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I've just got back from listening to two great author talks organised by Suffolk Libraries at The Hold in Ipswich. Jyoti Patel shared how she came to write her first novel 'The Things That We Lost' and Guardian journalist Amelia Gentleman talked about her investigation into the immigration system which led to her book 'The Windrush Betrayal'. 

I hadn't read either of their books before signing up for their events, but I'm always eager to find someone new and the DiscoveReads programme by the library service seemed a trustworthy source, and so it proved. I'll be telling you more about these books in the coming weeks.

Meeting writers and hearing them talk about their work rarely disappoints, I find, and of course we had a treat earlier this week with the visit by historian and novelist Alison Weir introducing her latest book 'The Cardinal'. Alison told us that her extensive career of 37 books selling more than three million copies has also built up a tally of 1,100 events! We were pleased that The Riverside Woodbridge could be added to that number.   

At all the events I attended this week, there were plenty of informed and perceptive questions from the audience, and I've particularly noted how courteous and appreciative people have been in approaching the author. Many times people began their query with a comment about how much they enjoyed the book they had read, or how much the author meant to them and how grateful they were for the event taking place. I'm sure this must often be the case but it's struck me recently, perhaps because this politeness and gratitude isn't seen so often elsewhere. 

The time and trouble taken by authors to travel to Suffolk is often not insignificant and I think we are all increasingly recognising the value of meeting together in person and to learn from and share with each other. It's been very rewarding. 

There are a number of opportunities to meet authors in the coming weeks. I've mentioned Julia Jones below, and she's speaking at the Felixstowe Book Festival which takes place at the end of the month.

But throughout the weekends of June it's Open Studios in Suffolk where we can meet artists to view their work. Two members of the Woodbridge Book Group - Debbi Francis and Kate Laydon - will be inviting us into their workspaces so take a look at the Open Studios programme here.

Thank you for reading.

The highlight of the past week for booksellers, publishers and authors has been the British Book Awards. A gala dinner in London provided the opportunity for prizes to be presented for outstanding achievements in all things books. 

It was great to see that some of my favourite titles have been recognised: 'James' by Percival Everett was named fiction title of the year and printmaker Angela Harding, who visited us at The Riverside last year, won the children's non-fiction book of the year for 'Wilding' with Isabella Tree.

But there were two awards which attracted particular attention recognising as they did the current backdrop of social and political change, and the threat of technology to creative endeavour.

Kate Mosse is known as a novelist, playwright, founder of the Women's Prize for Fiction, cultural commentator and, most recently, as a campaigner challenging Artificial Intelligence companies mining artistic works for data.

She was awarded the British Book Award for Social Impact. This prize was created in honour of publisher Allen Lane whose mission was to widen access to books and democratise reading.

And Margaret Atwood won the British Book Award for the Freedom to Publish. The author of 'The Handmaid's Tale' among her 17 novels, 19 books of poetry, 11 non-fiction works, nine short story collections and eight children’s books was given the award as someone who 'has gone above and beyond in terms of promoting reading and free expression. The award is to pay tribute to that individual and also to highlight this damaging trend within the book world.'

She said in her acceptance of the prize, reported here, that she couldn't remember another point in her lifetime 'when words themselves have felt under such threat'.

Both women are phenomenal in their contributions to literature and the arts through their own individual creative output, but also their courage, eloquence and determination in standing up for the freedom of expression and the rights of authors and artists to be acknowledged for their work. I know I feel encouraged and inspired by their willingness to speak out and to stand firm.

Thank you for reading.

When your passion is reading and your world revolves around books and publishing, it's easy to forget that not everyone thinks the same way. But when so much seems to revolve about newly released books in the media, in news and entertainment, in festivals and events, it seems surprising that a recent survey has found reading is declining.

A YouGov poll published earlier this year has found that 40 per cent of Britons have not read a book in the last year.

When attention spans are ever decreasing and anxiety is on the rise, I suppose this is to be expected in some ways. But now more than ever we should be losing ourselves in novels and informing ourselves through well-researched, well-crafted non-fiction. 

The novelist Elif Shafak has spoken and written extensively on this subject over the years and has commented again in the 'Guardian' this weekend. Her message is worth repeating. 

'We live in an era in which there is too much information but not enough knowledge, and even less wisdom,' she writes. 'An excess of information makes us arrogant and then it makes us numb.

'For knowledge we need books, slow journalism, podcasts, in-depth analyses and cultural events. And for wisdom, among other things, we need the art of storytelling. We need the long form.

