Blog
War and Peace: A Summary (Book Three)
10 February, 2011
My summary of War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy continues… Book Three As Book Three opens in 1805 (yes, still), we wade deeper into war. But more important than all the trumpeting and strategizing and sauntering is a certain revelation: a clue as to why weepy Sonya is having so little success in winning Nicky’s […]
Wednesday Cover Story: The new Weather Warden covers
9 February, 2011
I’ve just seen the new covers for the upcoming Weather Warden books by Rachel Caine and, if you’ll excuse the weather pun, they are HOT! I thought the previous design-style as seen here on the covers to Ill Wind and Heat Stroke were really cool (ok, enough with the heat references…) but removing the coloured […]
Speaking of Literary Tattoos…
8 February, 2011
Yesterday we were talking about tattoos in the office…as you do. It was more a discussion of tattoos that had either gone awry, or perhaps the content of which had not lived up to the longevity the wearer was expecting. For instance, Cheryl Cole’s ‘Mrs C’, and Johnny Depp’s ‘Winona Forever’. And you know how […]
Why I Pay a Licence Fee
7 February, 2011
Hoorah for the Beeb, who announced the details last week of their ‘Year of Books’ programming, and it looks like we have some corking programmes coming up. There’s the dramatization of Edwin Drood for one thing, which if it’s half as good as last year’s Little Dorrit will definitely see me tuning in. Anne Robinson […]
Shaun White? Or Wipe Out?
4 February, 2011
I am heading to Corvara tomorrow, a lovely village in the Dolomites, for a week’s holiday in the snow and where I plan to try my hand (or rather, feet) at snowboarding. My initial bravado (‘I’m a good skier, how hard can it be?‘ didn’t last long so I sensibly took myself to Snow & […]
Trust me, I’m a Doctor…
3 February, 2011
I will be interested to listen to today’s discussion, Doctors in the Dock, on BBC Radio 4’s programme Face the Facts (will catch it later on bbciplayer). It centered around the question: Is the General Medical Council the right organisation to regulate the medical profession? The plan to instate an independent regulator to discipline doctors […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Behind the scenes of cover art…
2 February, 2011
Ever wondered how book designs are created? Think you have to be a whizz at Photoshop and advanced Illustrator? Granted, basic techie skills are necessary, but sometimes it’s more creative – and certainly more fun! – to do it the old-fashioned way. Windmill Books have recently proved their creativity with their post about the aptly […]
Zombies at the office
31 January, 2011
Having spent a good few weeks of my autumn working away on Dr Dale’s Zombie Quiz app, an accompaniment to his hilarious book Dr Dale’s Zombie Dictionary, I feel like my eyes and brain have been attuned to the rather gorier tid-bits one finds on the internet, I’m attracting stuff like a magnet now! And […]
A tribute to translators
28 January, 2011
Today I saw the longlist for The 2011 BTBA Fiction Longlist. I am lucky in that I know four languages – the perks of coming from an international background (or, how my other-half ‘endearingly’ puts it, “being a mutt”). And I do love languages, all with their own unique rhythms, inflections, tones and expressions. So […]
War and Peace: A Summary (Book Two)
27 January, 2011
And so we continue now with my précis of War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy. BOOK TWO Peace shifts to War in Book Two, and so there is much parading of troops and inspections by generals, and many assurances that the Russian troops are not only confident in their ability to defeat the enemy, but […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
26 January, 2011
We are very impressed with the innovative design for these obscure H G Wells titles recently republished by Orion in hardback. (Georgina spotted them at The British Library on the weekend). The title and author name features as a newspaper headline and the usual details on the back cover (bar code, price, publisher etc) are […]
Happy Burns’ Night
25 January, 2011
Burns’ Night (today 25 January) isn’t really my kind of shindig. There’s whisky for one thing, of which I love the smell but can’t stomach at all, and then there’s haggis (repress shudder and move on). And while a raucous célidh might be tempting, I’ll take pity on any prospective dance partners’ toes and bow […]
Campaign to Save Our Libraries continues
24 January, 2011
As the Save Our Libraries campaign continues, celebrities too have shown their support. Everyone from Tony Christie, Joanna Trollope and Philip Pullman are up in arms at the cuts, and big names such as Julian Fellowes and Kate Mosse (author, not supermodel) are putting together a Save our Libraries Campaign film. It’s heartening to see […]
The Devil makes work for idle hands…
21 January, 2011
Well, in this case, the little Devil is rather ingenious. I’m a huge fan of the likes of Stomp and Tap Dogs, and now have come across this brilliant video by the Up and Over It dance duo (who have toured with the likes of the Riverdance troupe) with their innovative take on Irish Dance. […]
War and Peace: A Summary (Book One)
20 January, 2011
Following my public declaration that I would read the epic tome War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy and summarise it for others in our blog, here is proof that I have not given up on my 2011 resolution (yet) and proudly present you with the first installment: BOOK ONE It is 1805, and to the […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Sneak preview of Alice’s Girls cover
19 January, 2011
Here’s a sneak-peek at the upcoming cover to Alice’s Girls (out in hardback March 2011) – the third book in a series about a group of Land Girls on a Devonshire farm. Written by Julia Stoneham, whose mother ran a Land Army hostel in Devon, the book follows Muddy Boots & Silk Stockings and The […]
The scent of an e-book…
18 January, 2011
The e-book revolution is well and truly underway with Amazon reporting that the Kindle is its best selling product of all time (read article in the Guardian) – yes, that includes the final Harry Potter. But there are still those who have not bought in to the hype. They are the ones who stand by […]
A bestselling birthday…
17 January, 2011
What do The Return of the Jedi, The Name of the Rose and Jane Fonda’s Workout Book all have in common? Not a lot you would be right in thinking, except for the fact that they all graced the New York Times Bestseller lists the week I was born. Was I born under an (in)auspicious […]
Introducing the gorgeous Linnea Design diaries
14 January, 2011
What a nice Friday treat – my 2011 Linnea Design Diary arrived in the post for me today! You wouldn’t think a diary could bring someone so much pleasure, but these limited edition diaries are always gorgeous and this year’s edition is particularly beautiful. Each page shows a full month (which I find very useful) […]
Wednesday Cover Story: Was the old man a winner or loser?
12 January, 2011
A few months ago we featured the four covers to Stephen King’s new book Under The Dome and questioned which book would have the most appeal. Well, I set about buying a copy as a gift just before Christmas and walked into Waterstone’s High Street Kensington only to find they only had the cover with […]
Bookie-quiz for a rainy lunchtime…
11 January, 2011
On a rainy lunchtime, while eating one’s BLT (uninspired and in danger of being trampled underfoot in Tescos at lunchtime, I made an autopilot lunch grab) what one needs is a bit of mental stimulation to chase the cobwebs away. And while browsing The Bookseller’s website I found just the thing – Bent’s Invisibooks (second […]
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