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 ]
Bestseller lists from France, Italy, and Sweden, where Svetlana Alexievich was the #1 nonfiction title in December. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New study reveals Julia Donaldson, David Walliams and JK Rowling lead the top 1% of authors, who account for nearly a third of all UK book salesThe gap between publishing’s rich and poor continues to widen, as figures from Nielsen BookScan reveal that the top 50 authors account for more than 13%... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-01-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishing a children’s book in Russia is not a straightforward matter, as Anna Starobinets found when her detective stories set among woodland animals were deemed to be far too beastly for children I wrote my first children’s book, The Land of Good Girls, in 2009 for my then five-year-old... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2016-01-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Which books did well, which were left on the shelves, and which made editors green with envy?Visit bookshop.theguardian.com to browse all these books or call 0330 333 6846. 20p from every book you buy until Christmas will be donated to our Charity Appeal.The book that made my year: In a year... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A movie based on a book inside a Harry Potter book is here, and this is our first glimpse.During a week where many people have reached critical levels of Star Wars overload, Warner Bros. has released the first look at an entire movie based around a book that was listed on Harry Potter's freshman... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2015-12-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has received his share of celebrity endorsements, with stars such as Mike Tyson and Dennis Rodman backing the controversial billionaire. "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling, however, is decidedly not a member of Trump's fan club. The Scottish writer... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-12-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Mobbed at signings, followed by millions and topping the bestseller lists: Instapoets such as Lang Leav, Rupi Kaur and Tyler Knott Gregson are poetry’s new superstars, publishing their love poems and haiku on social media. But are they any good? In 2013, Lang Leav self-published a small debut... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-11-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Katniss Everdeen may have come out on top of the weekend box office with an estimated $101 million in domestic ticket sales, but the new "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 2" fell short of industry expectations and, unlike the "Twilight" and "Harry Potter" young-adult juggernauts, her "Hunger... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-11-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Several poets including Tyler Knott Gregson have transitioned from Tumblr to bestseller lists, selling hundreds of thousand of books in the process. The post Poets Move from Tumblr to the Bestseller List appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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JK Rowling's pseudonym Robert Galbraith, Ian McEwan and BBC journalist Kirsty Wark make the longlist for the world's richest literary prize, the International Impac Dublin Literary Award. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2015-11-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Caroline Sanderson talks to the personal trainer who is on a mission to combat the UKs obesity crisis by promoting exercise and healthy eating Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hungry for wands, stuffy spell books and elaborate magical alleys with complicated villain back stories? Never fear, the Harry Potter universe has returned with the new prequel film "Fantastic Beasts." Entertainment Weekly has debuted a collection of stills for the "Harry Potter" prequel,... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-11-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vlogger Zoe “Zoella” Sugg’s second novel Girl Online: On Tour (Penguin) has taken the Official Top 50 number one spot from David Walliams, in a week that saw YouTubers dominate the top of the charts. The sequel to 2014’s Girl Online (Penguin) sold 56,038 copies for £377,813 last week, according... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2015-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Magician series among children’s books boosting revenue at publishing house, with pre-tax profits at £1.9m Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury has reported a jump in half-year sales after a strong performance from educational and children’s books. Sales were up 11.6% to £52.7m in the six months to... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2015-10-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Potter' fans now know what the upcoming play will be about and it involves more of the characters from the book series than they may have thought. The show is set to open in London in the summer of 2016. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A new play will pick up the story of Harry Potter where the seventh and final volume of JK Rowling's saga left off, with a plot involving a grown-up Harry and his youngest son, Albus. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2015-10-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement was once enough to boost books to bestseller lists and send sales soaring of products dubbed her “favorite things.”Now Weight Watchers International Inc. is counting on that influence to propel its waning weight-loss brand past the competition of free diet and fitness... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It’s a big week for old favorites, especially among children’s authors: Rick Riordan has the #1 book in the country, Harry Potter is back with a new look, and ‘Twilight'’s Bella and Edward are back with new genders. Plus two books delved into Kennedy Clan history, Patti Smith follows up ‘Just... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It's been several years since the last book in the 'Potter' series was published, but judging by the fervor of fans, the boy wizard isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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J.K. Rowling’s 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone' knocked Andy Weir’s 'The Martian' from its #1 spot on the iBooks Bestsellers list for the week ended October 11. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-10-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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