Authors reveal their first reads for Literary Festival competition

Some of the UK’s best-known authors have been sharing their memories of the books that made them fall in love with reading, as part of an online competition for the Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival.

Paula Hawkins, Helen Lederer, David Lloyd, who will all be appearing at this year’s festival, plus Kate Mosse, Jessie Burton, Sadie Jones and Carol Drinkwater are just a few of the famous names who have joined in the discussion to tell fans about the book that was their first or most memorable read.

The #MyFirstRead competition was launched by the Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival at the beginning of August, offering fans the chance to win two free tickets to an event of their choice at the seventh annual festival in September.

Followers on Facebook and Twitter have been entering the competition alongside famous authors, sharing pictures of the books they still hold dear, with some fans even sharing pictures of themselves as children holding the book in question.

Popular entries so far include The Famous Five by Enid Blyton, Beatrix Potter tales, Dr Seuss children’s books and Heidi by Johanna Spyri.

Tickets for the Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival have been flying off the shelves this year already with a record number of online sales. Tickets for Kaffe Fasset and Paula Hawkins have now sold out, with very limited tickets available for David Lloyd and Dame Hilary Mantel DBE.

Other names on the literary line up this year include award-winning historian, biographer and literary critic Ruth Scurr who will be discussing her critically acclaimed new book John Aubrey: My Own Life with Observer writer Rachel Cooke.

Described by Hilary Mantel as ‘light, ingenious, inspiring, a book to reread and cherish’, Ruth’s latest tome is an ambitious and pioneering biography of the seventeenth century English Gentleman, antiquary, scientist, archeologist, botanist and historian.

Fellow biographer and historian Rachel Holmes will be talking to broadcaster Erica Wagner about her exceptional biography of Eleanor Marx. Championed as one of the Books of 2014 by Jeanette Winterson, Michael Holroyd and Liberty founder Shami Chakrabarti, it's a wonderful reminder of Eleanor Marx's groundbreaking work as a campaigner, trade union leader, biographer and feminist.

Much loved children’s author, Judith Kerr, who has just announced that she will be releasing her first book in 37 years in September, will be at the festival talking about her remarkable life, her passion for words and pictures and her recent memoirs, Creatures: A Celebration of the Life and Work of Judith Kerr.

Sunday Times bestselling author Liza Klaussmann will be in conversation with fellow journalist Erica Wagner discussing her new novel Villa America, a story set on the French Riviera throughout the 1920’s focusing on Gerald and Sara Murphy, the couple that inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night. Chris Bryant, Shadow Culture Secretary recently selected this popular novel as his summer holiday read.

Liza’s first book, Tigers in Red Weather, was a bestseller in the UK and America and was labeled ‘A delicious pleasure’ by the Sunday Telegraph, ‘sensational’ by Richard Madeley and Stylist Magazine described it as ‘a riveting, intelligent read’.

International bestselling author and Man Booker Prize winner Ben Okri will be discussing his latest novel, The Age of Magic, a novel about creativity, consciousness, travel and nature. Ben has been hailed the ‘shaman of modern British fiction’ by the Independent

Professor of English at the University of Oxford, Robert Douglas Fairhurst will talk about his acclaimed new book, The Story of Alice, an explorative look at how Alice in Wonderland has enchanted readers for150 years. Fans of Alice in Wonderland will love this event, zooming in on the magical characters, vivid imagination and complex history behind the story,

In addition, lively and controversial philosopher John Gray, whose work has been praised by Ian McEwan, explores the myths and illusions around the universal demand for freedom in his new book, The Soul of the Marionette.

To be in with a chance of winning two free tickets to an event of your choice, share on Facebook or Twitter the first book you read as a child using #MyFirstRead.

Two winners will be chosen, one from Twitter and one from Facebook. Competition closes on 9th September. Terms and conditions apply,, please see budlitfest.org.uk/myfirstread/ for more information.

Tickets can be booked in person or by phone from The Tourist Information Centre: 01395 445 275 or online. Follow the festival on Twitter @BudleighLitFest or Facebook facebook.com/BudleighSaltertonLiteraryFestival