THIS year’s Taunton Literary Festival is not over yet but organising are already claiming the 2017 event is shaping up to be one of the best yet.

Organiser, Lionel Ward, who runs Brendon Books in Bath Place, Taunton, is delighted the way people have turned out in droves to buy tickets for all the events.

Last weekend was a ‘super literary bonanza’ with Terry Waite, Joann Fletcher and former MP Alan Johnson in town.

Lionel said: “This (2017) has been our best one yet. We have had lovely feedback from people attending all the events.

“We sold over 300 tickets for Terry Waite and the same amount for Alan Johnson.

“We expect to sell 350 for the talk being given by Andy Hamilton on November 18.

“That would be our biggest event of the festival.

“There is limited availability left so book quickly.”

Looking ahead:

- November 16: Death, Disease & Dissection, The Life of a Sugeon in the 1700s has sold out.

- November 17: Christian Wolmar on Railways and the Raj and how they influenced the creation of India today.

- November 18: Free storytelling event. Farmer Christmas. at 11am.

- November 18: Andy Hamilton at Castle School, Taunton at 7pm.

- November 19: Patrick Barkham. Islander Journey’s from small islands to large islands to find out what is to be an islander. Brendon Books at 6.30pm

- November 20: Local author Phyllida Shaw, An Artist’s War.

Somerset author. Meredith Williams. Forgotten artist.

Wonderful drawings for the trenches.

- November 21: Ever enthusiastic Adam-Hart Davis talking about the eccentric artist Heath-Robinson whose name has passed into the English language.

The final event is the launch of an audio drama at Brendon Books - errie and ghostly, just right for the run-up to Christmas.

Local theatre group, Fronstall Productions using professional actors.

To buy tickets and for further details go online at tauntonliteraryfestival.net or call 01823 337742.