Wish I hadn't done it

What!!
Chewbacca not Jalima and definitely not Jamila

I’ve had a similar experience recently.
My author was there to sell his book, I know, but his talk was one long advertisement, giving nothing away. He came across as bored, uninteresting and grabby.

I have never liked Will Self. IMO he is too arrogant by far. he is often on Radio 4.

Think I must look for a bookclub, the idea of prosecco sounds really good.

Our local book club turned down the chance to meet in the library in favour of meeting in the pub - seems strange to me!

Eglantine - So sad it was Alexander McCall Smith. Feet of clay, maybe he was having a bad day ...

In slow traffic I asked a taxi driver about well known people who'd been in the back of his cab. He mentioned Michael Palin and I said 'Was he as nice as he seems?'
I was shocked that he said ''No!'
Then he turned around, winked and continued 'He was even nicer!'
Phew!

Oh no, I thought Alexander M S was charming, I still have a copy of the book he signed for me, it was The Importance if Being Seven, not a detective agency book.

Also relieved to hear it wasn't Bill Bryson; that would have destroyed me....
Love his books, saw/heard him on tv once and was put right off him and have never felt the same since.

I can't stand Will Self, he is well named, self-important and supercilious.

Apparently a well known author of detective stories set in a famous university city was not someone to be left alone with. More than one woman whose work brought her in contact with him told me that.

My library bookgroup has enjoyed hearing Annie Murray, professional, interesting and friendly.
Deborah Moggach is great, lively and witty.

A family pile
And an honorable title?

no, don't know.
The one I was thinking of was Poet Laureate at one time.

ps I can assure you that 'family piles' can be very chilly but that an honorable title can be very useful when booking tables at renowned restaurants

At a bit of a tangent I know but I love the work of Einaudi. When I managed to buy a ticket for his concert locally I was ecstatic.
I sat through the concert waiting to be inspired and there was nothing....just a guy playing compositions I knew well......I was so disappointed.

I came across the late lamented Terry Pratchett signing books in Aberdeen one Saturday morning. I hadn't known he was to be there, but I love his books and went in and bought a copy of his latest paperback. I was at the back of the queue and his time was up, but he still waited until all of us had had our books signed before he left, and was still speaking cheerfully to everyone. I still think of him fondly for that!

I guess to have written as many books and done as many tours as AMcCS you have to have, or develop, a pretty big ego.
I’d never written to an author before but I wrote to him as his comments about Botswana had inspired me to find out more about my grt grt aunt who went to Bechuanaland (now Botswana) in 1895 as a teacher and taught all the Khama chiefs children and developed the first teacher training of local people.
It was 8 mths before I got a reply but he was apologetic, wrote a nice letter and included a short story.
Maybe his public speaking is as bad as his musical insteument playing which caused him to establish an orchestra for people like him.

I met a lady a couple of months ago who had lived in Botswana for years and she said that yes, there is a Zebra Drive in Gaborone.

sorry, I think it is Zebra Way, and she had been there and looked at the house it is based on.

Elrel, I know who you are talking about and when he came to talk at the library in our city, the librarians said exactly that.

Elrel is he still with us?
Did he like to have little cameo roles in the series?

So glad it wasn't Robert Harris, and I saw Judy Murray and she was lovely

Oh no, not him! I love his books!

The actor I mentioned upthread was in Dad's Army and I didn't enjoy the series so much after that.

Jalima - No, yes.

Oh, him.
Oh dear, yet his detective was such a decent man, thwarted in love.