Nicki Thornton at Abingdon Library - 7th August

Mostly Books' previous owner, Nicki Thornton, will be doing an event at Abingdon Library on Tuesday 7th August at 5.30pm and Mostly Books will be there!

Nicki published her first book: The Last Chance Hotel on 7th June and it has been a huge success.  At the event, Nicki will be talking about her debut murder mystery novel for children set in a magical world. She will be giving some clues about plotting murder mysteries and signing copies of The Last Chance Hotel (provided by Mostly Books!).

Reserve your place now by contacting Abingdon Library on 01235 520374.

Ann Cleeves returns to Abingdon

Last August, we welcomed crime writer Ann Cleeves to Abingdon for a very special event at the bookshop. With 'Vera' currently back on television, and the BBC's recent announcement of a six-part second series of 'Shetland', we're delighted to welcome Ann back to Abingdon for another event.

Ann will be at Abingdon Library on Thursday 26 September at 2pm - she'll be talking about the whirlwind year she's had, including her induction into the Crime Thriller Hall of Fame last October - alongside such all-time greats as Colin Dexter, Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle.

Ann has written over 25 crime novels, and in 2006 was the first winner of the prestigious Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award of the Crime Writers' Association for 'Raven Black', the first volume of her Shetland Quartet.

Filmed by the BBC in 2012, the series is set against the stunning Scottish backdrop of the Shetland Isles and centres on Detective Jimmy Perez (played by Douglas Henshall). Perez is recently widowed, a native Shetlander who has returned home after a long period away. His dry sense of humour and his desire to protect his beloved Shetland Isles from the changes he sees happening make him a compelling character.

The stories are classic murder mysteries with the added delight of the island setting, with its rich history and eccentric characters.

Ann was a delight to listen to last time - with incredible tales of her route to becoming a writer, and the unlikely story of how Vera became a television series.

Tickets are £3, and include refreshments during the event. To reserve your tickets, pop into Mostly Books or email books@mostly-books.co.uk

An evening with Bethan Roberts and ‘My Policeman’

Welcoming rising literary star, Bethan Roberts, to a Mostly Books evening to discuss her book ‘My Policeman’ was very much a celebration as well as a literary event, as she was born and brought up in Abingdon.

It was for the second of our Abingdon ‘Big Reads’, when book groups and others are invited to read the book in advance if they want to and come along and discuss it with the author. As well as a good turn out of book group members, it was fantastic to see so many of her family and old school friends in Abingdon Library on Thursday August 9, delighted to share in her success.

‘My Policeman’ is the story of two people in love with the same man and was inspired by novelist EM Forster’s relationship with a married policeman. Bethan has translated the story to 1950s Brighton and made it a much darker story.

Forster ended his days being nursed by the wife of his long-time lover, and this was what particularly drew Bethan to the story.

‘She was the one who was holding his hand when he died and that’s the scene I wanted to earn in the novel,’ she said.

The book has a dual narrative, that of Marian, the woman who has been in love with the gorgeous Tom her whole life and triumphantly marries him against the odds. But there is already a shadow in the long-term relationship in Tom’s life, and we also see the events unfolding from Patrick’s point of view.

It is mostly an utterly absorbing, doomed love story - but it’s also a dramatic portrait of the era and has a great rising tension through the whole story as the consequences of not facing up to reality begin to unfold.

It is the third of Bethan Roberts’ books, all of which have been inspired by real-life events.

‘The Good Plain Cook’ was set in the 1930s – and was inspired by a period in which Peggy Guggenheim lived in Sussex. In her first book ‘The Pools’ set in the 1980s, the action was a little closer to home, in a town not dissimilar to Abingdon. It is based on a murder that happened when Bethan was growing up and the influence and impact remained in her memory.

Having an historical setting helps her in imagining the story, she says, and ‘takes away the terrible fear of the blank page’.

‘I don’t actually think of myself as a historical writer,’ she said. ‘I couldn’t write about Medieval times, for instance, because I don’t feel a connection to them. But the fifties were my parents’ era and it’s a period I feel I know through family stories. It’s a case of it being an era mysterious to me, but familiar to people I know.’

‘My Policeman’ has just been nominated for The Guardian’s ‘Not the Booker’ (for notable books that didn’t make it to the 13 on the Booker Prize Longlist). It builds on her already growing reputation as a young novelist to watch.

