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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and Matthew Flamm - Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert, who has more time on his hands now that he's no longer running for president, will publish his first children's book in May, his publisher, Grand Central Publishing, announced on Tuesday. Viewers of The Colbert Report got the word early... Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2012-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Knox, who had her murder conviction overturned in October, will publish a memoir through HarperCollins. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2012-02-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Malaysian officials order book shops to stop selling a sex education book by British author Peter Mayle. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2012-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sales of children's books rocketed 30% week-on-week as the spring half-term break resulted in... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers are continuing to experiment with ebook pricing, as sales and marketing teams balance... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Thomas Mallon's novel deftly paints a picture of 1970s America and adds an imaginative back story to the characters.Watergate Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tracie McMillan takes us to agricultural fields, Wal-Mart and Applebee's, where she works short stints and tries to eat healthfully on meager pay.The American Way of Eating Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-02-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A recent PubTrak survey from R.R. Bowker indicated that teens remain reluctant when it comes to ebooks. Accustomed to social media, they find that electronic stories have “too many restrictions,” according to the report. But many industry players—agents, booksellers, publishers, and authors—are... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Collins has bought a book about forgiveness co-authored by South African churchman Desmond Tutu... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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When Fraser Ross opened his first trendy Kitson clothing and accessories store in West Hollywood in 2001, it was a magnet for celebrities and the paparazzi that stalked them, a most unlikely retail candidate to capture the attention of New York publishers. But one decade and an additional 12... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The author's short stories paint vivid pictures of growing up Filipino American.In a smoke-stained San Francisco hotel room, Felix Starro is making fake blood. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter, who died Thursday while reporting in Syria, was to have embarked soon on a 20-city tour to promote his new book. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2012-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harvill Secker has signed a two-book deal with Belfast crime writer Stuart Neville. Publishing... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Students are split on the necessity of physical textbooks in a digital world, but a majority of... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bloomsbury has acquired world rights in a biography of the late artist Lucian Freud, penned by... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare and Yelp upload names, e-mail addresses and phone numbers, sometimes without explicit permission. Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2012-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Bedford Square Books, the ebook and print-on-demand venture set up by the Ed Victor Literary... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-15 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In December 2010, National Book Network CEO Jed Lyons made the decision to cut back on the number of distribution clients NBN represented while also realigning its sales and marketing teams. The changes led to the departure of some NBN executives including NBN president Rich Freese, who moved to... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-02-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The murder of Oakland journalist Chauncey Bailey and a family's violent rise to prominence is given gripping life.On a morning in August 2007, a slender masked man ran up to Chauncey Bailey on an Oakland sidewalk and fired two shotgun blasts at the journalist. The first slug tore through Bailey... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2012-02-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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How much money is a book really worth? Is it the $25 to $30 publishers typically ask for the hardcover edition? Is it the discounted price plus shipping that an online retailer charges? What if there’s only a Kindle edition you can buy, for 99 cents? Is that same book worth nothing on days when... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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