The first
World Book Night turned into a fantastic opportunity for me to get dressed up in fancy dress - any excuse will do!
I was invovled in two events in the region, the first as a 'giver' of
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie at Morpeth Library. With the help of librarian Lynne Riddell and her team, the library laid on a 1930s style experience with fruit cocktails served while I gave readings from Muriel Spark's superb coming-of-age novel set in 1930s Edinburgh.
Lynne and I donnned vintage evening wear to show that it is not just Jean Brodie who is still in her 'prime'!
We
encouraged teenagers to come along and discover this great story - several students from KEVI (King Edward VI High School) attended - as well as more mature readers.
As an audience I would rate them the 'creme de la creme'!
Each went away with a copy of the book - many for daughters in other parts of the country - and it is hoped they will pass their copies on (registering their unique number on the World Book Site) so that the novels can be tracked to see how far they go. Jean Brodie - an enthusiastic traveller and teller of tales - would have approved.
From Morpeth I rushed home and
changed into my 1970s overland hippy gear and headed for
Waterstones in Newcastle to help them celebrate WBN by chatting to customers and signing copies of my mystery novel,
The Vanishing of Ruth set on the overland route to Kathmandu. There was a good buzz about the shop - only slightly marred by the news that Newcastle had lost to Everton at St James's Park just along the road.
Organiser Cameron and his team made us very welcome and I shared the event with Lib Dem politician, Chris Foote-Wood, who was promoting his new biography of T. Dan Smith.
