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What upcoming film adaptations are you looking forward to?
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012
Last week’s issue of Stylist included a list of book adaptations due to hit the big screen this year, and as a frequent cinema-goer, I’m looking forward to quite a few of them. First, on the 10th February, comes eerie horror, The Woman in Black. I haven’t read the book, but I’m quite interested to [...]
A healthy (reading) diet
Monday, January 30th, 2012
If you read the title of this blog quickly, don’t worry, I’m not going to enumerate the many and varied ways I’m attempting to get back into something resembling shape this January, though that has unfortunately been a preoccupation of mine these past few, dark weeks. No, what I realized today was that it was [...]
Would you like fries or a book with that?
Friday, January 27th, 2012
I was interested to see some of the different responses online, whether praise or furore, to the news that McDonald’s were giving away Michael Morpurgo’s Mudpuddle Farm books with Happy Meals this month. Read the news here and here. and Perhaps it’s the visualization of a book in the place where you more often find [...]
Bring back The Letter!
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
Last week the blog Letters of Note, posted a letter written by author John Steinbeck to his then teenage and love-struck son, Thomas, back in 1958. Although it has been in the public domain since the 1980s, this recent spotlight has shot the letter to sudden fame. It has since been reproduced in last weekend’s [...]
Rebecca Tope speaking at Teign Valley Literary Supper
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012
Thursday 1 March, 7.30pm SHELDON Enjoy a talk, quiz and dinner and the Teign Valley Literary Supper! Rebecca Tope, author of the hugely popular Cotswold mystery series including the latest release, Deception in the Cotswolds, will be the pre-dinner speaker and the event will take place at Long Barn at Sheldon. Tickets can be obtained [...]
Martin Edwards speaking at the Essex Book Festival
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012
Wednesday 7 March, 7.45pm WITHAM LIBRARY As part of the Essex Book Festival, crime-writer Martin Edwards, author of the acclaimed Lake District mysteries, will be the guest speaker at the annual Dorothy L Sayers Society lecture, taking place at Witham Libray, 8 Newland Street Witham, CM8 2AQ. For more [...]
Catrin Collier speaking at LLanelli Library
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012
Monday 5 March, 2.00pm LLANELLI LIBRARY Come and meet Catrin Collier, author of Bobby’s Girl, who will be at the opening of the new Llanelli Library, Vaughan St Llanelli, SA15 3AS. She will be talking about her books and answering any questions. For more information contact the library on 01554 773538.
Catrin Collier at Pontypridd Library
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012
Tuesday 14 February, 5.00pm PONTYPRIDD LIBRARY Come and meet Catrin Collier, author of Bobby’s Girl, who will be talking about Pontipridd and the historical aspects of her books at Pontypridd Library, Library Road, Pontypridd, CF37 2DY. This is part of the “Pontypridd – more than just a bridge” series of talks and for more information [...]
Launch of The War of the Dragon Lady at Goldsboro Books
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012
Thursday 9th February, 6.30pm GOLDSBORO BOOKS, LONDON Come and and celebrate the launch of The War of the Dragon Lady, by John Wilcox – the latest in his acclaimed Fonthill series – at Goldsboro Books, 23-25, Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ. For more information call the bookshop on 0207 497 9230.
Wednesday Cover Story: Hardback v Paperback
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012
There are some covers which are lovely pieces of design in themselves, but don’t actually “sell” the book to the reader. One example I came across recently was the hardback cover to The Art of Fielding, by Chad Harbach. I had seen the book on a table in my local bookstore but it would never [...]
Happy Year of the Dragon!
Tuesday, January 24th, 2012
Yesterday, as I recently discovered, was the Chinese New Year. The literal translation of its Chinese name is ‘Spring Festival’, and so it marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. I wish it was feeling like spring already, but I’m afraid it’s a bit early for it here in the UK! Nevertheless, [...]
5 things you should know when moving flat
Monday, January 23rd, 2012
You will have noticed that I did not post a blog on Friday. This is because, instead of blogging, I was completing a feat comparable to an Iron Man. Yes, that’s right, I had to move flat. And before you scoff at my hyperbolic analogy, I will explain that this feat involved getting everything done [...]
What the Dickens? Part One
Thursday, January 19th, 2012
Talk about poor timing. During 2012, the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens’ birth, the Charles Dickens museum in Camden will shut between Easter and Christmas (read more here…) That seems like a very long time to me and a shame considering the attention the man is due to get this year. But then again, we [...]
The fascination with the Crusades
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012
I’m a bit of a sucker for documentaries on the Beeb and honestly think no-one does them better, so I’m getting super-excited about the 3-parter that starts on BBC 2 tonight at 9.30pm. And to make my life complete, it’s all about the Crusades. A truly mesmerising period in history that has spawned a gazillion [...]
It’s literary hashtag time again!
Tuesday, January 17th, 2012
Literary-themed hashtags sweep Twitter on a seemingly regular basis at the moment. For example, @Foyles runs an almost weekly literary hashtag competition and participation is high. Last week’s chosen theme was #bookrailway and the entry, Now We Are Six Minutes Late, won for its ‘realistic sense of exasperation’! Whether it is driven by procrastination or [...]
The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) reviewed…
Monday, January 16th, 2012
As I’ve mentioned before, one of my New Year’s resolutions is to make the most of London by exploring some of the city’s interesting places and events. So when I received an e-mail advertising discounted tickets for Shakespeare’s Complete Works (abridged), I thought: Perfect! I will be exploring London’s theatre scene, and also nurturing my [...]
A very Scandinavian week
Friday, January 13th, 2012
This week has seen some cosmic element pulling all manner of Nordic things into my life. I discovered COS (Collection of Style) on Regent Street, the new sister store of Swedish chain H&M (full of sleek, classic but modern styles that don’t break the budget); every interior of a house I’ve seen (and loved) in [...]
Quote great literature while you cook
Thursday, January 12th, 2012
As A&B’s resident foodie, it’s perhaps not surprising that I’ve discovered a lovely new blog The Gossip Bowl which celebrates vintage recipes (with a dose of the literary…) As they proudly highlight themselves on their site, Virginia Woolf wrote: ‘One cannot think well, love well, sleep well if one has not dined well.’ Too true. [...]
ALFIE HITS THE STAGE
Wednesday, January 11th, 2012
The new theatre production of Bill Naughton’s most celebrated novel, Alfie, will be touring theatres across the country until the end of April.
Wednesday Cover Story: A cover that mirrors the content
Wednesday, January 11th, 2012
I am in the process of culling the number of books in my house as a cathartic (and sensible) clearout before moving flat. And amongst my sagging bookshelves I found a copy of Little Bird, by Camilla Way – which I remember picking up many years ago when HarperCollins was having their own clearout of [...]
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