'The long form contains insight, empathy, emotional intelligence and compassion.

'It seems to me that the more chaotic our times, the deeper is our need to slow down and read fiction. In an age of anger and anxiety, clashing certainties, rising jingoism and populism, the division between "us" and "them" also deepens. The novel, however, dismantles dualities.'

I hope we'll all make time this week to sit down with a good book. 

(Or perhaps you'll get a ticket to come along and hear historian and novelist Alison Weir at The Riverside in a few days' time, taking us back to Tudor times and combining fact and fiction in her tale of the life of Cardinal Wolsey.)

What better antidote to the confusion of today's news than to immerse ourselves in a story, and know that not only is it a balm and an escape, but it is building us and equipping us for the challenges we face ahead.

Thank you for reading.

In the past few years we've seen prices rising on just about everything in daily life. it's meant we've had to think again about many things we used to take for granted. We're having to question our priorities, economise, reevaluate both our necessities and our treats and indulgencies.

And where do books fit in this current situation? Are they cheap at the price, presenting many hours of enjoyment and possibly days, weeks or years of enrichment? Or are they a luxury and need to be sourced differently - the library, borrowed from friends, purchases from charity shops?

(At this point can I remind you of the value of a certain author event later this month where you have an evening's entertainment and a copy of her new novel to take away with you, all for the price of the book?!)

But there has been an interesting development which challenges the general trend of frugality with book purchases.

The Folio Society has been releasing special editions of literary classics, for prices upwards of £600 in some instances. And the purchasers of these volumes? Well, it's reporting more customers under the age of 25 than over 60. It seems Generation Z is appreciating a well bound, beautifully produced book just as they have been enjoying vinyl, film cameras, cassettes and all things analogue! 

Not all Folio Society books are at the upper price range, of course - special editions of titles from authors such as Sylvia Plath, Mary Shelley and Henry James can be purchased for around £39.95. That still seems rather pricey, but these books are being appreciated for their aesthetic and their contribution to the furnishing of a room as much as their message, it seems. People are investing in something that's going to last, said the founder of a boutique publisher, Manderley Press to the 'i' newspaper. 'A cheap paperback will probably disintegrate and fall to pieces...people might think...they could build a collection they could hand on to the next generation.'

It's an interesting idea. Are our books cherished objects to keep perfect, pristine, unopened even, or are they valuable to us for the stories and sentiments they contain? 

Thank you for reading.

There's been lots of talk in recent weeks about the Netflix drama 'Adolescence'. The short series was a remarkable feat technically, but most importantly it touched a collective nerve in highlighting a subject of concern many had been raising for some time - toxic masculinity and the impact of certain 'influencers', particularly on young people.

It's meant that there has been a national debate on the subject and campaigners have been given more attention as a result, much as we saw 'Mr Bates vs The Post Office' do last year.

It's fascinating how drama - storytelling - can engage us as a nation these days. The news is increasingly depressing and complex, but seeing how these issues affect individuals causes us to respond more easily and powerfully. 

At the INK Festival over the past four days there have been new writers who have wanted to challenge our views and our responses to national and international issues. The short plays presented in the various venues throughout the town were brilliantly produced and though a number were addressing challenging and difficult concepts, they did so with such sensitivity and creativity that it meant we could laugh as well as ponder.

I watched one play about an imagined future where food supplies have diminished because of a global water shortage brought about through corporate greed. There was an AI robot as a companion to a lonely jilted woman. And there was a thriller where statisticians at the national office were being overwhelmed by a virus, an 'empathy bug' - they no longer saw people as numbers but individuals with their own stories of hardship and suffering and this meant that they could no longer function physically, mentally or emotionally.

There was a wealth of creativity on show in all the productions at venues throuhgout the town, and there were also some talks by actors, directors and playwrights discussing their work and the wider context.

Though there were some dispiriting conversations regarding funding and support for the arts, it was the actor and tv presenter Matthew Kelly who spoke with humour and passion about his hope for the future.

Though his advice to young actors today was 'look after your teeth!' he also said that though it was terrible that Trump had closed the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, we should be encouraged. This shows, he said, that politicians know 'art is dangerous!'

So let's support our writers, actors, directors and creative people, and our arts venues, and if you haven't tried the INK Festival, then look out for the 2026 dates and get them in your diary as soon as you can. You won't regret it!

Thank you for reading.