The Carillon - a perfect setting

Well, there's nothing quite like a good book launch, and this weekend I've been lucky enough to go along to a really exciting one!

This particular book has been a long time in the making - and there's nowt wrong with that! I'm a great believer in things happening for a reason and that every experience leads to the next, so perhaps without completing an MA in Creative Writing at Loughborough University in 2011, and without following that up with a PhD, this book might not have happened. 

Karen signing copies of her new book

For her PhD, the author, Dr Karen Ette, studied and investigated modern English creative writing, and her research focused particularly on literature of the 'Great War', so is it really surprising that the novel she has now published is based on original and unpublished letters and diaries of David Adcock, a soldier in the Leicestershire Regiment (later the Royal Leicestershire Regiment), members of whom were called The Tigers.





Of course, I haven't yet had time to read this lovely book, but the synopsis hints at everything a good read should do, and the cover is beautifully designed, and evocative of the period.

The appealing front cover of Karen's book ...

... continues onto the back cover! 

There's a queue building ...

Loughborough's Carillon in Queen's Park

So, the carillon was the perfect setting in which to launch this book, surrounded by artifacts from the First World War, and to the melodious sound of the carillon being played by the Borough Carilloneur, Caroline Sharpe. 

Memories of Loughborough's war horse, Songster, were evoked as the original marker for his grave was on display (a new one was made by a member of staff at the university, and placed at his grave at a memorial service in June 2018). This also reminded me about another writer friend, Alison Mott, whose children's book called 'Songster Loughborough's own war horse' was released in October 2018, and was beautifully illustrated by Liz Waddell. 




Also on display in the carillon was a model of a Zeppelin, rather like the one which dropped its bombs on Loughborough during the evening of 31st January 1916. Hmm, and that reminds me that another writer friend, Ian Castle, has written several books about the Zeppelin raids, and I'm pretty confident that 'The First Blitz in 100 Objects', which will be published in February 2020, will contain something of interest to the people of Loughborough!

A model Zeppelin

Display case containing information on the Zeppelin raid (1)

Display case containing information on the Zeppelin raid (2) 

Display case containing information on the Zeppelin raid (3)

Many of my other friends have written books related to Loughborough too, including Bill Wells ('Billy's Book of Loughborough Boozers', to name but one of the many pub books he's written!), whom I first met in 2013; Ian Porter, who wrote 'Last of the Luddites'; Dennis Powdrill who wrote about his experience of working at Cottons for many years ('Cotton's of Loughborough') and Derrick Hewitt, who has now completed the second book in his series about the Cartwright and Warner, hosiers, called 'Cartwright and Warner'. I do hope no-one is offended if they've written a book about Loughborough, but I haven't mentioned them above


Just in case you are interested in yet more books about Loughborough, 'Loughborough in 50 Buildings' and 'Secret Loughborough' are both available in Loughborough's Waterstones and W H Smith, and online from Amazon, and other good booksellers, including the publishers. Copies will also soon be available from the Local and Family History Centre in the public library. 


You are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, with appropriate credit. The correct citation for this looks as follow:

Dyer, Lynne (2019). The Carillon - a perfect setting. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-carillon-perfect-setting.html

[Accessed 22 December 2019]

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Lynne