I am leaving Oxford for a short break but I won't be short of a book or two because I am heading to the Hay Festival.
I went to the actual festival for the first time last year and quite enjoyed the experience, although I made sure I combined it with a trawl of the town's many book shops.
I am planning to listen to a talk by poet Simon Armitage on his recollections of gigging around the country, and I will also be attending a talk by AL Kennedy on her award-winning wartime novel Day.
The plan — and it could be a very foolish one — is to camp nearby and we have acquired a tent for the weekend.
The only problem is that it is large enough to house a small garrison of soldiers and if the SAS from nearby Credenhill are not around to help, I could find myself in a bit of trouble. I'll let you know next week how I got on.
As a warm-up for my trip to Hay, I hotfooted it to the open-air market at Gloucester Green, where one of the dealers had some lovely stuff.
I was very excited when I glanced down at the spines on his table and saw old editions of HG Wells, Kipling and Dickens spread out in front of me.
Two pocket editions of Kipling's Debits and Credits and A Diversity of Creatures for £5 each went a long way towards completing my collection of the author's fine stories.
The chap wanted more cash but stood my ground and told him I was keeping my powder dry for Hay and he eventually agreed to do a deal.
If I can keep my head in Hay like I did at Gloucester Green, then I'll be OK. Let's wait and see.