Graham Norton: ‘In a world going to hell in a handcart, Ireland is a wonderful beacon’

The chatshow host’s new novel centres on Irish lives dominated by shame and repression. Yet, after ‘decades of darkness’, the country’s legalisation of abortion and gay marriage have made him hopefulGraham Norton’s second novel, A Keeper, had not gone to press before this interview, so his publisher ran off an A5 photocopy for me. After reading the first few pages, I thought they must have sent me the wrong book. Literary fiction this strong could not be the work of a TV star whose canon of previous works comprised one novel. Whoever wrote this clearly had to be an established author.When I tell Norton this, he does a little squirm beside me on the sofa. “Oh my God, that’s incredibly nice of you. I’m not very good at taking compliments, so let’s gloss over this bit, but I’ll just say thank you very much. Seriously, that’s really, really nice.”We’ve got to thank the church for what Ireland is now, because it is a reaction to all those decades of darknessPeople get stuck in their heads about the thing that’s wrong with their life – they forget to have a lovely time Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2018-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #gay marriage #publisher ran #literary fiction #tv star

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Murder? Poachers? What the hell is going on with Where the Crawdads Sing author Delia Owens?

A few days ago, Publishers Weekly reported that Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens’ debut novel and the September 2018 pick for Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Book Club, topped a million in print sales in 2019. Today, Laura Miller at Slate had a much juicier story about Owens: her... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2019-07-30 15:00:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #delia owens #days ago #crawdads sing #reese witherspoon #print sales #debut novel


Walliams scores 50th number one with The World's Worst Teachers

David Walliams has bagged his 50th week at number one as The World’s Worst Teachers (HarperCollins) schools the charts for a fifth week running, selling 27,184 copies. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-30 03:42:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #worst teachers #david walliams #week running


Women Rewriting the Rules of Reporting in the Arab World

In “Our Women on the Ground,” an anthology edited by the Lebanese-British journalist Zahra Hankir, 19 female journalists recount their experiences. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-07-29 15:37:53 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #arab world #anthology edited #anthology


Megan Rapinoe Nets Book Deal After World Cup Win

The U.S. Women’s National Team co-captain reportedly signed with Penguin Press for a book about her life AND with Razorbill for a book for young people. Continue reading at The Huffington Post

[ The Huffington Post | 2019-07-25 17:42:59 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #penguin press #book deal


Juno Dawson joins panel for BBC Arts’ The Novels That Shaped Our World

Author, screenwriter and columnist Juno Dawson has joined the panel for the BBC’s The Novels That Shaped Our World.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-24 22:29:55 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #bbc arts


3 on a YA Theme: Books About the Book World

Get a glimpse of how books get made with these three YA books about publishing, authors, fandom, and the book world at large! Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-07-24 10:31:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ya books #ya theme #book world


The World's Worst Teachers grabs fourth number one

David Walliams’ The World’s Worst Teachers (HarperCollins) has chalked up a fourth consecutive week in the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, selling 36,912 copies for £268,604.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-23 14:08:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #david walliams #worst teachersharpercollins


Ireland's new writing talent: Naoise Dolan and Molly Aitken

Dublin-born Naoise Dolan and fellow Irish author Molly Aitken are among the most hotly tipped début authors for 2020; here they discuss the inspiration behind their first novels. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-18 23:44:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #writing talent #naoise dolan #irish author


Wordwell makes its mark in Ireland’s ever-growing history sector

A new player is stepping into Ireland's burgeoning home-grown history publishing sector, Eastwood Books, a local and general history trade imprint from the Wordwell Group.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-18 15:24:11 UTC ]
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Walliams scores hat-trick with World’s Worst Teachers

David Walliams’ The World’s Worst Teachers (HarperCollins) has scored the UK Official Top 50 number one spot for a third week running, selling 49,020 copies last week to soar past the 200,000-copies-sold mark. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-16 08:16:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #week running #worst teachers #david walliams #worst teachersharpercollins


‘Mundos Alternos,’ Where Other Worlds Come to Life

Science fiction illuminates reality by imagining the unreal in a mind-bending show at the Queens Museum. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2019-07-15 09:00:06 UTC ]
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Visit 28 of the Best Libraries in the World

From oldest to largest, most popular to smallest, explore the planet and update your travel plans with this list of the best libraries in the world. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-07-10 10:39:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #travel plans #libraries


Walliams strikes twice with World's Worst Teachers

David Walliams’ The World’s Worst Teachers (HarperCollins) has held the UK Official Top 50 number one, selling 77,247 copies sold in its first full week on sale. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-09 08:06:52 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #walliams strikes #worst teachers #david walliams #worst teachersharpercollins #full week


Grant hails ‘bigger and better’ World Book Day as outreach work pays dividends

With token redemptions up three per cent year on year and sales of the £1 books topping seven figures, World Book Day 2019 has been hailed a success by its organisers. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-08 08:19:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #world book


Beautiful Libraries Around the World Every Book Lover Should Visit: July 7, 2019

Critical Linking, a daily roundup of the most interesting bookish links from around the web, is sponsored by Book Riot’s ... Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2019-07-07 10:30:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #beautiful libraries #critical linking #daily roundup #book lover #libraries


The Literary World of Comic-Con

San Diego Comic-Con isn’t just a place for authors to promote their work—it’s got a literary tradition of its own. Here are some of the books and graphic novels set at or about SDCC. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-07-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Walliams tops the charts with World’s Worst Teachers

David Walliams’ The World’s Worst Teachers (HarperCollins), illustrated by Tony Ross, has chalked up the duo’s 46th week in the UK Official Top 50 number one spot, selling 86,001 copies for £623,821 in its first three days on sale. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-02 01:35:24 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #worst teachers #david walliams #worst teachersharpercollins #tony ross


As the U.S. advances on a title defense, Women's World Cup ratings soar

The 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup has been putting up big numbers for Fox Sports, and if the United States squad can get past England in Tuesday’s semifinal match, advertisers are all but assured that a massive audience will tune in for the July 7 final. According to Nielsen live-same-day data,... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2019-07-01 17:19:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #soccer fans #west coast #tv estimates #wells fargo #$6 million #wednesday afternoon #nielsen


Poems on the Underground - the Natural World

A new set of five poems goes live on London tubes on July 1st for four weeks. Some deal specifically with the urgent issue of climate change. Others reflect more generally on how human beings take solace and meaning from their living world of earth, sea and sky.The poems:Still Life with Sea... Continue reading at British Council global

[ British Council global | 2019-06-26 17:36:35 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #british council #george szirtes #poetry society #anthology