News

It was a busy day on Tuesday 7 May, as I hosted two author visits in the same day.

And they couldn't have been more different, yet were equally inspiring, entertaining and informative.

At lunchtime in Woodbridge library, we gathered to meet the hugely popular, bestselling crime writer John Connolly. He spoke at breakneck speed, but we were hanging on every word. I, for one, was particularly intrigued by his insights on the writing process. He told us that he has no unfinished works - he believes that it is essential for creative people never to abandon a project but always to see it to its conclusion.

In the evening, we were at Browsers Bookshop to hear first-time biographer, Oliver Soden talk about his experience discovering and relating the life of the great composer, Michael Tippett.

His 700 page account of the man behind the music has been receiving much attention and praise, and I was thrilled that we had such an appreciative audience, spanning the age range from GCSE students to wise retirees.

I've had tremendous feedback - we were all completely engrossed by all Oliver had to share with us, and we are sure he will go far. A very talented young man and a very memorable and magical evening.

If you missed these events, I hope you'll be able to join us in the future. You can sign up for my mailing list here to be among the first to know of forthcoming author visits. You can also read my reports of past events here.

 

On Friday 5th April long-standing favourite writer, Joanne Harris will be joining us to introduce her latest novel 'The Strawberry Thief'.

Do you remember 'Chocolat'? Can you believe it was almost 20 years ago since the book was published? It sold in its millions and was followed by the release of the Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench and Johnny Depp.

Joanne has written a number of books since then exploring magical realism, mythology and historical fiction, as well as a couple of cookery books! But her latest novel is a return to the chocolaterie on the square, the magic and mystery, and the lessons learned as characters in this small community push and pull together. I've read an advance copy and I didn't want to put it down, delighting in a sense of nostalgia and familiarity, and also reading about the beautiful, delicious confectionery and hot chocolates prepared by Vianne!

I hope you'll join me in meeting Joanne to learn about this book and to find out more of her views on writing and storytelling, and the world of publishing as a whole. She has much to share.
 

In a couple of weeks we'll be welcoming Elly Griffiths back to Woodbridge and the excitement is building.

If you remember, we've hosted Elly twice before. Each time, word spreads and her popularity as a writer and a speaker grows. Her audience is such that we have moved our event to Woodbridge Library to ensure we don't have to disappoint anyone who might like to join us.

Tickets are £18 to include a copy of the book, which retails at £18.99. I'm sure you'll agree that's good value, and you're supporting an independent high street business as well as the creator of the gripping Ruth Galloway series of books. But please don't delay - these tickets are flying out the door!

There are only a few more days until cookery writer Clodagh McKenna joins us in the bookshop.

If you've come along to any of the cookery events before, you'll know these are wonderful occasions, full of laughter, great ideas, and brilliant recipes to try.

Of course, for me, it's the usual panic as with any supper party, of getting the shopping done in time, ideas to keep the conversation going and moving the furniture.

There are still tickets available, so please don't leave it too late to tell me you're coming!

There are more author visits in the pipeline, and just confirmed is Matt Gaw, from Suffolk Wildlife Trust, who will be talking about his travels in a canoe through the nation's waterways in 'Pull of the River' on Wednesday 6 March.

Looking a little further ahead, another great thriller writer will be introducing her new book, set in Suffolk. On Thursday 11 April, Erin Kelly will talk about 'Stone Mothers' her novel about the impact of a mental hospital on its inmates, the local community, and lives generations later. Her research into the subject for this book is fascinating.

Erin is a great speaker and, for aspiring writers, is hugely inspiring with her tips on plotting and characterisation. Not to be missed!

I look forward to seeing you soon. Thank you for reading!

This week feels like we've all got back to normal again after the Christmas and New Year celebrations. So I hope you're making plans to attend the book events with Browsers in the coming weeks.

Another meet-the-author event has just been confirmed, so please check your diary and see if you can come along.

The date is 13th February, and that's a Wednesday...

We'll be meeting in the bookshop at 7.30pm to hear crime writer Elly Griffiths talk about her new book, 'The Stone Circle', in her bestselling series about Dr Ruth Galloway, the Norfolk-based forensic archaeologist.

If you haven't yet met Elly, or read her books, you mustn't miss this opportunity. Be assured, you will be gripped.

Elly is a fabulously entertaining guest as well as a brilliant crime writer. She's visited us at Browsers before and is always a huge hit. If you want to read more about her, click here for my interview in 'Suffolk' magazine a few years ago.

The series is set in East Anglia and they are wonderfully atmospheric. There's the usual gripping murder mystery, cleverly mixing modern day with historical crime, and there's an ongoing saga between the central characters and their personal lives, particularly Ruth's relationship with DCI Nelson.

While this is the 11th in the series, you don't need to have read any of the previous books, they each stand alone perfectly, but if you do want to find out how it all began, call into the bookshop to purchase one of the earlier titles or pick up one of Elly's other books. She's written another crime series set in 1950s' Brighton and romantic novels under her real name Domenica De Rosa!

We're looking towards the end of the year, but there are still events and activities to tell you about, and ideas for Christmas gifts too.

First of all, let me tell you about some television viewing!

The River Deben will be featured as part of a new series called 'River Walks' on Monday 10th December, at 7.30pm on the BBC. The presenter will amble along from Sutton Hoo to Ramsholt Quay and among the people she meets is local writer, Robert Simper.

We have invited Robert to join us to introduce his new book 'A Personal History of Woodbridge' on Friday 14th December but, as a tv star, perhaps he'll have other things to tell us. Come and find out. We'll be open from 6pm until 8pm for an evening's Browsing the shelves. And Robert will say a few words at about 6.30pm, and again at 7.30pm, and will then personally sign copies of his book - a perfect Christmas gift!

The packed schedule of author events is coming to a close for this year, with the visit by Alan Johnson this Friday. Do call the shop to see if there are any more tickets left.

Thank you to everyone for your kind words and support. It's been such a pleasure knowing how much you've enjoyed having these speakers come to Woodbridge.

And perhaps you noticed that one of our guests from the summer, debut novelist Anne Youngson was included on the Costa Shortlist for her book 'Meet Me at the Museum'. Read my interview with Anne here. It's good to be introduced to new and lesser known authors as well as the big names!

I'm well on the way in planning more author events in the new year, but just confirmed is the bestselling novelist Diane Setterfield who will be visiting us at Woodbridge Library on Tuesday 15th January. This will be her first event to promote her new book 'Once Upon a River', ahead of the official publication date, so we'll be among the first to read the book everyone will be talking about! Why not buy a ticket for a friend as a Christmas gift?

Thank you for reading!