Jamie Byng: ‘Listening to letters being read out is quite something’

The Canongate Books boss on the success of Letters Live, performances of notable correspondence by leading lights of stage and screenJamie Byng, 46, son of the 8th Earl of Strafford, grew up in Hampshire and studied at the University of Edinburgh. After graduating he joined Canongate Books as an intern and bought out the struggling Edinburgh publishing house two years later, aged just 25. His successes include the UK publication of Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, which won the Man Booker prize in 2002 and sold more than 3m copies. In 2013 he set up Letters Live, “a celebration of the enduring power of literary correspondence” based in part on Shaun Usher’s Letters of Note books. Letters Live returns to London’s Freemasons’ Hall on Thursday 10 March.How did Letters Live come about?In 2013 we published two books about letters on the same day. One was Simon Garfield’s To the Letter, which is a history of letter-writing. The other, Letters of Note, grew out of Shaun Usher’s website, which compiles great correspondence throughout history. We decided to promote both books by getting people to read out letters in a live setting. Nick Cave had a letter in Shaun’s book and he’s a good friend, so it was very straightforward to call him up and say “How’s about it?” Gillian Anderson went totally nuts for a Katharine Hepburn letter to Spencer Tracy. Everyone I asked who was around – Benedict Cumberbatch, Matt Berry, Neil Gaiman, Bruce Robinson – said yes. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2016-03-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Memories of Streets: A Reading List of NYC Books That Capture the City’s Many Sides

By instinct and intention, I have been reading books about New York or set in New York since I was a kid. Each one uncovers a facet of the city. Together they form my picture of the life that is hidden inside its buildings or around the corner. Some of these titles, I read when […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-12-14 09:51:18 UTC ]
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The Annotated Nightstand: What Rachel Zucker is Reading Now and Next

During the often-dread-inducing/dreadful time of year when publications are putting out there “best of the year” lists, I’m glad to shine a light on a book I loved and deserved more attention than it seemed to receive. This is always a hard task, especially for small press books. I would have... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-12-14 09:44:56 UTC ]
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The 10 Most-Read Book Reviews of 2023

In 2023, as we do each year, we published thousands of reviews of thousands of new books. But of all the reviews we published, these are the 10 you read the most. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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New PEN America Report Documents 'Scarlet Letter' Effect of Book Bans

PEN America has released "a cumulative data summary" of nearly 6,000 book bans in public schools, finding that shared lists of targeted books by organized political groups have led to books and authors being targeted in multiple communities across the country. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Read these great books published by Lit Hub staff members in 2023.

As you probably know, Literary Hub is produced by a small staff; most of us are writers, and/or moonlight as editors on other projects. This year, four of our number—that would be 36% percent of full time Literary Hub staffers, not too shabby—published books, which is certainly worthy of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-12-11 17:52:31 UTC ]
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A Book Club Took 28 Years to Read ‘Finnegans Wake.’ Now, It’s Starting Over.

The group in California started on the notoriously challenging novel by James Joyce in 1995. In October, it reached the end. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-12-07 10:40:10 UTC ]
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When Eye-Reading Just Isn’t Working

Here are some ways to keep reading when your eyes just don't want to cooperate, even if you don’t have access to audiobook versions. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-12-06 11:32:00 UTC ]
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The Best Aldous Huxley Books Everyone Should Read

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) was an important twentieth-century writer whose work often explored some of the ‘biggest’ and most important ideas of his day. The following pick of his best books include a work documenting his experiences of drug-taking,... Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2023-12-04 15:00:30 UTC ]
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Chronicle Restyles 'Letters to My' Bestsellers

Chronicle Books has redesigned four of its popular "Letters to My" gift packages for 2024. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-30 05:00:00 UTC ]
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10 books to add to your reading list in December

Bethanne Patrick recommends 10 new books to get you through the end of 2023, including dystopias, a quirky travelogue and an uncommonly exciting math primer. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-11-29 11:00:46 UTC ]
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Close-Up on: Jamie Oliver’s ‘Billy and the Giant Adventure’

With the publication of Billy and the Giant Adventure (Tundra), celebrity chef Jamie Oliver becomes a children’s book author. In the inventive and inspiring story, a group of friends enter a portal to another world, where they have a wild adventure and meet a menagerie of creatures. Oliver... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-21 05:00:00 UTC ]
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On Literary Empathy and the Performative Reading of Palestinian Authors

The literary community holds onto empathy as a dear goal while navigating the complexities of the human experience through the eyes of characters from diverse backgrounds. Readers worldwide have long celebrated the promise of empathy as a conduit for profound understanding, and reading from... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-16 09:49:02 UTC ]
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Welcome to De Los | Reads: A roundup of books designed to amplify Latinx authors

The first edition of De Los|Reads features a new fiction book from Mario Vargas Llosa, a cookbook from Sandra A. Gutierrez, several memoirs and a book for children who aren't ready for bed. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-11-16 05:37:22 UTC ]
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The Joy of Perusing Pictures: A Reading List of Wordless Picture Books

Lately, there’s been a lot of attention on how children learn to read, and I’m heartened that phonics is making a comeback. But sounding out words (also called “decoding”) can be laborious for young readers. As the mother of three and a veteran educator who believes passionately that a love of... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-15 09:40:24 UTC ]
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Special Edition: Behind the scenes at the Long Read

To celebrate the launch of the new Guardian Long Read magazine this week, join the Long Read editor David Wolf in discussion with regular contributors Sophie Elmhirst and Samanth Subramanian• The Guardian Long Read magazine is available to order now• The best stories take time. The Guardian Long... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2023-11-15 05:00:09 UTC ]
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It took 28 years, but this book club finally finished reading Finnegans Wake

After 28 years, a book club in Venice, Calif., has finally finished reading Finnegans Wake by James Joyce — but the club's founder Gerry Fialka would argue you're never really done reading it. Continue reading at CBC

[ CBC | 2023-11-14 22:49:00 UTC ]
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Patt Morrison: Don't let anybody diss L.A.'s reading habits. This was and is a bookstore boomtown

In bookstores' L.A. heyday, shops were as ubiquitous as a certain coffee chain is today. But we're no slouches today, even if the internet removed many stores' physical presences. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2023-11-14 16:00:50 UTC ]
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The Power to Publish Enables the Freedom to Read

By publishing unflinching books on topics often perceived as controversial, small publishers can combat restrictions on intellectual freedom. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-10 05:00:00 UTC ]
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The 10 Best Indie Publishing Companies To Follow To Find Your Next Read

What are some of the best indie publishing companies to follow to find your next excellent read? One reader investigates. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-11-09 11:33:00 UTC ]
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How Isaac’s Reading List on HEARTSTOPPER is Diversifying Booklists

On the power of a queer book worm in teen media, as seen through HEARTSTOPPER's Isaac. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2023-11-03 10:36:00 UTC ]
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