SUNDAY saw the conclusion of the first Reading and Caversham Book Festival, organised by Fourbears Books.
The three-day festival combined events for adults and children alike in venues around town, including wine tasting, poetry and readings from AF Harrold at Caversham Baptist Church, and a live recording of the Let’s Get Lit podcast.
Among those giving talks was Robin Ince, who shared stories from his own life and travels, original poetry, and readings from selected non-fiction works, woven through with his ebullient comedy.
Following the event, he said: “Events like book festivals run by independent book shops are incredibly important because so much of our media is dominated by big events.
“Everyone can come to events like this and share stories, so collections just build and build.
He explained: “So many independents are grounded in creating things for people– not just how can we sell books, but how can we keep those connections going.
“It’s important because it’s only if we’re able to express ourselves that we can truly understand ourselves and other people,.
“I’ve done a couple of talks in prisons and in one there was a guy who had not been able to read and write.
“After he learned he’d started writing poetry– he performed his poem for me, and I could see in his eyes he’s been given a new ‘weapon’ and ability, something incredibly important.”
Author TM Logan, who grew up in Reading, was another who gave a talk as part of the festival– his first such event in the town.
He said: “I grew up here, went to school here and I want to try and support local workshops and local events, so it feels quite special to be invited here and to chat to people
“I assumed reading and writing was very solitary, before I had a book out, but actually the more events like this there are, the more you realise it’s a community of people who love the same thing.
“Whether it’s crime fiction or thrillers, there are huge numbers of people who have these things in common, a love of books and a love reading, which really brings people together.”
He explained: “There are so many things which are easier and more instant in so many other places, events like this really mix it up with more ‘old-school’ entertainment, from which you get a lot of satisfaction that you don’t get with other things– especially in the last 15 years or so.
Fellow Reading author Iszi Lawrence explained that reading is: “A very personal experience, but there’s something so joyous about sharing a love of books, because they become part of you.
“It’s wonderful that events like this allow people to meet each other and realise that they aren’t alone.
“It inspires people to read more, write more– and any form that young people have of enjoying a story is great.
“It can be anything, not just books which can look intimidating, so meeting an author or, say, realising that you don’t have to finish a book you don’t like brings barriers down for children.
“It stops it from being a big ‘grown-up’ thing– it doesn’t matter if they end up scuffed at the bottom of a bag, they’re fun.”
Fourbears Books has been open in Caversham since December 2020, with more information available via: fourbearsbooks.co.uk