Hatchet Job of the Year shortlist - 2013's most negative reviews in quotes

Tasters of the reviews competing for the annual prize that recognises 'the angriest, funniest, most trenchant book review of the past 12 months'News: Hatchet Job of the Year award draws and quarters shortlistCraig Brown on Distant Intimacy: A Friendship in the Age of the Internet by Frederic Raphael and Joseph Epstein in the Daily Mail"A few years ago Raphael emailed Epstein with the suggestion that 'there might be some fun, not to mention $$$' in emailing each other for a year, then publishing the results. And so they get going, each of them dutifully delivering between 1,500 to 1,800 words a week, every week for a year. The first thing to be said about their exchanges is how extraordinarily unpleasant they are [...] Anyone unfamiliar with the literary world will, I think, be astonished at the ease with which these grand old men of letters turn into queeny old hairdressers, furiously bitching about their younger, prettier or more highly regarded rivals.Rachel Cooke on Strictly Ann: The Autobiography by Ann Widdecombe in the Observer"When Ann Widdecombe appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010, the judges were not complimentary, describing her variously as "a dancing hippo", "a Dalek in drag" and "the Ark Royal". [...] Is Widdecombe's writing any better than her dancing? No. About the best you can say for her prose is that it is accurate. Her grammar is fine – Ann is a stickler for grammar – and her anecdotes make sense in that they have a beginning, a middle and an end.... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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August’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

Among this month's starred reviews: a novel in which the discovery of a sexy 19th-century manuscript leads to erotic adventures, and a comprehensive guide for psychotherapists. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-08-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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July’s Top Reviews of Self-Published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's starred reviews from BlueInk Review of self-published books includes several "stay-up-all-night-until-your-eyes-bleed" thrillers, as well as a memoir from the ringmaster of The Big Apple Circus. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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June’s Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review

Self-published books receiving starred reviews from BlueInk this month include a novel about a wisecracking cat that investigates the death of its owner and a memoir of escaping Romania under Soviet rule. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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May’s Top Reviews of Self-published Books from BlueInk Review

This month's starred self-published titles include a novel about lesbian nuns in pre-WWII Germany and a memoir from the daughter of 1960s cult leaders, among others. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cold snap book sales plunge 16% year on year

Printed book sales slipped 3% week on week last week, and were down 16% year on year as the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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UK: Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse’s Comic Fiction Shortlist

The only book prize known to be handing a pig to its winner, the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize announces its shortlist. The post UK: Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse’s Comic Fiction Shortlist appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-11-22 19:58:08 UTC ]
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What a 16-Year-Old Doesn’t Yet Know

Cher’s memoir is a valuable document of a young girl thrust into the adult world. Continue reading at The Atlantic

[ The Atlantic | 2024-11-22 17:45:00 UTC ]
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Looking Back at 75 Years of the National Book Awards

Tonight, the National Book Foundation celebrates the 75th anniversary of the National Book Awards. To mark the milestone, we’ve compiled archival images from the awards’ history and asked former and current leaders of the foundation to recount highlights from their tenures. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-20 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The Language of Survival and Resistance: A Review of Shereen Malherbe’s Yassini Girls, by Zeynep Alp

The Language of Survival and Resistance: A Review of Shereen Malherbe’s Yassini Girls, by Zeynep Alp Book Reviews [email protected] Mon, 11/18/2024 - 15:22 Yassini Girls (Beacon Books, 2024), the new novel by Shereen Malherbe, invites readers into... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2024-11-18 21:22:51 UTC ]
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The shortlist for the Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title includes “leather-daddy bounty hunters.”

The Bookseller has selected six books for their 46th annual Diagram Prize shortlist for The Oddest Book Title of the Year, a prize they’ve been awarding since 1978. (According to Sarah Lyall, the prize began “as a way for Bruce Robertson, co-founder of the Diagram Group, an information and... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-11-18 19:09:25 UTC ]
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Sunday Express editor David Wooding departs Reach amid further job cuts

Wooding left as part of a move to dismantle the remaining dedicated Sunday Express editorial team to create a seven-day operationThe Sunday Express editor, David Wooding, has become the latest top editorial executive to depart Reach, as the national and regional newspaper publisher embarks on... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-11-16 14:19:24 UTC ]
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Barnes & Noble’s Book of the Year is….

B&N's book the year, Reading Rainbow gets a Prime spot, and more in today's book news. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-11-15 20:04:44 UTC ]
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Amazon Fire HD 8 (2024) review: A cheap tablet hampered by outdated software

The latest Amazon Fire HD 8, updated last month and starting at $100, is a modest refresh, offering more RAM, a nominally upgraded camera and some new AI features. The general sales pitch, however, remains the same: You get a just-competent tablet for the essentials at a dirt-cheap (and... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-11-15 14:19:25 UTC ]
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Book Review: ‘Taiwan Travelogue,’ by Yang Shuang-zi

Yang Shuang-zi’s “Taiwan Travelogue,” a National Book Award finalist, is a nesting-doll narrative about colonial power in its many forms. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-11-15 13:18:52 UTC ]
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The 25 Most Influential Cookbooks From the Last 100 Years

Chefs, writers, editors and a bookseller gathered to debate — and decide — which titles have most changed the way we cook and eat. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-11-15 10:03:24 UTC ]
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We Need Diverse Books Marks 10 Years and Looks to the Future

The nonprofit celebrates a decade of expanding representation and discusses its next challenges. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-15 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The Best Books of The Year, According to Amazon Books Editors

The Big A weighs in on the best books of the year, new YA titles out this week, historical fiction for Native American Heritage Month, and more today on Book Riot. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-11-13 16:02:09 UTC ]
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A Year of Giving Away Banned Books in Florida

Florida is one the most diverse and fastest growing states in the United States. It is also, tragically, the epicenter of book banning in America. Thousands of books have been banned from public schools and libraries in an attempt to silence dissenting voices that explore the experiences of... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-11-13 12:05:00 UTC ]
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The UK’s Sustainability Industry Forum Evaluates Its First Two Years

The Independent Publishers Guild is one of seven associations collaborating on sustainability efforts in the book business. The post The UK’s Sustainability Industry Forum Evaluates Its First Two Years appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-11-12 15:25:00 UTC ]
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Sonos Arc Ultra review: New tech powers a big audio upgrade

2024 has been a rough year for Sonos. The company’s would-be triumphant entry into the crowded headphones market was overshadowed by a disastrous app redesign. In the fallout of the botched software update, the company decided to delay products that were ready to be shipped to give itself more... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2024-11-11 13:00:11 UTC ]
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