http://www.keatscommunitylibrary.org.uk/news.php News From bestselling thrillers to the new Hercule Poirot mysteries, Sophie Hannah has captivated millions. Now she’s coming to Keats Community Library to reveal how she crafts unforgettable characters and twist-filled plots. Sophie will be in conversation with award-winning novelist and short story writer Karen Storey. See below for more: 15th October 2026 at 7.30pm in Keats Community Library. Reserve Tickets.  £12 from: The library and  online at wegottickets.com  ~go to  www.wegottickets.com/f/27124 Supported by               and  About Sophie Hannah Sophie Hannah is a  Sunday Times, New York Times and Amazon Kindle UK No. 1 bestselling writer of crime fiction, published in forty-nine languages and fifty-one territories. Her books have sold millions of copies worldwide. She writes contemporary psychological thrillers and, at the request of Agatha Christie’s family and estate, the new series of Hercule Poirot novels. Sophie’s murder mystery musical, The Mystery of Mr E,  was released as a feature film in 2023, directed by Martyn Tott, and is available on Amazon Prime and Apple TV+ and soon to be on several other platforms too. In 2023, Sophie won the Crime Writers Association’s Dagger in the Library Award for her body of work, and in 2013 her thriller The Carrier won the Crime Thriller of the Year Award at the Specsavers National Book Awards. Sophie is also a poet and has been shortlisted for the TS Eliot Award. Her poetry is studied at GCSE, A Level and degree level across the UK. In 2018, she created the How to Hold a Grudge podcast, based on her self-help book of the same name. More recently, she has published two other self-help books: Happiness: a Mystery and her latest, The Double Best Method,  which was an Amazon UK Top Ten best-seller and is a guide to making brilliant decisions and avoiding second-guessing and regret. Sophie is the founder and coach at Dream Author Coaching, a coaching programme for writers and anyone who wants to write. She lives with her husband, children and dog in Cambridge, where she is an Honorary Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College. About Karen Storey Karen Storey is an award-winning fiction writer and a prolific short story writer.  Her debut novel, The Approval of Sheep, was published in October 2025. The novel tells the heartwarming and laugh-out-loud story of a down-on-hisl uck hotelier and a feisty American sheperdess.  Storey's writing has been featured on the acclaimed book podcast, The Bestseller Experiment, and she has been published in various anthologies and international competitions.  Her memoir pieces have also been included in the New York Times bestselling book series, Chicken Soup for the Soul.  Originally from New York City, Storey now resides in Warwickshire, England, with her husband and their pets. Mon, 20 Jul 2026 09:19:13 -0700 We are delighted to show you the new range of high quality wrapping paper that we have on sale. They  are from designer Emily Burningham to whom we are most grateful. Only £2 a sheet or £5 for 6 sheets There is a large choice on a stand in the Library with more stock in the store room Come and look ; all proceeds benefit the library!  Thu, 11 Dec 2025 06:57:55 -0800 Donations of Books are vital to the Library to allow us to keep open with decent items! As keen readers, we know how much books mean. When the time comes to part, we offer a new home for pre-loved books. Since opening in 2011, we have added and replaced some 20,000 books. Many of these replacements are donations from the Community. We really appreciate your help. Q - What do you do with donated items? A - We have a little team dedicated to sorting out all the donations who try to make every book count Books for the library collection go on the shelves (either as a new addition or to replace a "tired book"), those in decent condition that we have already, we sell in the library and at the twice yearly Big Book Sale, All those  that fail to sell are sent to an online seller. We aim make the most of every book. Q - What type of books should I bring? A- All TYPES and Genres of book - (fiction or non-fiction, adult or children) butplease look at the notes below. We are most grateful for copies of recently published books. Q - When can I bring books? A - You can bring books at any time we are open - no notice needed - do call in advance (020 7431 1266) to check we are open. We can often help in collecting books from cars parked on the yellow lines outside the Library. Q - Do you collect? A - We would if we had willing volunteers. If you can help, please let us know. Now, we have one person who can offer. Q- What condition of the books do you want? A - We are a library which prides itself on the quality of the offer. One test is whether you would borrow it from the shelves.   