16:30 Mark Billingham Sharp Thorne RBS Main Theatre, £10 [£8] Once a bright light in stand-up comedy, Mark Billingham found his true calling with crime fiction. His DI Thorne series began haunting readers in 2001 and with sales continuing upwards, it was only a matter of time before David Morrissey brought Thorne to life on the small screen in a Sky One series. Now, hear about the latest Thorne thriller and a new book, Rush of Blood.DRAWING ON OUR RESOURCES17:00 THE OPEN UNIVERSITY EVENT The Value of the Environment Repositioning the Climate Debate ScottishPower Studio Theatre, £10 [£8] With the economic crisis still threatening Europe, the impetus to solve the problems of climate change has diminished. But climate justice and access to precious resources have direct economic and social implications. How do we re-engage the public, politicians and the media to reposition the environment as an immediate concern? Join the debate with our panel of authors and experts, led by Gavin Esler as chair.17:30- Amnesty International 18:15 Imprisoned Writers Series Human Rights in Russia Peppers Theatre, Free: Tickets available from the box office on the day of the event Human rights defenders and independent journalists face threats, harassment and attacks in Russia. Freedom of assembly and expression also come under attack. Today's Book Festival authors read extracts from works by persecuted writers such as Galina Starovoitova, an outspoken Russian MP who was assassinated in 1998, and journalist Anastasia Baburova, shot dead in 2009 by a contract killer in Moscow. Reading today: Tom Bullough, Cynthia Rogerson, Natasha Farrant.18:30 Peter Ackroyd England Expects Another Sterling Biography RBS Main Theatre, £10 [£8] His rich biographical output (Dickens, London) might suggest a writer obsessed with quintessential Englishness, but Peter Ackroyd is more intent on being a brilliant writer who appeals to everyone. And he's doing a grand job. The second part of his History of England sextet arrives late-summer, following up Foundation with Reformation. The later tomes will deal with rebellion, revolution, dominion and innovation.18:45 Robert Douglas & Cynthia Rogerson Two Brilliant Voices in Scottish Fiction Peppers Theatre, £10 [£8] Robert Douglas only started writing after he'd retired, but now he's a bestselling author. He discusses the third book in his fictional trilogy set in Glasgow's Maryhill, Last Dance at the Wreckers' Ball. An American writer living in Scotland, Cynthia Rogerson unveils a short story collection Stepping Out and a new novel If I Touched the Earth, each exploring moments when everything is thrown into disarray. ANOBII FIRST BOOK AWARD NOMINEE19:00 John Gordon Sinclair Exploring the Killing Game ScottishPower Studio Theatre, £10 [£8] If you compiled a list of famous Scots you couldn't imagine writing a crime novel, then John Gordon Sinclair would be near the top. Or is that just us thinking he's still the gawky, awkward star of Gregory's Girl? Set in Northern Ireland and Alabama, Seventy Times Seven follows Danny, a professional killer who is about to tackle his most difficult commission yet.RUSSIA THEN AND NOW19:00- Rethinking Russia 20:15 Is Putin a Disaster for Russia? The Guardian Spiegeltent, £10 [£8] With his strong-man PR imagery and shady KGB past, Vladimir Putin has been mocked, both internationally and increasingly within his own country, as a despot and a thief, ruling over a corrupt mafia state. But does the common Western characterisation of Russia hide a more complex reality? Russia remains one of the world's more potent economies and its political influence is widespread. Might Putin's reign yet turn out to be the best Russia could hope for? Russian experts Masha Gessen and MEP Struan Stevenson roll up their sleeves. Chaired by Allan Little.Masha Gessen, 16:00John Gordon Sinclair, 19:00 White is a crae, HE SAID, black is a race, but Spanish is a language. Christianity is a religion, Islam is a religion, but Jewishness is an ethnicity. It makes no sense. Sunni is a religion, ShiIte is a religion, Kurd is a tribe, you see?Teju Cole, Open City, 19:0054Sun 26 August (continued)

