So my chum Lis McDermott is organising a book fair in Swindon, at the central community centre in the railway village from 11am to 3pm.
Swindon Book Fair 20th May
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Unlocked: Pandemic Portraits
Unlocked: Pandemic Portraits – or to give this book its full title – Unlocked: Portraits of a Pandemic. By A J Stone, this book is, as you’d imagine, an oral history drawn taken and transcribed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Badgeland – A Swindon Socialist’s Memoir
I’m about half way through this book – and what an engaging read it is with many resonances for me – and even shared experiences. It’s also rather funny!
I had a working-class childhood in a mining area – Steve had a working-class childhood in an industrial Swindon. So many similarities. One working-class background is very much like another.
Swindon Literature Festival is 30!
Swindon Literature Festival is 30! Planning is now underway for the next — the 30th no less — Swindon Festival of Literature, due to take place 1st – 7th May ’23.
Hannah Dosanjh Childrens’ Book
Hot off the press is this gorgeous book written an illustrated by Swindon artist, Hannah Dosanjh. Surprisingly, despite a tsunami of writings about Swindon, my own publications included, no-one has, to my knowledge, written Swindon’s story in a child-friendly format. So congrats Hannah for filling that gap.Oh to be this talented!
We Paid to Play
What follows is a press release from Olympia Publishers about We Paid to Play. As it happens, I’m familiar with this book written by a Swindonian. Given that I have zero interest in sport of any kind, I have to say that I was not bored when reading. I know that sounds a bit like damned with faint praise but, given my aforementioned, lack of sporting enthusiasm – it’s a compliment.
Richard Jefferies Wild Life
14th November 2021 Richard Jefferies Wild LifeSo, last weekend saw me in the delightful company of many familiar faces for the launch of this book, by Mike Pringle, at the Christ Church community centre: And the back cover: Back cover of Richard Jefferies wildlife by...
A Swindon Radical Visits Venus
A Swindon Radical Visits Venus
There’s been rather a lot of hobnobbing happening of late. By which I mean activities involving authors of the Hobnob Press stable. In the first instance, I’ve twice in recent weeks, dined at the Polish Club with David Bradshaw, author of Hobnob Press book Swimming without Mangoes. At those delightful dinners we swapped our respective titles. And there’s more about that in this Swindon in 50 Drinks post about żywiec Polish Pilsner Beer.
Mrs A’s Indian Gentlemen
There’s been a lot of book talk on Born Again Swindonian of late. Well – we’re a very literary lot here in Swindon don’t y’know.
5 More Swindon Books
Having done 5 Swindon books to Read Now a few weeks back, here we have 5 More Swindon books.
I could go on almost ad infinitum with this as there are many Swindon books! But I’ll keep it to these two posts. But with a ‘See Also’ at the bottom of this one.
So, as with the first post, in no particular order here we go with 5 More Swindon Books worthy of your attention. Both during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.
Richard Wintle: Photographing Swindon’s History
Richard Wintle, known to many Swindonians as the man photographing Swindon’s history through the decades, is putting his retirement to good use. As you’d expect for a press photographer, Richard has a VAST archive of photographs. And he’s put some of them into a book: A Picture Is Only the Start of The Story.
5 Swindon Books to Read Now
So, we’re in the grip of the Coronavirus pandemic and at best are faced with a prolonged period of social distancing. Or at worst lockdown as we have at the time of reading.
So here’s five of the MANY Swindon books out there, fiction and non-fiction, written by Swindonians, with which to pass some fruitful time.
If you haven’t got them on your bookshelves now (and you might but not have read them) then head to the shop in Swindon central library as soon as you can. That said, some of the books included are available on mail order.
Swindon In 50 Buildings
A Ken White Retrospective
Secret Swindon
Swindon – A Born Again Swindonian’s Guide
Dona Bradley Architectural Illustrator
We Are Swindon
