Guardian Link Novelist Polly Courtney, who self-published two books before signing up to a three book deal with HarperCollins imprint Avon, has ditched her publisher, after the launch of the third book, because she believes that they have marketed her as 'chick-lit'. According to her, 'chick-lit' is perceived as being "about a girl wanting to … Continue reading There’s nothing "condescending" about chick-lit
Man Booker
Book Club 6 – The Line of Beauty
Venue: Arcadia Bar Date: July 2011 Time: 5pm - 7pm Agreed on: Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi Discussed: The Line Of Beauty - Alan Hollinghurst Point to Note - this was the 2004 Man Booker Prize winner. Although the majority of the club enjoyed this book; it was generally agreed that we read … Continue reading Book Club 6 – The Line of Beauty
Book Club 5 – Soulless
Venue: Arcadia Bar Date: June 2011 Time: 5pm - 7pm Agreed on: The Line Of Beauty - Alan Hollinghurst Discussed: Soulless by Gail Carriger The first in the Parasol Protectorate series. A polarising book - those who enjoyed it really did while those who didn't were equally vocal against it! So bear in mind that … Continue reading Book Club 5 – Soulless
Endless Life of Pi
So last weekend I took the Travelling Suitcase Library to the LS6 Beer Festival, which was amazing. On the Saturday the lovely hosts Left Bank (you guys rock!) donated the rest of their World Book Night copies of Life of Pi and The Reluctant Fundamentalist to the Suitcase. Life of Pi is the gazillion copy … Continue reading Endless Life of Pi
Music To Read Books By
On those rare occasions when I have an evening set aside to just immerse myself in a good book, I find myself choosing particular music to accompany me. Often the album du jour just won't do. Certain albums do more than just 'set the mood', they sort of blend with the book involved, often with … Continue reading Music To Read Books By
Booker Challenge – Book 1!
BOOKER CHALLENGE Title: The White Tiger Author: Aravind Adiga Year Won: 2008 Rating: 8/10 Quick Summary: Set in modern day India, this book comprises of a series of letters, written by the self made Balram Halwai to the Premier of China. Originally from a tiny village in 'the darkness' of rural India, Balram was an … Continue reading Booker Challenge – Book 1!
Booker Challenge – Book 4!
BOOKER CHALLENGE Title : The Bone People Author : Keri Hulme Year Won: 1984 Read for: January 2011 Rating : 7/10 Quick Summary: Set in New Zealand, this is a book of two distinct sections. The first introduces us to the artist Kerewin, the troubled, and mute 8 year old Simon, and his widower adoptive … Continue reading Booker Challenge – Book 4!
Richard and Judy – Decade’s top 100
So, Richard and Judy have just released their list of the Top 100 Most Inspiring Reads of the Decade Personally, I think it's a bit of a silly name as list names go, but the books seem to be fairly representative of the styles of books that have been on offer the last ten years. … Continue reading Richard and Judy – Decade’s top 100
BookElf Reads 2010
In the Great Tradition of last year... Not published this year, just read this year, savvy? Discovery of the Year Jane Smiley- A Thousand Acres, The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton. I got A Thousand Acres, a Pulitzer winning re-telling of the King Lear story, from a book swap and I don't think … Continue reading BookElf Reads 2010
Booker Challenge
Our little book club was set up with a few core aims and goals in mind - cake and books (naturally) were probably the primary focus, along with the chance to chatter with fellow book lovers about a book we had all read (rather than our more usual very diverse cross section discussions), but included somewhere near the top of this virtual list was … Continue reading Booker Challenge
LeedsBookClub 