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 ]
It’s called “Crimes New Roman.” Harry Potter, the beloved children’s books by J.K. Rowling, is now a bona fide franchise, with books, theme parks, and countless movies. The latest? The Crimes of Grindelwald, a sequel to the spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It’s playing in movie... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2018-12-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams and Tony Ross’ The Ice Monster (HarperCollins) has skated into a fourth week in the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, selling 76,945 copies. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-12-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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"A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction," Virginia Woolf wrote in a famous 1929 essay. British businessman Arron Banks apparently disagrees, and he incurred the wrath of fans of "Harry Potter" creator J.K. Rowling after mocking the author on Twitter for having... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sally Rooney's "astounding" love story Normal People (Faber & Faber) has been named Waterstones' Book of the Year 2018. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Women writers have excelled at the An Post Irish Book Awards, taking home the majority of awards for the first time, with authors such as Sally Rooney, Liz Nugent and Emilie Pine among the winning authors. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Normal People, the Irish author's second novel, is named the year's best book by the UK chain. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2018-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams and Tony Ross’ The Ice Monster (HarperCollins) has once again racked up mammoth sales to hold the UK Official Top 50 number one spot for a third week running. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams and Tony Ross’ The Ice Monster (HarperCollins) has held the UK Official Top 50 number one spot for a second week, selling 95,484 copies to beat Michelle Obama’s Becoming (Viking) to the top spot. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The former first lady’s autobiography has been warmly reviewed and is No 2 in the UK charts – outsold only by David WalliamsMichelle Obama’s Becoming sold almost nine copies per second on its first day on sale in North America to become the fastest-selling book of the year so far, while in the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Warner Bros.' "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" met expectations in winning the box office this weekend, opening in first place with $62.2 million, according to figures from measurement firm Comscore. The "Harry Potter" prequel, a follow-up to 2016's "Fantastic Beasts and Where to... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-11-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New thrillers from well-known authors topped the bestseller lists across Europe in late October. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-11-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The publishing industry might have to think back to Harry Potter’s heyday for a book that has garnered as much attention as the former first lady’s has. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2018-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams and Tony Ross’ The Ice Monster (HarperCollins) has blasted into the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, selling 111,057 copies in its first three days on sale—up 20% on 2017 title Bad Dad’s first three days. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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HQ has acquired the debut novel Love & Other Things to Live For, described as being perfect for fans of Sally Rooney and Dolly Alderton, by film-maker Louise Leverett. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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JK Rowling's endorsement of a petition fighting to protect libraries by ringfencing government funding has prompted an additional 10,000 signatures to be added in just four days. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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All-party inquiry into authors’ incomes hears new benefit’s rules could mean only the wealthy will write. Meanwhile booksellers welcomed budget business-rate changesMPs have been warned that the rollout of universal credit championed in Monday’s budget will further undermine professional... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-10-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential also helps boost publisher’s profits by 13% A surge in sales of Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential and growing demand for the perennial favourite Harry Potter has helped to fuel a rise in first-half profits and revenue for the book publisher... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2018-10-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams’ November releases will be a novel about about an ice monster in Victorian times and a picture book about a baby penguin who wants to fly, HarperCollins Children’s Books has confirmed. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Poland-based kids’ publisher Ameet will release a series of books based on the Wizarding World franchise—encompassing the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films—after partnering with Warner Bros Consumer Products. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-10-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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JK Rowling once surprised readers by telling them that all along, without mention in her books, one of her "Harry Potter" characters was gay. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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