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'


A Stellar New Fantasy Novel and 4 Other Books We’re Reading This Month

This month, we’re balancing some quick reads---a Jonathan Franzen-blessed debut and a slim companion volume from one of our favorite new(-ish) fantasy writers---with Walter Isaacson’s latest blockbuster on the history of technological innovation, along with a few other selections. Attention,... Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2014-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #month appeared #walter isaacson


Harris and May win at Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards

Robert Harris (pictured) and Peter May were among the winners at the Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards 2014. The awards, held on Friday (24th October) at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, included accolades for books as well as for film and television. Harris won the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


iBooks Bestsellers: Picoult Hits #2

'Leaving Time,' the latest from Jodi Picoult, came in at #2 on Apple’s iBooks bestseller list for the week ended October 20. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ibooks bestsellers #leaving time #jodi picoult


TV Show Cookbooks, the Fall Lineup

In October, three new cookbooks based on hit TV shows will help you take your fandom to the next level—into the kitchen. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Avon signs cozy crime from Bennet

Avon has signed up the first in a series of cozy crime mysteries featuring Monty, a crime solving dog and his adopted owner Asha Sidebottom. Katy Loftus signed UK and Commonwealth rights in Monty and Me by Louisa Bennet from Philip Patterson at Marjacq Scripts. Bennet is a pseudonym for... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-10-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #philip patterson #marjacq scripts #thriller writer #wrong direction


Clooney surprises New York Comic-Con

Hollywood newly-wed George Clooney surprises fans at a New York comic book convention by turning up to promote his upcoming Disney fantasy film. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2014-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #york comic-con


Audio Hits the Road

On Labor Day weekend, the Audio Publishers Association kicked off what the organization called its “biggest-ever consumer awareness campaign." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


Wimpy Kid Series to Hit 150M in Print

With the November 4 publication of the next Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, 'The Long Haul,' Jeff Kinney's series will surpass 150 million copies in print worldwide. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #long haul #jeff kinney


Canadian Authors Hit by Hachette-Amazon War

Canadian authors say the Hachette-Amazon fight is hurting U.S. sales, particularly for writers looking to break into the American market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #canadian authors #american market


Surprising Range: Religion Publishing in Minnesota

The Midwest is home to many religion specialty publishers, across the full spectrum of faiths. Often publishing houses spring up because of the migration of certain ethnic and religious groups to the center of the country, but sometimes the reasons are more serendipitous. Minnesota, for example,... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #religion publishing #full spectrum


Make a Cronut at Home: New Cookbooks from NYC Bakeries

Dominique Ansel reveals how to make a Cronut at home in 'Dominique Ansel: The Secret Recipes.' It's one of three books from New York-based bakeries coming this month. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #dominique ansel


Religion Update Fall 2014: Biblical Scholarship - Old Characters, Fresh Readings

There’s a scene early in the recent film Noah in which Noah plants a seed from the garden of Eden. It sprouts and spreads into a lush and glorious forest as quickly as critics scrambled to find biblical precedent. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |


iBooks Bestsellers: 'Killing Patton' Hits #2

'Killing Patton,' the fourth installment in Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard’s Killing series, debuted on Apple’s bestseller list at #2 for the week ended September 28. T Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-10-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ibooks bestsellers #killing patton #hits #2 #fourth installment #martin dugard #killing series #bestseller list


Islamic Spiritual Publisher Gets into Cookbooks

Six years after Blue Dome launched in the United States to publish books on Islamic spirituality, history, and art, it has added a new category to its list: cooking. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #publish books


As Genre Shows Go Mainstream, TV Execs Are Looking to Novelists for the Next Hit

TV network options on books have exploded. Publishers Lunch, a trade that tracks book industry deals, lists an ever-increasing number of television options over the last few years, with 2013 setting the record and this year looking good. And with massive success stories like Game of Thrones... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2014-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bbc america #lev grossman


Biteback buys Trierweiler's hit memoir

Biteback has signed UK and Commonwealth rights to the memoir of Valérie Trierweiler, the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #signed uk


JukePop Hits Kickstarter for Funding

JukePop, an ebook platform that provides book discovery for self-published authors by offering libraries and traditional publishers the ability to identify popular indie works, has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $15,000. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-09-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ebook platform #book discovery #self-published authors #traditional publishers #kickstarter campaign #raise $15


New Nigella cookbook to Chatto

Chatto & Windus has acquired an "uplifting" new book by Nigella Lawson for autumn... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-09-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #chatto windus #nigella lawson


Celebrate the Week: Read a Banned Book!

September 21-27 is Banned Books Week. Here we offer a list of titles that have been challenged, restricted, removed, or banned in 2013 and 2014. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-09-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #banned book


PIPCU shuts down On Read

E-book download site On Read has been shut down by the City of London's Police Intellectual... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2014-09-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |