Blog
Can you help me with my New Year’s Resolution?
5 January, 2012
Ah, January. The month of hiding under the duvet, missing the twinkly lights of Christmas, and giving up on New Year’s resolutions. My resolutions this year include the standard ‘get more exercise’ and ‘eat less junk food’…even I’m betting they don’t last long. There is one resolution, however, which I might be able to prolong […]
Wednesday Cover Story: The Super Matt Finish
4 January, 2012
As Chiara mentioned in her blog yesterday one of my Christmas books (a wee pressie to myself for being such a good girl all year) was The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal. The book has been a genuine word-of-mouth success and that should surprise no-one once they start to read it – […]
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 […]
More literary inspired Xmas shopping
20 December, 2011
Ever since I wrote a blog confessing that I just didn’t understand the acclaim for Jack Kerouac’s On the Road (which, by the way, my brother was scandalised at – it’s his favourite novel), the author seems to be haunting me. First there was the news story about the discovery of a lost Kerouac book, […]
The sights, sounds and smell of Christmas…
19 December, 2011
So the wind is howling, the office has collective sniffles and the economy has moved beyond the toilet bowl to somewhere around the u-bend, but still, there are still some nice Christmassy sights, sounds and even smells to enjoy. Here’s my recent tally. 1. Twinkly Lights. It doesn’t have to be Oxford Street’s, my own […]
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 […]
A Marginal Error
15 December, 2011
I recently had the great pleasure of visiting Skoob, the massive second-hand bookstore in London that not even Oxford’s traditional charity bookshops can compete with. After two hours of feverishly scouring the shelves for the best bargains, I triumphantly presented my winnings – five pounds for ten tattered, ancient, dust-cloth books. These are the kind […]
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 […]
Authors are for life, not just for Christmas.
13 December, 2011
Ah, the joys of Christmas shopping. Whether it’s the cut and thrust of elbows on Oxford Street or the anxiety over curiously delayed internet purchases, nothing quite raises the blood-pressure like it. And in an effort to distract me from my far-from-complete list, I’ve compiled something of a Christmas shopping list for aspiring writers out […]
My Top 5 Christmassy Films
12 December, 2011
It’s the last full week in the office before the Christmas holidays begin, and I’ve started to consider what festive things I’ll be doing this year. I’ll be heading home to Wales for a family Christmas, so of course there will be lots of eating, getting too competitive playing charades, and watching my little nephew […]
Where does that phrase come from?
9 December, 2011
Today I discovered the origin of the phrase ‘rain cheque’, which I had never bothered to ponder before. Apparently a rain cheque was originally a voucher issued to baseball fans so they could view a later game if it rained. Hence the common phrase of postponement, ‘I’ll take a rain cheque’. It set me thinking […]
Can you crack it?
8 December, 2011
Over the past few months I’ve been pleasantly surprised to see a resurgence of interest in the story of Bletchley Park, 2011 having been the 70th anniversary of the capture of the Enigma machine and codebooks. Back during my A-Levels I read Robert Harris’ Enigma in one breathless weekend, and the subject makes rich pickings […]
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 […]
What would be your word of the year?
6 December, 2011
The Oxford English Dictionary annually chooses a Word of the Year, and last week they announced their 2011 choice. Except, as Will Gompertz of the BBC pointed out, it’s not even a word; it’s an expression. And if you ask me, it’s not a very catchy one. ‘Squeezed middle’. That’s the word the OED feel […]
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 […]
Wednesday Cover Story: What do you think the next colours will be?
30 November, 2011
On the train home last night I spotted a man reading The King’s Evil, by Edward Marston. He was actually right on the other side of the carriage but I clocked it immediately – possibly because I’m predisposed to sighting any of our books, but more probably because the design really jumps out at you. […]
A certain je ne sais quoi in a bookshop
29 November, 2011
Last Thursday I was lucky enough to be invited to a celebration of the opening of Belgravia Books, the chic new retail arm of fellow indie publisher Gallic Books. Considering that on my journey across London I’d been reading about Sir Philip Green’s plans to close 260 stores, it was particularly pleasant to be part […]
Walking in a winter wonderland…
28 November, 2011
It’s now late November, and very soon I feel I will be legitimately allowed to look forward to Christmas. Despite the fact that getting excited about Christmas is counter-productive past the age of about six (you open your presents in four minutes flat, then the anti-climactic disappointment and boredom begins…), I still seem to enjoy […]
Subscribe to our newsletter
You will be the first to hear about new books, old favourites, author events and exclusive promotions.
Please click here to read our privacy policy: https://www.allisonandbusby.com/privacy-policy/.