‘The Good Plain Cook’ was a Radio 4 Book at Bedtime. ‘My Policeman’, set in Brighton, where Bethan now lives, has been picked as the summer ‘City Read’ in the city – where it will be celebrated across the city. Local people won’t just read the book and meet up to discuss it, but will hold events such as recreating scenes from the book and vintage make-up parties.

With such a show of support from family and friends, there were plenty of questions about how she became a writer in the first place and what a writer's life is like.

Bethan said: 'I always knew I wanted to be a writer. But felt like it was a bit like saying I wanted to be an astronaut. I didn't know any writers and I felt it was an impossible thing to be. I thought it was beyond me and it wasn't until I was 30 I started writing seriously. I did a Creative Writing MA in Chichester and took a day off a week from work. I found the course very supportive. They give you readers and a support network and I thought maybe I can do it. I was very lucky. I won an awards scheme which was basically to win a mentor who helped me finish my first novel. So it was a combination of determination, luck and courses that got me there.’

'What is the best thing about being a writer?' she was asked.

'It's a bit like being a reader, but more intense. As a reader you imagine worlds in your head. You get lost in a novel and live their experiences. All of these things happen to writers, but you are in control of it. It makes life quite rich as you have real life and an imaginary life. I also like signing books.

'But the worst day is when you are at your desk and cannot think what to write. That happens and then writing seems a slog. It is a lot of hard work and some days you think you are rubbish.’

Her ambitions, she said, don’t tend to get ahead of worrying if the sentence she just wrote is good enough or whether her next book is likely to be taken.

With now three critically acclaimed books to her name and the amount of comments from the audience of how much they loved the book and are recommending it to friends (including a great review here from Gaskella), the view from here is definitely that we’re all awaiting that next book...

Huge thanks to Bethan for coming to Abingdon, for such an absorbing event, and also to Lynne and the team at Abingdon Library for such a brilliant 'Big Read' event.

3 4 Friday: Daring Princesses, Bookgroup Places and Booker Prizes

Today (Friday July 27) is the last day to do your ‘Where's Wally’ hunt around Abingdon and to get your entries in to us for a chance to win prizes in our grand draw. On Saturday (July 28) we will be doing ‘Where's Wally’ activities all day at Mostly Books to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first book. And anyone coming in dressed as Wally (or Wanda) get's an instant prize. From 2pm we will be drawing prizes – including some fantastic prizes from the shops involved, and the ‘grand prize’ of a very special limited edition ‘Where’s Wally’ book.

Whether it was Bradley Wiggins winning the Tour de France, or the bell-ringing this morning (!), Mostly Books is definitely in the mood for the Olympics. Our collection of Olympics books cannot be missed (literally – it’s the first thing you see when you come into the shop) and includes Mark’s favourite ‘How To Watch the Olympics’ (“a book that will turn yourself into an armchair Olympics expert”) to the official guide to the games for children. Come in and take a look at our range that’s sure to take gold (no, can’t believe we wrote that either...)

Calling all princesses! Have you heard about the princessparty we are hosting on Tuesday August 7? Then read on...

If you were a princess, would you be content to spend all day doing your formal duties and practising the perfect curtsey? Or might you sneak out after dinner and enjoy some freedom playing on a zip-wire after dark? The ‘Rescue Princesses’ is a fab series for girls who are just starting out on chapter books. They feature lots of gorgeous dresses and are set in fairytale castles, but have a great mix of traditional story with a modern twist as these princesses don’t let duty interfere with friendship or fun.

If you like princess stories, or stories about saving animals, or just about girls being daring and having adventures, you have a chance to meet author Paula Harrison and join in some princess fun activities at our Rescue Princess Party on Tuesday Aug 7 at 10.30am. Tickets are £3 and include activities and refreshments – everyone can leave with a crown or tiara they have made. Dressing up is optional, but if you want to dress as a princess, or even the animal you think you’d like to save, we will be awarding prizes! Find out more more here.

And finally: Bookgroups

We get asked a lot about Bookgroups, and although we run three of them, we only seldom have free places. So for those of you would like the opportunity to join you will be pleased to know that we will have vacancies in our Thursday evening group from September.

If you think you'd like to join, or would like to find out more, please come along to our special Abingdon book group evening. We will be discussing the book 'My Policeman' with guest author Bethan Roberts on Thursday Aug 9 at 7.30pm – take the chance to meet us and see if you think our bookgroup will be for you.

