Susie, Author at Allison & Busby

Alex Gray speaking event in Glasgow

27 February, 2012

Saturday 3rd March, 12.00PM-1.30PM WATERSTONES, GLASGOW. Come and meet Glaswegian crime writer Alex Gray, author of Shadow of Sounds and A Small Weeping. She will be reading from her new and much anticipated book A Pound of Flesh and signing copies afterwards at Waterstones, 47 Braehead Shopping Centre, Glasgow G51 4BP.This event is not ticketed […]

A hard day’s work…

24 February, 2012

On my usual route home via Waterloo, I passed Sleeping Beauty somewhere between Platform 9 and 10. And I mean that quite literally. Propped in the middle of the bustling station was a plush bed, with a very real sleeping beauty comfortably esconced under the covers. It was all part of the promotion for the […]

Happy Pancake Day!

21 February, 2012

In honour of today, Pancake Day, an excuse to share a pertinent poem from one of my all-time-favourite books by illustrator-and-poet Shel Silvertein (as featured in his collection Where the Sidewalk Ends). Happy eating! Chiara Priorelli, Publicity & Online Marketing Manager

Friday Fun: Cello and Beat-Box Mix

17 February, 2012

Some people spend hours trawling YouTube and watching all sorts of weird and wonderful videos out there. I’m not one of them. But this particular video was brought to my attention (now a YouTube sensation, especially after his stint on the Today show in America) and deserves to be shared. This talented 23-year-old, Kevin Olusola, […]

A double connection to Alfie

16 February, 2012

The new stage production of Alfie (based on the novel by A&B author Bill Naughton) is ending its run at the Octagon Theatre in Bolton this week (18 February), before moving on the New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyne (22 February) and beyond. See full listings here… We have an obvious connection to the stage show seeing […]

A few snaps from John Wilcox’s Book Launch

10 February, 2012

Last night we enjoyed a merry evening at the lovely Goldsboro Books celebrating the launch of John Wilcox‘s eighth book in his acclaimed Simon Fonthill series, The War of the Dragon Lady. And here are a few snaps from the night. The Man of the Moment – sporting a conspicuous suntan, having just returned from […]

A tribute to orphans

9 February, 2012

This week is World Orphan Week (6 – 12 February) and so, it seems like a pertinent time to help raise awareness with our own literary spin on the matter and pay tribute to our favourite orphan: the inimitable Mary Russell – otherwise known as Sherlock Holmes’ post-Watson-crime-solving-partner, and wife. You can join Russell and […]

Pop-ups? Pop to your local library any time…

3 February, 2012

As we near the end of a week celebrating libraries around the country, culminating tomorrow with special events to mark National Libraries Day (see yesterday’s blog), it seems fitting to highlight the new pop-up library at Selfridges in London (found in the UltraLounge on the Lower Ground floor of the department store). Recently opened as […]

Bring back The Letter!

26 January, 2012

Last week the blog Letters of Note, posted a letter written by author John Steinbeck to his then teenage and love-struck son, Thomas, back in 1958. Although it has been in the public domain since the 1980s, this recent spotlight has shot the letter to sudden fame. It has since been reproduced in last weekend’s […]

5 things you should know when moving flat

23 January, 2012

You will have noticed that I did not post a blog on Friday. This is because, instead of blogging, I was completing a feat comparable to an Iron Man. Yes, that’s right, I had to move flat. And before you scoff at my hyperbolic analogy, I will explain that this feat involved getting everything done […]

The fascination with the Crusades

18 January, 2012

I’m a bit of a sucker for documentaries on the Beeb and honestly think no-one does them better, so I’m getting super-excited about the 3-parter that starts on BBC 2 tonight at 9.30pm. And to make my life complete, it’s all about the Crusades. A truly mesmerising period in history that has spawned a gazillion […]

A very Scandinavian week

13 January, 2012

This week has seen some cosmic element pulling all manner of Nordic things into my life. I discovered COS (Collection of Style) on Regent Street, the new sister store of Swedish chain H&M (full of sleek, classic but modern styles that don’t break the budget); every interior of a house I’ve seen (and loved) in […]

Quote great literature while you cook

12 January, 2012

As A&B’s resident foodie, it’s perhaps not surprising that I’ve discovered a lovely new blog The Gossip Bowl which celebrates vintage recipes (with a dose of the literary…) As they proudly highlight themselves on their site, Virginia Woolf wrote: ‘One cannot think well, love well, sleep well if one has not dined well.’ Too true. […]

So what will we all be reading at the start of 2012?

3 January, 2012

And so we are back! The feasting and festivities are over and whilst we could dwell on the end of the holidays, the extra pounds we’ve gained, and the fact that we’ve been greeted by a wet and windy January, let’s focus on more positive things and the inevitable questions: What books did you all […]

A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All!

21 December, 2011

And so, here we find ourselves again – at the end of another year. In 2011 we’ve welcomed some wonderful new authors to our list, introducing you to a whole new array of reading choices. For our crime-fiction lovers we brought you inter-war mysteries from Jacqueline Winspear, Swedish police procedural from Kjell Eriksson, and medieval […]

Wisdom from a Xerox machine

16 December, 2011

Today our printer starting acting strange. Sara was printing off a manuscript and rather than printing the whole 420 pages in one go (as per usual) it started printing off 20 pages or so at a time. It would spit out one set of 20 pages, then stop and pause for a few minutes, and […]

Wednesday Cover Story: Get your Fix of cover stories…

14 December, 2011

For this, our last Wednesday Cover Story for 2011, I thought I would leave you with the discovery of another website-cum-blog that devotes, not just Wednesday’s, but Any Day to the subject that is The Book Cover. And so, to ensure that over the festive holidays you still get your fill of cover stories, I present […]

Wednesday Cover Story: A topsy-turvy idea…

7 December, 2011

We’ve recently reprinted Paul Magrs novel To the Devil – a Diva! with a brand new cover. I saw earlier today that the author had highlighted this news on his own website here (and was happy to see he thinks the new cover is ‘excellent’). But as I scrolled down the page my eye was […]

At least the NHS doesn’t have to deal with The King’s Evil

5 December, 2011

I’m not sure a piece about all the different and bizarre things Londoners died from in the 17th Century is quite in tune with the Christmas spirit, but one bit of news hitting the papers today is a new exhibition at The Royal Society displaying various books that have never before been on public display. […]

Your Movember book covers and the winning mo-hunter!

2 December, 2011

It’s is now December and officially the end of Movember. For those of you who supported the cause by growing your own tache, the time has come to, well – shave. No matter what your friends tell you, it really wasn’t a good look. And for those of you that supported the cause by entering […]

Possibly the greatest Morganville Vampire fan?

1 December, 2011

For today’s post, I feel I simply must take this opportunity to highlight the existence of another blogger – Siobhan from Totally Bookalicious. And why am I giving said blogger this special spotlight? Because, not only did she just recently give Last Breath, by Rachel Caine one of the most enthusiastic reviews – I could […]