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 ]
A handful of new titles topped the bestseller lists in the international markets at the start of 2014. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In an interview conducted by 'Potter' actress Emma Watson, Rowling said she's wondered whether she should have paired two of the characters, Ron and Hermione, romantically. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In an interview conducted by 'Potter' actress Emma Watson, Rowling said she's wondered whether she should have paired two of the characters, Ron and Hermione, romantically. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The new section of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park at Universal Studios is expected to represent the Diagon Alley shopping area frequented by the wizarding world in the books. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The new section of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park at Universal Studios is expected to represent the Diagon Alley shopping area frequented by the wizarding world in the books. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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An analysis of the year's bestselling books reveals the clout big publishers have, how fast bestsellers rotate out, and much more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2014-01-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The release of the latest Hunger Games film, backlist titles such as Harry Potter and success... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The autobiography from actor David Jason, schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai's story of being shot by the Taliban and David Walliams' latest children's book are winners at the Specsavers National Book Awards Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-12-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Kate Atkinson, Robert Harris, Malala Yousafzai, David Jason and David Walliams were among the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-12-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The group Improv Everywhere sent an 11-year-old dressed as Harry Potter to Penn Station to ask commuters and workers where he could find Platform 9 3/4. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is named the 'nation's favourite' children's book in a vote by reading charity Booktrust. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-11-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Indies hope to highlight 'books that are a bit quirky and a little bit different' and might be overlooked by chain retailersThe nation's independent bookshops have pooled their collective expertise to identify the best of this year's crop of Christmas books, in a bid to pick out the hidden... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2013-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A recipe for butterbeer, a beverage beloved by 'Harry Potter' characters,' is making the rounds and fans say you can order one at Starbucks locations. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New titles commandeered the top slots across the bestseller lists in international markets in September. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-10-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's author David Walliams will appear at the Palace Theatre in London on 7th... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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David Walliams' new children's novel, Demon Dentist (HarperCollins), has become the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-10-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rowling wrote her book, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," when she was a single mother, receiving government benefits. She's now asking the government to step up support for Britain's poor.Without help from the British government, there might never have been a Harry Potter. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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J.K. Rowling will write a screenplay for Warner Bros. inspired by her book "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."Warner Bros. is hoping "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling has another magic trick up her sleeve. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When the U.K. newspaper the Sunday Times outed J.K. Rowling as the author of detective novel The Cuckoo's Calling earlier this year, computer scientists were among the first people called in. Although the novel was published under the pen name Robert Galbraith, two computational... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2013-09-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In a video on 'Good Morning America' celebrating the 15th anniversary of the release of the 'Harry Potter' books in the US, Rowling singles out Dumbledore as the 'Potter' character she misses the most. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-08-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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