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

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A rising tide of returning book-buyers lifts all boats

After 12 long weeks, bookshops re-opened in England last week—and the book-buying public unquestionably chose bookshops. The UK lockdown from 23rd March closed bricks-and-mortar shops across the country, with supermarkets the only physical outlets to buy a book and Amazon dominating online... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-06-25 17:57:17 UTC ]
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A Historical Novelist’s Decorating Scheme: ‘Books and Dog Hair’

For the best-selling author Beatriz Williams, home is a 200-year-old house in Lyme, Conn., with lots of bookshelves and antique furniture. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2020-06-09 13:00:42 UTC ]
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MacDougall's dog walking memoir to Bonnier Books UK

Bonnier Books UK has acquired Kate MacDougall's story of the dog walking business she founded in her mid-twenties, London’s No1 Dog Walking Agency.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-19 04:39:15 UTC ]
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Guppy Books to publish tale of Japan's 2011 tsunami

Children's indie Guppy Books is to publish Tsunami Girl, a part novel, part manga by Julian Sedgwick, illustrated by manga artist Chie Kutsuwada. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-05-06 19:42:02 UTC ]
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Desert-island books: Science fiction tales set in isolation that feel just right now

Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea novels, Christopher Priest’s “The Islanders” and more Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-05-04 14:00:00 UTC ]
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Anna Solomon’s ‘Book of V’ will please fans of ‘The Hours’ with its sprawling take on a biblical tale

Anna Solomon’s retelling of the Purim story entwines the past and present beautifully. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2020-05-04 13:00:00 UTC ]
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German book market posts small 2019 rise

Even though the holiday season was below par, Germany’s book market narrowly avoided another major disappointment and finished the year on a positive note. Overall sales were up in 2019 by 1.4% in value. In volume they followed a recent pattern and were down marginally, by 0.4%. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2020-01-08 18:34:07 UTC ]
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Mirror Books signs puppy farming campaign tale

Mirror Books has acquired the true story of Lucy, the puppy farm Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and the campaign she inspired that led to Lucy’s Law and the nationwide ban on puppy farming. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-12-24 02:27:24 UTC ]
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Turning a new page: the rise of #Merky Books

Malorie Blackman sold her life story to them, other hot authors are lining up. What makes Stormzy’s imprint so different?In a glass-walled meeting room on the fifth floor of Penguin Random House headquarters in Pimlico, Theophina Gabriel is talking about her love of reading while laughing at her... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2019-12-16 08:00:15 UTC ]
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I never considered myself an animal person. Books changed that.

On the 25th anniversary of a conservation milestone, a writer honors the authors who sparked his interest in gray wolves. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-12-14 14:00:00 UTC ]
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Rise of comic book piracy 'a real problem'

Comic book creators search for ways to combat the rise of illegal digital sharing of their work. Continue reading at BBC World

[ BBC World | 2019-11-29 13:41:32 UTC ]
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HarperCollins scoops book from social media stars Irving and dog Max

HarperCollins has acquired “a heartwarming tale” of the friendship between car crash survivor Kerry Irving and Max the Springer Spaniel after their story proved a social media hit. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-11-25 11:02:19 UTC ]
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Amazon Book Orders on the Rise

After several weeks of receiving orders from Amazon that had been significantly lower than the comparable period in 2018, publishers said orders have improved this week. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-11-21 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Weidenfeld & Nicolson lands Simon Garfield dog tale

Weidenfeld & Nicolson will publish Dog's Best Friend: How Humans and Dogs Formed the Strongest Bond in History by Simon Garfield in a two-book deal.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-20 21:44:18 UTC ]
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This gorgeous book teaches kids about the plight of endangered animals

‘A Wild Child’s Guide to Endangered Animals’ tells the story of European eels, tiger tail shrimp, and pangolins so kids can learn about conservation. Millie Marotta, a New York Times bestselling author of wildlife-focused coloring books, has been “obsessed with animals of every kind” since she... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2019-10-19 06:00:12 UTC ]
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Michael Connelly reveals how ‘Bosch’ was born and other tales of his humble rise to fame

The author talks about his new novel, “The Night Fire,” and why, despite TV and podcasting fame, he’s a book writer at heart. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2019-10-16 13:00:00 UTC ]
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HCG acquires fairy tale picture book from Sardà, Dahman and Digard

Hachette Children's Group has acquired the first collaboration on a picture book between France-based author team Myriam Dahman and Nicolas Digard and Kate Greenaway Medal longlisted illustrator Júlia Sardà: The Wolf’s Secret. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-15 02:56:28 UTC ]
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The Dog Man Books: A Guide for Parents and Teachers

For whom does the ball roll, anyways? We're answering your biggest questions about the Dog Man book series by Dav Pilkey. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-10-13 10:32:19 UTC ]
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S&S UK Children's signs three-book deal with animator Steve Small

Simon & Schuster Children’s UK has signed a series of picture books written and illustrated by animator Steve Small. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-24 23:19:42 UTC ]
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Nathalia Holt Animates a Lost History In Her New Book

In 'The Queens of Animation,' Holt explores the untold stories of the women who worked at Walt Disney Studios in the 1930s and ’40s Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-08-23 04:00:00 UTC ]
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