Adult Event
Spring Readers’ Day
West Horsley Place
Spend the day in the company of some of Britain’s best-loved authors as they share their stories, experiences, inspirations and latest projects with host Patricia Nicol.
A mini festival in one day
Spring Readers’ Day is a regular, and extremely popular feature of the Festival and this April we will be bringing the very best summer reads to West Horsley Place.
The day takes the format of a mini festival in a day with six authors, including debut fiction writers and established novelists, talking about their lives, their inspirations and their latest projects. There is also an opportunity to meet the authors and have books signed.
We’re pleased to give you more choice and are offering two tickets, one enabling you to bring your own lunch and one with a light lunch provided.
Both options include a Goody Bag, and the venue offers free parking on site and a coffee van with hot drinks and tasty snacks in the courtyard.
Patrick gale
Love Lane
A reunion. A journey. A longing for a place called home...
Love Lane is a searing portrayal of escape and entrapment, and a powerful exploration of what home and family can really be.
sarah vaughan
Based on a True Story
Sarah Vaughan, author of huge bestseller Anatomy of a Scandal, returns with her gripping new thriller Based on a True Story, a compelling novel about money, power and lies, set at a lavish 70th birthday party on the windswept Cornish coast.
fran littlewood
The Favourite
Alex, Eva and Nancy. Three grown-up sisters; each wonderful and messy in their own individual ways. Or so they thought... Until on their annual family holiday, their Father, Patrick accidentally reveals that he has a favourite daughter - causing other long-buried secrets to come to light.
georgina moore
River of Stars
On Walnut Tree Island, love affairs and secrets come and go like the tides. Once the pulse of a flourishing 1960s music scene, it’s where Mary Star fell in love with a young musician about to hit the big time, only to be left with a baby and a broken heart. Mary has made the island a haven for two generations of Star women, raising her daughter and her granddaughter, surrounded by the river, supported by a bohemian, artistic community.
greg mosse
The Chateau Murder
When an old friend invites Zoe to join her family at Chateau Palotte for the holidays, Zoe heads off into the French countryside to the grand, yet slightly dilapidated, castle. Zoe soon uncovers that everyone has a motive for murder - can she uncover the truth, before they strike again?
Basic Admission (without lunch) £48
Standard Admission (with lunch) £54
Hosted by Patricia Nicol
Patricia Nicol is a regular book reviewer for The Sunday Times, and also writes a weekly audio column, reviewing radio and podcasts. She also writes the Best Books column for the Daily Mail.
She has interviewed many authors including Maggie O'Farrell, Elizabeth Strout, Zadie Smith, Curtis Sittenfeld, David Nicholls and Mick Herron.
She is the author of a topical non-fiction book, Sucking Eggs: What Your Wartime Granny Could Teach you about Diet, Thrift and Going Green.
Originally from Scotland, she now lives in south-east London with her husband and two sons, where she enjoys swimming at Charlton Lido.
Patricia is delighted to be back in Surrey, having attended St Catherine's, Bramley, and Godalming Sixth Form College.
Why not take a tour of the manor house in your Spring Readers’ Day lunch break?
Tour costs £7 (usual price £10) and can be added to your basket at the EventBrite checkout.
Stretch your legs and absorb more wonderful historic stories with a visit to the manor house at lunch time.
Dating from 1425, Grade I listed and packed full of amazing connections to major historic figures, the most prestigious rooms will be open to wander through on a freeflow route. West Horsley Place's most famous owner is Henry VIII, in fact, he liked it so much he owned it twice!
There will be expert stewards in each room to tell you some of our remarkable stories including why Elizabeth I had a theatre built in the gardens, about Guy Fawkes' time as a footman here, how Walter Raleigh's head ended up under the stairs, and many more.
