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 ]
Reviews for the upcoming 'Potter' stage play are so far very positive. What about the show has so impressed reviewers? Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2016-07-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The verdict is in for "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child", with reviewers hailing the two-part play "a dazzling duel of light and dark" (the Guardian), "a triumph" (the Telegraph), and "a magical experience tailor made for the stage, filled to the brim with fan service" (the Independent). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harry Potter fans, booksellers, and librarians are getting ready to party like it's 2007: Scholastic is prepping to release 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two' on July 31. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-07-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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‘Gerald and I looked through the vents and saw a male having intercourse. I noted that Gerald ejaculated at 7.51pm’I know a married man with two children who bought a 21-room motel near Denver many years ago in order to become its resident voyeur. I first became aware of this individual in 1980... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-07-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams, Malorie Blackman and Axel Scheffler are some of the authors and illustrators appearing at this year’s Bath Children’s Literature Festival. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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JK Rowling's Harry Potter series tops a BBC Local Radio poll of books that adults say children should read. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2016-07-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Booksellers are hoping that the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child later this month will offset the negative impact economic uncertainty has had on footfall following the Brexit vote. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-07-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Paula Hawkins took back the number one spot from David Walliams, a book/DVD deal propelled The Revenant close to the summit and vlogger Zoella showed why she just may be the new Richard & Judy. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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They were supposed to be a secret, but when word leaked that the new "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" in London was using real owls during performances, fans of the saga went wild on social media. Alas, the owls have officially flown the coop before the blockbuster West End production... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-06-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Theatre critics have responded enthusiastically to the first part of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which previewed at London’s Palace theatre last night (7th June). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Retailers are plotting a range of spellbinding evenings across the UK ahead of the release of JK Rowling’s "eighth Harry Potter book”, the play script for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Little, Brown). Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams has claimed his 14th Official UK Top 50 number one, as The World’s Worst Children (HarperCollins) shunted Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train (Black Swan) off the top spot, selling 64,137 copies for £441,875 through Nielsen BookScan's Total Consumer Market. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-06-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It’s been 19 years since the events of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” and boy does it show. The first images of upcoming West End stage play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” written by English playwright Jack Thorne and based on a story from Thorne and “Potter” scribe J.K. Rowling,... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A pair of on-air personalities make the leap from broadcasting to the bestseller lists this week. Plus Pulitzer Prize winner Siddhartha Mukherjee returns with ‘The Gene,” Bram Stoker Award Winner Joe Hill introduces readers to ‘The Fireman,’ and much more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Paula Hawkins has withstood a robust first week challenge from David Walliams, as The Girl on the Train (Black Swan) rolled into the Official UK Top 50 number one spot for a third consecutive week. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales of JK Rowling’s much-loved books jump 133%, boosted by illustrated edition, contributing to 8% profit rise at publisherHarry Potter is still working his magic for the publisher Bloomsbury after nearly 20 years, with sales more than doubling over the past year thanks to a new illustrated... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-05-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Big Green Bookshop is to donate all profits from the sales of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Little, Brown) to local schools to enable them to buy books for their libraries. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-05-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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British surveillance agency GCHQ intervened with the launch of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth book in J K Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2016-04-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Chair given free to JK Rowling that she used while writing the first two Harry Potter novels in Edinburgh council flat has been auctioned in New York An oak chair that JK Rowling used while writing the first two books of the Harry Potter series has sold for $394,000 (£278,000).The 1930s chair... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-04-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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