The Books on Tyne festival returns this November with a plethora of top authors in attendance.

Now in its 14th year, the Books on Tyne festival continues to go from strength to strength, and this year’s programme is a real page-turner. The award-winning journalist and broadcaster Steph McGovern (pictured) will be chatting about her pacy thriller ‘Deadline’ which has won praise from the likes of Ann Cleeves and Val McDermid. One of my fave authors Andrew Michael Hurley manages to pen stuff that both enthrals and creeps me out, and he’ll be discussing his latest slice of folk horror ‘Saltwash’. Michael Bracewell will be talking about indie heroes The Smiths and how they’ve informed his wildly inventive ‘The Smiths: a novella’. This year will also see a special SF and Fantasy Day; poetry readings (from Helen Farish and Katharine Towers); and a performance of A Christmas Carol (by the Great-Great-Great-Grandson of Charles Dickens, Gerald Dickens). Other authors I’d particularly pick out include Tahmima Anam (in conversation about her latest novel ‘Uprising’), local hero Trevor Wood (chatting about the latest in his brilliant series of DCI Jack Parker novels ‘The Angel of Death’), and William Tullett (on his fascinating new book ‘Sniff: A History of Smells’). Grab the full programme from the website, below. RM

Books on Tyne, 19-28 November, venues: The Lit & Phil and the City Library, Newcastle, booksontyne.co.uk