Foreign tastes: the changing book title…
25 November, 2011
A chance discovery on Amazon.com (thanks to Christina) led me to searching out the foreign language editions of Jamie Ford’s Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. It’s an elaborate title (and a beautiful book, don’t miss it!) but it rolls off the tongue and conveys a sense of the story. We’ve stuck with […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Third time’s a charm…
23 November, 2011
Every day, for the past few weeks I’ve been admiring the cover for A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness (there’s a poster advertising the paperback as I head to the Northern Line at Waterloo station on my morning commute). It’s a beautiful juxtaposition – the silky, light strands of red contrasting with the stark, […]
Let’s talk about Sherlock
22 November, 2011
A while ago people needed to talk about Kevin, and now they are talking about Sherlock Holmes. The release of the new official Holmes novel, The House of Silk, by Anthony Horowitz, has sparked this new hype, but Holmes has always been a source of interest and inspiration. A great deal of writers have been […]
The SYP Conference, publicity and our paper fetish
21 November, 2011
On Saturday I had the pleasure of speaking at the annual Society of Young Publisher’s Conference 2011 – giving three seminars, together with Alison Baverstock, on publicity. When our lovely SYP host, Katie Lewis, told us our seminar was the most heavily subscribed to, admittedly my first thought was: ‘Uh oh, pressure is on!’ , […]
Ronnie Biggs versus his kidnapper, Patrick King
18 November, 2011
Today’s news is that The Great Train Robber, Ronnie Biggs, has just launched his official autobiography, Odd Man Out: The Last Straw. Unable to speak and looking extremely frail in this footage from SKY NEWS from the press conference, Ronnie has apparently been working on the book since he was released from jail on compassionate […]
Hummus or humus inspired musings…
17 November, 2011
I had hummus for lunch today. And this simple fact led me to ponder that I never really know what the correct spelling is for the word. A quick Google informed me that it can in fact be spelt in many different way including houmous, hommos, hommus, hummos, hummous, hamos (not to be confused with […]
Reading about and remembering the Great War
11 November, 2011
Today we celebrate Remembrance Day: the anniversary of the official end to World War One, and this year I seem to have been thinking about it more. One reason is that my other half is currently reading Somme Mud, a first-hand account of Australian infantryman Private Lynch’s experience in the front-line trenches of the Great […]
A week’s worth of good telly
8 November, 2011
I rarely look through the TV listings in the Sunday papers a) because I think I should limit my time in front of the TV and b) because frankly I find there’s usually very little worth watching. But this week, my negligence in browing the TV listings has meant I’ve missed out on the first […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Not so elementary a font, my dear Watson
2 November, 2011
The release of the new official Sherlock Holmes novel, The House of Silk, by Antony Horowitz has many people questioning if it will measure up to the great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. But, seeing as I already get my fill of Holmesian escapades with Laurie R King‘s fabulous Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes series, the […]
Name a book set around Halloween and win a treat!
31 October, 2011
Happy Halloween everyone! Amongst the things I’ve thought about today are: Why is treak or treating just for kids?; shall I make a pumkin soup or pumpkin risotto for dinner tonight?; and what good books have been set on or around Halloween? The only one I could think of was one by the great Tony […]
Friday Fun: How you comin’ on with that novel?
28 October, 2011
Time for some end of week laughs. I’m a fan of the irreverently brilliant series Family Guy, a fan of Stewie’s character (the baby) in particular, and my all-time favourite bits have to be Stewie’s monologues about Brian’s novel (that’s Brian the dog). And so I bring you these aforementioned clips from the show… Here’s […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Andrew Davidson’s work
26 October, 2011
The printers have just delivered finished copies of The Mapping of Love and Death (out in November) – the upcoming release in the New York Times bestselling Maisie Dobbs series by the much-acclaimed Jacqueline Winspear. (And we’re looking forward to welcoming the author in the offices next week – she’s visiting the UK all the […]
What do you think of the World Book Night List for 2012?
25 October, 2011
The list of 25 books selected for next year’s World Book Night has now been announced. The public voted for their favourite titles and the final selection was chosen by an editorial committee – mostly booksellers, authors and critics (last year’s committee included Allison & Busby’s co-founder Margaret Busby!). You can see the full 2012 […]
Breakfast is Business
21 October, 2011
I have often wondered why people feel the need to broadcast on Twitter or Facebook what they are having for breakfast. Now if it were something special, like they were sitting in Mama’s in San Francisco (my n.1 favourite breakfast place in the world) and waxing lyrical about their Banana Nut French Toast, that’s one […]
Is this responsible TV viewing?
14 October, 2011
I can often be heard griping about the fact that the hunt for high ratings increasingly sees TV broadcasting companies providing us with entertainment that panders to the basest of our desires – voyeurism, sex and cheap thrills. So today, when I read the news about how ITV is still deciding whether to continue broadcasting […]
A last day in Boston
7 October, 2011
Tomorrow I head back to London, busing it down from Maine to Boston, where I intend to spend a day on memory lane. I spent many long summers in this most European of American cities – interning at a local newspaper on Boston’s chic Newbury Street (spoiled early, it’s no wonder I now love working […]
Here’s to the Independent Bookshop
4 October, 2011
At a time when we are more used to hearing the depressing news of an independent bookshop closing, it always cheers me up to come across those which continue to thrive. As is the case with Sherman’s Bookstore in Camden, Maine. Obviously in small towns like this one, the competition is less fierce, and in […]
Bring Maine into your kitchen
29 September, 2011
After six days Maine, I have finally enjoyed my first taste of the local Clam Chowder. Together with the local lobster, this is a must-have dish up here. So, in an attempt to have you share in this culinary delight, here’s the traditional New England recipe for it. CLAM CHOWDER RECIPE Ingredients 5 cups bottled/canned […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Reel Cuisine, Reely appetising?
28 September, 2011
I recently spotted the book Reel Cuisine (a recipe book based on meals from films) in The Bookseller. Aside from my obvious love of books, I am also known for being both a film buff and a food-lover, so this is the kind of book that would immediately attract someone like me. Sadly, however, the […]
Love this bookshelf. Must buy now.
27 September, 2011
We have blogged about interesting bookshelves in the past, but I have now discovered a new favourite – here in my aunt’s house in Maine. And I didn’t even realise it was a bookshelf at first – simply a stack of books precariously piled on top of each other…. But no, it is in a […]
Stephen King Country
26 September, 2011
So here I am, blogging from Maine, USA – otherwise known as the home of Stephen King (pictured above). In fact, I passed through his birthplace, Portland, on my way up from Boston, and looked out for the guy, before remembering he actually now lives further north in Bangor. As I drove through the streets […]
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