With the snow falling over London this weekend, I began to think about snow and, of course, its links with the written word. Doing a degree in English Literature taught me that you can take almost any theme, apply it to a few books, and find a wealth of interesting stuff. In literature snow can […]
As we near the end of a week celebrating libraries around the country, culminating tomorrow with special events to mark National Libraries Day (see yesterday’s blog), it seems fitting to highlight the new pop-up library at Selfridges in London (found in the UltraLounge on the Lower Ground floor of the department store). Recently opened as […]
Saturday 25th February, 11.00am WATERSTONE’S, SALISBURY Come and meet historical fiction writer, John Wilcox, who will be signing copies of his new book, The War of the Dragon Lady – the latest in his acclaimed Simon Fonthill series – at Waterstone’s, 7-9 High Street Salisbury SP1 2NJ. For more information call the bookshop […]
Library goers up and down the UK are preparing to mark National Libraries Day on 4 February 2012. It will be the finale to a week of events that will celebrate libraries and librarians, and highlight the importance of reading. For example, in London at Canning Town Library, library users will be able to hear […]
Saturday 11 February, 11.00am – 2.00pm WATERSTONE’S, HARROW Come and meet, Sangeeta Bhargava, author of the captivating debut The World Beyond – a love-story set in exotic India and the perfect gift this Valentine’s! She will be chatting to customers and signing copies her book at her local Waterstone’s 60-62 St. Ann’s Road, Harrow […]
Tomorrow, Picador will be celebrating their 40th Anniversary with the reissue of 12 fiction titles with specially designed covers – all black and white. Those who follow this blog know that I love looking at these ‘sets’…to be honest, it doesn’t mean I will buy them, but I enjoy the aesthetics of looking at all […]
Last week’s issue of Stylist included a list of book adaptations due to hit the big screen this year, and as a frequent cinema-goer, I’m looking forward to quite a few of them. First, on the 10th February, comes eerie horror, The Woman in Black. I haven’t read the book, but I’m quite interested to […]
If you read the title of this blog quickly, don’t worry, I’m not going to enumerate the many and varied ways I’m attempting to get back into something resembling shape this January, though that has unfortunately been a preoccupation of mine these past few, dark weeks. No, what I realized today was that it was […]
I was interested to see some of the different responses online, whether praise or furore, to the news that McDonald’s were giving away Michael Morpurgo’s Mudpuddle Farm books with Happy Meals this month. Read the news here and here. and Perhaps it’s the visualization of a book in the place where you more often find […]
Last week the blog Letters of Note, posted a letter written by author John Steinbeck to his then teenage and love-struck son, Thomas, back in 1958. Although it has been in the public domain since the 1980s, this recent spotlight has shot the letter to sudden fame. It has since been reproduced in last weekend’s […]
Thursday 1 March, 7.30pm SHELDON Enjoy a talk, quiz and dinner and the Teign Valley Literary Supper! Rebecca Tope, author of the hugely popular Cotswold mystery series including the latest release, Deception in the Cotswolds, will be the pre-dinner speaker and the event will take place at Long Barn at Sheldon. Tickets can be obtained […]
Wednesday 7 March, 7.45pm WITHAM LIBRARY As part of the Essex Book Festival, crime-writer Martin Edwards, author of the acclaimed Lake District mysteries, will be the guest speaker at the annual Dorothy L Sayers Society lecture, taking place at Witham Libray, 8 Newland Street Witham, CM8 2AQ. For more […]
Monday 5 March, 2.00pm LLANELLI LIBRARY Come and meet Catrin Collier, author of Bobby’s Girl, who will be at the opening of the new Llanelli Library, Vaughan St Llanelli, SA15 3AS. She will be talking about her books and answering any questions. For more information contact the library on 01554 773538.
Tuesday 14 February, 5.00pm PONTYPRIDD LIBRARY Come and meet Catrin Collier, author of Bobby’s Girl, who will be talking about Pontipridd and the historical aspects of her books at Pontypridd Library, Library Road, Pontypridd, CF37 2DY. This is part of the “Pontypridd – more than just a bridge” series of talks and for more information […]
Thursday 9th February, 6.30pm GOLDSBORO BOOKS, LONDON Come and and celebrate the launch of The War of the Dragon Lady, by John Wilcox – the latest in his acclaimed Fonthill series – at Goldsboro Books, 23-25, Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ. For more information call the bookshop on 0207 497 9230.
There are some covers which are lovely pieces of design in themselves, but don’t actually “sell” the book to the reader. One example I came across recently was the hardback cover to The Art of Fielding, by Chad Harbach. I had seen the book on a table in my local bookstore but it would never […]
Yesterday, as I recently discovered, was the Chinese New Year. The literal translation of its Chinese name is ‘Spring Festival’, and so it marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. I wish it was feeling like spring already, but I’m afraid it’s a bit early for it here in the UK! Nevertheless, […]
You will have noticed that I did not post a blog on Friday. This is because, instead of blogging, I was completing a feat comparable to an Iron Man. Yes, that’s right, I had to move flat. And before you scoff at my hyperbolic analogy, I will explain that this feat involved getting everything done […]
Talk about poor timing. During 2012, the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens’ birth, the Charles Dickens museum in Camden will shut between Easter and Christmas (read more here…) That seems like a very long time to me and a shame considering the attention the man is due to get this year. But then again, we […]
I’m a bit of a sucker for documentaries on the Beeb and honestly think no-one does them better, so I’m getting super-excited about the 3-parter that starts on BBC 2 tonight at 9.30pm. And to make my life complete, it’s all about the Crusades. A truly mesmerising period in history that has spawned a gazillion […]
Literary-themed hashtags sweep Twitter on a seemingly regular basis at the moment. For example, @Foyles runs an almost weekly literary hashtag competition and participation is high. Last week’s chosen theme was #bookrailway and the entry, Now We Are Six Minutes Late, won for its ‘realistic sense of exasperation’! Whether it is driven by procrastination or […]