The event with Bethan Roberts is being hosted by Abingdon library. Tickets are £4, which includes wine and, of course, is open to all, and we will be joined by members from several local bookgroups.


Finally – we were excited to see that the guest author at the last Abingdon 'Big Read' in the library, Rachel Joyce, is on the Booker longlist with her debut book ‘The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry’ that we discussed earlier in the year:

Congratulations to Rachel and best of luck with the shortlist!

3 4 Friday: Summer Events with Noël Janis-Norton, Bethan Roberts and Ann Cleeves

We have a few events coming up over summer to tempt you away from the sport (or perhaps you need no tempting?). Anyway, we have assembled three golden authors over the Summer in our own version of a cultural Olympiad...

On Monday 16 July at 7.30pm we welcome Noël Janis-Norton, author of 'Calmer, Easier, Happier Parenting'. This takes place at Mostly Books, and Noël will be discussing her own approach to reducing the stress of parenting - and improving the relationship with your children at the same time. We only have about four places left for this event, and you must have a ticket (£4 to include wine). So if you would like to attend, details on how you can book can be found here.


Following the success of our joint 'Big Read' event with Abingdon Library earlier this year with author Rachel Joyce, we welcome rising literary star Bethan Roberts, author of 'The Pools' and 'The Good Plain Cook' to Abingdon Library on Thursday 9 August at 7.30pm.

Her latest book - set in Brighton in the 1950s - has just been selected for the prestigious annual Brighton 'City Reads' and we have been encouraging bookgroups to read the book over the summer for discussion in the autumn. Whether you come with your bookgroup, with a friend or on your own, it promises to be a lovely event, particularly as Bethan was born and grew up in Abingdon and worked in Abingdon library for a short time!


The book is, in part, inspired by the life of EM Forster, and has been critically acclaimed by a whole host of reviewers and readers. Read Nicki's review here, and find out how to attend the event here. Again, tickets are £4 and include a glass of wine.

Ann Cleeves looks poised to be the latest big name in crime fiction and we are pleased that she will be visiting Mostly Books in August. Her successful Vera Stanhope series has already made her a household name since being televised with Brenda Blethyn in the title role.

In September Ann Cleeves's Shetland series will be making its television debut. This new murder-mystery series is set against the stunning Scottish backdrop of the Shetland Isles and centres on Detective Jimmy Perez (played by Douglas Henshall). If you want to discover these books before seeing them on the television, come along and meet Ann at Mostly Books on Weds 15th August, 7.30pm. Full details can be found here, but pop in to see our offer to try her book 'Raven Black' for 99p when you spend £20 or more.

My Policeman by Bethan Roberts - review and the Abingdon 'big read'

This ill-fated love story focuses on the painful triangle between a naive woman married to a man who is having an affair with another man, set in 1950s Brighton.

It’s a sensitively told tale of people facing up to uncomfortable truths – and also the dangers of having any sort of satisfying relationship if you were a homosexual in 1950s Britain.

Marion falls in love with her best friend’s gorgeous older brother, Tom. A strong and muscular figure of a man, with the face and physique of a Greek god who joins first the army, then becomes a policeman. She never forgets about him, never meets anyone else who comes close to replacing him in her heart. And after several years they start a long friendship that leads eventually to marriage, ignoring her friend’s subtle warnings that Tom ‘is not like that’.

‘Tom’s father’s budget didn’t quite stretch to a sea view. Our room was at the back of the hotel, overlooking a courtyard where the staff gathered to gossip and smoke. Once inside, Tom wouldn’t sit down. Instead he stalked the place, plucking at the heavy crimson curtains that covered most of the window, stroking the liver-coloured eiderdown, exclaiming over luxuries (‘They’ve got a mixer tap!), just as he’d done when we were in your flat, Patrick. After a struggle with the catch and a terrible squeal of wood, he managed to get the window open, letting in the afternoon whine of the seagulls.

‘Are you all right’ I asked. This wasn’t what I’d meant to say. Come away from the window and kiss me, was what I’d wanted to say. I’d even thought, briefly, of saying nothing at all; of just beginning to undress. It was still early; not past five in the afternoon, but we were newly-weds. In a hotel. In Brighton. Where things like that happen all the time.’

