Wednesday, 27 August 2008

BA's Independent Booksellers Book Prize 2008 – Shortlist Announced


Indies have picked ten adult and ten children’s titles for the Booksellers Association's Independent Booksellers Book Prize 2008.

Customers can vote at these independent booksellers using voting postcard.

The shortlists are as follows –

Adult
The Gathering - Anne Enright (9780099501633)
A History of Modern Britain - Andrew Marr (9780330439831)
I Before E (Except After C): Old-School Ways to Remember Stuff - Judy Parkinson (9781843172499)
Mister Pip - Lloyd Jones (9780719569944)
Mitfords: Letters Between Six Sisters - Charlotte Mosley (9781841157740)
Notes from an Exhibition - Patrick Gale (9780007254668)
Spilling the Beans - Clarissa Dickson-Wright (9780340933893)
The Uncommon Reader - Alan Bennett (9781846681332)
The Wild Places - Robert Macfarlane (9781847080189)
The Suspicions of Mr Whicher - Kate Summerscale (9780747599227)

Children
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J K Rowling (9780747595830)
Horrid Henry and the Abominable Snowman - Francesca Simon (9781842550700)
Hurricane Gold: Young Bond - Charlie Higson (9780141322049)
I'm Really Ever So Not Well: Charlie & Lola - Lauren Child (9780141500812)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznick (9781407103488)
Mr Gum and the Power Crystals - Andy Stanton/David Tazzyman (9781405228176)
Paddington Here and Now - Michael Bond (9780007269402)
Skulduggery Pleasant: Playing with Fire - Derek Landy (9780007241620)
The Sleepwalker: (CHERUB) - Robert Muchamore (9780340931837)
Snakehead - Anthony Horowitz (9781406310399)

The deadline for vote entries is 24th October and the winner will be announced on 31st October.

Tuesday, 19 August 2008

Enid Blyton named best-loved author of all time


Enid Blyton, creator of arguably the most famous and successful children’s stories of the 20th century, has been named the best-loved author of all time.

She has beaten the likes of Dahl and Rowling to the top spot.

2000 adults were asked to name their favourite authors as part of a research programme commissioned to mark the 2008 Costa Book Awards.

The top ten looks like this -
1. Enid Blyton
2. Roald Dahl
3. J.K. Rowling
4. Jane Austen
5. William Shakespeare
6. Charles Dickens
7. J.R.R. Tolkien
8. Agatha Christie
9. Stephen King
10. Beatrix Potter

For a full list of the top 50 best-loved authors, visit the Daily Mail article here.

ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards Shortlist Announced

The shortlists for the three categories in the ITV3’s Crime Thriller Awards are as follows –

Breakthrough Author Award
Chelsea CainHeart sick (9780230015890)
Stuart MacBride - Broken Skin (9780007193189)
Michael Robotham - Shatter (9780751537314)
Anne Zouroudi - The Messenger of Athens (9780747592754)

International Author of the Year
Jeffery Deaver
- The Sleeping Doll (9780340833865)
Stieg Larsson - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (9781847245458)
Karin Slaughter - Skin Privilege (9780099481843)
PJ Tracy - Snow Blind (9780141019222)

Author of the Year
Lee Child
- Bad Luck and Trouble (9780553818109)
Robert Harris - The Ghost (9780091796242)
Peter James - Not Dead Enough (9780330446129)
Ian Rankin - Exit Music (9780752893518)


The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on 3rd October, which will be broadcast on ITV3 on the 6th.

Friday, 1 August 2008

Under the Spotlight


August is National Year of Reading’s sporting theme and the start of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and to honour the great Games we have selected a fantastic collection of 12 Olympic titles.

You can learn all about their ancient beginnings to the modern events, with all the bits in between. And you never know; it might even inspire you to join in and go for gold!

Take a look at these sporting titles click here, or visit the Holt Jackson website.