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 ]

Other news stories related to: "Cosy crime, cookbooks and a surprise hit: what we’ve really read in the pandemic"


Harry Potter named favourite Blue Peter Book Award winner of last 20 years

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Bloomsbury) has been voted viewers’ favourite Blue Peter Book Award winner of the last 20 years, while Amanda Li’s Rise Up (Buster) and Vashti Hardy’s Wildspark (Scholastic) have also won prizes. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-05 02:44:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Lucy Ellmann’s 45-Hour Audiobook

Actress Stephanie Ellyne narrates the audiobook version of Lucy Ellmann's Ducks, Newburyport, which spans 45 hours and 34 minutes. The post Lucy Ellmann’s 45-Hour Audiobook appeared first on The Millions. Continue reading at The Millions

[ The Millions | 2020-03-04 21:30:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Audio Publishers Association Names 25th Anniversary Audie Awards

The journalist Garrett Graff's 'The Only Plane in the Sky'–on the attacks of 9/11–wins the Audiobook of the Year Audie for Simon & Schuster Audio. The post Audio Publishers Association Names 25th Anniversary Audie Awards appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2020-03-03 11:30:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this


A Buoyant 2020 Audie Awards Celebrates 'The Only Plane in the Sky,' Stephen King

At the Audio Publishers Association's annual Audie Awards, which marked a quarter century this year, 'The Only Plane in the Sky' took home the top award and Stephen King received a lifetime achievement as host Mo Rocca and others saluted the progress of the audiobook form over the past 25 years. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-03 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


April Lit Fest at the University of Oklahoma

News and Events WLT Bestselling Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid will visit the University of Oklahoma April 6 through 8 for the 2020 Puterbaugh Lit Fest hosted by World Literature Today magazine. Events start on April 6 with a conversation about... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2020-03-02 22:05:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Clive Cussler obituary

Prolific author of fast-paced thrillers, including Raise the Titanic!, featuring the adventure hero Dirk PittThe prolific and popular novelist Clive Cussler, who has died aged 88, combined adventure and technology into fast-paced thrillers. Ubiquitous and easily recognisable on airport... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-02-27 16:45:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Your Fave Harry Potter Stars Are Making a TALES OF BEEDLE THE BARD Audiobook

Beloved stars of the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films will voice the first ever audiobook edition of J.K. Rowling's THE TALES OF BEEDLE THE BARD, with proceeds to benefit the Lumos foundation. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-02-27 16:09:37 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Harry Potter stars to narrate Beedle the Bard audiobook

J K Rowling’s The Tales of Beedle the Bard is being released as an audiobook read by Harry Potter stars. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-26 23:45:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Who should star in the upcoming BBC adaptation of Conversations With Friends?

Sally Rooney’s takeover of the world continues apace today with the announcement that the Irish literary phenom’s debut novel Conversations With Friends will be adapted into a twelve-part series for the BBC. Like the upcoming BBC/Hulu adaptation of Rooney’s 2019 juggernaut Normal People, which... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-02-25 18:39:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this


5 Short Story Collections for Your Audiobook TBR

A roundup of audiobook short story collections, with a single narrator or a full cast, that give listeners an incredible audiobook experience. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-02-25 11:31:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this


BBC to film series based on Sally Rooney's hit debut novel

Conversations with Friends will follow Rooney’s Normal People that will air in April The BBC has commissioned a 12-part series based on Sally Rooney’s hit debut novel Conversations with Friends in the hope that fans of the young Irish author will bring in younger audiences.The BBC is to show its... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-02-25 10:19:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Film and Audiobook Rights 101

To protect your work and expand its reach, understanding film, TV and audiobook rights is a must. Publishing attorney and Grammy-award-winning audiobook producer Jessica Kaye tells how. The post Film and Audiobook Rights 101 by Jessica Kaye appeared first on Writer's Digest. Continue reading at Writer's Digest

[ Writer's Digest | 2020-02-21 11:00:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this


6 Audiobook Narrators I Need to Record More Books ASAP

Here are six narrators, who, as of this writing, have each recorded less than five audiobooks. This reader can't wait to listen to them again. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2020-02-17 11:32:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Behind the Mic: On Run Me to Earth by Paul Yoon, Read by Ramón de Ocampo

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. In a story that shifts through time, Ramón de Ocampo is a welcome guide, and his narration is... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-02-17 09:00:40 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Headline and Koomson launch open casting call for black female audiobook narrators

Headline and Dorothy Koomson have launched "Find My Verity", an open casting call designed to bring more black female voices into the world of audiobooks. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-02-17 06:25:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Colin Kaepernick Launches Publishing House, Has Audible Audio Deal

Free agent NFL quarterback and social activist Colin Kaepernick plans to publish a memoir via his own publishing venture and release an audiobook version of the untitled book via an exclusive deal with Audible. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-02-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


I found the most boring headline on the Internet.

And here it is: Canadian Book-Buying Habits Haven’t Changed Much in the Last Year. In case you’re still reading, for some reason Forbes is reporting that Canadians (my people) aren’t taking to audiobooks in quite the same way their cousins to the south are. Year-over-year American audiobook... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2020-02-11 16:22:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this


From the Beastie Boys to Michelle Obama, here's your Grammys audiobook playlist

Five nominees for the Grammys spoken word award offer vastly different listening experiences. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2020-01-23 15:00:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Niantic announces real-world events for its Pokémon and Harry Potter games

Niantic's real-world events for 2019 were so successful that they generated $249 million in tourism revenue across Chicago, Dortmund and Montréal. That's what the company has revealed in a new events website, which it launched alongside its fe... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2020-01-23 13:44:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Audible settles copyright lawsuit with publishers over audiobook captions

Seven publishers had sued the audiobook giant last July, claiming that its audio-to-text service Captions was unauthorisedAfter months of back and forth, Audible has settled in a copyright lawsuit with major publishers over its plan to introduce captions to their recordings, a proposal that the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2020-01-15 14:00:06 UTC ]
More news stories like this