Day 3

My discoveries at the Book Festival today include...

Ben Hammersley was at yesterday's Olympic closing ceremonies... dressed as a priest! Did you spot him?

Forget Russell Brand; it's theoretical physics that students adore. When a group of students discovered that all the tickets to Frank Close (left) and Professor Higgs were sold out, there were tears in Charlotte Square Gardens.

Vivian French once sneezed during acupuncture therapy. Let's just say that she does not recommend it.

When I asked him where on The Edge he would live, illustrator-in-residence Chris Riddell said the floating island of Sanctaphrax, in a small school of learning where he would wear multi-coloured robes. Though he also expressed interest in becoming a spindlebug (left).

Michael Palin has an idea for a Book Festival event next year. His two heroes, David Attenborough and Bruce Springsteen. Discussing Jane Austen. As Michael says, “they'd probably just agree on everything, and hug.”

Edinburgh International Book Festival has its very own “yurt doodler”, Mo. The author's yurt is the Book Festival's green room. There's no photography allowed in there, but Mo is allowed in and she sketches what she sees! Keep an eye on her Tumblr page over the next couple of weeks.

My favourite moment today (actually, my favourite moment of the last two decades) was making Michael Palin laugh. He's my absolute idol, so now that he's shaken my hand, I'm never washing it again. Except just now, because my cat sneezed in it.

When his understandably popular event swung round, I went in early and accidentally became a sort of honourary Front of House assistant, helping set things up. When I sat down, a very nice lady with a very tiny baby sat next to me. So she could take off her jacket, she handed me her programme and said “please could you hold this?” And then her coat; “please could you hold this?” And then her baby: “please could you hold this?” I'd never held a baby before, but I think I managed not to hold him like a coat. And that was how I met the youngest Michael Palin fan in the world (eight weeks old).

My other favourite event today was Colm Tóibín's. Isn't it amazing when someone combines great talent with great humility? It was as if his terrific rhetoric and insightful remarks slipped out by accident.

So on the whole, an excellent day.

Also, I think I've stolen Gordon Brown's pen.

Day 1

Today began with a little girl at the gates of Charlotte Square Gardens, devising a cunning plan to make our own staff t-shirts and wear them so we could sneak our way into the Book Festival early.

But before this ingenious scheme could be put into motion, the gates opened and in we all poured, accompanied by sunlight and samba music.

Here are a few interesting and funny things I learned today – and they were learned straight from the authors' mouths!

Andrew Motion is allergic to the word “sequel”! His book 'Silver' is a tribute to 'Treasure Island'; not a sequel. His tribute is based around an enormous amount of affection for Robert Louis Stevenson's treasured classic.






David Rain is the one we have to thank for today's triumphant weather. Despite his suspicious surname, Mr Rain penned the book 'The Heat of the Sun'. It can't be a coincidence.

Illustrator Chris Riddell has nightmares about manga! This is because one of his very first jobs as an illustrator was to draw a little manga-style cockroach – hundreds and hundreds of times. That cockroach's manga eyes still haunt him today...

Stuart Kelly's earliest memory is of pulling a carton of eggs off a shelf in a supermarket, at the age of eight months. He can remember the intricate details. The thing is, this memory is a false memory.

Simon Callow was at first tentative about playing Charles Dickens in Doctor Who, but once he read Mark Gatiss' script he saw that it was full of fierce and honest affection for Dickens. Today Simon quoted the episode in question.

Dickens: “will I be read?”
Doctor: “yes.”
Dickens: “for how long?”
Doctor: “for ever.”

Without question, there were some phenomenal events today. But my vote for the most fascinating one I saw goes to...

Charles Fernyhough and Claudia Hammond, at their event on memory and time.

There was some discussion on the extremely mysterious nature of time. If you spend 20 minutes waiting for a delayed train, time seems to go by very slowly indeed. And if you spend 20 minutes on a lunchbreak, trying to quickly exchange stories with a friend, time seems to zip by. But it's exactly the same 20 minutes. That can be hard to believe.