Like art? Love.Fiona McLaren (16 Aug, p24)ANOBII FIRST BOOK AWARD NOMINEE19:00 Teju Cole & Jeet Thayil Dream-Like Narratives RBS Corner Theatre, £7 [£5] Two distinctive and appealing authorial voices merge in this event. Teju Cole's Open City is a melancholy and meditative debut novel following a young man's journey from Nigeria to Manhattan. In Jeet Thayil's hallucinatory Narcopolis, the setting is a Bombay opium den that follows a cast of flawed characters as the city transforms itself over three tumultuous decades.20:00 John McCarthy How Can We Live Without a Place of Safety? RBS Main Theatre, £10 [£8] After the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948, 700,000 Palestinians fled to other countries. But some dared to remain in Israel. In his new book, You Can't Hide the Sun, journalist John McCarthy recounts his meetings with Palestinians who still think of Israel as their home. McCarthy, who himself lived under threat as a hostage in Lebanon, reveals the continuing tragedy of this lesser-known facet of the Palestinian struggle.THE STATE OF BRITAIN20:30 Nick Papadimitriou with Will Self Deep Topography ScottishPower Studio Theatre, £10 [£8] From Wainwright and Coleridge to Sinclair and Self, walks through the landscape have proved enduringly productive as inspiration. Describing what he does as 'deep topography', Nick Papadimitriou's Scarp celebrates the poetry in the everyday landscape just outside London's metropolis. Will Self has described his ideas as 'testimony to a life that is triumphantly less ordinary' and today the two writers meet on the Book Festival stage.20:30 John Gittings & Martin Kemp Icons of War and Peace Peppers Theatre, £10 [£8] Human history is dominated by war, but can we forge a different narrative? In The Glorious Art of Peace, former Guardian journalist John Gittings argues that progress depends on a peaceful environment, identifying iconic proponents of peace such as Confucius and Gandhi. Art historian Martin Kemp's new book Christ to Coke looks at the creation of some of our peacetime icons and traces the things they have in common.ANOBII FIRST BOOK AWARD NOMINEE20:30 Ben Masters & Simon Rich God's Away on Business RBS Corner Theatre, £7 [£5] 'The start of a century, it's a nothing phase,' complains the protagonist in Ben Masters' novel Noughties. His dazzling, in-your-face debut depicts aimless students struggling to make sense of their lives. Meanwhile, Saturday Night Live scriptwriter Simon Rich returns to discuss his new novel, What In God's Name?, which tells the story of an angel who wants a promotion. Meet two emerging authors who are defining a new generation of writing.21:00- Unbound 23:00 Stories, Music and Literary High Jinks The Guardian Spiegeltent, Free & Drop-In A literary experience like no other. Anything goes: storytelling, music, performance, poetry, stand-up - it's a raw, surprising, sometimes emotional ride. Come with an open mind! The line-up will be announced in July in The Skinny magazine and on our website at www.edbookfest.co.uk.21:30 Alex James Blur Man's Great Escape RBS Main Theatre, £10 [£8] Alex James swapped the urban life as bass player with Blur for something a little more rural. Using the same ironic tone he adopted in Bit of a Blur, James has now spilled the beans about life on his farm in All Cheeses Great and Small. Funny, poetic and irreverent, he describes the oddball lives of the haves and have-nots of David Cameron's middle England.Teju Cole, 19:00Ben Masters, 20:30Hari Kunzru recommends Jeet Thayil: 'Stories unfold and hang in the air. They slide into each other, until you're not quite sure how long you've been reading. Jeet Thayil's Bombay is a city dreaming troubled dreams, and Narcopolis will change the way you imagine it.' Did the Titanic's owner jump ship out of cowardice?Frances Wilson seeks the truth. (12 Aug, p13)See page 83 for booking detailsBook now: www.edbookfest.co.uk 0845 373 588855