P.D. James spoke at the Free Library on the occasion of the publication of A Time to Be in Earnest, a diary of her 77th year. "She uses the format as a launching pad, moving from the events of the day...to reminiscences about her life and reflections on her craft. Her fans will find both to be of great interest, whether she is describing the birth of her daughter during a V1 rocket attack on London or musing on the difficulties of adapting crime fiction to television." Booklist