This week we’ve had some lovely author visits. Yesterday we enjoyed a lovely tea with Emily Winslow and today we had the pleasure of an office lunch with authors Judith Cutler and Edward Marston. Conversation covered all manner of topics from cricket to cruises to capital punishment, as well as the new BBC documentary Penguins […]
So I am reading the final chapters of Colum McCann’s Dancer and I am utterly awe-struck. I remember picking this book up when I was thirteen years old. I was going to dance classes three times a week and was obsessed by anything dance related. But unfortunately the setting of the Soviet Union in 1943 […]
On Monday the final copies of Bitter Greens arrived from the printers. And as we removed the hardbacks from the boxes, the office was soon filled with the squeals and guttural sounds that would usually be associated with, say, watching Ryan Gosling remove his shirt in Crazy, Stupid, Love (or is that just me?) or […]
If your knowledge of Scandinavian crime fiction is limited to Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbø, then a new guide, Nordic Noir, by crime fiction expert Barry Forshaw (editor of Crime Time and reviewer for countless publications including the Independent and The Good Book Guide), looks to change all that. Whilst we regularly mention books from […]
Thursday 28th February, 7:30pm, MIDDLETON CHENEY LIBRARY, OX17 2PD Join A&B author Adrian Magson to chat about all things crime-related and his fantastic Inspector Lucas Rocco series, Death on the Marais, Death on the Pont Noir and the upcoming Death on the Rive Nord. Adrian has also written stories for BBC radio and has been […]
There are times when I can’t physically read a book (at the gym; squashed like a sardine on the train or tube; the radio is even on as I fall asleep) but, easily bored person that I am, I must have an audio book or similar on the go at these times. Almost as good […]
The weekend draws near, and for the next two days I will try to avoid looking at a computer. But before I shut off from the online world I’ll leave you with my top three picks from the web today: #1 The New York Times – Maurice Sendak’s posthumous book My favourite books as a […]
Today, we lunched with author D E Meredith, and conversation turned (inevitably) to Valentine’s Day. Some people celebrate it (eg. Susie and Lesley) and others don’t (eg. D E Meredith and I), but we agreed that it’s definitely a more female-led celebration. (Spot the panic-stricken faces of men across of the country as they question […]
There’s been lots of commentary in the past week over the new Faber edition of The Bell Jar. Sara contributed with her post here and Faber posted a very evenhanded response. Another week, and another cover controversy dawned, proving again how fiercely readers hold books and characters dear to them. Do you remember Anne of […]
This week most people are either looking forward to Valentine’s Day or trying to ignore it. Me, I’m looking past it at something much more important – today is Pancake Day. I really hope someone reading this blog has forgotten this fact and now joyfully realises they have an excuse to gorge themselves on sweet […]
Wednesday 20th March, 7:30pm, MAIDENHEAD LIBRARY Join two of A&B’s celebrated authors, Edward Marston and Judith Cutler at the Festival of Crime Writing 2013 at St Ives Rd Maidenhead, SL6 1QU. Edward Marston, the master of historical crime fiction, has written over 70 novels including the bestselling Railway Detective series and the brand new Home front […]
I am approaching a very special time in every girl’s life – the moment she purchases her first bookcase. My book collection has been very neatly stacked in my grandmother’s beautiful tapestry suitcases and positioned around the room. But my books just seem to be multiplying and now they’re creeping around the room forming mischievous […]
The champers is out!! Today we celebrate the wonderful news that Glass Houses, by Rachel Caine – the first book in the bestselling Morganville Vampire series, has been voted the most popular book with school children in the UK! Read more here… What a wonderful way to end the week! Chiara Priorelli, Publiicty & […]
Glass Houses, by Rachel Caine – the first book in the Morganville Vampire series – has officially been voted the most popular book with children in the UK today.
E-books, e-books, e-books. It’s unsurprisingly the biggest topic in the publishing industry at the moment, with more books being published only in e-book format, the ongoing debate about 20p e-book offers, and the natural worries of how e-books will affect the future of the bookshop… My question to you e-book readers out there is, are […]
Thursday 11th April, 8pm, VILLAGE HALL WITCHAM 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. Mary has been shortlisted for various awards and has written over twenty novels as well as articles for newspapers and magazines. Grab yourself […]
Saturday 18th May, 2:30pm, Fowey Festival of Words & Music, Fowey Town Hall, CORNWALL From Quill Pen to E-book: The Story of a Writer Born in Lancashire, bestselling A&B author Freda Lightfoot lived in Fowey for 14 years where she ran a gift shop, scribbling away between customers. She has now built a house in […]
Thursday 21st March, 7pm BRIDGNORTH LIBRARY Celebrate author Mary Nichol’s success at being shortlisted for the RNA Historical Romance Novel of the year for The Kirilov Star and listen as she talks about her latest novel Escape by Moonlight, a WWII romance set in Norfolk in 1939 that follows the loves and losses of the […]
Wednesday 20th March, 8pm, WOMEN’S INSTITUTE, SHREWSBURY Meet celebrated historical novelist Mary Nichols as she talks about her latest book Escape by Moonlight, due to be published in March. Mary has recently been shortlisted for the RNA‘s Historical Romance Novel of the year for The Kirilov Star so celebrate with her at the Women’s Institute, […]
Often on this blog we showcase some of the book covers we love, whether they’re our own designs or have simply caught our eye in a book store. This week, I’m afraid, the book cover occupying my mind is one I personally dislike – and it seems I’m not alone. The recent reissue of Sylvia Plath’s The […]
If you’re like me, you can sometimes picture yourself back on holiday by simlply conjuring up the book you were reading while lounging on the beach, or while catching a connecting flight. A mention of Joyce Carol Oates will make me recall reading We Were the Mulvaneys on a blissful week in Greece. The last […]