It seems it's all about our attitude to time. The example given in the event was: if there's a meeting on Wednesday, and the meeting is moved two days, when will the meeting be? Monday or Friday? Those of us who think Monday are apparently waiting for time to come to us, whereas those who think Friday are moving towards time. For me, Friday sprang to mind, so I'm an “ego-mover” as opposed to a “time-mover”. Good to know!

Our attitude towards time and memory is so enigmatic and changeable, but the event saw some rather beautiful conclusions. Charles Fernyhough said that a number of people read his book ('Pieces of Light') because they want to remember everything. But do you really want to remember everything? We out-source our memory these days, using modern technology among other things. We don't need to remember everything – and imagine how busy and cramped our minds would feel if we did.

Claudia Hammond, in the meantime, has people coming to her in the hope that they'll be able to slow down time, because it seems to move so fast. But she explained that when time moves slowly, it's because of boredom, or feelings of loneliness or rejection. If time seems to zip by, on the other hand, it's a sign that you're leading an exciting, eventful life.

In a very unexpected twist, the event ended with a lady in the audience putting up her hand and asking Claudia if she remembers her. Claudia hadn't. The lady then went on to say that she doesn't remember her either – but they should remember each other, because they were best friends when they were five years old...! The event ended, and Claudia shook her hand, grinning.

As a delighted audience member said afterward: you couldn't make it up.

5 days to go

Just skimming through the Edinburgh International Book Festival programme this year is absurdly exciting. 800 writers from all over will be gathering in Charlotte Square Gardens, fully equipped with the inspiration, charm and talent that has made us want them here to begin with.

I think I can speak for all us booknerdy types when I say that come rain or shine we will be out there in our droves.

And we've only got five more days to wait. Cue hyperventilation.

Hello, by the way! I forgot to say that. My name is Ellie. I'm very lucky that the Book Festival has plonked me right in the thick of it this year, so I can soak up as much of the Book Festival as possible and report back to you about it. That's a photo of me on the left there, so if you see me roaming around Charlotte Square Gardens do please come over and say hi!

There will also be live reports on Twitter @edbookfest, so get involved in the competitions, discussions, Q&As and more, with hashtag #edbookfest

So, what've we got to look forward to? I'm tempted to just copy and paste the entire programme. But here are some highlights of the opening days of the Book Festival.

On Saturday the 11th we've got former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, who has penned a unique and irresistible follow-up to Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. Hear all about it at 3PM in the RBS Main Theatre. Andrew will also be making an appearance in a children's event at 10.30AM in the ScottishPower Studio Theatre, where he'll be joining Frank Cottrell Boyce (left), writer of the very exciting Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again.

You may not know this, but novelist and screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce co-scripted the Olympics opening ceremony with Danny Boyle. Frank speaks highly of the power of imagination: “We think in stories.  Before you can build a rocket to go to the Moon, you have to dream of being able to do so."

Sunday the 12th will find Darren Shan in the RBS Main Theatre at 1.30PM with an ever-enjoyable event for kids who love horror. Thrilling the adults later on at 7PM will be Louise Welsh (left) in the ScottishPower Studio Theatre, along to discuss her exhilarating new mystery, The Girl on the Stairs. Louise has many strings to her writer's bow – she has written novels and short stories, radio plays and articles; and even a libretto for opera.

On Monday the 13th Ben Hammersley (left) provides some vital guidance to this hasty and baffling century we live in (3.30PM in the ScottishPower Studio Theatre). We'll also have Chris Riddell and Paul Stewart – the best creative partnership this side of the Edge – discuss their new books in a 10.30AM children's event in the ScottishPower Studio Theatre. They started working together in 1993, and – to the delight of millions – have said that they never want to stop working together.

That's just a tiny taste of a tiny slice of a massive festival. I'll be going to as many events as I can (and will let you know what I think!), and I'll be trying to speak to some of our amazing authors too. I promise I won't embarrass the blogosphere by turning into a gibbering star-struck wreck when speaking to them. But – let's be honest – that's not a promise I can keep.