World Book Day reveals 2021 programme World Book Day has revealed its programme for 4 March, including free digital events, online learning opportunities, and a ‘mass participation campaign’. It intends to tackle book poverty, which has been increased this year due to Covid-19, by providing free books for every child and young person. This year’s…
Elizabeth Day, Johny Pitts take over at Open Book Elizabeth Day and Johny Pitts are the new presenters of Radio 4’s Open Book, fronted for 18 years by Mariella Frostrup. Day, author of bestsellers The Party and How To Fail, presented Open Book yesterday (17 January), and Pitts, author of Afropean, will present his first…
Editions De La Chouette d’Or has announced the publication of ‘a beautifully illustrated armchair treasure hunt book, The Golden Treasure of the Entente Cordiale,’ published in hardback at £24.90 on 8 April 2021, the anniversary of the signing of the Entente Cordiale between Britain and France. A French edition will be published simultaneously by Editions…
Publishers undaunted by lockdown and unruffled by Brexit Anthony Forbes Watson, md at Pan Macmillan, said: “Another lockdown has looked inevitable and necessary for a while, and whilst it is of course difficult for everyone in many ways, it comes in parallel with the roll out of the vaccine and renewed hope for us all…
Bridgerton author, cast share favourite books on Bookshop.org The latest personalities to share their favourite reading on Bookshop.org are historical romance writer Julia Quinn and members of the cast of Bridgerton, the much hyped, Regency-set Netflix series based on Quinn’s bestselling novels (Piatkus/Little, Brown). Quinn recommends her favourite historical romances, alongside choices from actors Adjoa…
John le Carré dies John le Carré, widely acknowledged as the greatest spy writer of the past 60 years, has died at the age of 89. Tributes have poured in from among others his publisher Penguin Random House, his agent Jonny Geller, and from fellow writers…
No bad sex in 2020 The Literary Review has cancelled the 2020 Bad Sex in Fiction Award. “The judges felt that the public had been subjected to too many bad things this year to justify exposing it to bad sex as well,” the journal explained. Invitations to the party at which the prize is…
BBC Audio adapts The Sleeper and the Spindle BBC Audio has announced a new adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sleeper and the Spindle for BBC Radio 4. It will be broadcast on 26 December 2020, and released as an extended edition in digital download on 28 January 2021 followed…
Elena Ferrante joins Bookshop.org influencers In a coup for Bookshop.org, reclusive Italian novelist Elena Ferrante (My Brilliant Friend, The Lying Life of Adults) has produced for the site in the UK and US a list of her top 40 books by women. She has released the list with her publisher, Europa Editions, which will donate its…