5 best book festivals for literature-lovers

Compiled by Kat Wales

One of the leading literary festivals in the world, the Edinburgh International Book Festival is going to be bigger than ever before – an estimated 220,000 visitors are expected at Charlotte Square Gardens this year.

The festival offers something for just about every age and interest, bringing readers and writers together for debate, entertainment and enjoyment. This year’s guest speakers include Katie Adie, Kirsty Wark, Linda Grant, Blake Morrisson, Judith Kerr and Jacqueline Wilson.

Read more:

14 of Summer’s must-read books
A book for every holiday destination
Best British holiday spots


 

Set in the Grade-I listed gardens of one of the most iconic houses of the 20th century, Voewood is one of the UK’s top Literary and Arts Festivals.

Crockery queen Emma Bridgewater will be talking about her memoir, alongside Bailey’s prize-winner Eimear McBride and Louisa Young. 

Read more:
14 of Summer’s must-read books
A book for every holiday destination
Best British holiday spots
 

Wigtown is now known as Scotland’s National Book Town, thanks to its annual literary festival and its dozen or so second-hand bookshops. 

This year it will be featuring more than 200 events and activities, from talks and walks to dinners and visual arts.

Read more:
14 of Summer’s must-read books
A book for every holiday destination
Best British holiday spots
 

The crime-writing festival, held in Torre Abbey in Torquay, is becoming a major event in the literary calendar.

Headlining this year’s Agatha Christie Festival is bestselling novelist Sophie Hannah, who will make her first public appearance after launching her new Poirot continuation novel, The Monogram Murders. 

There will also be lots of other events, including vintage bus rides, murder mystery dinners and visits to some of the places around the English Riviera that Agatha Christie loved and which inspired her writing.

Read more:
14 of Summer’s must-read books
A book for every holiday destination
Best British holiday spots
 

The Henley Literary Festival 2014 will be the biggest yet, with 150 talks, interviews and performances taking place across 7 locations in the town.

A host of well-known names spanning fiction, stage and screen – including Jojo Moyes, Victoria Hislop, Jenny Colgan, Maureen Lipman and Harriet Walter – will be speaking. There’s also a special appearance from Baroness Doreen Lawrence. 

Read more:
14 of Summer’s must-read books
A book for every holiday destination
Best British holiday spots