Schoolteacher, Marion, is uneasy from the start about Tom’s close relationship with Patrick, an educated man who works at the town’s gallery. But Patrick has a way of sweeping them both along with glimpses of a different, cultured life of trips to the ballet and exotic home cooked dinners of foreign food.

But Marion, who has led a narrow life with little expectation and no-one to really talk about her hopes and her fears tries to believe that her love can change Tom.

It’s the undercurrents that are so well handled in this third novel from Bethan Roberts. In ‘The Good Plain Cook’ she explored sexual mores through the eyes of a naive girl who is brought in to work for a Bohemian household and tries to focus on learning how to cook the food they want to eat and ignoring the growing extreme antics of a careless mother and communist-poet lover.

‘My Policeman’ is underpinned with its period setting and the perils of choices faced by homosexuals of the time and is a novel of simmering tension as we watch the pressure mount. Marion’s grim determination explodes in both humiliation and shocking retaliation, which we only fully understand right at the end of the novel, even though it is told mostly in flashback.

What is particularly clever and intriguing about the way that the story is told is that although we get both Marion and Patrick’s perspective on the situation, we never see the action from Tom’s point of view, so are left to imagine how he is feeling, torn between his passion for Patrick and coming to terms with that irrepressible side of him, and his desire to fit in and be respectable and make a marriage work.

There is also a lot here about the consequences of not facing up to reality and how a whole life can pass you by because of not being able to look uncomfortable truths face to face, particularly in a marriage that isn’t working.

From our point of view at Mostly Books, one of the most exciting and rewarding aspects of bookselling is when you have watched an author grow from a promising debut - and Bethan's first novels 'The Pools' and 'The Good Plain Cook' garnered impressive reviews and a definite 'most promising newcomer' status.

The fact that Bethan grew up in Abingdon is extra special for us, and she is most definitely one of the brightest new stars on the literary scene. Her recent move to publisher Chatto and the quality of ‘My Policeman’ makes us very excited about what might be yet to come.

So we are particularly delighted that Bethan Roberts is to be the guest author for Abingdon's second 'big read' (following the success of our event with Rachel Joyce and 'the Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry' earlier this year - and particularly as 'My Policeman' has been selected for the annual Brighton 'City Reads 2012' this year).

Bethan Roberts will be talking about 'My policeman' on Thurs Aug 9 at 7.30pm and we would love you to come along (click here to learn more).

And if your bookgroup would like to join in and read the book we would be delighted to welcome you along too. Please email us for more details about getting the book before the event.

World Book Night 2012: The Unlikely Writing Journey of Rachel Joyce

On World Book Night - an evening of bookish celebration around the country - Abingdon Library was packed to welcome debut novelist Rachel Joyce, author of 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry'. The event was the culmination of the 'Oxfordshire World Book Night Read', put together with the energy and enthusiasm of Oxfordshire librarians and publisher Transworld.

The idea was simple: reading groups around Oxfordshire received proof copies to read and discuss ahead of the event, and other Oxfordshire libraries hosted book events on the night too with a variety of authors. It seems to have been a great success.

 

We've loved recommending 'Harold' in the shop (although the title sometimes morphs into the author's own name: we have described it variously as 'Harold Joyce', or 'Rachel Fry', or some other mash-up. Having met the author now, this may become worse). It's one of those perfect books (for us) that appeals to a wide range of readers, but has real emotional depth and ensures Harold stays in the mind for a long time after the book ends.

The physical book itself is very desirable: Transworld have produced a gorgeous hardback, particularly in its choice of understated yet pitch-perfect illustrations at the start of each chapter. (There were appreciative comments on this from the audience).

Rachel has the endearing quality that I think the best writers have of seeming slightly bemused about all the fuss, as though she looked up from writing one day and realised all these people were there wanting to discuss it. Fittingly for a book about a compelling journey, her own route to published author was both fascinating and revealing.

Rachel's background is writing for radio, and has been hugely successful in that field (you can read her impressive radio CV here). She described how writing for radio requires skills honed for telling a story in 7,000 words, and the need for 'hooks' when writing over several episodes (and much bigger hooks if episodes run over the weekend!). Again, as with the best writers, there's a feeling of a long apprenticeship, and so no surprise perhaps that a debut should feel so assured.

