Swaps Galore

Are you coming to the Firestation Book Swap next week?

We've got a great line up, which includes both authors and cake.

John Harding is the author of one of my favourite books of the year, Florence and Giles. You can read me raving about it here if you are in the mood. It is a gripping gothic thriller with a narrator you will never forget.

John is a big fan of the Book Swap. He has come along to two as a member of the audience and was also our guest when we appeared at the Lewisham Literary Festival. This will be his first time on the legendary Windsor sofa, however.

Our other guest is Jonathan Pinnock. I enjoyed Jon's novel, Mrs Darcy Versus The Aliens, so much that a quote from me adorns the cover. I say: "This book is much funnier than the original, and it has more monsters. I laughed like a mentalist." Which is true.

It is a sequel to Pride and Prejudice. With added aliens, obviously.

He recently challenged PD James to a duel and has also come along to Book Swaps in the past. It is good to have a couple of authors who know what they are letting themselves in for. I am sure they have prepared answers to the cheese question.

Anyway, it all kicks off at 7.45pm on Thursday 20th October at the Firestation Arts Centre in Windsor. No need to book tickets, you can just turn up. It costs £5 to get in or entry is free if you bake a cake to share with the rest of the audience.

Our November Book Swap will feature mother and daughter combo of Adele Geras and Sophie Hannah. That was has been planned for some time and we are really looking forward to it.

We take December off. Our regular third Thursday slot takes us perilously close to Christmas and I suspect we are all rather too busy with wrapping paper and visiting relatives to bother.

But we'll be back in January with novelists Chris Wakling and Shelley Harris