Hello booklovers!

I hope this week has seen you well. Hopefully the contents of this post will improve things a little further!
We have Amanda Craig and Salley Vickers coming to the festival this year. Sally will discuss her new novel ‘The Librarian’. Author of a number of other wonderful pieces of literature, including ‘Dancing Backwards’ and ‘The Other Side of You’, we are delighted that she is joining us on the 27th of June.

We are equally delighted by the arrival of Amanda, also on the 27th of June. Amanda will be discussing her latest tome, ‘The Lie of the Land’. A dark and witty look at the English Countryside and those who dwell in it, this is an event not to be missed for those who are a fan of family sagas and a spot of black comedy.

In honour of the occasion, we have expanded our location – both Amanda and Sally will be chatting to us from no place other than the Palm Court room in Harvest House. A beautiful old building, and an imposing piece of architecture that overlooks the seaside, Harvest House has had a chequered history – originally opening as the Felix Hotel in 1903, Harvest House epitomised the image of the quintessential Edwardian seaside holiday destination. Fifty years later the buildings became offices  and were then converted into retirement apartments. It was also notoriously the holiday destination of one Wallis Simpson.

So don’t hesitate to come along to Sally and Amanda’s events – not only will there be fascinating  literary discussion but also a chance to have a look round one of Felixstowe’s oldest and most interesting buildings.

 

Bookish best,

Imogen and the Festival Team

 

Good evening booklovers!

A very happy Wednesday to you all! Half way through the week, ceaselessly pushing on towards another bank holiday weekend. What sort of plans do you have? Personally I intend to do a lot of lounging on the beach, book-reading and… perusing the festival poetry events, of course!

“I saw the gooseflesh on my skin. I did not know what made it. I was not cold. Had a ghost passed over? No, it was the poetry.”

So said the ever wonderful Sylvia Plath. To me, she really hits the nail on the head – poetry can produce in us all sensations that we did not realise would be provoked by reading a poem. The wordplay, contrasting poetic forms  and startling images created are fascinating. Poetry is proven to fight loneliness and isolation: reading a poem about an event or a feeling that you previously thought you alone had experienced creates a sense of community and kinship. And that is why, here at the Felixstowe Book Festival, we are keen to provide you with some wonderful poetry events to inspire, cheer and soothe.

We are lucky enough this year to be joined by local poets Alexandra Davis and Emily Hasler. The lovely ladies will be  hosting their event ‘Coming Home, Making Home: Poetry and Place’, an hour of conversation and poetry discussing notions of home and belonging, and much, much more.

We will also be welcoming poet, novelist and critic Blake Morrison. As a co-editor of The Penguin Book of Contemporary British Poetry, his wisdom as a writer of both poetry and prose will be inspirational to many of our festival guests.

On a high from their immense success opening our 2017 festival, Martin Newell and the Hosepipe Band will be returning to the stage at the Orwell Hotel. Martin will be performing his poetic travelogue ‘The Jigsaw Coast’, mapping a journey from Essex to Norfolk. He will be accompanied by some beautiful Old English music performed by the wonderful Hosepipe Band.

Check out our programme here for more inspiring events!

We’ve made it half way through the week readers, not long ’til the weekend now! Tickets are selling out fast, so get booking while they’re still about.

Bookish best,

Imogen and the Festival Team

 

Good evening booklovers!

I do hope you have been soaking up the sun and enjoying the glorious weather. Despite being stuck in the office all day, I did manage to sneak a little walk along our beautiful seafront this afternoon!

Peaceful and sleepy, Felixstowe seems a far cry from the setting of any crime novel… nonetheless we are very proud of our finely selected crime fiction events at this year’s festival. We are welcoming back festival old-timer Oggy Boytchev , here to chat about his new book ‘The Unbeliever’. Set with the backdrop of the Cold War, Oggy’s thrilling tome tells a true story of danger, loyalty and love in a very cold climate (apologies Nancy M…).

