Blog
Wednesday’s Cover Story – A Cover’s Vacancy
11 July, 2012
The one news item in the publishing trade that (briefly) eclipsed Fifty Shades (enough already – we get it, porn sells!) was the unveiling of the cover design for JK Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy. To say this was a highly anticipated moment in cover design history is the understatement of the year and of course […]
Festival in Val D’Orcia
10 July, 2012
Now that we’re in ‘summer’ (using the term very loosely, of course) we’re also in the middle of festival season. But, having experienced the dubious delights of a UK festival with a tent perched on a hill with a mud-slide threatening, the idea of the gorgeous Tuscan countryside is more than a little appealing. For […]
Decades in Literature (Part 6): the present day
9 July, 2012
And now we reach the end of my six-part ‘Decades in Literature’, and face a tricky question: what are the best books of the past ten years? A quick Googling on the subject reveals many different opinions; a mixture of Ian McEwan, Barack Obama, Richard Dawkins, J.K. Rowling, Zadie Smith . . . the list […]
My Olympic hurdle: 6 a.m. alarm call
6 July, 2012
We’ve got Olympics on the brain here in the A&B office. Well, on the brain in that we’re trying to plan out what stationery we need to get in before London comes to a standstill, which deliveries will be rescheduled, which commuting routes we need to rethink. All that boring logistics might take the shine […]
Burgess – ‘A musician who writes novels’
5 July, 2012
That, apparently, is how Anthony Burgess said he wanted to be remembered, not as the author of the most memorably violent dystopian novel of the sixties. So it’s fitting that as part of last weekend’s conference to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his most famous publication, a musical version of A Clockwork Orange was performed. […]
Wednesday Cover Story: How old is James Bond?
4 July, 2012
Late thirties perhaps? Forty? Surely not mid-forties? In fact, showing a surprising tolerance for martinis, admirable athleticism and an insatiable appetite for beautiful women bearing concealed weapons, the spry spy is now fifty years old – or at least his onscreen presence is. I love a good spy thriller. And although I’ve watched every Bond […]
Quotes to sit on
3 July, 2012
I think we must have now reached saturation point with the ‘Keep Calm etc etc’ slogan. A card shop around the corner has mugs emblazoned with the message on special offer now, which makes me hopeful at least. If you are feeling in need of a decent motto, keep an eye on the Guardian’s competition […]
Decades in Literature (Part 5): the 1990s
2 July, 2012
As I’m a ’90s kid (I don’t think being born in November 1989 really qualifies me as an ’80s child), I thought I’d focus this week’s blog on children’s literature – it’s what I remember best from the decade. And I may be biased, but I think the 1990s was an exceptionally good time for […]
Twittering about Trains
29 June, 2012
London transport is cottoning on to the twittersphere it would seem. Bashtagging, where disgruntled customers voice their concerns on Twitter using appropriate (or arguably inappropriate) hashtags, has become the most direct way of complaining – and getting a response. South West trains has embraced this new wave of information sharing and harnessed it in order […]
The Hollow Crown
28 June, 2012
I’ve been getting prepped for the BBC’s season of Shakespearean history plays which kicks off this Saturday. The Sky+ is set just in case and lord help the other half if he wants to watch something else. There has been a great deal of attention paid to the casting, which reads like a who’s who […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Don’t Judge a Reader by Their Book Cover
27 June, 2012
So the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon rages on. For two days running now we’ve had a hot and heavy discussion in the office about people reading it in public. What happens when commuting readers get to a naughty bit? Do their pupils dilate? Do they blush and start squirming in their seats? Have you […]
Love Charing Cross Road
26 June, 2012
Occasionally we need reminding that we live in a culturally vibrant city. Someone must have shared this idle thought of mine as a new festival day is launching on Saturday 30th June celebrating the area around Charing Cross Road. If you’re not familiar with this part of London, it’s a hive of booksellers of all […]
Decades in Literature (Part 4): the 1980s
25 June, 2012
The 1980s was a time when many of the huge sellers, still immensely popular today, were at their peak – Stephen King, John le Carré, Danielle Steel, Tom Clancy . . . the list goes on. But alongside these conventional American and British authors, there were some (in my opinion) much more interesting and diverse […]
Surprise Endings
22 June, 2012
I’ve just finished reading one of my favourite author’s new manuscripts (to see the rest of her oeuvre see here). I loved it – which is not surprising. What is surprising is that there was a surprise ending. Nothing odd there you might say, but usually don’t you have at least an inkling that a […]
Any good suggestions for good reads whilst on safari?
21 June, 2012
A brief summary of my current To Do List looks something like this: Pick up wedding order of service booklet from the printers Buy binoculars Pack far-too-small suitcase for a 3-week holiday Get married in Umbria (near my 104-year-old gran who always deserves a mention) Head off to African for honeymoon Avoid looking at bank […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Silhouettes and Circuses
20 June, 2012
“Roll up, roll up! Come, take a seat, turn the page and discover what astounding stories await you behind these two covers…” My last two reads were The Somnambulist by Essie Fox and The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. One is tied to the Victorian Music Halls of East London, the other to a mysterious […]
Decades in Literature (Part 3): The 1970s…
19 June, 2012
If it was possible to pity a decade, I would feel sorry for the 1970s. It doesn’t come across as very glamorous – all the brown-and-cream kitchenware and oddly coloured jumpers didn’t help, I suppose – and it never really gets a look in when compared to the ‘wild’ 60s. The same goes for the […]
Could you take on 8 hours of Gatsby?
18 June, 2012
Many of you reading this blog will have studied The Great Gatsby, by F Scott Fitzgerald at school or read the book for pleasure and indeed may even have read it several times as one tends to do with classic books – rediscover them later in life to read them with a different perspective. You […]
Decades in Literature (Part 2): The 1960s…
15 June, 2012
This week, I’m taking a look at literature in the 1960s – that most rebellious of decades which makes me think of Mad Men-esque outfits, revolution and being all at one with nature. (For some reason when I imagine the 60s, even in Britain, it’s always sunny – very unrealistic.) It was arguably a decade […]
Babies + Books = Bookstart
14 June, 2012
At an event about a month ago which I will refer to as the ‘Push Party’ for lack of anything better than Baby Shower, my friends and I initiated something of a new tradition. We all sought out a book from our childhoods that we vividly remember, bought a copy and inscribed it to the […]
Wednesday Cover Story: The revamped Restoration series, now complete!
13 June, 2012
Some time ago we began reprinting Edward Marston‘s Christopher Redmayne series (set in London during the Restoration period) with lovely new cover designs. And this week we can proudly announce that the remaining two titles have been given the revamp! Here are the new covers for The Parliament House and The Painted Lady. Add these […]
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