Dog's tales and meowmoirs: the irresistible rise of endearing animal books

A cuddly antidote to worrying times, ‘pet lit’ has become a publishing phenomenon. But isn’t it all a bit twee?Picture the scene: it’s the end of a long day. You’re tired, you’re cold, you need to curl up with a cup of tea and something comforting to read. But wait! You also love animals. What better, then, than a copy of A Pug Like Percy, Fiona Harrison’s tale of a cute canine who has been dumped in an animal shelter, but who brings a “little miracle” to Gail and her unhappy family? Or Daisy Bell’s The Christmas Guest, a “heart-warming tale of a homeless puppy with a huge heart”? Or Jacqueline Sheehan’s A Dog Like Lloyd (“Roxanne Pellegrino’s … new life of solitude is interrupted when she meets Lloyd – a stray black labrador with an equally unhappy past”). You get the idea.The genre – let’s go ahead and call it “pet lit” – is booming. Melissa Daley’s Molly and the Cat Cafe has sold more than 20,000 copies, according to book sales monitor Nielsen BookScan. A Pug Like Percy has shifted 10,000; Lynne Barrett-Lee’s Able Seacat Simon (“the fictional reimagining of Able Seacat Simon’s adventures and heroics in dangerous wartime seas”) almost as many. Sheila Jeffries’ Timba Comes Home (“two black kittens against the world is the pact they make when they are abandoned in a ditch”) is padding towards similar popularity, with 8,000 copies finding a home.The world’s going to hell in a handcart... if there’s a book out there to raise a smile, grab it with both hands. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2017-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #lynne barrett-lee #seacat simon

Other news stories related to: "Dog's tales and meowmoirs: the irresistible rise of endearing animal books"


Dog's tales and meowmoirs: the irresistible rise of endearing animal books

A cuddly antidote to worrying times, ‘pet lit’ has become a publishing phenomenon. But isn’t it all a bit twee?Picture the scene: it’s the end of a long day. You’re tired, you’re cold, you need to curl up with a cup of tea and something comforting to read. But wait! You also love animals. What... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2017-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #seacat simon #lynne barrett-lee


John Burningham’s final picture book is poignant tale of ‘difficult’ dog’s last trip

Air Miles has been illustrated by his wife Helen Oxenbury and finished by Bill Salaman, friend of the author who died in 2019The final picture book from the late, much-loved children’s author John Burningham – in which “difficult dog” Miles goes on one final journey – has been completed by his... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2021-05-15 06:00:18 UTC ]
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Freedom to Read Advocates Warn of Proposed ‘Book Rating’ Bill in Texas, Rising Book Bans in Missouri

While still in the early stages of the legislative process, the proposed bill in Texas would require publishers to develop a new rating system for books, and would give Texas state officials the power to bar schools from doing business with publishers who do not comply with the state’s directives. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-11-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Mirror Books unleashes book on new tricks from old dogs

Mirror Books has snapped up a German bestseller on how old dogs can teach new tricks, including “patience, enduring love and forgiveness.”   Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-17 05:30:08 UTC ]
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Why print book sales are rising, and books are getting longer

E-book sales have remained stagnant in 2015. But print book sales are up, and Harper Lee's latest novel and adult coloring books are the big winners. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2015-12-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2015: In Surprise, Frankfurt Book Fair Attendance Rises

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BookNet Canada’s Consumer Survey: Rising Book Prices

Despite rising costs for new and secondhand books, surveyed Canadian consumers say they continue buying books but are price-shopping. The post BookNet Canada’s Consumer Survey: Rising Book Prices appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

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Summit Books Rises Again

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Three New Books on the Animal Kingdom

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2023 in books: Protests, bannings and the rise of AI helped shape the story of publishing

The publishing world made plenty of news in 2023, but not only because of the books themselves Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2023-12-08 14:55:07 UTC ]
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Children’s books show rise in racially minoritised characters, survey finds

Centre for Literacy in Primary Education records a 26% increase since its first report in 2017, but stresses continuing inequities in representationThirty per cent of children’s books published last year featured racially minoritised characters, according to new research.The sixth report on... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-11-30 15:21:11 UTC ]
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From Local, to Global, to Gone: On the Rise and Fall of Borders Books

The following essay by Tom Borders is excerpted from Among Friends: An Illustrated Oral History of American Book Publishing & Bookselling in the 20th Century, edited by Buz Teacher and Janet Bukovinsky Teacher (Two Trees Press). * In 1970, Louis Borders was working in a bookstore in Boston... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-28 09:49:05 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2023: The Rise of "Collaborwriting"

In the different field of celebrity autobiographies, ghostwriters are often at work. Certainly, coverage of 'Spare' by Prince Harry frequently referenced his ghostwriter J.R. Moehringer. But how does ghostwriting work in practice? Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-10-20 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Irresistible Books: Close-Up on Usborne Publishing

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Perusing Pets: A Reading List of Books Where Animal Companions Steal the Show

No romance story is complete without a best friend side character, and sometimes that best friend has four legs and a tail. Something goes hand-in-hand about seeing people fall in love and having a beloved pet along for the journey. Perhaps it’s the human-animal connection transcending the page,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-08-03 09:30:07 UTC ]
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10 Books with Irresistible Anti-Heroines

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Why the world's largest publisher found a book-ban lawsuit in Florida 'irresistible'

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U.S. Book Show 2023: Harvey’s Tales

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Print Book Sales Rose 2.7% Last Week, Driven by Early Easter, New Dog Man Title

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