The action doesn’t stop there – this year we are lucky enough to host some dynamic duos.Writers  Iain Maitland and Humphrey Hawksley will be speaking at our ‘Two Very Different Thrillers’ event. Iain’s novel ‘Sweet William’ is a family affair, detailing the story of a father desperate to reclaim his estranged son, no matter what the cost. By contrast, Humphrey imagines a world of near peril as one tiny event threatens the face of humanity. I don’t know about you, but I feel on the edge of my seat just thinking about these thrilling stories! If you are looking for a good crime series to get stuck into then why not come along to see Quentin Bates and Barbara Nadel in conversation with Rachel Sloane- Quentin will be chatting about his series of Icelandic crime novels and Barbara will be shedding light on her ‘Cetin Ikmen’ crime series, as well as her ‘Hakim and Arnold’ novels. 

Last but not least, this year we will also be joined by crime writer Mark Billingham. Mark first appeared in the limelight of the writing world in 2001 when he published his first bestseller ‘Sleepyhead’. Since then, he has created the hugely popular world of Detective Tom Thorne. The latest of this series, ‘The Killing Habit’, will be published in June 2018, coinciding with our festival!

Not long to go now, so keep perusing and get booking! We have so many wonderful events to offer you, I hope you are all suitably excited…

Bookish best,

Imogen and the Festival Team

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Good afternoon book lovers, and a very happy Friday to you all!

What are you plans for the bank holiday weekend? Maybe you could spend some time exploring our programme and booking your tickets for our festival weekend! Have a butchers at our little ticket purchasing guide:

You can buy your tickets IN PERSON thanks to our lovely bunch of  volunteers who are stationed in Felixstowe Library from 10am to 12 noon every Tuesday. Cash only please!

If you are an internet whizz and want to book ONLINE, each event has a ‘book here’ button. Select this button and it will pass your transaction on to the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich, who will deal with your request and sort your tickets for you. If you have any issues, don’t hesitate to call up their box office on 01473 295900.

Did you know that we are treating all our wonderful visitors to a rather special deal this year? If you book at least 5 events, you will get £1 off each individual ticket price. Book at least 10 events and you will get £2 off each ticket. Such fun!

Happy ticket-booking!

Imogen and the Festival Team

Happy Monday booklovers!

Here at the Felixstowe Book Festival we pride ourselves on our varied programme. Not only do we provide a fantastic array of talks and interviews about fiction – we are also treating you all to a variety of non-fiction events.

Should your interests lie with the world of the Impressionists, then look no further than Ross King who will be delivering a fascinating talk about Claude Monet. Ross’s book ‘Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies’ details, in particular, the context surrounding these glorious paintings, mostly surrounding the artist’s fraught personal life and the historical moment in which his masterpieces were created.

Over the festival weekend we will be joined by authors Sharif Gemie and Brian Ireland, here to chat about their new collaboration ‘The Hippie Trail’. A memoir of a trip around India, Afghanistan and various other locations in the ’60s and ’70s, this will be perfect for travel enthusiasts, aswell as those with an interest in 1960s counterculture in the East. For those with travel interests slightly closer to home, don’t miss poet and author Damian le Bas, as he discusses his first book ‘The Stopping Places’, a work which delves into Damian’s gypsy roots in various locations around the UK.

Adventurers aside, we are also holding host to thespians aplenty. Have you heard that Stephen McGann, Call the Midwife’s Dr Turner, will be visiting to talk to us all about ‘Flesh and Blood’, a McGann family memoir? Or that Timothy Bentinck, AKA David Archer of Brookfield farm, will be joining his sister Anna Bentinck in the Elizabeth Suite of the Orwell Hotel? Guests will be treated to a chat about Timothy’s book ‘Being David Archer and Other Unusual Ways to Earn a Living’, and the siblings will discuss their careers as actors. Exciting stuff!

Bringing us back to current affairs, we are lucky enough to present writer Ilan Zvi Barpon. His latest book ‘How to Save Politics in a Post-Truth Era’ will no doubt provide a topical and though provoking theme for discussion. As, I’m sure, will Caroline Slocock. Ex Private Secretary to Margaret Thatcher, Caroline will be joining us to discuss her new book ‘People Like Us’, a book which documents life inside Number 10 in the last days of Margaret Thatcher’s role as Prime Minister.

