31 local authors showcase books at West Berks Library

NEWBURY Library recently held an Author Showcase, with 31 local writers from across West Berkshire attending to tell visitors all about their recently published books.

These included titles for children, teenagers, and adults, with a mixture of stories, poetry and non-fiction books on subjects as varied as business, yoga, and local history.

Many of the authors had just published their first book.

“We would like to see the Author Showcase become a regular feature in the West Berkshire Libraries programme of events,” said Rosie Flower of the library service.

The second annual local author's day brought out new and not so new writers from all over the area to showcase their books.

One of them, novelist and biographer Derek Ansell, who expects to sign up again next year, said: “It was surprising to see how many local authors there are in Newbury and surrounding villages.

“There were books of all sorts and sizes on offer – fiction and non fiction side by side. Books on history, geography, canals, would you believe, local history, children's books and a large diverse range of fiction.

“I had five novels and one biography on display.

“I was also asked to supply a sample book to the library so that they could check it out with a view to stocking it... And others, I hope!

Annabel Bailey from Great Shefford was another participating author.

She was promoting and selling her book Leaves from the Tree, “the story of my mother’s family from the 17th to the 20th century; 400 years of living on the land, each ‘leaf’ being an imagined episode, gathered over generations into one family”.

She describes it as “A saga about the ways of the country (hedging and ditching, cheesemaking, slate quarrying, ferreting, rent collecting and breeding children!).”