The Man Booker Prize: the highs and lows of the books in contention

What a to-do there has been about this year's Man Booker Prize. First, it was the shortcomings of the longlist, which, according to Britain's Telegraph, had "overlooked some of the year's most exciting releases". Then, of course, it was all about the shortlist, which had too many Americans on it (three) and two worryingly young women, one of whom was analysed almost to death after saying she wrote her book on her phone and who both wrote about nature in a lyrical way and were inevitably accused of "overwriting". The biggest conundrum, however, was the way the big names evaporated. The longlist had been a mix of newcomers and heavy-hitters, with the latter expected to sail through to the next round: Arundhati Roy, Zadie Smith, Sebastian Barry. Of the lions from the pre-American era on the longlist, only Mohsin Hamid and Ali Smith – three times nominated, thoroughly deserving – made the cut. Paul Auster is a big name in po-mo circles, of course, but American and thus a newcomer in Booker terms. They couldn't say their books weren't good enough. This shortlist was simply perverse. Thus spake the pundits. Continue reading at 'Stuff'

[ Stuff | 2017-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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André Alexis Wins Canada’s Giller Prize

The 58-year-old author won the country's most prestigious award for fiction, worth C$100,000, for his novel 'Fifteen Dogs.' Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Talking Books now free to access

The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has made Talking Books free for all blind and partially sighted people to access from today. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PCWorld's November Digital Edition: Meet the Surface Book

The onslaught of tech information is relentless. Stay on top of the latest with PCWorld’s Digital Edition. Available as single copies or as a yearlong subscription, it highlights the best content from PCWorld.com—the most important news, the key product reviews, and the most useful features and... Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2015-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Little Black Fish and other stories: Iranian illustrated children's books – in pictures

David Almond introduces a gallery that opens doors into the stunning illustrated children’s books coming out of Iran including The Little Black Fish, a book that is beloved in Iran and now published in the UK for the first time Continue reading... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Slain Charlie Hebdo editor's book to be published posthumously

Stephane Charbonnier, the slain editor of French satire magazine Charlie Hebdo, is getting the last word. Charbonnier -- known by his pen name Charb -- was one of the 12 people killed at the magazine's offices by terrorists in January. The gunmen reportedly called out Charb by name. Days before,... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2015-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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International Hot Book Properties, Week of Monday, November 9, 2015

Among the books generating interest across the globe are a nonfiction account of a photographer who was held captive by ISIS, and a book by a German forestry expert which posits that trees can communicate. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Data Encryption, Cryptography are Keys to the Future of the Book

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Soft E-book Sales Underscore Down HBG Results

Revenue at Hachette Book Group USA fell 4.2% in the third quarter of 2015. Parent company Lagardere blamed the drop in part on lower ebook sales and a stronger publication schedule in the same period in 2014. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Academic Book Week: trade and academy join for seven days of debate and discussion

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[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scholastic Promotes Diversity in Books for Young Readers

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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-11-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Pedersen's 'Guardians' wins $75,000 Cundill Prize

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[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sarah Waters, Ross Raisin, Adam Foulds, Andrew Cowan, Helen Simpson share writing tips, favourite books by young writers

Past winners of the The Sunday Times/Peters Fraser & Dunlop Young Writers of the Year Award share their writing tips and their favourite books written by writers aged 35 and under. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Review: The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell

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[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bizarre Romanian Law Frees Convicts Who Publish Books

A law in Romania allows prisoners who publish books to cut months off their sentences. Several imprisoned politicians and businessmen have taken advantage. The post Bizarre Romanian Law Frees Convicts Who Publish Books appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2015-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Review: Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

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[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Duff Goldman to sign new cookbook Wednesday at Atomic Books

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[ Baltimore Sun | 2015-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Biographers' Club prize awards Cumming, Wade and Norwich

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[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Book Deals: Week of November 9, 2015

Grammy–winner Kelly Rowland delves into baby talk at Da Capo, former KGB agent Jack Barsky tells his story for Tyndale, and more in this week's notable book deals. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Audio Book Club Weeps Over A Little Life

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[ Slate | 2015-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Softening sales for digital books have impacted the bottom lines at HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster, according to both companies' recent earnings reports. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-11-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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