I have detailed but a small selection of all the events on offer – check them all out here, or pick up a copy of the programme at Felixstowe Library! Looking forward to seeing everyone in 2 months time!

Bookish best,

Imogen and the Festival Team

Good evening Book Lovers!

What a magnificent Monday it has been! Shakespeare’s birthday, St George’s Day AND the birth of a new royal Prince. Morale-boosting stuff for the beginning of the week, after what was such a glorious sunny weekend.

Should morale need boosting further, I bring a *gentle* reminder that, if you wish to buy your tickets locally and in person, we have a brilliant team of volunteers who will be selling tickets in Felixstowe Library from 10am to 12 noon on Tuesdays.

Today also marks World Book Night. Run by national charity The Reading Agency, World Book Night is an evening dedicated to celebrating all things literary. Across the UK books are given out to hospitals, homeless shelters, prisons, libraries and care homes, with the aim to encourage those less likely to participate in reading to experience the joy of getting well and truly stuck into a book. To find out more about this excellent event, follow this link: http://worldbooknight.org/about

Here at the Felixstowe Book Festival, our intention is also to spark interest and enthusiasm about reading amongst our guests. We have a wonderful array of fiction events to inspire you. Join Rachel Sloane on the 30th of June as she chats with authors Kate Hamer and Alex Hourston, whose novels respectively deal with a long lost family and the dark and complicated world of adultery. In a similar light, on the 1st of July, writer Blake Morrison will be taking centre stage in the Orwell Hotel Elizabeth Suite to shed light on his new novel ‘The Executor’. Dealing with the concepts of mortality, masculinity and married life, this will prove to be a fascinating event. Festival favourite Oggy Boytchev is returning to Felixstowe this year to discuss his latest novel ‘The Unbeliever’. Hold on to your hats, as Oggy takes us through the life and times of a real life spy navigating their way through the Cold War.

We have a whole host of fiction events for our younger audiences too. Suitable for those aged 12+, why not join Virginia Bergin and Hayley Long for lunch as they discuss their roles as writers for young adult fiction.  Or how about our Happy Birthday to the Beano event – which also launches the annual Summer Reading Challenge – where Raspcallion Theatre company will take us on a rip-roaring journey through the world of the best beloved Beano comics!

Don’t forget you can peruse our programme online here or pick up a paper copy at Felixstowe Library. Get your skates on, as tickets are likely to sell out fast!

 

In honour of World Book Night, why not spend the evening choosing which events you will attend? And then, as a reward, hunker down with your favourite novel? Sounds ideal – as C.S. Lewis said, “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”

All the very bookish best,

Imogen and the Festival Team

You can now win a two nights stay at the Orwell Hotel and tickets to three events of our festival (subject to availability) … it is easy… just click here for more information!

Good luck!

Hello Booklovers!

If you have heard about our visit from Caroline Slocock and would like to find out more, we have an abundance of interesting snippets about Caroline and her new book ‘People like Us: Margaret Thatcher and Me’, which will be published on the 19th of April, for you to dig into.

Last week, with a group of other guests, Caroline joined Andrew Marr for an episode of ‘Start the Week’ on BBC Radio 4, where she discusses her views on aspects of Margaret Thatcher’s government. If you want to catch up and give it a listen, follow this link for a fascinating 45 minutes: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09y6z55.

Should you wish for a sneak preview of ‘People like Us’ then look no further. The Times have released a segments of the book online.

This particular extract is a raw depiction of Margaret Thatcher’s resignation from her role as Prime Minister. As her private secretary, Caroline was witness, in painful proximity, to this moment in British political history. To check it out, follow this link : https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/caroline-slocock-on-the-fall-of-margaret-thatcher-as-soon-as-the-door-of-no-10-closes-she-starts-sobbing-krhvhjnxz

If that whet your appetite, then feast your eyes and follow this link for a further extract: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/caroline-slocock-margaret-thatcher-had-good-legs-she-used-those-feminine-wiles-with-men-08svjrjzd

And last but not least, all our information about this event can be found here: https://felixstowebookfestival.co.uk/events/53-2

Enjoy folks, I have no doubt that it will all prove fascinating!

Bookish best,

Imogen and the Festival Team