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 ]
On 11th July 1997, The Bookseller interviewed Jo Rowling, then a little-known author, about her first novel - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. To mark 20 years since the release of the first Harry Potter novel, we republish that interview, conducted by The Bookseller's then children's... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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We dug into the archives to find the first Kiwi review of Harry Potter, but the earliest seems to be from 1999. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2017-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bookshops around the country are unveiling a host of magical events — including Quidditch Pong, Harry Potter Bingo and Horcrux hunts—to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the publication of J K Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Bloomsbury). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The author said it was "wonderful" seeing the first Harry Potter book in the shops. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2017-06-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A proof of the first Harry Potter novel, which got the author’s name wrong, is only the latest example of an ungainly tradition stretching back centuriesProofreaders may be worth their weight in gold to authors, but their oversights have proved lucrative for some lucky readers of JK Rowling. On... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-06-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams’ second short story collection The World’s Worst Children 2 (HarperCollins Children's) has held on to the UK Official Top 50 number one spot for a third week running. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams has held off a challenge by Joe Wicks for the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, with The World’s Worst Children 2 (HarperCollins Children's) rocketing by 19% in volume to claim the top spot for a second week. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams' The World's Worst Children 2 (HarperCollins Children's) has rocketed into the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, shifting 58,481 copies for £423,282. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Driven by sales of general merchandise and 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,' the Canadian bookstore chain reported record revenue growth for fiscal 2017. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Four Amazon Publishing titles, which drew poor BookScan print sales numbers, are among the top 20 fiction bestsellers on the latest iteration of the e-tailer's new weekly bestseller list, bolstered by sales in non-print formats. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A precocious young Irish writer whose début was at the heart of a seven-way auction has produced a novel that belies its creator’s years, reckons Alice O’Keeffe. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bestseller lists like the one at the New York Times measure a book's success by how many copies its sold. What it doesn't do is tell you how many of those books are being read, nor how fast. Amazon Charts aims to fix this problem with a new, weekly b... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2017-05-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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JK Rowling says she's 'thrilled' to pick up an outstanding contribution award to add to her collection of literary accolades. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2017-05-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Conservative MP Philip Davies complained to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) that the Jhalak Prize unlawfully discriminated against white people, it has emerged. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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After the Scandi noir boom, dark tales from British authors are making waves abroad. Publishers, agents and authors take up the caseWhen ex-paramedic Daniel Cole signed with agent Sue Armstrong, he was “delighted”. When Armstrong bagged him a six-figure, three-book deal from a British publisher... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-04-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Author Jussi Adler-Olsen was on a roll abroad last month, placing books in the top ten of bestseller lists in France, the Netherlands, and Germany. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-04-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Star Wars, Harry Potter or indeed the almost century-old comic book legends Batman and Superman may have sprung from a rich creative well, but in a stunning twist all of them have been banished to the box office naughty step. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2017-04-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams new children's book has been revealed as The World’s Worst Children 2. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-04-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams’ Blob (HarperCollins Children's) has held the UK Official Top 50 number one spot for a fourth week in a row, the longest run for a World Book Day title since records began. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As Frank Lampard, George Galloway and Cara Delevingne land big-money book deals, established writers look on from the fringes – or turn away altogether Another day, another celebrity announces they are to “pen” a children’s book. Already this week, Jamie Lee Curtis has announced a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-03-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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