Meet Barbara Ewing in your library

Monday 24th November heralds the start of a fantastic series of events around Westminster. Most are in libraries, though staff at Google UK and at the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) are also being treated to their own events on site (and will hopefully be joining the library in droves...)

You've guessed it- these events are all to do with One Book for Westminster! Barbara Ewing will read from ‘The Mesmerist’ and talk about how she wrote this gripping, historical story, set in London. There will also be Q&A sessions- your chance to find out the secrets of her success. Barbara is a warm and entertaining speaker and this event will appeal equally to people who haven’t read the book yet, so please come along.

For full details of these libraries events please visit the Westminster Libraries website . All the events are free and open to all- you don't have to be a member of the library. But, we hope you'll be so blown away by the friendly atmosphere and amazing range of things available to you that you'll join on the spot! If you'd like a preview of what you might find, check out the new Westminster Libraries Video .

The Mesmerist meets The Woman in Black

When you say 'Westminster' some people think immediately of politicians, but a huge number of people would say the heart of Westminster is the West End - theatres, cinemas, galleries, museums, shops, restaurants- some would even say it's the heart of London. Other people would say the heart of Westminster is about people- the people who live and work in the city and the thousands who flock in to visit every day. There certainly is a magic feel about 'Theatreland' and alot of buzz surrounding all the shows one can see there. This week Westminster Libraries went to seek out the cast and crew of a show that has been running successfully for twenty years- The Woman in Black.

Whilst I admit to being slightly starry-eyed at being welcomed to the Fortune Theatre, I was mainly interested in getting out and about and finding a bunch of potential READERS... um, who happen to have glamorous jobs in the theatre. I was delighted to find they were warm, friendly people and all happy to talk about reading and very pleased to be counted in to the Giant Reading Group. It helped, of course, that the lovely Barbara Ewing came along to present them with copies of her book. The Victorian setting and the theatrical and supernatural themes make The Mesmerist and The Woman in Black a great pairing and of course Barbara's own background as an actress completed the link.

Some members of the cast and crew were surprised to learn that they could join the library, saying they didn't live in Westminster, or they belonged to the library in another borough and couldn't they only belong to one? They soon found membership forms thrust into their hands, as Westminster Libraries welcomes all. Charing Cross Library is of course our West End branch, (tucked between a theatre and a pub and practically opposite the National Portrait Gallery) so anyone who's a bit early for a performance can pop in for a spot of pre-show browsing and information about what's on where.

Big group little group

Ok, so Westminster is now a giant Reading Group- and since you're reading this, you can consider yourself a member! But what if you want to actually meet up with other readers on a regular basis? In this case, you need to find your nearest library with a Reading Group.

Maida Vale library has such a group, and funnily enough, they've just been reading The Mesmerist. Spooky, that. Here's what one of their readers had to say:
"very absorbing and interesting reading, enjoyed it thoroughly. The skill and resourcefulness of the Author makes this book simply hypnotic. The characters, specially that of the heroine are full of vigour and courage. She transformed her life from..." oops! Best stop there before I give away any details of the plot!

This reader concluded that he or she would choose The Mesmerist as One Book for Westminster "because it is one of the best". But what if you go along to a reading group only to discover you didn't like the book? Or what if you were the only one in the group who did? This is the point where everyone puts down their teacups and starts pointing and staring and throwing custard creams at you and you have to run for cover behind the Large Print collection...
Kidding!

Actually, we were divided about The Mesmerist in this very office. The current tally is 4-3 in favour (see earlier post by my colleague Tim and comment from David Ruse, Director of Libraries) but naturally, the reasons we liked or disliked it were all different. When Barbara, the author, came to visit she was delighted to hear that it was two of the 'gentleman readers' who were keen, as she feels a lot of chaps are put off by the covers of historical fiction books [you might say "never judge a book by its cover" but in these days of quick choices and impulse buys, lots of money and hard work by designers, illustrators and publishers goes into producing covers that do attempt to give you a flavour of what a book is like and I'm sure these worthy people would be aghast at the aforementioned concept...but I digress]