Neither is it surprising that 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry' grew out of a radio play, one written initially after her own father was diagnosed with cancer. The initial motivation was, she felt, to try to keep her father alive, and though he never saw the book, it is more poignant when, at the start of the novel, when Harold resolves to walk to where an old friend, Queenie, lies dying, he writes "I will keep walking, and you must keep living."

 

Rachel described the act of writing as something she has to do, and despite plenty of obstacles to this (four children, 'nuff said) she described writing as "knitting in your head". This 'knitting' gets done wherever convenient (even in at the cinema whilst on chaperoning duties) and it seems her family also keep her on the straight and narrow, with her husband intervening when trips to research the route threatened to get out of hand ("you're writing fiction, not a travelogue!").

(Following on from learning a little about how Frank Cottrell-Boyce writes, maybe a chaotic household should be seen as a pre-requisite for writers?)

Rachel spoke quietly - but passionately - about her love of the countryside, a plea for map-reading (as opposed to sat-navs) and how these passions end up woven into the books.

 

We were delighted to be involved, it was a wonderful evening, and again shows the magic that can happen when bookshops and libraries come together - particularly to celebrate such a splendid book with a delightful author.

 

Kudos to the library staff who came out in force (and had to stand at the back) but mostly to Alison Barrow from Transworld who chaired the evening so brilliantly, and Rachel herself - go Harold!


We have signed copies of 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry' at Mostly Books. Buy a copy through PayPal and have it delivered post-free within the UK here:

Purchase a copy from Mostly Books:

UK price (inc postage) £12.99 GBP Outside UK (inc postage) £17.99 GBP

Alternatively, reserve a copy in-store for collection on 01235 525880
or contact books@mostly-books.co.uk

I don't want to join a writing group

(Ahead of next week's event with Ali Shaw, we've invited Gabby Aquilina of local writing group Abingdon Writers, to give a bit of background to the group, and the event with Ali which takes place in Abingdon Library next week. Take it away Gabby...)


Hi Mostly Book Lovers!

I’m scooching on over to the Mostly Books blog from my normal corner of the blogosphere (thanks for having me Nicki and Mark!) to tell you all about writing groups. Because, you know, writing groups are the new stitch ‘n’ bitch for people hankering for a new creative outlet which comes with a support group…

I feel fairly qualified to talk about this because way back in the middle of 2009, I formed Abingdon Writers with two lovely people I met at a Mostly Books / Oxford Writing Group event (hurrah for Mostly Books and their wonderful events schedule!) – Liah Thorley and Anna Jones.

Although the OWG had no room for new members themselves, the panel encouraged the audience to create their own group and so Abingdon Writers was born! The three of us soon grew to five and then eight; ten quickly became fourteen and we decided to cap membership when we reached eighteen and start a waiting list! Who knew there was all this writing talent just loitering around Abingdon, scribbling (well, typing) away quietly in recesses under stairs or bundled up in five layers of clothing in garden sheds.

We were surprised and delighted at the amount of interest in our group and, although we have had several people come to trial meetings over the last three years never to return, most of us have remained. Fearless, super-confident writers? Not nearly, although perhaps I speak just for myself here - quivering, insecure shadows of non-writerly people, more likely. Oddbodies who enjoy their work being dissected and mauled over by their peers? Possibly, although ‘enjoy’ might be the wrong emotion to convey here.

Now, I mentioned support groups in my first paragraph and here I am talking about ‘peer reviews’ being brutal and sort of vicious. They’re not, it just sounds much more dramatic that way. Constructive criticism is the reason why Liah, Anna and myself wanted to set up the group. That and support – encouraging and motivating your fellow aspiring writer friends is SO important. Finding out what real people (anyone who isn’t family or your BFF) think of your masterpiece can be a revelation and a huge confidence boost but it’s the shared experiences of trying to get that first chapter perfect or writing that darned query letter that makes you glad you have writer friends to help you get them right.

Admittedly, there have been times when I have read at a meeting and felt completely disheartened by the feedback. At first. After a day to stew over certain comments or, eek, facial expressions, you realise that actually, the group were right. That paragraph does require tweaking, more description is needed to ground the location and those two sentences about your florist-owning, yoga devotee waif of a heroine ranting about middle-lane drivers are, perhaps, a little bit jarring.

What I am trying to say (this would never do for a synopsis) is that Abingdon Writers has given me the confidence and encouragement to actually GET MY NOVEL OUT THERE. Without the AW members, my manuscript would probably have been languishing under a pile of two year old magazines until I dragged it out to use as scrap paper for my daughter to scribble on or kill flies with.

