Blog
Second Chances
21 February, 2013
So I am reading the final chapters of Colum McCann’s Dancer and I am utterly awe-struck. I remember picking this book up when I was thirteen years old. I was going to dance classes three times a week and was obsessed by anything dance related. But unfortunately the setting of the Soviet Union in 1943 […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Bitter Greens, by Kate Forsyth
20 February, 2013
On Monday the final copies of Bitter Greens arrived from the printers. And as we removed the hardbacks from the boxes, the office was soon filled with the squeals and guttural sounds that would usually be associated with, say, watching Ryan Gosling remove his shirt in Crazy, Stupid, Love (or is that just me?) or […]
Swat up on your Nordic crime…
19 February, 2013
If your knowledge of Scandinavian crime fiction is limited to Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbø, then a new guide, Nordic Noir, by crime fiction expert Barry Forshaw (editor of Crime Time and reviewer for countless publications including the Independent and The Good Book Guide), looks to change all that. Whilst we regularly mention books from […]
Journeying with a book
18 February, 2013
There are times when I can’t physically read a book (at the gym; squashed like a sardine on the train or tube; the radio is even on as I fall asleep) but, easily bored person that I am, I must have an audio book or similar on the go at these times. Almost as good […]
Today’s pick from the web
15 February, 2013
The weekend draws near, and for the next two days I will try to avoid looking at a computer. But before I shut off from the online world I’ll leave you with my top three picks from the web today: #1 The New York Times – Maurice Sendak’s posthumous book My favourite books as a […]
How’s THIS for a Valentine’s gift?
14 February, 2013
Today, we lunched with author D E Meredith, and conversation turned (inevitably) to Valentine’s Day. Some people celebrate it (eg. Susie and Lesley) and others don’t (eg. D E Meredith and I), but we agreed that it’s definitely a more female-led celebration. (Spot the panic-stricken faces of men across of the country as they question […]
Wednesday Cover Story: A hair-raising tale…
13 February, 2013
There’s been lots of commentary in the past week over the new Faber edition of The Bell Jar. Sara contributed with her post here and Faber posted a very evenhanded response. Another week, and another cover controversy dawned, proving again how fiercely readers hold books and characters dear to them. Do you remember Anne of […]
A Different Way to Celebrate Pancake Day
12 February, 2013
This week most people are either looking forward to Valentine’s Day or trying to ignore it. Me, I’m looking past it at something much more important – today is Pancake Day. I really hope someone reading this blog has forgotten this fact and now joyfully realises they have an excuse to gorge themselves on sweet […]
Bookcase Dilemma
11 February, 2013
I am approaching a very special time in every girl’s life – the moment she purchases her first bookcase. My book collection has been very neatly stacked in my grandmother’s beautiful tapestry suitcases and positioned around the room. But my books just seem to be multiplying and now they’re creeping around the room forming mischievous […]
We’re celebrating fabulous news!
8 February, 2013
The champers is out!! Today we celebrate the wonderful news that Glass Houses, by Rachel Caine – the first book in the bestselling Morganville Vampire series, has been voted the most popular book with school children in the UK! Read more here… What a wonderful way to end the week! Chiara Priorelli, Publiicty & […]
Would you be reading that book if it wasn’t an e-book?
7 February, 2013
E-books, e-books, e-books. It’s unsurprisingly the biggest topic in the publishing industry at the moment, with more books being published only in e-book format, the ongoing debate about 20p e-book offers, and the natural worries of how e-books will affect the future of the bookshop… My question to you e-book readers out there is, are […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Can book covers be offensive?
6 February, 2013
Often on this blog we showcase some of the book covers we love, whether they’re our own designs or have simply caught our eye in a book store. This week, I’m afraid, the book cover occupying my mind is one I personally dislike – and it seems I’m not alone. The recent reissue of Sylvia Plath’s The […]
Upgrade your average Reading Weekend
5 February, 2013
If you’re like me, you can sometimes picture yourself back on holiday by simlply conjuring up the book you were reading while lounging on the beach, or while catching a connecting flight. A mention of Joyce Carol Oates will make me recall reading We Were the Mulvaneys on a blissful week in Greece. The last […]
The give-and-take of publicity
4 February, 2013
As a publicist, I spend much of my week alerting the press and blogosphere about our upcoming books, hoping to get them to run a review or an author interview, or at the very least get them to mention the title in a roundup or pertinent feature article. Of course, there are hundreds or other […]
Could you live without the internet?
1 February, 2013
I find you don’t realise how much you rely on something until you have to do without it. I’ve been living in my new house since November and I am still without the internet. At first BT had to dig up the road to install fibre optic and it was up and running by the […]
Twitter Favourites: Professor Snape
31 January, 2013
If you’re an avid follower of our blog, you might remember my previous post on the Twitter Revolution that’s been sweeping our office. It made me decide to showcase some of my favourite posters here, so you can all enjoy their 140-character words of wisdom. This week’s Twitter Favourite has another literary theme – it’s […]
Wednesday Cover Story: The new Elizabeth covers
30 January, 2013
Our art editor, Christina, has just put the finishing touches to the cover designs for the upcoming reissues of Margaret Irwin titles. Have a look and swoon… Got a favourite? Chiara Priorelli, Publicity […]
Unnecessary Buys
29 January, 2013
Occasionally I find something on the internet that makes me giddy with excitement and demanding as a spoilt child. It can be books, clothes, make up or something completely random that I have no need or use for. For example, this Sherlock Holmes poster by Spineless Classics: The poster itself is enormous because it shows […]
It’s National Storytelling Week!
28 January, 2013
This week is National Storytelling Week (26 January – 2 February) with plenty of events going on up and down the country to celebrate ‘the most ancient of communicative arts’. So take a moment this week to think about and relish the art of storytelling. We may not be a novelist or a writer of […]
Richard Stark’s Parker to hit cinemas…
25 January, 2013
Point Blank, by Richard Stark (originally published in 1962 under the title The Hunter) first introduced readers to the character of master thief Parker. Parker was then immortalised on film by Lee Marvin in the 1967 film Point Blank. And so ensued a long list of other movies based on the Parker series with different […]
Stylist magazine dedicates an issue to me! (Sort of…)
24 January, 2013
This week’s Stylist is dedicated to holidays for the food obsessed. Which is to say it’s bascially an issue dedicated to me. In fact, if you were to ask me about my holiday (any holiday), my immediate response would involve enthusiastically describing a series of mouth-watering meals, perhaps punctuated by some other minor attractions… Holiday […]
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