Cosy crime, cookbooks and a surprise hit: what we’ve really read in the pandemic

It was a chance to finally get around to Tolstoy or Proust, but the charts tell a different story. Which books did we actually turn to in the lockdowns? • Let us know in the comments what you were reading Back in spring 2020, when it became clear that coronavirus wasn’t going away, book lovers spied an opportunity for a rare, government-mandated reading holiday. Here, at last, was a chance to have a go at Tolstoy’s War and Peace and Proust’s In Search of Lost Time. Robert Macfarlane reported that he was working his way through the great Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh. Ali Smith urged readers towards Boccaccio’s Decameron. Diana Evans’s thoughts turned “heavenwards” by way of Homer’s Odyssey. I downloaded 27 hours of The Brothers Karamazov audiobook in anticipation.All lovely ideas. With 20 months of hindsight, however, which books did we actually end up turning to? The bestseller lists from the three different lockdowns may not tell you the contents of Britain’s soul, but then again, the numbers do not lie. We read: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. Sophie Hinchliffe’s Mrs Hinch: The Little Book of Lists. Lots of David Walliams, who topped the Lockdown 1 and Lockdown 2 charts with Slime and Code Name Bananas respectively. JK Rowling: the first three Harry Potter books steadily rose up the charts through the pandemic. Joe Wicks. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. A Pinch of Nom, plus spin-offs. Sally Rooney’s Normal People. Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Why I’m No Longer... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2021-12-11 09:00:06 UTC ]
News tagged with: #lost time #diana evans #richard osman #mrs hinch #david walliams #jk rowling #joe wicks #sally rooney #normal people #reni eddo-lodge #longer talking #white people #harry potter #bestseller lists #audiobook

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Cosy crime, cookbooks and a surprise hit: what we’ve really read in the pandemic'

Cosy crime, cookbooks and a surprise hit: what we’ve really read in the pandemic

It was a chance to finally get around to Tolstoy or Proust, but the charts tell a different story. Which books did we actually turn to in the lockdowns? • Let us know in the comments what you were reading Back in spring 2020, when it became clear that coronavirus wasn’t going away, book lovers... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-12-11 09:00:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #lost time #diana evans #richard osman #mrs hinch #david walliams #jk rowling #joe wicks #sally rooney #normal people #reni eddo-lodge #longer talking #white people #harry potter #bestseller lists #audiobook

Bloomsbury has transformed 'surprisingly well' despite severity of pandemic hit, says Newton

Bloomsbury chief executive Nigel Newton has said the beginning of the pandemic had a severely negative impact on Bloomsbury's sales, but that overall the company had "transformed surprisingly well". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-02 01:56:06 UTC ]
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‘The crime writer crime writers read’: Garry Disher, author of 60 books and finding fame in his 70s

The Australian author is ‘incredibly influential’, but has had to survive decades of ‘cultural cringe’ and genre snobbery to make finally ‘a decent sort of living’Before parched and dusty towns across Australia became full of fictional sinister people; before the explosion of outback noir and... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-04-05 23:00:18 UTC ]
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Five Folklorists You’ve Never Heard Of: A Reading List of Overlooked Fairy Tales

I have imbibed fairy tales ever since I was six years old. I used to sneak into the public library and scatter several books on the floor to read, even if I couldn’t read them. My mother used to read the Grimms and Andersen tales aloud to me every night until I could read them […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-06 08:53:02 UTC ]
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Hitting the Books: Summer reading list

More than a million new titles are published annually in the US, far more than even the most bibliophilic secret agent could get through. Even with a weekly publishing schedule, we can only bring you 52 Hitting the Books each year. To help shine a spotlight on all the fantastic stories that... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2022-06-22 17:30:23 UTC ]
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Review: Kathryn Davis turned grief into a glimmering memoir like none you've ever read

The novelist Kathryn Davis' memoir, 'Aurelia, Aurélia," is a Virginia Woolf-inspired whoosh of experiences in the aftermath of her husband's death. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-03-01 18:31:42 UTC ]
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Femi Kayode | 'I've gotten a bit frustrated by the Western-model of crime fiction'

Femi Kayode’s début novel, which is based on the real-life lynching of four undergraduates in Nigeria, is the first title in a forthcoming series from Raven Books. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-16 02:03:47 UTC ]
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Osman named 2021's number one bestseller as TV star’s cosy crime titles set the tills alight

Richard Osman claims the crown for the bestselling book of 2021 ahead of Charlie Mackesy, although the top-line figures are once again affected by some data blackouts owing to lockdowns. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-06 06:20:57 UTC ]
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Amazon Publishing’s Eoin Purcell: ‘Surprise Books’ and Other Pandemic Effects

Ongoing pandemic market conditions for Amazon Publishing in London, Eoin Purcell says, reflect 'intensity' in entertainment consumption. The post Amazon Publishing’s Eoin Purcell: ‘Surprise Books’ and Other Pandemic Effects appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-11-15 15:50:12 UTC ]
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Cosy crime expands market for dark thrillers with both booming, editors and agents say

Cosy crime has boomed in the last year but there is still space for the psychological thriller, according to agents and editors, who describe a general appetite for crime and escapism that has flourished under lockdown.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-08 15:43:41 UTC ]
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Another Pandemic Surprise: A Mini Indie Bookstore Boom

Though Covid-19 isn't going anywhere and challenges remain, new independent bookstores are opening up and doing well. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-15 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Big Picture: Reading Historical Fiction During a Global Pandemic

Historical fiction can remind us that these "unprecedented" times are anything but. Here's what they can teach us about our current crisis. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-10-13 10:38:00 UTC ]
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Now that you’ve read ‘The Last Thing He Told Me,’ let’s talk about the ending

Laura Dave’s suspense novel is impossible to put down. But how satisfying is that conclusion? Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-08-12 13:00:00 UTC ]
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Phaidon made further loss in 2020 as pandemic hit revenue

Phaidon made an operating loss of £1.3m in the year ending June 30th 2020, a 33% bigger loss than the previous year, due to the "adverse effects" of multiple national lockdowns, according to accounts filed at Companies House.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-16 04:54:45 UTC ]
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OUP turnover falls as pandemic hits

Oxford University Press recorded turnover of £754.5m in the 12 months to the end of March 2021, a 10.7% decrease on the previous year (£844.9m) and a decline of 8.6% at constant exchange rates.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-15 12:22:06 UTC ]
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‘B-Side Books’ adds to your must-read stack with the best books you’ve never heard of

Launched in 2017, the essay series celebrates literature of “unsung, under-recognized genius.” Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-06-10 12:53:00 UTC ]
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‘Brood,’ a quiet meditation on the small stuff, makes for a perfect pandemic read

Jackie Polzin’s novel finds the joy in raising chickens, baking — even cleaning. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2021-03-05 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Debut fiction did well in pandemic-hit 2020

Debut novelists performed solidly last year, despite widespread fears that they would lose out to more established authors due to 2020's pandemic-hit publishing schedules.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-01-14 13:16:53 UTC ]
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Riot Recommendation: 53 of the Most Outstanding Short Stories You’ve Read

We asked for your favorite short stories and got a long list! Here are 53 of the most outstanding short stories our readers have read. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-11-02 11:31:00 UTC ]
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Pandemic-hit Brontë Parsonage seeks to raise funds

The future of the Brontë Parsonage Museum is at risk following an estimated loss of £500,000 during lockdown, the Brontë Society has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-09-01 03:33:28 UTC ]
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