One of the people who wasn't so keen was my immediate boss. Eeep! Luckily, this didn't result in an instant sacking for me. I say luckily, but the great thing about libraries is that there really is something in them for everyone and I can think of few places more accepting of the fact that people simply like different stuff, and that this is ok. In fact, more that- this is GREAT! Can you imagine the conversations people would have otherwise?
"Have you read..."
"Yeh."
"did you like it?"
"Yeh."
"Yeh, me too."
"Yeh. Huh." [Yawns]

What am I getting at here? Oh yes- the custard creams... really, nobody is going to throw things at you if you didn't like their book, least of all at a reading group where people have gathered specifially for the purpose of hearing each other's ideas. There will always be some people who are happy to speak at length and some who prefer listening, or adding the odd word here and there. Nobody gets put on the spot.

If you don't believe me, why not sneak into the library, hide behind the Large Print collection and watch?

Who's reading One Book?

Right now this minute, 77 Westminster Libraries customers are reading The Mesmerist! Oh, ok, so maybe not this minute. Nevertheless, around Westminster 77 copies of the book have made their way out of the library and are in people's bags, on coffee tables, being read on the bus etc... Where will the next one go- to your home?

Meanwhile, the first feedback card has made its way to my desk. This reader, a customer st St James's Library, started off disappointed, feeling "...the language of the actresses too literate to be credible" However the reading experience had a happy ending (does the book? that would be telling!) as the story "ends up much more interesting and exciting." Excellent stuff. So, what would this reader choose as his or her One Book for Westminster? "The Ghost by Robert Harris because it is an unusual whodunnit that, to your surprise, you can't put down." If you'd like to give The Ghost a go, follow the link on the left and get your library card handy....

Meet the author

The Mesmerist is a book full of historical sights, sounds and even smells! Just how do authors who are writing about the past manage to create such vivid descriptions of things they couldn't possibly have seen or experienced? How do they make sure the little details are correct? Quite where is that line between imagination and historical research? These are just some of the questions which you could hear answered at Reading London in Fiction and Fact, an exciting event at Westminster City Archives on Saturday 11th October.

Westminster Libraries have put together a panel of authors who will discuss different approaches to writing about Victorian London. Come along and meet Lynda Nead, Sarah Wise, Lee Jackson and Barbara Ewing and find out about the different ways they delved into the past when writing their books. Whether you like to lose yourself in a historical novel or digest interesting facts from history, or even if you are simply interested in how a book comes into being, this is an event which should not be missed. There'll also be the chance to enjoy refreshments and chat to other readers.

The event is completely free and all are welcome, so please pop the 11th of October in your diary right now and make sure you get your chance to meet Barbara and the other panellists. While you're there, you could even take a tour of the Archives- perfect for those interested in family history, say. If you want to come along to this event, you will need to book a place- but this is just because of limited space so please don't be put off. It's worth booking asap though, on 020 7641 1300. If you want to find out more about the authors and the event, just click the Victorian London image on the left of this page.

The Mesmerist

I also read the book. It started off a little slowly and the writers simplistic style made it at first a little difficult to read. But persist! I quickly got used to the style of writing and soon became engrossed in the excellent storyline. The characters are colourful and interesting and there are many twists and turns throughout the book that shock and suprise. I found it one of those books that I couldn't put down as I always wanted to know what happened next......

I didn't read it whilst crossing the road but it did eat into my sleeping time!

Welcome to the One Book blog...

When I tell people I work in a library, they often ask me if I "read books all day". Rather than replying "If I worked in a restaurant would I eat dinner all day?" I tend to start explaining what busy, buzzing places libraries are these days and how, between author events, computer sessions, baby rhyme times, homework clubs and helping all those customers find the books and information they need, it's as much as I can do to get all those lovely new books on to the shelves, let alone read any of them!

Happily for me, though, I do manage to splice some reading into my day- I travel to work by train and use that time to escape into a book. The problem I had with The Mesmerist was I found myself unwilling to return to reality when I arrived at the station and would be trying to negotiate the rush-hour escalator scrum with my eyes still on the page. One one occasion I only avoided getting run over on Charing Cross Road because I happened to reach the end of a chapter in the nick of time. So be warned- it's a gripping yarn, please do not operate machinery while reading this book.