Please do not leave items that we cannot use,  for example: Books without bar codes or ISBN numbers (unless in pristine condition that we can sell) as they will be too old. Books in poor condition, damaged, incomplete, dirty, smelly or mouldy - you would be surprised at the items sometimes dumped on us. Hard backs without the dust jacket. Books deleted or removed from another public library - we are proud of the quality of the books we offer. Cast offs will not be good enough for our readers! Encyclopaedia sets and dictionaries – There is no demand for these often-handsome books as the information is all on the internet. Magazines and catalogues and bits of paper. School textbooks Music scores Foreign language books Audio CDs and cassettes Video DDVs and VHS tapes Toys and clothes for hygienic reasons Wed, 08 Feb 2023 10:09:58 -0800 Sun, 14 Jun 2020 04:56:54 -0700 Philippe Sands gave a terrific talk by Zoom on the 5th June. His talk in 2017 on East West Street was one of the highlights of that year and this one was just as rivetting. You can see the full 90min  talk on YouTube by clicking HERE There is also a BBC Podcast which you can access on BBC sounds or using this link : https://player.fm/series/intrigue/episode-1-secrets-in-the-castle You can buy books from Daunts Book on line and they will open on Monday 15th. Daunts delivery was pretty fast when we bought a Library copy.   Philippe's latest book, the Ratline  - Love, Lies and Justice on the Trail of a Nazi Fugitive - which was published in April 2020. A synopsis is below and you can see a review of this book by clicking HERE  Philippe has been a strong supporter of KCL and kindly offered to come and talk again on the 5th June. Mark White, Professor of History at the University of London  introduced and moderated the evening.   Synopsis of The Ratline As Governor of Galicia, SS Brigadeführer Otto Freiherr von Wächter presided over an authority on whose territory hundreds of thousands of Jews and Poles were killed, including the family of the author's grandfather. By the time the war ended in May 1945, he was indicted for 'mass murder'. Hunted by the Soviets, the Americans, the Poles and the British, as well as groups of Jews, Wächter went on the run. He spent three years hiding in the Austrian Alps, assisted by his wife Charlotte, before making his way to Rome where he was helped by a Vatican bishop. He remained there for three months. While preparing to travel to Argentina on the 'ratline' he died unexpectedly, in July 1949, a few days after spending a weekend with an 'old comrade'. In The Ratline Philippe Sands offers a unique account of the daily life of a senior Nazi and fugitive, and of his wife. Drawing on a remarkable archive of family letters and diaries, he unveils a fascinating insight into life before and during the war, on the run, in Rome, and into the Cold War. Eventually the door is unlocked to a mystery that haunts Wächter's youngest son, who continues to believe his father was a good man - what happened to Otto Wächter, and how did he die? Philippe Sands, QC (born 17 October 1960) is a British and French lawyer at Matrix Chambers, and Professor of Laws and Director of the Centre on International Courts and Tribunals at University College London. A specialist in international law, he appears as counsel and advocate before many international courts and tribunals, including the International Court of Justice, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, the European Court of Justice, the European Court of Human Rights and the International Criminal Court. Sands serves on the panel of arbitrators at the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). He is the author of seventeen books on international law, including Lawless World (2005) and Torture Team (2008). His book East West Street: On the Origins of Genocide and Crimes against Humanity (2016) has been awarded numerous prizes, including the 2016 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. His latest book is The Ratline: Love, Lies and Justice on the Trail of a Nazi Fugitive (2020) about Otto_Wächter. Since 5 February 2018 Sands has served as President of English PEN.   The Evening was kindly supported by U3A in London and Osbornes Law, solicitors Mon, 08 Jun 2020 10:04:39 -0700 The Video lives HERE Sun, 01 Sep 2019 04:18:02 -0700 Here is a video made by BNCTV in May 2012 which gives an introduction to the library. If you look carefully, you can spot some familiar faces... Do pass it on...   Sat, 02 Jun 2012 06:09:17 -0700