On Wednesday 29th June at 7pm, as part of Warwick Books ‘Meet The Author’ series, Salley Vickers will be talking about her book ‘Aphrodite’s Hat’ at Warwick Library

 The stories in this long-awaited collection by Salley Vickers all deal with psychological aspects of love: love given and withheld, love craved and lost, love met and disappointed; the differing shades of loves between friends, between parents and children, between children and other adults; love even, in one case, for a pet. Psychologically acute, sharply written in lucid and often witty prose, these stories, set in Venice, Greece and Rome as well as London and the English countryside, take us into the complex geography of the human heart.

Sometimes joyous and humorous, sometimes melancholy and poignant, this collection confirms Salley Vickers’ reputation as one of our most subtle and engaging writers. Salley will be talking a bout ‘Aphrodite’s Hat’ also in the context of her other books including  ‘The Other Side of You’  and ‘Dancing Backwards?

Sure to be a memorable evening for all our Salley Vickers fans.

Tickets for this event are FREE but must be booked in advance from Warwick Books, Kenilworth Books, Warwick Library or Kenilworth Library. This talk is arranged by Warwick Books as part of their ‘Meet The Author’ series with Warwick Library. We are delighted that Salley’s publisher Harper Collins have supported us in putting on this event.

Wednesday 15th June 7pm at Lord Leycester’s Hospital  in conjunction with The Warwick Society, Philippa Lewis will be talking about her new book ‘House’

The architecture of Britain’s houses displays a dizzying variety of styles and details. Brimming with 600 full-colour photographs, ‘House’ annotates hundreds of examples from every conceivable angle: from gables and pediments to chimneys and roofs; from bow windows and casements to fanlights and door furniture. Armed with a career’s worth of experience and research, Philippa Lewis takes readers up and down the country to feature examples of typically British building, including cottages, manor houses, castles, bungalows, and flats.

She also looks at houses built from a wide variety of materials, including stone, glass, wood, brick and even corrugated iron, in different settings such as rural, suburban, seaside and urban. Lively texts help identify specific details and place them in their historical context, as well as offering compelling examples of how innovative conversions of structures such as watermills, gatehouses, and churches reflect and sustain their environment. Readers interested in architectural history and design, and anyone looking to understand the nooks and crannies of their own home, will find this unique guide the most eye-opening and comprehensive of its kind.

Tickets £3.50 (£2 concessions) from Kenilworth Books or Warwick Books. This talk is arranged by Warwick Books as part of their ‘Meet The Author’ series with Warwick Library. We are delighted that Philippa’s publisher Prestel have supported us in putting on this event.

On Saturday 4th June at 7.30pm, at The Bridge House Theatre, Lynda Bellingham talked about her book ‘Lost and Found’.

‘Looking back, perhaps the single biggest problem was fear. Fear of failure, fear of other people – but mostly fear of myself. It has taken many years to discover who I really am.

It’s never too late to find yourself, however lost you may be’. In Lynda Bellingham’s blisteringly honest autobiography, the much-loved actress and Loose Women panellist revealed the truth about her life, including her search for her birth mother, only to lose her again to Alzheimer’s, and her many years married to an abusive man while playing the ‘nation’s mum’ in the Oxo ads. But Lynda never lost her sense of humour, and among the darker moments she recalls hilarious anecdotes from her time on stage and screen.

“Lost and Found” proved to be an inspiring story of getting through the tough times with the strong spirit of a survivor, and finally finding true love. And Lynda was certainly both inspiring and very amusing when she came to Warwick. As you can see from the pictures , we sold an awful lot of books and people were very keen to meet her. Her charisma shone through as did her determination to make the very best of life in the future. A great event!

This talk was arranged by Warwick Books for Warwick Words Xtra. We are delighted that Lynda’s publisher Ebury supported us in putting on this event.

A Review By Keith Smith

A wonderful collection of stories from the much-loved Salley Vickers. The stories in this long-awaited collection by Salley Vickers all deal with psychological aspects of love: love given and withheld, love craved and lost, love met and disappointed; the differing shades of loves between friends, between parents and children, between children and other adults; love even, in one case, for a pet. Psychologically acute, sharply written in lucid and often witty prose, these stories, set in Venice, Greece and Rome as well as London and the English countryside, take us into the complex geography of the human heart.

Sometimes joyous and humorous, sometimes melancholy and poignant, this collection confirms Salley Vickers’ reputation as one of our most subtle and engaging writers.

I don’t usually like short stories. They seem to lack depth and leave you feeling somewhat dissatisfied. These ones don’t. They are very very good. Salley is an excellent writer, and manages to convey impressive characterisation with a great feeling for location and all with a good story, often with a twist. you feel real empathy with some of the people she parades before us….there but for the grace of god.

Seventeen short stories in all and only one I couldn’t get on with. I particularly liked ‘The Green Bus From St Ives’ with its life-changing intertwining of the lives of two lonely characters. ‘Mrs Radinsky’ was very amusing with the residents of a block of flats getting their knickers in a twist over the (misunderstood) private life of the old lady in the upper flat. ‘Nightmare’ again was a bitter-sweet commentary on how being over-protective to our children can have nasty consequences. Which leads me to say I suppose all of the stories have a moral or a message. And when there is so much trash about these days, one can only applaud when it is well-done. Anyway highly-recommended and signed copies available after our very successful event with Salley the other night…….

A Review By Keith Smith

Moving back through the 1940s, through air raids, blacked out streets, illicit liaisons, sexual adventure, to end with its beginning in 1941, ‘The Night Watch’ is the work of a truly brilliant and compelling storyteller. This is the story of four Londoners – three women and a young man with a past, drawn with absolute truth and intimacy. Kay, who drove an ambulance during the war and lived life at full throttle, now dresses in mannish clothes and wanders the streets with a restless hunger, searching …Helen, clever, sweet, much-loved, harbours a painful secret …Viv, glamour girl, is stubbornly, even foolishly loyal, to her soldier lover …Duncan, an apparent innocent, has had his own demons to fight during the war.

I really enjoyed this holiday read. Terrific writing, wonderful atmosphere. But no plot. It didn’t bother me too much as it was such a good read, but I did find it a little surprising. Plus the novelist’s trick of running backwards is a little old hat and a little tiresome (literally). But this could almost be read as a history book so powerful and vivid (and well-researched) are the descriptions of living in London during the Blitz. I recommend it for A Level History courses and for anyone wanting to re-live those frightening times.