There are 10 top events this month brought to us by Chorleywood Bookshop which makes our job of highlighting one or two tricky. So we’re settling for mentioning all before we get to a couple that grabbed our attention.
Two British legends head our way .. Damon Hill talking about his autobiography and Terry Waite to tell of his harrowing experiences as a Beirut hostage. Popular broadcaster/gardener Alan Titchmarsh is back at Chenies Manor for a literary lunch introducing his latest book Mr Gandy’s Grand Tour. Three talks will make foodies happy.. Diana Henry with her new cookbook Simple – effortless food, big flavour, Henrietta Clancy talking about her latest book Just Soup at Rowan Garden Centre (details p14) while Caroline Taggart’s Art of Conversation audience get tea and cake too. Journalist Wendy Holden in Born Survivors recounts the remarkable story of three ‘miracle babies’ secretly born in the WW2 German camps. And for London lovers there’s another walk planned with Viv Schrager-Powell, Clockology – checking out Westminster’s public clocks.
We come to our two September favourites. An evening with Victoria Hislop, whose latest novel Cartes Postales from Greece, is unique in marrying stunning colour photographs with adult fiction.
‘Whenever I create characters, or describe places, or form a plot, I always begin with photographs that I have taken.” says Victoria,
And it’s often occurred to me that it would be wonderful if I could actually use the photographs within the book, the only problem being that mine might not be good enough.”
Hislop created the book with Greek photographer, Alexandros Kakolyris and they travelled the country together.
“Many of the photographs … are the starting point… in some way, of the story.”
“This is a book conceived under Greece’s unique light” adds Kakolyris, “a light that Victoria wanted me to capture. Her imagination is unstoppable but when a story was being born in her mind, she stopped, took out her notebook and made notes. That would be the moment when I would have to try and perceive what she was seeing, capture it in a frame and deliver it to her readers.’”
Our second event choice is An evening with Monica Weller who uncovers the identity of the murderer of an Amersham doctor in her book Injured Parties. Dr Helen Davidson was battered to death in a local woodland in 1966. The author had research help from Chorleywood resident Natalie Ross who got completely absorbed in the complex investigation.
“What Monica needed was detailed local information about maps, buildings, shops and most importantly contacts – people who were around at the time and who knew the Doctor and this area well.” says Natalie, “ We helped to put Monica in touch with people, who then knew many other people. Everyone was very interested and willing to help Monica’s research. She compiled a vast amount of information. It is great to think there is now closure on this sad event.”
An Evening with Victoria Hislop, Tues 20 Sept
An evening with Monica Weller. Mon 26 Sept. Both events at The Junction. Tickets from CW Bookshop
More details of all events at www.chilternbookshops.co.uk/events
Photo: Alexandros Kakolyris, Cartes Postales from Greece, Victoria Hislop