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 ]
Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens. Nikki Giovanni’s slightly raspy, slightly sibilant voice draws listeners into Make Me Rain,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-27 11:56:49 UTC ]
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Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens. Looking for something to entertain younger listeners—or the whole family? Host Jo Reed and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-27 08:59:06 UTC ]
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Sphere has announced that actor Allan Corduner will narrate the audiobook of Parting Words by 100-year-old human rights lawyer Benjamin Ferencz. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-26 03:14:54 UTC ]
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Red Wheel/Weiser, a publisher of titles on mind-body-spirit and the occult, is joining with Dreamscape Media, an audio book production house and distributor, to launch Red Wheel Audio, a multi-year audiobook program. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-11-24 05:00:00 UTC ]
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“A spoonful of honey makes the medicine go down,” says S. A. Cosby on the appeal of thrillers. The medicine he’s referring to is themes like racism, poverty, and income inequality woven throughout his debut novel, Blacktop Wasteland. “It’s easier to talk about those things,” Cosby says, “if... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-23 09:48:50 UTC ]
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Hesitant UK and US publishers need to move into audiobook streaming to stay relevant, and maintain premium pricing in the face of interest from music services such as Spotify, Storytel's c.e.o. Jonas Tellander has warned. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-18 09:52:56 UTC ]
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Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten share their thoughts on Robert Harris’s latest... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-17 17:16:17 UTC ]
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Harry Potter actor Rupert Grint racked up a million followers in just over four hours. Continue reading at BBC World
[ BBC World | 2020-11-17 16:59:20 UTC ]
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David Walliams and Tony Ross' Code Name Bananas (HarperCollins) has swung into a second week in the UK Official Top 50 number one spot. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-17 15:53:00 UTC ]
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The audiobook sector's boom means it will be able to accommodate Spotify's move into the market but publishers are still only just realising the sector's potential, Bookwire's Videl Bar-Kar has said. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-16 19:16:13 UTC ]
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The portrayal of Santa’s Moor servant ‘Zwarte Piet’ is widely seen as offensive. Protesters applaud the decision to remove the character from children’s books Public libraries across the Netherlands are removing from the shelves children’s books depicting a black-faced Zwarte Piet, a side-kick... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-11-15 10:10:52 UTC ]
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Printed book sales plunge in first six months of 2020 on back of shop and school closuresSee all our coronavirus coverageSales of digital books by British publishers are set to hit an all-time high this year as the public turns to reading to escape pandemic cabin fever.However, the ebook and... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-11-14 07:00:02 UTC ]
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What is Chirp? How does it differ from other services like Audible? And, is it worth getting? Learn more in our Chirp audiobooks review! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2020-11-13 11:34:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams and Tony Ross' Code Name Bananas (HarperCollins) has bounced up five places to claim the Amazon Charts' Most-Sold: Fiction number one spot, in the same week it sold 89,558 copies through Nielsen BookScan's TCM. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-10 16:20:16 UTC ]
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David Walliams and Tony Ross' Code Name Bananas (HarperCollins) has gone straight to the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, with 89,558 copies sold. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-10 00:49:03 UTC ]
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Blue Ivy Carter, the 8-year-old daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, narrates the audiobook adaptation of Matthew A. Cherry's Oscar-winning "Hair Love." Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-11-09 19:42:28 UTC ]
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Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens. Vivienne Leheny’s narration captures each character’s outward persona and true self in... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-09 18:14:36 UTC ]
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Do you feel old yet? If the answer is yes, then join the club! Today, director and author Matthew A. Cherry announced via Twitter that Blue Ivy Carter (that’s right: Beyoncé and Jay Z’s eight-year-old daughter) is the narrator of the audiobook adaptation of his 2019 animated short film Hair... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-11-09 18:06:17 UTC ]
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Actor has announced he will be exiting the Harry Potter prequel series after losing his libel case over allegations of assault towards ex-wife Amber HeardJohnny Depp is set to exit the Fantastic Beasts franchise after being asked to resign by Warner Bros.The actor announced the decision in a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2020-11-06 16:53:04 UTC ]
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Richard Osman's debut crime novel The Thursday Murder Club (Viking) has been named W H Smith's Book of the Year for 2020. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-11-05 01:31:10 UTC ]
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