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 ]
In her third novel, “Beautiful World, Where Are You,” the Irish author observes her unhappy young protagonists from a notable distance. Continue reading at New Yorker
[ New Yorker | 2021-09-10 10:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Traveling with young children is like trying to turn a cruise ship: It’s cumbersome, takes a significant amount of planning and requires a team effort. Because I apparently lack any amount of common sense, I recently took a 3,000-mile RV trip with my partner and two toddlers. Traveling with... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2021-09-01 12:30:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Booming audiobook sales and strong performances in some of its largest markets boosted profits up 55.1% at Penguin Random House in the first six months of 2021. Revenue rose 10.9%, to €1.80 billion. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Now might be a good time to buy an e-reader for school — or that end-of-summer vacation. Amazon has cut the price of the ad-supported 8GB Kindle Paperwhite to an all-time low of $71 in a one-day-only sale, well below the official $130 sticker. That's lower than what we saw just two weeks... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2021-08-29 15:44:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Many shops plan to open early for the arrival of Sally Rooney’s latest novel, Beautiful World, Where Are You next monthWhen they were children they lined the streets in their witch hats and capes, keen to pick up the latest Harry Potter title as bookshops opened their doors at midnight. Now they... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-08-28 15:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Weruche Opia, best known for her role in Michaela Coel’s Bafta-winning series "I May Destroy You", will read the audiobook of the Nigerian essay collection Of This Our Country (The Borough Press) alongside fellow actor Oseloka Obi. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-26 15:58:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Cambridge University Press is to release an audiobook featuring all of Shakespeares sonnets, narrated by Lolita Chakrabarti and Kenneth Branagh. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-25 16:30:36 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Audible is releasing an audiobook of Peter Kay’s record-breaking autobiography The Sound of Laughter in September with two new and exclusive bonus chapters. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-25 06:53:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club (Penguin) has claimed its seventh week in the UK Official Top 50 number one spot in paperback, selling 15,353 copies last week. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-24 07:26:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Independent audiobook publisher W F Howes has landed rights to Val McDermid's new Allie Burns series, releasing the first of five audiobooks this week. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-20 14:12:25 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Durham's annual literary festival will be headlined by authors including Lemn Sissay, Richard Osman and Leïla Slimani, as the event pivots to a hybrid model following last year's fully digital experience. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-19 05:59:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Emmy award-winning Scottish actor Brian Cox has been confirmed as the audiobook reader for The Dark Remains, the new novel by Ian Rankin and William McIlvanney, published by Canongate. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-18 21:48:07 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club (Penguin) has topped all but one of the UK's regional bestseller charts, with only Central Scotland crowning Douglas Stuart's Booker-winner Shuggie Bain (Picador) instead. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-18 02:44:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Over the last decade there has been a push towards better representation in visual media. While movies and television have provided more examples of non-white characters in key roles, there has also been an uptick in linguistic diversity in film. Movies like Lulu Wang’s The Farewell, which slips... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2021-08-17 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club (Penguin) has bounced back to the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, for an 11th week in total and a sixth week in paperback. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-16 16:44:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Maggie O'Farrell, Colson Whitehead, Richard Osman and Leila Slimani are among authors confirmed for the Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival this year. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-12 10:43:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Bloomsbury has announced plans for a year-long campaign celebrating the 25th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J K Rowling in 2022. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-12 04:16:37 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Book subscription box OwlCrate has reversed their decision to no longer carry Harry Potter merchandise due to JK Rowling's transphobia. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-08-11 17:30:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Now that many kids are about to go back to school, Google thinks it can offer a helping hand — including after class. It's introducing Assistant and search features to help parents coordinate in morning and kids to learn more (or at least, stay entertained). To start, Family Bell is coming to... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2021-08-11 16:00:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Dawn French will narrate an audiobook edition of Giles Andreae’s I Love My… picture books for Bolinda, the first time any of the series will be produced in audio. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-07-28 01:59:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this