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 ]
News tagged with: #extraordinary portrait #damian barr

Other Publishing stories related to: 'The Observer's books of the year'

Anobii sponsors Edinburgh's First Book Award

Social network Anobii is the new title sponsor of the Edinburgh International Book Festival's... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #book award

The Incredible Resilience of Books

Despite challenges faced by the publishing industry and past predictions, the written word has not seen its last day Continue reading at The Atlantic

[ The Atlantic | 2012-06-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #challenges faced #publishing industry #written word

Mail commercial chief John Teal to leave after 25 years

Mail Newspapers group advertising director John Teal is to leave the newspaper publisher in the autumn after 25 years. Continue reading at Media Week

[ Media Week | 2012-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Harry Potter books land in Amazon's Kindle Owners' Lending Library

All seven Harry Potter books are now available in the Kindle Owners' Lending Library, marking the series' first availability outside the Pottermore store. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kindle owners #lending library #pottermore store

John Edwards' mistress discusses their relationship in forthcoming book

Rielle Hunter writes that Edwards was 'temporarily insane' when he denied paternity of her child. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #john edwards

US: 'E-book revenue outstrips hardbacks in first quarter'

Further evidence of the rise of digital and the decline of print comes from the US where,... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Media Decoder Blog: Pearl Buck Novels to Be Published as E-Books

Thirteen novels, including "The Good Earth,'' which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1932, will be published in ebook format by Open Road Integrated Media. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2012-06-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #pulitzer prize #ebook format

Hunger Games trilogy lifts book sales

Thanks to blockbuster sales of The Hunger Games trilogy—fed by the release of the Hunger Games movie—sales for the children's/young adult category surged in the first quarter and were the only print books to show growth at all in March, according to industry figures released Friday. For the... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2012-06-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #year-ago period #scholarly books #american publishers #growth spurt #hardest hit #adult category #religious books

The Other E-book Retailers

The ebook store market may be dominated by Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple, but a few independent online ebookstores, patterned after bricks-and-mortar retailers, have carved out a lucrative niche. Some were emboldened as far back as 2003, when Barnes & Noble.com initially exited the... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #barnes noble #bricks-and-mortar retailers #million euros

Google Play Books makes an efficient arrival in Germany

Germans, grab your reading glasses, for it's today that Google is announcing the arrival of Play Books -- complete with the ability to purchase native language texts -- in the land of the Kant and Goethe. Yes, those in Deutschland may now buy and read titles from Google Play Books on their... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2012-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #ios device #online bookstore #united kingdom

Parragon Books teams with Nickelodeon

Parragon Books has acquired master publishing rights in the UK for Nickelodeon UK children's... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #parragon books

Israeli authors fight book deals

A group of Israeli authors launch a battle to stop the country's leading bookstores from slashing prices, claiming it reduces their royalties. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2012-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #slashing prices

Amazon Updates Kindle for IOS With Support for Comics, Book Search

Amazon on Thursday released updates to the Kindle app for iOS, along with the Kindle Cloud Reader Web app. The updates add in support for children's books. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2012-06-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #kindle app

WHS sees sales drop but 'confident' for next year

W H Smith has reported a like-for-like sales decrease of 3% across the group in the last quarter... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-06-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #sales decrease

Briton wins lucrative book prize

British author Jon McGregor wins the 100,000 euro (£81,000) International Impac Dublin Literary Award for his third novel Even the Dogs. Continue reading at BBC News

[ BBC News | 2012-06-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Media Decoder Blog: After Long Resistance, Pynchon Allows Novels to Be Sold as E-Books

Thomas Pynchon, author of “Gravity’s Rainbow” and “The Crying of Lot 49,” characteristically declined to speak about his decision. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2012-06-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #thomas pynchon