St Andrews, Fife

I was in St Andrews at the weekend, it has to be one of the lovliest towns in Scotland, and visited J.G. Innes the independent book shop. Interesting selection of titles in a lovely old shop that made me feel quite nostalgic!

There are a number of really good charity shops selling books, in particular the Dr. Barnardo's where I picked up a couple of real bargains. Waterstones, was, well it was Waterstones. . .what can I say. There was also a book stall in Market Street on Saturday where I also got a couple of excellant buys.

Off to Mainstreet Trading in St. Boswell's tonight for the James Runcie event. . I'll report back...

BBC Scotland's Book Cafe 4 May

Next Monday Chris Dolan is presenting the Book Cafe on BBC Radio Scotland. He is talking to the legendary art loving nun Sister Wendy Becket and best-selling novelist Monica Ali will be on hand to talk about their latest publications. Book dealers Fergus Smith and John Sibbald from Lyon and Turnbull have advice for one listener in our Book Detectives Series. All that plus how would you fancy having a copy of an out of stock book printed out specially for you as you enjoyed a cup of coffee?

BBC Radio Scotland Book Cafe 20 April

Steve Vander Ark, author of The Lexicon -the first encyclopedia to the entire Harry Potter series - chats to The Book Cafe about having to change his book after JK Rowling took him to court for copyright infringement. She may have won the case, but a revised version of The Lexicon has recently been published. The show will also look at what do commuters read on the train between Edinburgh and Glasgow? And if they don’t read - what do people do?

American writer Wells Tower is putting the short story back on the map - his debut collection Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned has won him many adoring fans, and it's receiving rave reviews on both sides of the pond. There's also s piece about how writers cope with a deep involvement or emotional attachment to their subjects. Does writing a diary or going clubbing keep you sane when your subject matter becomes over powering? Finally Gillian Philip chats about her new compelling teen drama, Crossing the Line.

Mainstreet Trading and James Runcie

Mainstreet Trading in St Boswells have an author event on 30 April, we've already got our tickets! It's with James Runcie, whose fourth novel, East Fortune, is his first set in Scotland, where he has now returned to live. The son of the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, James is an award-winning television documentary maker as well as an acclaimed novelist. His recent work for television includes J K Rowling: A Year in the Life, Anger (with Griff Rees Jones), The Joy of Motoring and Ten Days that Made the Queen.

Intense, humane, humorous and subtle, East Fortune is a moving story about lives at crossroads; about life and love, chance and hope - and how families survive. James will be interviewed by The Scotsman's Literary editor and author of In Cold Ink: On the Writers Tracks, David Robinson.

"This gripping novel has only one major flaw - it was far too short. I wanted at least another 200 pages with these people and their lives." Victoria Hislop, author of The Island

Tickets are £5 (includes a glass of wine), please email info@mainstreetbooks.co.uk or ask in-store.

Buy A Friend A Book Week

Thanks to Farm Lane Books I found this interesting idea. It's called Buy A Friend A Book Week. Having decided who you're to buy a book for all you have to decided to do is from which bookshop you will buy it!

The Book Detectives on The Book Cafe on BBC Radio Scotland

Next Monday the Book Cafe on BBC Scotland launches ‘The Book Detectives’ giving their listeners the chance to find out how to track down lost books. They’ve the heart warming tale of three generations of women who wanted to find the sequel to a children’s book and how they managed to find a copy in time for Mother’s Day. But just who was the author and why did he disappear without trace? Children’s writer Shirley Hughes will bethere to talk about her latest volume which is aimed at graphic novel loving adults and Jayne Ramage of the Watermill will be on hand to explain how she’s made children’s book groups such a success in Aberfeldy. You can e mail The Book Detectives with your queries - thebookcafe@bbc.co.uk