tv presenter shared his views on government through tweeting to his millions of followers, reputedly in conflict with his obligations to his employer, the BBC. 

Regardless of what Gary Lineker said, and whether or not he should be exhibiting BBC impartiality, it seems we are all, whether individuals, businesses or corporations, still trying to get to grips with the reach and role of social media in our lives.

I was interested, then, to learn this week that publishers are looking at how they protect and prepare writers of memoirs in the light of the ruthlessness of social media commentators.

Any writer can expect criticism when their book is released. We often hear how they feel exposed and vulnerable, desperate for favourable reviews. And probably having worked on a novel or biography for years, you can understand their anxiety.

For memoir writers, though, it is not a question of artistic critique but personal evaluation, not how they've written the book but why they have behaved in the ways they've described. We've seen it to the extreme in the response to Harry's 'Spare'.

An article in the Guardian, a column in the trade journal the Bookseller and an item on Radio Four's Front Row have investigated the subject.

Of course one answer to this argument is not to put yourself 'out there'. Surely if you are putting your life story into the public sphere, you are expecting it to be debated and dissected but if our world is such an angry, self-righteous and argumentative sphere that we can't respond to people's stories with respect, interest and tolerance, we may soon only see extreme views and characters presented. Let's hope that won't be the case. 

Thank you for reading.

This week has seen the annual World Book Day promotion where children are encouraged to read through taking part in a number of activities and events, including a dressing up day at school.

Parents no doubt rue the initiative as the pressure is on them to create an authentic and inventive book-related costume for their child, but there's always something that catches the eye of the media. This year it was particularly topical. 

I never experienced World Book Day at school and am not generally one for fancy dress, but I wonder what it would be like to spend a day in the shoes of my favourite fictional character.

This week, then, I've included a novel in addition to my recommended non-fiction and children's books.

'Lessons in Chemistry' was the highlight of my reading last year and has just been released in paperback. Funny and quirky, dipping into the worlds of tv, cooking, science and rowing, there's much to delight and entertain, but it's also about a strong, determined, inspirational and resourceful woman. Hers would be good shoes to fill. And the choice of costume wouldn't be too difficult either.

Thank you for reading.