Situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on East Devon’s World Heritage Site, the Jurassic Coast, Budleigh Salterton hosts the most outstanding literary festival in South West England. As a registered charity, our mission is to celebrate books and their authors and promote the art of writing and the enjoyment of reading in our East Devon community and in our local schools. Wholeheartedly supported by the local community, who embrace the variety of events and workshops, this is a literary festival which offers delights few other festivals can match.

Yorkshire, 1979. Maggie Thatcher is prime minister, drainpipe jeans are in, and Miv is convinced that her dad wants to move their family Down South because of the murders. Miv decides to investigate and recruits her best friend Sharon to help. Together they create a list of the people and things they see that are suspicious and look into them one by one, finding more about their small town than they bargained for.... " To read it is to feel that little bit better about lif e." Elizabeth Day No 1 Sunday Times Bestseller and shortlisted for Book Of The Year - Debut Fiction at The British Book Awards 2025 Ticket price includes a glass of wine or soft drink. Read ahead and come and talk to Jennie about the book. Copies available from Pebble and The Rowan Tree @ 5.00 (cash only). Kindly sponsored by: The Treasury, Budleigh Unwrapped, Days of Grace, LIMAGE, Lilly Farm Vineyard, Pooh Cottage, T D Tyres, Angies, Fifty Degrees, Otter Valley Funerals, Pebble, The Rowan Tree, Bliss, Fifty Degrees North and Hammett Associates.

EYT Presents Beauty and the Beast JR. Based on the original Broadway production that ran for over thirteen years and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, and the Academy Award-winning motion picture, Disney's Beauty and the Beast JR. is a fantastic adaptation of the story of transformation and tolerance. Disney's Beauty and the Beast JR. features some of the most popular songs ever written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, along with new songs by Mr. Menken and Tim Rice. The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.

A vital re-examination of the trailblazing Post-Impressionist Paul Gauguin. Sue Prideaux sets out to re-examine the artists legacy and confront his controversies with her Baillie Gifford Prize shortlisted book. Drawing from a wealth of new material and insights arising from access to the artists family, this event will invite you to see this visionary artist through a new lens. Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin is a Times, Daily Telegraph, Spectator, Economist and TLS Book of the Year. Immaculate New Statesman

Were all familiar with the expression we are what we eat. But what are we if were eating ultra-processed food? Join respected journalist and womens health advocateMilli Hill in unpacking the truth about ultra-processed food, and its effects on womens health. Ultra-Processed Women reveals cutting-edge research into the hidden dangers that lurk in our daily food choices, uncovering the shocking links between ultra-processed food and physical and mental health - from period pain and hormone imbalances, to autoimmune conditions, Alzheimers and depression. .. .a guide, a wake-up call, and a call to action Sarah Parish MBE

Its time to get your thinking caps on as two masters of the cosy crime genre share just how they manage to create such compelling whodunnits. MasterChef semi-finalist and now crime writerOrlando Murrin returns with chef Paul Delamare, who has been roped into accompanying an old friend on a luxury cruise in Murder Below Deck. And bestselling author Janice Hallett shares her newest book The Killer Question, a fiendishly clever story of missing persons, murder and battling pub quiz teams.

2025 is the 200th anniversary of the modern railway. Join writers Monisha Rajesh andNige Tassell as they reflect on and celebrate the enduring appeal of train travel. Moonlight Express highlights the peculiar magic and mayhem of the night train from Indias Shalimar Express to Finlands Santa Claus Express - journeys around the world filled with moonlight landscapes, cosy compartments and quirky companions. Final Destination explores the length and breadth of one very small island withTassell riding Britains railway network all the way to its lesser-travelled-to corners; from Wick to Penzance.

There is something special about the night. For some of us it conjures thoughts of romance, starlit skies or being tucked up in bed. For others it means fear, danger and sleeplessness. But how does the night shape our bodies, minds and cultures? Two award-winning authors, Arifa Akbar(Wolf Moon) andDan Richards (Overnight) want to take us on an exploration into the dark, as they shine a light on the often hidden night workers, religious pre-dawn traditions, nocturnal landscapes and creatures, rough sleepers, new mothers, party people and insomniacs. Come and change the way you think about the hours after dark.

Care, love, grief and loss impacts us all.Tiggy Walker married legendary Radio 2 DJ Johnnie Walker in 2002 and her beautiful new book, Both Sides Now is an honest, deeply personal portrait of their life together as they navigate career highs and the impossible task of letting go of someone you love, while still holding on. In a special festival event, shes joined by her good friend, author Rachel Joyce, to talk about Johnnie, the emotional toll that being a carer can bring and the strange intimacy of anticipatory grief.

The astonishing account of the clandestine operation which saw close to ten million books smuggled across the Iron Curtain. Critically-acclaimed writer Charlie Englishshines a light on this gripping Cold War story, highlighting the extraordinary bravery of those who risked their lives to stand up to Soviet intellectual censorship. Packed full of smuggling, spycraft and secret printing presses, this story shows how books have the power to set us all free. Entertaining and vivid ... Observer

Bestselling author of the global phenomenon Girl on a Train Paula Hawkinspresents her masterful novel The Blue Hour alongside BAFTA nominated screenwriter and author of one of the years most exciting debut novelsChris Chibnall (Death at the White Hart). Theyll talk about the art of writing a nail-biting plot, the importance of place in their new books, the differences between writing for page and for screen and the enduring appetite for thrillers the twistier, it seems, the better. Haunting Lee Child (The Blue Hour) ..So pacy and delicious Marian Keyes (Death at the White Hart)

Incredibly, Our Beautiful Mess is Adele Parks’ 25th book in 25 years. She talks to friend and fellow novelist, Veronica Henry about this phenomenal achievement. What does it take to write this prolifically? Has her audience changed, or her writing process and routine? What does it mean to her to be an ambassador of both the National Literacy Trust and the Reading Agency? A special opportunity to delve into the mind of an extraordinary storyteller.

Jane Austen wrote some of the greatest love stories in existence, but did she ever fall in love herself?Paula Byrnes vivid historical novel gives voice to the most romantic summer of the authors life. Six Weeks by the Sea is set over the summer of 1801 in Sidmouth, Devon, where the Austen family are holidaying in the fashionable Georgian seaside resort. Over the course of the summer, Jane meets two men, interactions that bring about unexpected results, and set her on a brand new path.

The Hidden Seasons is a guide to the surprising, fascinating seasonal changes that happen every year. Let best-selling nature writer Tristan Gooley take you on a journey to enrich your relationship with the natural world on your doorstep.

In a steampunk (Victorian science-fiction) re-imagining of this chilling 19th Century tale, the brilliant doctor, Dr Jekyll, becomes fascinated with researching the nature of the human psyche, and the duality of good and evil, using forbidden experiments, leading to disaster. This adaptation is written from the original novella by Robert Louis Stevenson, following the original story closely, with added researched elements from Victorian scientific discoveries and texts on psychology, expanding the tale . The styling of the play is Victorian steampunk horror. This play contains some horror elements, but is designed to be suitable for all ages. This venue is fully wheelchair accessible Tea, coffee and fruit squash available in the interval. Run time: approx 2 hours plus venue interval. Please allow two and a half hours in total.