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 ]
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Author Jojo Moyes has pledged to save Quick Reads from closure by funding the adult literacy programme for the next three years. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Waterstones' crime buyer and noir novelist Joseph Knobbs is leaving the company after almost a decade to become a full-time writer. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A slim, hand-stitched chapbook called 'Against Amazon' has slowly but surely began circulating among independent booksellers. They have Biblioasis, a publisher based in Windsor, Ontario, to thank for that. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Unbound has started a reading club offering benefits such as free ebooks, special events and free shipping. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-05-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Magnolia Table,' cookbook by the star of HGTV mega-hit 'Fixer Upper,' sold more than 169,000 copies in its first week on sale. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hachette Book Group only reduced its carbon footprint by 2% last year—but every sheet of paper it used came from certified sources. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-04-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Targeting a niche in the thriving audiobook market, Triangle Interactive has released an initial list of 1,000 English and Spanish-language children's ebooks from a variety of publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-04-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The book trade has reacted with shock and dismay to the “tragedy” that Quick Reads has been scrapped for next year after organisers struggled to find sponsorship. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PBS kicked off 'The Great American Read,' its forthcoming eight-episode documentary on reading in American Culture, by revealing the show’s list of America’s 100 best loved books in front of a lively crowd at the Morgan Library in Midtown Manhattan Friday morning. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The loss of quick reads, which is treasured by many, will isolate parents and continue the nation’s literacy lull, argues Baroness Rebuck DBE. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The adult literacy campaign Quick Reads is wrapping up after 12 years due to lack of funding, The Bookseller can reveal. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A fast-updating ticker from Amazon Charts is displaying how many pages have been read in nine prominent translations curated by the editors of AmazonCrossing. These #readtheworld titles can be downloaded free through April 24 in recognition of World Book Day. By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-04-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A debut author has hit back after her novel was criticised in an Observer review, which has become the focus of a debate on social media. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW library columnist Sari Feldman on how putting books first has proven to be a winning strategy for her library. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Increasing the number of children and families who enjoy reading is the Holy Grail for BookTrust and the book trade. New research shines a light on why children read (and why others don’t read), and the findings could be transformative, says Diana Gerald. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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While working on a recent story about hate speech spread by telephone in the ’60s and ’70s, I came across an interesting book that had been digitized by Google Books. Unfortunately, while it was a transcript of a Congressional hearing, and therefore should be in the public domain and not subject... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2018-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An ambitious cultural exchange backed by Arts Council England saw illustrators from the Market Focus countries and the UK collaborate on a book brief, the fruits of which are displayed in an exhibition that opened yesterday. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sphere has acquired the exclusive world English-language publishing licence for “The Great British Bake Off” through The Blair Partnership, acting on behalf of Love Productions. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ten years in operation, the Etisalat Award for Arabic Children's Literature is among the world's highest paying prizes in the field, just as Canada's Cundill Prize is in history awards. The post Awards: UAE’s Etisalat, Canada’s Cundill, and USA’s Sisters in Crime Open for Submissions appeared... Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2018-04-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Absolute Press will publish a cookbook from food writer and “passionate advocate for Burmese cuisine” MiMi Aye. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-04-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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