Shock ending: how the Costa book awards changed reading – and pitted husband against wife

After 50 years, the prize has been scrapped. How did it change Britain’s literary landscape? And what happened at the awards when Margaret Drabble was seated next to Theresa May?Margaret Drabble was a bright young star with five novels to her name in 1971, when she was talked into joining her old friend JB Priestley on the judging panel for a new book prize. “Jack told me that I should spend the fee (which came in wine) by choosing some very nice half-bottles to drink by myself, which I did,” she recalls.Drabble argued for a biography of the playwright Henrik Ibsen, Priestley was keen on a novel by Gerda Charles, and their fellow judge, the critic Anthony Thwaite, championed a poetry collection by Geoffrey Hill. The glory of the new, brewery-sponsored awards was that all three could have prizes, so it all went swimmingly, with none of the squabbles that had already begun to bedevil the Booker, launched two years earlier. These arguments had included one over the literary quality of a certain Margaret Drabble, who (according to Booker judge Dame Rebecca West) would insist on lowering the tone by writing about the washing-up. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2022-06-23 05:00:38 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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The End of the Holiday Print Book Sales Streak

Sales of Liz Cheney's new book got off to a good start and three titles by Rebecca Yarros continued to be hot, but print sales dipped 1.1% last week from a year ago. The decline put an end to two weeks of higher sales over 2022. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Another Cup of Coffee: The UK’s Nero Book Awards’ Shortlists

The new Nero Book Awards is a very similar contest to the Costa Book Awards, which bowed out after 50 years in June 2022. The post Another Cup of Coffee: The UK’s Nero Book Awards’ Shortlists appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-12-12 19:02:27 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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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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Fresh Off a National Book Award Win, Omnidawn Looks Toward the Holidays

This year, the nonprofit publisher won its first National Book Award for Craig Santos Perez's poetry collection 'from unincorporated territory [åmot].' Its publisher, Rusty Morrison, forecasts solid sales for that title, and others, this holiday season. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-12-04 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Dublin’s An Post Irish Book Awards: The 2023 Shortlist

The An Post Irish Book Awards are to name their top prize-winner on December 6, having chosen 20 category winners for 2023. The post Dublin’s An Post Irish Book Awards: The 2023 Shortlist appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-12-01 19:08:08 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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UAE: Sheikh Zayed Book Award, the 18th Cycle: Three More Longlists

More longlists in the 18th cycle of the Sheikh Zayed Book Awards: Translation, Criticism, Development of Nations. The post UAE: Sheikh Zayed Book Award, the 18th Cycle: Three More Longlists appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-11-29 01:30:37 UTC ]
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Abu Dhabi’s 18th Sheikh Zayed Book Award Cycle: Four Longlists

The 18th round of the Sheikh Zayed Book Awards' nominees totals 4,240, a new record for an award with a new category: Editing of Arabic. The post Abu Dhabi’s 18th Sheikh Zayed Book Award Cycle: Four Longlists appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-11-17 22:39:50 UTC ]
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Justin Torres, Author of ‘Blackouts,’ Wins National Book Award for Fiction

Ned Blackhawk received the nonfiction award, with “The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History.” Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2023-11-16 12:36:45 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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Torres, Blackhawk, Santos Perez, Santat Win 2023 National Book Awards

'Blackouts,' 'The Rediscovery of America,' 'unincorporated territory [åmot],' 'The Words That Remain,' and 'A First Time for Everything' took home this year's National Book Awards at a ceremony that concluded with more than a dozen finalists calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-15 05:00:00 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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CEO of Hachette Book Group will step down at end of the year

The head of Hachette Book Group, Michael Pietsch, is retiring as CEO and will be succeeded by Hachette UK CEO David Shelley Continue reading at ABC News

[ ABC News | 2023-11-14 20:46:13 UTC ]
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Zibby Media Withdraws National Book Award Sponsorship over Potential for 'Hate Speech'

With several National Book Awards finalists planning to call for a ceasefire in Gaza at tomorrow's ceremony, Zibby Media has withdrawn its sponsorship of the event over what CEO Zibby Owens called the "inappropriate conduct and collusion of its nominees." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-11-14 05:00:00 UTC ]
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Pantheons of the Past in the Present: A Reading List of Modern African Books Based on Mythology

Every society, civilization and culture has mythologies and cosmologies; they make up a corpus of ancient and sacred narratives that help give meaning to the world. Passed down through generations, myths educate and clarify our place in a world full of things and forces that are larger than us.... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-03 08:30:51 UTC ]
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Putting the Asian Experience of World War II at Center Stage: A Reading List of Essential Books

Almost eight decades after the end of World War II, that conflict continues to define political discourse throughout the Western world. Still, for American, British, French, and Canadian readers, the war overwhelmingly means the European theater, with the Asia-Pacific campaigns against Imperial... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2023-11-02 08:40:02 UTC ]
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