So, with one manuscript out there being ‘properly’ mauled over by agents, I have another one on the go. And who knows? Maybe one day I’ll be on the bookshelves of Mostly Books – a local author done good.

Just like Ali Shaw – author of the Desmond Elliot 2010 winning, ‘The Girl With Glass Feet’ (also shortlisted for a whole bunch of awards including the Costa First Novel Award) and the recently published, ‘The Man Who Rained.’

Incidentally (!), Abingdon Writers is hosting an evening with Ali Shaw on Thursday 29th March at 7.30pm in Abingdon Library. Tickets (£4 with £3 redeemable against a purchase on the night) are still available from Mostly Books and can also be bought on the door at the event.

Now, I know Nicki has already reviewed ‘The Man Who Rained’ and pointed you in the direction of the wonderful Gaskella for another review but let me just add my two cents here:

Both Ali Shaw’s books are lyrically written, beautifully imagined fairy tales. The imagery and ideas that he comes up with are original and spellbinding. Sunbeams that turn into canaries? Aren’t you just smiling at that idea, picturing it in your head?

If you are, then you should come and meet Ali and the Abingdon Writers next Thursday! Chat with us, get a book or two signed and have a glass of wine. Perhaps you’ll even decide that a writing group is just what you need to help you get motivated and put your name down to join us. We’ll be gentle. Ish.

Harold and Maureen and their epic journey of redemption - to Berwick Upon Tweed

We are celebrating World Book Night this year with Abingdon Library at a free event with guest speaker, Rachel Joyce – to which you are invited.

Hotly tipped as being one of the debuts of the year, Rachel Joyce has written a story about a modern day pilgrimage with a very unlikely hero – Harold Fry.

Harold Fry hasn't done anything much since he retired. In fact, looking back, he hasn't ever done very much. So when he sets out to post a letter and ends up deciding to walk over 600 miles to deliver it in person, no-one is more surprised than Harold at his new-found determination.

Fun, thoughtful and touching read where you are always willing Harold to succeed. The journey is less than smooth, but it is also redemptive and a lesson that it is never too late to start again.

Here is what Abingdon Library’s Rosie Tilston has to say about 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry':

I loved this book. I was drawn in from the very beginning, captivated by the idea of a man setting out to save someone’s life by walking the length of England. This he does entirely on impulse; he intended to post the letter to his dying friend not deliver it to her personally!

Like Christian from the John Bunyan classic, Harold Fry introduces the reader to the many fascinating people he meets on his journey and with every step and encounter he unravels the tangle of his life. As we, Harold’s travelling companions, piece together his story and each new revelation draws us further into his world we learn too of his wife, Maureen, waiting at home forced to confront her past also, by her husband’s unexpected departure.

Rachel Joyce has written a “page turner” but it would be important not to dismiss it as only that. Here, difficult issues are handled with a touching sensitivity and the reader is left at the end feeling uplifted, moved and changed by the experience.

World Book Night looks set to become an annual national celebration of books – a good excuse for all lovers of good books to unite on a particular evening to swap and recommend favourite books and to find new authors to read.

We are really pleased to be hosting this joint event with Abingdon Library, Transworld and Rachel Joyce to celebrate World Book Night this year.

Tickets are free. There will be refreshments, as well as lots of enthusiasm about books. This event is expected to be very popular so you do need to get a ticket (from Mostly Books or the library) – although tickets are free.

We look forward to hearing what Rachel Joyce has to say about her own writing journey to becoming such a hotly tipped new authors. The event is on Monday 23 April at 7.30pm.


(Until 29 March, listen to Rachel Joyce on Woman's Hour - fast forward to 34 mins and 30 secs...)

The Man Who Rained with Ali Shaw

Oxford-based author Ali Shaw will be joining Abingdon Writers for an evening discussing his second novel ‘The Man Who Rained’. His first, ‘The Girl with Glass Feet’, was one of 2010's most critically acclaimed debuts, being shortlisted for the Costa First Book Award and winning the Desmond Elliot Prize.

The evening is presented by Abingdon Writers, a fun, social group of local writers who will also be sharing their own experiences and writing successes.

The event takes place at 7.30pm on Thursday March 29 at Abingdon Library. Tickets are £4 and available from Mostly Books or from Abingdon Library.