Kelly Smith, Author at Allison & Busby

Honoured and remembered

10 November, 2016

Today (10th November), renowned children’s author Michael Morpurgo will be presented with the J. M. Barrie Award for his contribution to children’s literature. Having written children’s literature since the 1970s, Morpurgo’s work continues to inspire new generations of young readers. Myself, I remember reading The Butterfly Lion while at primary school; a beautiful book about […]

Adaptation Autumn

20 October, 2016

Like many others, the news that a beloved book is to be made into a feature-length film provokes a mixed reaction: torn between excitement at seeing the characters brought to life and a lingering dread of what will inevitably be changed. Recent months have seen a string of literary adaptations from The Girl with all […]

Booking a place in history

6 July, 2016

In the midst of immense sporting achievements happening around the world (the Euros, Wimbledon and the Olympics soon), I thought we should take a journey through the accomplishments of book-lovers across the globe, with a little help from the Guinness World Records… Whilst I sympathise with our author David Hingley who last week signed 500 […]

A book is an e-book…is still a book

25 May, 2016

Ever since e-books came to the fore, there has been a tendency to define them against their physical predecessors, to suggest that digital is a logical progression and, most commonly, that the two formats are mutually exclusive. Like a lot of book-lovers, I confess to being e-book sceptic when digital was on the rise. I […]

Selfie-destruct

16 March, 2016

Most of us have been taking photos of ourselves for years, but it wasn’t until recently that this common phenomenon was given a name: the selfie. Since then, not a day goes by when we don’t either see them posted online or nearly get hit in the face by people too engrossed in getting the […]

I can’t believe it’s not batter!

9 February, 2016

IT’S PANCAKE DAY! The one day a year when the average Joe feels no remorse in gorging on doughy goodness, because everyone’s doing it, right? (Although the fact that several pizza chains have 2-for-1 offers every Tuesday throughout the year means that collective dough indulgence is now commonplace…) Having willingly filled myself to bursting point […]

Hogwarts Casts a Love Spell

20 January, 2016

Just when you thought the Harry Potter franchise had done everything possible in the name of wizarding awesomeness: the theme park, the studio tour, the two-part theatrical production coming this year – think again. Following the success of the Hogwarts Christmas meal last month, couples can now book to have their Valentine’s Day meal in […]

A week with the Editorial Department

14 October, 2015

Want to know what goes on behind the scenes here at A&B? Here’s a snapshot of a week in the editorial department… MONDAY While Sophie, our editor, travels to Ely to see our lovely author Mary Nichols, discussing future projects and consuming lemon meringue pie, looking très chic… …Kelly is stuck on the Saw ride […]

Whose Line is it Anyway? LIVE!

20 May, 2015

This year is proving itself to be full of delightful arts-related news. First, it was announced that a sequel of To Kill a Mockingbird has been discovered and will be published in July (yes, I have already pre-ordered my copy), and now my dreams have come true: Whose Line is it Anyway?, a hilarious improvisational […]

Reintroducing The Literary Gift Company

13 May, 2015

A while ago now, I wrote a post introducing The Literary Gift Company, whose innovative book-related products are guaranteed to make any book lover smile. Well, now I have inevitably been drawn back into their fold, and have found a selection of items which are destined for my birthday wish list. The first being an […]

Mr Darcy – reveal yourself!

1 May, 2015

Having recently written a blog in which guinea pigs are to star as Pride and Prejudice characters (I still can’t quite believe this is real), Jane Austen is at the forefront of my mind. So news that Dr Susan Watson may have found the ‘real’ Mr Darcy has me both pleased and intrigued in equal […]

Pride and Prejudice Finds Another Face

20 April, 2015

Few of us can ever un-see the iconic image of Colin Firth as Mr Darcy slowly emerging, dripping wet, from a lake in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Over the years, Jane Austen’s classic has been adapted for the big and small screen, also re imagined as other novels. Recently we have seen the […]

We Won’t Pick Up a Penguin

15 April, 2015

At the risk of appearing to write a politically-motivated blog, which is not my intention, I have decided to share an article featured on the BBC News website this week. It speaks of library books that have received the most complaints, one of the most recent additions being a tale of two male penguins that […]

Colouring Makes a Comeback

8 April, 2015

This week I read an article in The Guardian that made me think, thank goodness it’s not just me. Yes, the colouring book has made a comeback. Currently topping the Amazon bestseller list, many adults are indulging in an activity that is both relaxing and nostalgic. I first brought the colouring back into my life […]

Authors Respond to Controversial New App

30 March, 2015

In the last week a controversial app has come to the attention of authors and readers alike: Clean Reader. Its purpose is to find ‘offensive’ language within books and replace these words with a milder alternative. With a scale from ‘clean’ to ‘squeaky clean’ even words such as ‘damn’ or ‘vagina’ can be substituted for […]

Pay With a Poem

25 March, 2015

On Saturday, in honour of World Poetry Day, one company in Vienna decided to commemorate the occasion by using poetry as currency for the day. Julius Meinl marked this day with a promotion spanning across 23 countries in their 1100 cafes, bars and restaurants. This included the UK! The thinking behind this ingenious idea was the […]

Introducing The Literary Gift Company

18 March, 2015

As a lover of all things book-related my reaction to discovering this gem of a company cannot be overstated. The Literary Gift Company produces innovative and quirky products from novelty grammar mugs (my personal favourite) to library-style, date-stamped t-shirts. Not only this, but their section ‘Books turned into things’ sees old books wonderfully restored and […]

All Aboard the Hogwarts Express!

11 March, 2015

Many of us may have already taken advantage of the Harry Potter Warner Bros Studio Experience with the chance to explore, among other things, such wonders as the Great Hall and the Knight Bus. However, it has recently been announced that a new feature will be added to the already expansive exhibition: the Hogwarts Express! […]

World Book Day is back!

4 March, 2015

This Thursday welcomes back World Book Day! Many of us will remember being given our £1 book tokens while at school. For me, it is incredibly nostalgic. This year children’s laureate Malorie Blackman, perhaps best known for her ‘Noughts and Crosses’ series is to launch WBD Teenfest (wbdteenfest.com). The site will be live from 4th-5th […]

Happy News for Harper Lee fans

4 February, 2015

Yesterday, arguably the most exciting literary announcement was made: Harper Lee is to release a second novel! Since the release of To Kill a Mockingbird, her beloved first novel, 55 years ago, Harper Lee has lived away from the spotlight. This new novel is expected to be a ‘sequel’ to her first. Unknown to some, […]

National Readathon Day Roundup

26 January, 2015

On Saturday 24th January, Penguin Random House, together with Goodreads, Mashable and the National Book Foundation, celebrated National Readathon Day by encouraging people all across the world to read between noon and 4pm in their respective time zones. Their aim was to highlight how fortunate those with the power of literacy are, compared to that […]