Blog
The TBR Pile
13 February, 2015
I’ve decided to jump on Guardian Books bandwagon and discuss my To Be Read pile. Mainly because I always look forward to starting something new and because I have a long weekend off work so there’s lots of time to get stuck into something! I’m currently halfway through the masterpiece that is The Little Friend […]
An older and wiser Sherlock hits the big screen
11 February, 2015
Can you imagine how the unbeatable Sherlock Holmes will cope as he reaches his elderly years and has to face the mundane battles, such as memory loss and dementia, as well as coming up against the fantastical criminals in his day-to-day detective work? New film, Mr Holmes, directed by Bill Condon offers a vision of Sir […]
Reading in Rude Health
9 February, 2015
The University of Liverpool has conducted a study that shows people who read regularly for pleasure have greater levels of self-esteem, are less stressed, and can cope better with difficult situations than lapsed or non-readers. After reading about this, I came across the below infographic comparing reading and other stress-relieving activities. I was quite surprised […]
Be a Good SAMaritan
6 February, 2015
Veering off books and all things cultural for one moment – today I came across a brilliant new app that will potentially save thousands of lives. Despite my general dislike of our over-reliance on our smartphones, this new app, called GoodSAM, has proved that technology can save the day. The app lets you flag up […]
Happy News for Harper Lee fans
4 February, 2015
Yesterday, arguably the most exciting literary announcement was made: Harper Lee is to release a second novel! Since the release of To Kill a Mockingbird, her beloved first novel, 55 years ago, Harper Lee has lived away from the spotlight. This new novel is expected to be a ‘sequel’ to her first. Unknown to some, […]
Alice Gets A Makeover
2 February, 2015
All time favourite children’s book, the bonkers and brilliant Alice in Wonderland is to celebrate it’s 150th Anniversary this year. The festivities are already underway and include a BBC documentary exploring the life and imagination of Lewis Carroll, a postal stamp set, featuring ten scenes from the book and – my favourite – a 150th […]
The Anatomy of Crime
30 January, 2015
The Wellcome Trust are launching a new exhibition in February, perfect for any crime fans out there: ‘Forensics: The Anatomy of Crime‘. Using real-life case studies, the exhibition ‘travels from crime scene to courtroom, across centuries and continents, exploring the specialisms of those involved in the delicate processes of collecting, analysing and presenting medical evidence. […]
Get ready for your favourite books making the big-screen in 2015
28 January, 2015
We’re all aware of the hotly anticipated film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey, due to hit screens in February. But what of the other book-to-screen productions coming up in 2015? A huge fan of Gone Girl, the book and the film, I’ll be saving space in my diary for the next Gillian […]
National Readathon Day Roundup
26 January, 2015
On Saturday 24th January, Penguin Random House, together with Goodreads, Mashable and the National Book Foundation, celebrated National Readathon Day by encouraging people all across the world to read between noon and 4pm in their respective time zones. Their aim was to highlight how fortunate those with the power of literacy are, compared to that […]
High Rise in Film
23 January, 2015
It’s always a good day when you find out one of your favourite books is being made into a film. This week’s revelation is J. G. Ballard‘s High Rise. The director has already started tweeting cryptic photos of the set and an early teaser poster has been released: Copyright Jay Shaw Starring actor-of-the-moment Tom Hiddleston and Sienna […]
Bitter Greens Takes Another Captive
21 January, 2015
This week I began reading Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth and, at the risk of appearing biased, have been totally captivated by it. What we know as the fairy tale, Rapunzel, is traced back to its origin, any glossing-over or ‘Disneying’ forgotten. The stories of the three central female characters are cleverly woven together: Charlotte […]
Slow and steady…
19 January, 2015
It’s the perfect weather to be tucked up inside with a book at the moment and yet I don’t seem to be getting through any of the three reads I have on the go with much pace. But there’s a new reading craze that tells me I’m not alone in this and neither should I […]
Should we fictionalise real people?
16 January, 2015
It cannot be denied that stories from the past, recent or distant, are incredibly popular with modern audiences. From success of television drama The Tudors, telling of Henry VIII’s reign, to the feature-length Titanic, we are intrigued by historical events. However, to what extent is fictionalising the past misleading audiences and is it ethically correct […]
New Favourites
14 January, 2015
Last weekend I went to one of my favourite exhibitions of the year: Wildlife Photographer of the Year at the National History Museum. Now in its 50th year, the exhibition ‘provides a global showcase of the very best nature photograph’. I always find myself astonished by the ‘Young Photographer of the Year’ award as some […]
Perfume psychology with our favourite authors
12 January, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed Emerald Street’s article last week matching famous authors to their comparative perfumes. Based on nothing more than their writing and a passing knowledge of their lives, here are some speculative suggestions for the preferred scents of our favourite writers. Anaïs Nin Mitsouko features frequently in Anaïs Nin’s writing, including Henry And June. […]
Leave Frankenstein Alone
9 January, 2015
It saddens me that production companies feel compelled every few years to churn out yet another Frankenstein remake. With their reputation for all-star casts and their textual inaccuracy –it is unforgivable to confuse the name of the creator with the created –it needs to stop. In the same year as the National Theatre stage production […]
A Year in Books
7 January, 2015
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg has set himself the challenge of reading a new book every two weeks for the entirety of 2015. The project, called A Year in Books, was shared on Facebook on January 3rd and has since gathered over 180,000 followers. Zuckerburg’s mission statement says ‘Our books will emphasize learning about new cultures, beliefs, histories and […]
The A&B Forecast
5 January, 2015
Whilst thinking about my New Year’s resolutions and upcoming schedules, I’m also looking forward to some fab new books coming out of the A&B factory in the next few months. Take a look below at my recommendations for some of our exciting new titles, and see what the rest of the A&B office is waiting […]
Delectable scenes in children’s fiction
31 December, 2014
As we’re all now feeling rather festively plump having eaten our way through the Christmas week – here’s a round-up of some of the best fictional feasts in children’s books, as featured in the Guardian. Do you have a favourite scene of mouth-watering feasts to add to the list? 1) The Inspector’s recipe for a […]
Festive Reads
22 December, 2014
As Christmas approaches, I find myself searching bookshops for those cosy holiday reads that I want to curl up on the sofa with. So on my lunch break I popped into Gower Street Waterstones and found a ready-made selection of ‘Festive Reads’. The table was piled high with titles such as Christmas at Cold Comfort Farm and […]
Did you collect all of the Banquet Comp clues?
21 December, 2014
CONGRATULATIONS! You have made it to feast and may enter the banquet. Pull up a chair by the fire and tell us the answers you’ve collected over the last few posts. Click here for a reminder of the clues, or if you’re ready to fill in your details and answers, click here.
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