Jesse Jackson is not a man who needs much of an introduction and anyone who has heard him speak knows that it is quite an experience. He walked in shaking hands with everyone within reach and it seemed as if the chair, Ruth Wishart, couldn’t quite believe she was actually on stage with him. He spoke of the fact that with the digital age we are no … [Read more...] about EdBookFest: Jesse Jackson
EdBookFest: Ben Aaronovitch
Ben Aaronovitch has now published five books in his Rivers of London series (the sixth will come out later this year). The latest, Foxglove Summer, saw the main character, Peter Grant, take a case outside of London for the first time. The chair, Stuart Kelly, explains that this change caused an interesting shift in many of the aspects of … [Read more...] about EdBookFest: Ben Aaronovitch
EdBookFest: Val McDermid & Niamh Nic Daeid
Gill Arbuthnott begins the session by talking first of Val McDermid’s long career in crime fiction. She also jokingly suggests that any Whiskey magnates should contact her. There is already a Val McDermid bar, football stand, and mortuary, a Val McDermid malt would complete the set nicely. Niamh Nic Daeid is Professor of Forensic Science at Dundee … [Read more...] about EdBookFest: Val McDermid & Niamh Nic Daeid
EdBookFest: Richard Havers with Ian Rankin
Given the musical preferences of Rebus it’s no surprise that Ian Rankin chose to talk to Richard Havers when asked to select some events for the book festival. Havers’ two most recent books focus on the American Jazz labels Blue Note and Verve. They begin by discussing the fact that Jazz was essentially the Rock n Roll of its day. It played in all … [Read more...] about EdBookFest: Richard Havers with Ian Rankin
EdBookFest: Jenny Uglow
Kate Mosse introduces Jenny Uglow as one of the UK’s leading biographers and historians, adding that one of the things that has always stood out is that in all her work the women are just as present as the men. Uglow’s latest book, In These Times, is about life in Britain during the Napoleonic Wars. It is essentially a crowd biography, based on … [Read more...] about EdBookFest: Jenny Uglow
EdBookFest: Will Gompertz
After an introduction from Steven Gale, Will Gompetz asked if we were in the mood for a humorous preamble. A murmur of agreement elicits a response of “Shit, haven’t got one of those.” He soon finds one however, discussing the pros and cons of being a BBC correspondent. It seems that on a fairly regular basis people leap towards him on the street, … [Read more...] about EdBookFest: Will Gompertz