The Observer's books of the year

From new voices like NoViolet Bulawayo to rediscovered old voices like James Salter, from Dave Eggers's satire to David Thomson's history of film, writers, Observer critics and others pick their favourite reads of 2013. And they tell us what they hope to find under the tree …Curtis SittenfeldNovelistMy favourite books of 2013 are Drama High (Riverhead) by Michael Sokolove, Sea Creatures (Turnaround) by Susanna Daniel, and & Sons (Harper Collins) by David Gilbert. Drama High is incredibly smart, moving non-fiction about an American drama teacher who for four decades coaxed sophisticated and nuanced theatrical performances out of teenage students who weren't privileged or otherwise remarkable and in so doing, changed their conceptions of what they could do with their lives. Sea Creatures is a gripping, beautifully written novel about the mother of a selectively mute three-year-old boy; when she takes a job ferrying supplies to a hermit off the coast of Florida, her world is upended. & Sons is a fabulously clever, warm-hearted novel about fathers, sons, literature, art, lust, envy, fraudulence, and Manhattan.As for a book I'd love to be given, Mohsin Hamid has recently been writing wonderful columns for the New York Times that make me curious about his novels. If Santa's reading this, I believe I'll start with How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia (Hamish Hamilton).Hilary MantelNovelistTime to recall the more energising parts of the year's reading: Kate Atkinson's... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2013-11-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Infographic: A Five-Year Look at Magazine Editorial Salaries

Every year FOLIO: conducts a nationwide survey with mid and executive-level editors. The survey maps out salary ranges across a number of demographics including gender, age, location, company size, education and more. The infographic below provides an interactive breakdown on several key trends... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2013-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Top German Booksellers + Bertelsmann + Telekom = Mega E-book Project

This Friday, booksellers Thalia, Weltbild, Hugendubel, as well as Bertelsmann and Deutsche Telekom, promise to announce a "really big new project in ebooks and e-reading." Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Children's book sales boosted by half-term break

Sales of books for children surged in the UK last week, as schools broke for the spring half-term... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hugh Dennis book to Headline

Headline has acquired the first book from TV and radio comedian Hugh Dennis, star of "Mock... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Profits fall at Penguin in 'momentous' year

The Penguin Group saw a 1% rise in sales to £1.05bn in 2012 (£1.04bn in 2011).... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Oddest Book Title shortlist revealed

Six contenders including Goblinproofing One's Chicken Coop and Was Hitler Ill? are in the running for the Diagram Prize for the Oddest Book Title of the Year. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2013-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PublishNews Brazil: More Megastores Opening, Workers Get Book Vouchers

The dominant Brazilian bookstore chains continue to open new megastores, the government is issuing 18.8m workers vouchers to spend on books, and Abril Educação is prepping its IPO. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Emue Books Brings Francophone Literature (and Fairness) Down Under

Emue Books is a new Australian publisher with an unexpected mission: publishing Francophone literature and reviving "fairness" in publishing. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Announcing the 2012 L.A. Times Book Prize finalists

The finalists for the 33rd L.A. Times Book Prizes were announced Thursday morning. Two authors -- Margaret Atwood and Kevin Starr -- will also receive special recognition. This post has been updated; see below for details. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Debut author gets 7-figure book deal

A debut author who graduated from the celebrated Iowa Writers' Workshop has a seven-figure book deal.HarperCollins announced Wednesday that it will publish Erika Johansen's Queen of the Tearling, a fantasy trilogy inspired in part by Barack Obama.A person with knowledge of the negotiations said... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2013-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Six picked for oddest book title shortlist

A shortlist of six titles has been chosen for the Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Germany backs out of World Book Night 2013

After only one year Germany's participation in international World Book Night celebrations... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sale of Used E-books Getting Closer

At a time when many independent booksellers both here and abroad are beginning to gain traction selling Kobo ebooks, other retailers are eyeing the secondary market for ebooks and other digital content. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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World Book Day forges new partnerships

World Book Day has signed new partners for 2013, including online social world MiniMonos.com and... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Books in Translation: It’s Time for Others to Join the Fight

The publishers of UK's Stork Books argue that major publishers and the media in the UK and USA underestimate the audience for translated books and are making a big mistake. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Quarter of adults 'have barely read a book in past six months'

A quarter of UK adults—more than 12 million people—have only picked up a book to read... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Shortlists revealed for Waterstones Children's Book Prize

Random House Children's Books, Egmont and Little Tiger Press have each picked up two... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Beavis writer up for book prize

The writer of US comedy Beavis and Butt-head is among 18 authors shortlisted for this year's Waterstones children's book prize. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2013-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook Eying Movies, Books, TV as Next Dominant Social Content

Outside of photos and status updates, Facebook's original shareable content was game activity. So-and-so just planted a new crop, etc. Next Facebook rolled out the Like button, and news articles became popular. Then Facebook debuted its Open Graph in fall 2011 so that someone could listen to a... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2013-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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French Bring New Book Festival to Brazzaville, Congo

Following strife in Bamako, Mali, France's Etonnants Voyageurs has launched a new book and film festival in Brazzaville, Congo—one for all of Africa. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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