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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Amazon already gives Prime customers access to a Kindle lending library, allowing the user to "borrow" books each month. But for some of the more voracious types, this may not provide enough material for a month's worth of entertainment. For those customers, the retail giant has unveiled Kindle... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2014-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Katherine Armstrong, newly-appointed associate crime editor at Faber, has signed UK and... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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These may be grim times at Microsoft, but co-founder Bill Gates seems to be having a good time in his semi-retirement (he resigned as chairman in February, though he retains a technical-advisor role). Lately, he's been posting entertaining videos to his personal YouTube channel, thegatesnotes,... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2014-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's new subscription ebook plan includes more than 600,000 titles, but no major publishers. Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2014-07-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Belinda Bauer has won the £3,000 Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award for... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-07-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Led by book format comics with $415 million in sales, the North American comics and graphic novel marketplace generated $870 million in sales in 2013, according to a new estimate by ICV2 and Comichron. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After months of wielding the stick, Amazon is trying the carrot—or at least pretending to—in its feud with Hachette over ebook pricing. Early this week, it sent a letter to “a few authors and agents” with a sugarcoated proposal to “take authors out of the middle” of the dispute. So long as... Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2014-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Here’s a twist on the familiar genre of the chef cookbook: rather than recreating restaurant dishes, chefs are sharing their secrets for cooking at home. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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This week, chef/author John Currence takes home a SIBA award for 'Pickles, Pigs & Whiskey,' and the authors of 'Sweet Mandarin Cookbook' cook for the British Prime Minister and Chinese Premier. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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First-time cookbook authors Kimberley Hasselbrink and Anya Kassoff describe what “vibrant” food means to them and suggest perfect height-of-summer meals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-07-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. Colombia's High-Tech... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2014-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Childrens Laureate enthusiastic about children reading digitally but thinks publishers should proceed with cautionAuthor and Childrens Laureate Malorie Blackman is enthusiastic about the potential for children to read books digitally, but thinks the publishing industry should proceed with... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-07-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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IBM and Bon Appetit Magazine have entered into a cookbook and big data partnership. Here's why cooking and food are so important for big data. This article contains interviews with Steve Abrams, IBM Watson Group Director and Stacey Rivera, Bon Appetit Digital Director.Read Full Story Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2014-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It may surprise many Americans, but German authors are paid to read in bookstores, have access to numerous fellowships and discounted health insurance. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-07-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Novelist Denise Mina is in the running to win the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-06-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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US-based author Charlie Lovett’s The Bookman’s Tale (Alma Books) has been crowned the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A publishing dinner party in Berlin went glum as six independent publishers learned they would suddenly have a new distributor, a result of Hachette's acquisition of Perseus. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books do furnish a room, but according to many in the publishing industry, the fear is that emails, online video texts and tweets will prevent them being read. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2014-06-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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To mark Hello Kitty’s 40th anniversary, licensor Sanrio and its publishing licensees are planning the first Hello Kitty Reading Day this fall. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Six publishers have volunteered for a night in the cells, fundraising for campaign against limits on prisoners' entitlement to booksThere's more than one sort of porridge, as any lag would tell you. Profile Books publisher Andrew Franklin opted for the lumpier kind when he volunteered to spend... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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