So why am I not at Hay?
I'd love to be, but it's a bit far from Glasgow just to listen to authors. Authors are thick on the ground. We've had Aye Write, we are looking forward to Edinburgh. Hay must be lovely: it's the Hampstead book fest in the countryside. A chance for Radio Four to sit in prefabs and under tents and for their presenters to interview each other.
Book fests are fun. But they are also about publishing rather than reading. I'm a great believer in publishing: well that would be obvious. But it can also feel a little daunting to be told there are 40 new books out today, and that everyone is a must read.
Most of them most certainly are not.
But book fests stir the blood. They are meeting places. Debating chambers. A chance to browse a different sort of shelf and to talk and hear about books you might never have thought of. They are a great excuse to talk about books, and that is a good thing. A great thing.
As I say, I kinda wish I was at Hay...
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