We've all got a book in us, they say. And even when you've had a hugely successful career in another field, it seems there's nothing like writing, and publishing, your own story.
And not just your life story. This week it was announced that the 90-year-old movie star Michael Caine will be releasing a thriller later in the year.
In a newspaper interview, Caine said that he reads books "like wildfire" particularly enjoying Tom Clancy and Lee Child novels. "I don't do literature. I just do fun," he told the Guardian journalist. "I'm an adventure man."
And as he talked about the process of writing, in his bedroom during lockdown, the years fell away, says the journalist. He was lively, enthusiastic, self-deprecating. "I'm having the best time," Caine said.
We'll have to wait and see what the book, called 'Deadly Game', is like but I'm sure many people will be curious enough to want to read it. Familiarity is one of the things we seek in picking up books, turning to trusted writers and subjects we know.
Many people follow series of novels because they want to return to that world, those characters, feeling they're amongst friends. Others have favourite writers and make a note in their diaries to buy the next book as soon as it is published, looking forward to the date as much as they might a holiday. Others may not be avid readers but will pick up a book written by someone they feel they know, their favourite 'celebrity'.
In the next few weeks I'll be speaking to a number of writers about a variety of different books and it's always interesting to find out what prompted them to share their stories, whether real or imagined.
We are all aware that the Reverend Richard Coles will have a great deal to tell us about his extraordinary life and career when he comes to talk about 'A Death in the Parish' at the Riverside Woodbridge in a few days' time. There have been plenty of newspaper articles charting his thoughts on grief, retirement, faith, and a new podcast, as well as this new novel, and it's sure to be a wide-ranging conversation.
Then I'll be at Felixstowe Book Festival and will be meeting printmaker Angela Harding and journalist Felice Hardy who will be explaining how she came to write her memoir of her grandmother escaping Germany as a tennis champion. Marine biologist Hannah Rudd will be talking about the treasures along our coastline and in the ocean, and Ben Ansell will be discussing politics! You can take a look at my thoughts on their books by going to moreaboutbooks.com.
Although the days are flying by, there's still time to pick up this month's book group read ahead of our meeting on 26 June. Written in the 1940s, it's something completely different and it'll be interesting to hear what we all make of it (scroll down for details). And if you can face thinking about July, please put Tuesday 4th in your diary when we'll be meeting debut novelist Margaret Meyer at Woodbridge Library. You won't want to miss it. Margaret will be introducing us to the witch-hunts in Suffolk in the 17th century in a stunningly atmospheric, intelligent and sensitive novel called 'The Witching Tide'. It's a powerful story and Margaret has so much to tell us about how the book came about and how we can relate to these events today.
There's lots going on! Thank you for reading.