As a newcomer to the somewhat daunting world of the early morning London commute, I am impressed by the people who, undeterred by the uncomfortably close mass of armpits and elbows, continue to be absorbed in their books whilst standing in a cramped tube carriage. Having managed to get on the wrong train once already, […]
Yesterday I attended the Bookseller’s Marketing & Publicity Conference which featured a wide range of interesting speakers covering topics from creative campaigns, discoverability, the Amazon algorithm, Facebook and Goodreads, and more. Steve Bohme, from Bowker discussed market research and revealed rather suprisingly that customers, when browsing in a bookshop, primarily browse books on shelves (as […]
Friday 16th August, 11am – 12noon WRITER’S RETREAT, EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL Edinburgh’s streets are steeped in literary history. From Scott and Stevenson to Renton and Rebus, writers have responded to the character and characters of Auld Reekie. In this special reading workshop, Alanna Knight, author of the much-loved Inspector Faro series and the Rose […]
A new title has slipped into our Autumn schedule called Over a Hot Stove – the memoir of Flo Wadlow who was a kitchen maid in some of England great houses such as Blickling Hall and Hatfield House. There seems to be a trend for all things nostalgic with the BBC’s Downton Abbey and Aprons […]
Saturday 14th September, 5.00pm STIRLING HIGHLAND HOTEL “A killing, a mystery, an enquiry and a conclusion with an element of satisfaction in it”. The ingredients of good crime fiction according to Margery Allingham in the 1940s. But does that recipe still hold true for contemporary crime novels? And do you have to plan it all […]
Saturday 14th September, 6.30pm STIRLING HIGHLAND HOTEL Zoe Sharp‘s Charlie Fox is a gun-toting woman to be reckoned with. A flawed and fascinating character whose outings are thick with action matched with emotional subplot. Join her as she chats with author Julia Crouch about inspiration for her Charlie Fox thrillers. Tickets are £7/£6 concessions and […]
These days there are so many entertainment options out there; hundreds of video channels; streaming movies; computer games; social media, the list goes on. It might seem that books and reading are hard pressed to compete, though I think our industry is in pretty good health. However, the Madrid Book Publishers Association have launched an […]
This year, Virago books celebrate forty years of championing women writers. To celebrate, author Sarah Waters has concocted a little quiz for us book lovers. Click here to see her list of forty quotes from some of Virago’s classics, each one referring to a number between one and forty. I wonder how long she spent […]
In this week’s Stylist, tennis star Maria Sharapova reveals that she loves Sherlock Holmes films and books. So, I have a mind to send her copies of June Thomson‘s brilliant pastiches including Holmes & Watson, The Secret Notebook of Sherlock Holmes, The Secret Archives of Sherlock Holmes, and The Secret Journal of Sherlock Holmes. Now […]
Tuesday 20th August, 7.30pm HEYDON & GREAT CHISHILL WI Join A&B historical novelist Mary Nichols as she talks about her latest book, Escape by Moonlight and her life as a best selling romantic writer. She has been shortlisted for various awards, including the RNA Historical Novel of the Year and has written over twenty novels […]
Friday 16th August, 7.30pm KNARESBOROUGH LIBRARY The husband and wife team of Edward Marston and Judith Cutler have written over 80 crime novels between them, including Peril on the Royal Train and Shadow of the Past. Edward’s speciality is historical crime, with series such as The Home Front Detective, while Judith’s focus is on the […]
One of the first A&B books I worked on when I joined the company was Little Children, by Tom Perrotta, and it remains one of my favourite reads. The trade paperback got rave reviews, the mass market paperback became a Top 10 Bestseller, the novel then hit the big screen in a film starring Kate […]
We never need a reason to talk about one of our most beloved books, the famous memoir War in Val D’Orcia, by Iris Origo which we so proudly publish. This incredibly moving and honest diary was written in secret and recounts a year in the life of writer Iris Origo as she hid orphans and […]
16th – 18th August, St Hilda’s College, OXFORD The 20th annual St Hilda’s Mystery & Crime Weekend. This year’s theme ‘From Here to Eternity’: The Present & Future of Crime Fiction. The conference speakers include A&B’s Martin Edwards, Penelope Evans, and Priscilla Masters will be the after dinner speaker. Their own crime novels include the […]
Friday 16th August, BROADHURST’S BOOKSHOP A&B’s June Francis will be appearing at Broadhurst’s Bookshop in Merseyside as part of the Southport Flower Show. She will signing copies of her latest titles including The Pawnbroker’s Niece and It Had to be You. Full details of the programme are yet to be released so check back for […]
Thursday 15th August, 7pm WATERSTONES DERBY The husband and wife team of Edward Marston and Judith Cutler have written over 80 crime novels between them, including Peril on the Royal Train and Shadow of the Past. Edward’s speciality is historical crime, with series such as The Home Front Detective, while Judith’s focus is on the […]
London is filled with wonderful things, one of which is its huge variety of creative and original art projects. I came across The Love Lettering Project today, created by Lindsay Zier-Vogel, it’s a community arts engagement project that brings love letters to strangers in the form of an anonymous love letter to the city you […]
What do you have planned for this weekend? Watching Wimbledon? Walking the dog? Catching up on some shut-eye? Well, add this to your diary: this Saturday is the launch of Independent Booksellers Week. So, why not pop along to your local indie, or seach here if you’re not sure where they are, and pick up […]
Did you know that this week is National Bookstart Week? This means that thousands of free events will be taking place for preschool children and their families, in the hopes of getting some young ‘uns hooked on books! And to mark the start of this celebration, which this year has a fairy-tale theme, five of […]
I recently discovered something extremely gorgeous, expensive and what I have no need for at all. Which means I must have them. Yes, plural. I am talking about these: These are the Penguin Drop Caps – a series of twenty-six collectible hardcover editions of fine works of literature, each featuring on its cover a specially […]
Over the weekend I went to see World War Z, the new zombie blockbuster starring Brad Pitt, loosely based on the 2006 novel by Max Brooks. ‘Loosely based’ being something of an understatement, as apparently, apart from sharing the same title, the film bears little resemblance to the book. Read more about the differences here… […]