TAUNTON Literary Festival is a firm part of the town’s cultural calendar.

Organiser Lionel Ward, who owns and runs Brendon Books in Bath Place said this year’s festival the eighth is ‘full of surprises’.

He is delighted with the sale of tickets which has already reached last year’s heights and will no doubt end up with more being sold in 2018 than 2017.

Lionel said: “Generally I am very pleased with the way things are going.

“Last year we booked Adam Hart-Davis and we had enough space at the book shop, this year we sold so many tickets we had to move the venue to the Temple Methodist Church, Upper High Street, Taunton.

“This has been great as we will get another 100 people in to see the talk. With some of these events you cannot gauge how things are going to sell but it is nice to be able to change the venue when we need.”

Lionel explained he is delighted with the way the literary festival has grown and is now part of the cultural calendar of Taunton.

There is plenty to enjoy this week and next at the Taunton Literary Festival .

On Thursday, November 8, Poetry Readings and Songs - with Emily Maguire at 6.30pm in Brendon Books, Bath Place, Taunton. Tickets: £10

On Friday, November 9, Life, Happiness and Everything - with Isabel Losada at 6.30pm at Brendon Books. Tickets £7.50

Searching for the Lost Tombs of Egypt - with Chris Naunton for the Egyptian Society Taunton is on Saturday, November 10, 2pm at The Castle School. Tickets: £10

Also on Saturday is Skyscraper with Dan Cruickshank at 6.30 pm. This takes place at The Castle School in Taunton.

Cruickshank reflects on the extraordinary architectural, artistic and engineering world of the 1890s and its great figures such as Daniel H. Burnham, Louis Sullivan and William Le Baron Jenney.

Book tickets at ticketsource.co.uk/brendonbooks

The Taunton Literary Festival runs until Saturday, November 24.