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 ]
Sally Rooney has become the first Irish winner of the Sunday Times/Peters Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer of the Year Award for her "fearless, sensual" debut novel Conversations with Friends (Faber). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams’ Bad Dad (HarperCollins) has skidded into the UK Official Top 50 number one spot for a fourth consecutive week, selling 78,127 copies for £443,681. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-11-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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China bestsellers: As publisher-owned bookstores are on the rise, so are "shared bookstores" where customers are allowed to borrow books. The post In China: Bookselling Trends and OpenBook’s Bestseller Lists for October appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams’ Bad Dad (HarperCollins) has screeched into a third week as the UK Official Top 50 number one, selling 80,643 copies for £472,764. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-11-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales in the children’s/young adult segment fell 36.8% in July, compared to same period a year ago, according to figures release by the AAP. The decline is due, in large part, to the fact that July 2017 did not see a hit like July 2016, when 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' was dominating... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-11-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams’ Bad Dad (HarperCollins) has accelerated by 21% in volume week-on-week for its second week in the Official UK Top 50 number one spot, selling 112,672 copies through Nielsen BookScan’s Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-11-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Niantic Labs, the creator of free-to-download augmented reality game Pokemon Go, is to launch a new game based on Harry Potter in conjunction with Warner Bros. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams’ Bad Dad (HarperCollins Children's) has screeched into the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, selling 92,667 copies for £559,227. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-11-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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There are more bestseller lists than ever—and the consequences for publishing remain unclear. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-11-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Magic is in the air at the British Library here — specifically the magical world of one of the most famous characters in modern literature, Harry Potter. “Harry Potter: A History of Magic,” a recently opened exhibition spotlighting rare books and artifacts that detail traditions of folklore and... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2017-10-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams will be presented with the ‘International Recognition Award’ at this year’s Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards ceremony as the prize announces a search for a new sponsor. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Acting children's editor and Harry Potter fan Caroline Carpenter gives her verdict on the British Library's new Harry Potter exhibition. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams has revealed his fifth picture book with illustrator Tony Ross will be called Boogie Bear. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams’ next children’s book will be called Bad Dad, a “heart-warming rags to riches story” about a boy who tries to break his dad out of prison. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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As we roll out this month's bestseller lists from China, the country's second-largest e-retailer, JD.com, is holding a competition to engineer book delivery by drones. The post OpenBook’s China Bestseller Lists for August 2017: Delivery Races appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2017-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nikesh Shukla and literary agent Julia Kingsford have launched Kickstarter appeal to fund The Good Journal, with further plans for an affiliated agencyAfter selling more than 50,000 copies and being named the British public’s favourite book of 2016, the success of anthology The Good Immigrant... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2017-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A 52% decline in Scholastic's children’s book publishing group was blamed on the absence of a major bestseller. In fiscal 2017, the publisher's sales were driven by 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,' which was released during the first quarter of last year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-09-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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While July sales last year were mightily padded by the release of 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,' which came out July 31, 2016, July 2017 saw no such blockbuster. Thanks in large part to this, July 2017 sales were down 1.9%, compared to the same time last year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The BBC will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter with “rarely seen documents from J K Rowling’s archives, revealing her magical inspirations” in the run up to the British Library’s exhibition next month. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2017-09-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Marji Ross, president of the conservative press Regnery Publishing, sent a letter to her authors saying the paper "prioritizes liberal-themed books over conservative books." For this reason, the bonus structure in her house's contracts will now rely on a different list. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2017-09-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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