The latest news from Wells Festival of Literature :

Chef Olia Hercules will let you into the secrets of Ukrainian food in her new book 'Summer Kitchens', where she shares some of her favourite recipes. In conversation with Caroline Waldergrave, Olia will transport you to summers spent with parents, grandparents and friends in the Ukraine.

After the mouthwatering session why not take advantage of their dining offer? They are fortunate to have the support of restaurants in Wells. You will be able to get 10% off your total bill in participating restaurants, having booked beforehand to avoid disappointment and showing your Festival tickets on arrival. The restaurants supporting us are: The Crown, Ensemble, Goodfellows, Nosh-Stalgia, Rugantinos and The Swan. Please look at their websites to view their menus and make your visit to Wells Festival of Literature an event to remember!

Tickets are selling fast and some events have already sold out! Here is a flavour of some of the authors who will be attending the Festival. One of these is Rachel Clarke who has recently been short-listed for the 2020 Baillie Gifford Prize for her book 'Dear Life: A Doctor's Story of Love and Loss'. This moving book is a love letter to a father, a profession and to life itself from a specialist in palliative care.

For local interest we have a joint event with Somerset Wildlife Trust with Stephen Moss, Alice Vincent and Mya-Rose Craig in conversation. Stephen Moss, the President of Somerset Wildlife Trust, explores the oases of nature all around us in ' The Accidental Countryside'. He will also give a sneak preview of his 'biography' of the year in the life of a swallow which will be available in October. Alice Vincent's memory of her grandfather's garden inspired her passion for planting. 'Rootbound' examines the benefits of bringing the outside in. May-Rose Craig's blog 'Birdgirl' is hugely popular and at 18 she is the youngest person ever to hold an honorary doctorate in science.

If the human condition interests you then we have Professor David Nutt's Book 'Drink' which explores how alcohol is by far the most harmful drug we have and explains how a proper understanding of it will help us make more informed choices. While Michael Bond's 'Wayfaring' warns how GPS devices might threaten our brain's ability to make cognitive maps and looks at whether men really are better than women at finding their way!

Helen Taylor's thought provoking book 'Why Women Read Fiction' examines how precious fiction is and how female readers are key to its future. We can maybe test this theory with the fiction we have on offer, from Jeremy Vine's first novel 'The Diver and the Lover', an evocative tale of love, sacrifice and Salvador Dali set against a backdrop of post-civil war Catalonia to Janice Hadlow's life-affirming, witty story reclaiming the insignificant middle sister Mary, from Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice', as a heroine in her own right.

Elly Griffiths and Lucy Atkins 'In Conversation: Dangerous Women in Crime' offers a fascinating discussion between two of today's leading crime writers.

If you are a history buff then we offer you Paul Lay's 'Providence Lost', the fascinating story of the rise and fall of Cromwell's Protectorate. Or maybe the thrilling tale of how raucous partying aboard sank 'The White Ship', the fastest ship of its time, and lost the only legitimate heir to King Henry 1. If WW1 is your passion, Alexander Watson details the siege of Przemysl, the longest siege of this war and also one of the great turning points, in his book 'The Fortress'.

For the politically minded Robert Winder has an interesting insight into how states are asserting themselves through alternative means including business, culture, education, even food. His book is 'Soft Power: The New Great Game'

Please go to our website to view our full programme and purchase tickets. Remember £2:93 of every £10 ticket bought goes to support our educational work and to provide books in schools in our wider community.