I was brought back to my childhood in a flurry of bright scrabble-shaped letters, music, singing and dancing this weekend when I saw Matilda: The Musical at the Cambridge Theatre. Ronald Dahl has been one of my favourite authors since I could read, or perhaps even before that when my mother read to me. James […]
Thanks to a friend with some tickets to the Country Life Christmas Fair, I’m now well and truly enjoying the festive spirit. Hurry – only forty-odd more days to go! (I’m only half joking.) Anyway, while wondering around the surprisingly cavernous Business Design Centre in Angel (how apt) I found stalls of all shapes and […]
Come and meet author Tania Crosse who will be signing copies of her books, including her latest paperback Hope at Holly Cottage at Waterstone’s in Plymouth on Saturday 26th November, 11.00am – 2.00pm.
Today we celebrate Remembrance Day: the anniversary of the official end to World War One, and this year I seem to have been thinking about it more. One reason is that my other half is currently reading Somme Mud, a first-hand account of Australian infantryman Private Lynch’s experience in the front-line trenches of the Great […]
You don’t know how hard I’m restraining my fingers from tapping out a line on autopilot that the world, his wife and her indolent Pug dog know all to well. So putting aside any truths, universally acknowledged or not, I’m determined to quietly welcome an addition to the Austen continuation shelf from no less an […]
We would love to join in the spirit of Movember, but neither I, nor my colleagues in the A&B office will be sporting a moustache this month. As an all-women office, we’re more inclined to go to great lengths to hide any hint of facial hair, let alone show it off. So, who could we […]
I rarely look through the TV listings in the Sunday papers a) because I think I should limit my time in front of the TV and b) because frankly I find there’s usually very little worth watching. But this week, my negligence in browing the TV listings has meant I’ve missed out on the first […]
The third series of Land Girls, returns to BBC1 for another five episodes – broadcast every day this week at 2.10pm (but you can catch it on iplayer up to ten days after). If you still hanker for more once the series finishes, delve into Julia Stoneham’s Land Girl trilogy: Muddy Boots & Silk Stockings, The Girl at the Farmouse Gate and Alice’s Girls.
It’s the second week in November, which means the moustaches of men throughout the UK must be coming along nicely. Let me explain, in case you haven’t heard of the fundraising fad that is ‘Movember’. During the eleventh month of each year, men register at www.movember.com and commence their attempts to grow the finest moustache. […]
I assume anyone following this blog will agree that bookshops can be pretty amazing places. And in the best of them, you could easily believe that something magical happens when the lights are switched off and the daytime human occupants leave. DIrector Spike Jonze (of Being John Malcovich and Jackass: The Movie fame) has taken […]
On the first of November I left early to fight my way through Oxford Street to see the Christmas Lighting Celebration. It was packed inside the fenced in street, with a crowd stretched from Marks & Spencer to Marble Arch, and it did, indeed, begin to feel like Christmas. Together the crowd sang out ‘Santa […]
The release of the new official Sherlock Holmes novel, The House of Silk, by Antony Horowitz has many people questioning if it will measure up to the great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. But, seeing as I already get my fill of Holmesian escapades with Laurie R King‘s fabulous Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes series, the […]
Don’t miss the opportunity to meet the hugely acclaimed Jacqueline Winspear, author of the New York Times bestselling Maisie Dobbs mystery series, as she visits the UK all the way from California.
I recently discovered that November is National Novel Writing Month, the idea being to write an entire novel in 30 days. The internet project (at NaNoWriMo.org) allows fellow writers to sign up to the challenge, mark their progress, track how many words others have written and, if they’re competitive, try to churn out more words […]
Happy Halloween everyone! Amongst the things I’ve thought about today are: Why is treak or treating just for kids?; shall I make a pumkin soup or pumpkin risotto for dinner tonight?; and what good books have been set on or around Halloween? The only one I could think of was one by the great Tony […]
Time for some end of week laughs. I’m a fan of the irreverently brilliant series Family Guy, a fan of Stewie’s character (the baby) in particular, and my all-time favourite bits have to be Stewie’s monologues about Brian’s novel (that’s Brian the dog). And so I bring you these aforementioned clips from the show… Here’s […]
Saturday 12th November, 11.00am – 3.00 pm WATERSTONE’S, BRACKNELL Don’t miss this chance to chat to author Cassandra Clark! She will be mingling with customers and signing copies of her medieval mystery series featuring Abbess Hildegard of Meaux, including her latest book The Law of Angels at Waterstone’s, 17 Stanley Walk, Bracknell RG12 1HA. For […]
It’s another miserable day: the sky outside is a stubborn steely grey, and rain periodically lashes or drizzles against the A&B office windows. Those of us unlucky enough to have forgotten our umbrellas have reached our desks soggy and displeased, damning our bleak British weather. But perhaps we shouldn’t condemn the precipitation too quickly. Often […]
The printers have just delivered finished copies of The Mapping of Love and Death (out in November) – the upcoming release in the New York Times bestselling Maisie Dobbs series by the much-acclaimed Jacqueline Winspear. (And we’re looking forward to welcoming the author in the offices next week – she’s visiting the UK all the […]
The list of 25 books selected for next year’s World Book Night has now been announced. The public voted for their favourite titles and the final selection was chosen by an editorial committee – mostly booksellers, authors and critics (last year’s committee included Allison & Busby’s co-founder Margaret Busby!). You can see the full 2012 […]
Here in the UK it seems it’s never too early to start thinking about Christmas. We used to wait till after Halloween, but not anymore. As soon as the last heatwave subsides, we need something festive to look forward to so we can get through the winter months. The lights are up on Oxford Street, […]