Bookworm-Abroad

07/07/2026

absolutely brilliant New Forest Folk festival, straight after Alfold Rock and Blues, so one very tired, hot and bothered Bookworm, but yet again they delivered - 4 empty book boxes and several bags down from the start, let alone how many bags of clothes and not to mention the 3 big boxes of stock I had shipped down there to top up since the van was full.
This is the satisfaction, happy customers, and all those books, cds and clothes I carefully curate the rest of the year going home with new and happy owners, and me going home suitably financially rewarded. The biggest frustration without year round markets, as I used to have outside festival season, is the lack of reward in seeing everything making a new owner happy - all that buying and hunting down the best possible stock without anything going out, just being stockpiled for the time being. So quite apart from being in fresh air, feet on the grass, fantastic music, seeing old friends and making new ones, and earning some decent money, it's just so nice to see things being matched to new owners.
Have to say that this year the heat has been a killer, and added to the exhaustion stakes so I'm not at all unhappy to have a couple of weeks off now...........

25/06/2026

Heading to https://alfoldrockblues.com/ today to attempt to survive heatstroke getting the stall up ready for the early birds this evening and the full festival from tomorrow. Will be interesting to see if people are too hot to shop and how it is compared to my last appearance here in 2023!

Home page of Alfold Rock-Blues, an event from Alfold. A weekend music festival of classic rock and blues held at Springbok Estate Alfold Surrey on 3-6 July 2025

30/05/2025

Bookworm Abroad/Mystic Mackerel Marvellous Tees is happy to be off a mere 5 miles down the road to https://www.facebook.com/HopeFestCoalville
this weekend, a mini music festival with very reasonable ticket prices and in aid of local charities including Rainbows Hospice.

HOPE FEST IS BACK! Saturday 31st May & Sunday 1st June at Broom Leys Farm raising money for charities in our community!

28/12/2024

Read. It's good for your brain, and apparently stress levels.

My job as a book critic used to elicit envy at cocktail parties, with people fantasising about a life spent reading. Now it’s more likely to trigger sheepish admissions from partygoers about not reading as much as they’d like to — as if I’m going to spring a pop quiz on Moby-Dick. Long gone ...

16/11/2024

Anyone for a tshirt and do some good at the same time?

10/11/2024

It's that time of year when next year's festival calendar is starting to be filled in, at first with just the regular festivals of which there are only 5 left, plus one new one from last year I am keen to do again and add to the regulars. Two more of those I have asked about/applied for, but that's still only 7 which does not a season make, so the search continues for events worth asking about, and then it's down to whether or not they think I'm ok to apply. The worst part about being accepted is the need to pay the pitch fee at exactly the time there is hardly any income..........and hard to believe there will ever be a summer, since we haven't even seen the sun for several weeks!

09/08/2024

Also probably, almost certainly, giving this a go because they keep asking me to, and it's the same site as Sonic Rock and Onboard the Craft...........https://www.facebook.com/beermageddonfestival

09/08/2024

And last up this season

09/08/2024

After that, Off The Tracks.

09/08/2024

I've done some really good festivals over the years and indeed again this year, and I still have a few to go so I'm giving them a plug in case you're free and interested! Next up the legend that is A New Day, in the beautiful grounds of Mount Ephraim Gardens near Faversham in Kent. What a line up.........