The series design for the D I Charlie Priest crime novels by Stuart Pawson have undergone various changes over the years. First we had the rather dark look… Then we had the bottom-half-white look… Then we played with a monochrome design…. And now we’ve gone with a more eye-catching urban style… What do you think […]
Talk about the internet and inevitably the words “there is just so much out there” will crop up in conversation. It’s a fact – trawling the web can be truly overwhelming…which is why I particularly love the last page in Easy Living magazine where they select websites that have caught their eye that particular month, […]
It struck me last week that the last four books I had read had been digital editions. They were downloaded to my iPhone either through Kobo’s app, a handy PDF reader that has meant I’ve read some upcoming A&B titles before they’ve gone to print, and finally through my new discovery of the Overdrive Media […]
Nothing like a bit of self-analysis to distract one from replying to very important emails. This little gem made itself known to me on Twitter (source of many time-wasting titbits). Simply insert your latest blog, chapter of your unfinished book or whatever sample of writing you have to hand, and discover which famous author’s style […]
Wednesday 13th April, 4.00pm LUDLOW Hosted by Castle Bookshop, enjoy afternoon tea with historical mystery writer Edward Marston, in conversation with Kate Charles, at a private venue in Ludlow, Shropshire. Marston will be signing copies of his bestselling Railway Detective books including the new releases Railway to the Grave and Blood on the Line. […]
My summary of War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy continues… Book Seven If Tolstoy had ever written a brochure for the Russian tourist board, book seven would surely be it. Called home to help sort out his family’s dire financial problems (don’t be deceived by their owning several houses, thousands of serfs and, thanks to […]
Horror of horrors, I had to endure the journey home last week with no book to read, and there’s only so many times I can play solitare on my phone, you know. To add to my chagrin, the cover to the book being read by the woman opposite me was familiar in a niggling way […]
Amanda Hocking. I am fascinated by this author. She is 26 years old and has self-published her books. Her sales are in the hundreds of thousands (various sources quote numbers from 185,000 to 500,000) and the overwhelming majority of these sales are e-books. Film rights have been optioned for her Trylle series and she is […]
A new series Snapped: Women Who Kill starts tonight on the Crime and Investigation Network chronicling the lives of seemingly ordinary women who suddenly became killers. Looking at various cases such as Tracey Andrewes, who stabbed her fiancé thirty times with a pen-knife after an argument whilst driving home, and Lady Sarah Ferguson’s aide who […]
Today marks the start of a weekend of events in Newcastle to celebrate 40 years since Get Carter, the novel by Ted Lewis, was immortalised on screen. It has become one of the most iconic films in British cinema, starring Michael Caine in the lead role of Jack Carter as he goes on a rampage […]
My summary of War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy continues… Book Six In Book Five, as you studious little blog-followers no doubt remember, quite a lot of good ink was spilt telling the tale of how Pierre sought to pull himself out of the mire adulterous Helene had sunk him in. Well, you’ll be happy […]
I love it when the public is asked to take part in competitions to showcase their creativity – giving a voice to so many talented individuals that might otherwise go unnoticed. So for today’s Wednesday Cover Story, I am delighted to flag up the fact that Vintage Classics are sponsoring The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition […]
There were hundreds of articles, programmes and events celebrating World Book Night on Saturday but here are just a few that caught our attention for one reason or another… THE EVENT A&B’s editorial administrator, Georgina Phipps, attended the World Book Night event at the Royal Festival Hall featuring readings from various authors and here are […]
Ah, Lent approaches, so we’ll all be clearing out the rich food and other indulgences then? Well, maybe not, but in a nod to past traditions there will certainly be pancakes aplenty chez Crooks tomorrow night – to celebrate Shrove Tuesday, aka Pancake Day! And if pancakes weren’t great enough, chuck doing-some-good-for-charity into the batter-mix […]
Voting is now open for the The Bookseller’s Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year. Esteemed diarist of The Bookseller, Mr Horace Bent, has whittled down no doubt a long list of contenders to a very deserving shortlist including the following: 8th International Friction Stir Welding Symposium Proceedings Various authors (TWI) The Generosity of […]
A new exhibition is opening tomorrow at the Apthorp Gallery at artsdepot entitled Blue Suede Shoes by a group of artists who go by the collective name Gumbo. “Using the well known phrase ‘Blue Suede shoes’ as a starting point, these artists played a game of ‘pass it on’ to produce a sequence of new […]
Saturday 19th March, 1.00pm – 1.45pm DE MONTFORD UNIVERSITY, LEICESTER This is your chance to hear from some of the writers shortlisted for the East Midlands Book Awards. As part of the all-day States of Independence event, author Adrian Magson (reading from his crime novel Death on the Marais) will be joined by Maria Allen, […]
There was a very interesting programme on book cover design on BBC4 earlier this week – part of the series The Beauty of Books. This particular episode, entitled Paperback Writer, examines how the paperback format ‘democratized reading in the 20th century’ and how cover design became an essential tool for selling books to the mass […]
I was about fifteen the last time I came across an Alan Ayckbourn play. GCSE Drama had many highlights (playing with sound effect tapes, silly drama games, a trip to see Saturday Night Fever with afro wigs all stand out in my memory) but I did thoroughly enjoy a performance we did from Ayckbourn’s Confusions […]
Our office is just down the road from one of the few remaining Georgian workhouses in London – the Cleveland Street Workhouse. However, it is currently under threat, as plans are in place to have it demolished. University College London Hospital wants to knock it down and erect an 11-storey modern building in its place. […]
Today, on my usual lunch-time wander, I passed the Rebecca Hossack Gallery on Charlotte Street. who happened to be having a one-day sale of some of their artists’ work. The display included a few pieces from Adam Barrow‘s limited edition Letters and Months series – quirky collages made up of postage stamps and iconic images […]