The beauty of being off, is more time to waste time on the internet, reading links and just randomly surfing! It also means that I am more on top of things and not behind them in terms of sharing. So shall I get on with it? Yes!
J.K. Rowling has announced title of her first adult novel – The Casual Vacancy. Published worldwide on September 27. I confess I have already done the pre-order thing on Amazon and wait to see its place in all the pre-order charts shortly.
When Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock.
Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.
Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…Pagford is not what it first seems.
And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?
In some ways, I feel for J.K. Rowling so much focus is going to be on this book. Will she deliver? Will she be able to cross that divide of children’s book to adult fiction? Will she ever break away from the boy wizard? I suppose we will have to wait and see. What are your thoughts?
Again more pressure is out there in the book world with the announcement that William Boyd, is going to write the next James Bond novel. Having never read any of Boyd’s books but seen much about them, I am not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing? I have read Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks and actually really enjoyed it and surprised myself into the bargain by that. Since then Jeffery Deaver took up the challenge with Carte Blanche and now Boyd is entrusted with the pen and the character of Bond, James Bond. (Sorry could not resist!)
Thinking about a Kindle? I know there are some non-ebook readers out there. But I have found that both ebooks and actual books live very happily in my flat. However, I came across this good review of ebooks and thought it was worth sharing if only for the purposes of information.
As the days are now longer, with much more light, and the weather is getting better (well in fiction perhaps not in reality) it may be time to look at what you are going to read in the coming summer months. Perhaps this link will help you. Or if like me you have just bought more books that I really probably did not need, but just had to have, you will be reading from the books on the shelf, on the floor, etc. Can you tell the guilt is setting in?
I generally only read a newspaper at a weekend, but I get The Telegraph daily onto my iPad, and after chatting with my mum she pushed me in the direction of the obituaries, in particular Dora Saint. She recognised the name I did not. Then she said Miss Read and I immediately knew who. Sad news that she has died, but what a wonderful life she had and at 98 she will have seen many things. It was my mum who gave me a couple of Miss Read’s to read when I was younger, I have no idea which ones but I do remember the gentleness of the village tales. I will now have to look out for them again or at least raid the ones my mum no doubt has somewhere.
For something completely different, and which is indicative of my degree in history I refer you to this link. You do know it is illegal to eat Mince Pies on Christmas Day? And that you must not die in Parliament and if they send a card of condolence to your family if you do have the unfortunate death in the wrong place they will be put in prison for treason, because the stamp was on upside down? Well actually all of that could be bunkum. The link blows open the myths. Feel free to die where you want and eat as many mince pies as you want on Christmas Day. As for the upside down stamps – well no one will be able to afford them soon anyway, so what does it matter, which way they face.
And finally a book. In fact a book about people in book shops. Not us. But I am sure those that very rarely go in book shops and have no idea.
Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell arrived via Amazon just before Easter. It is a great book for just dipping in and out of and reminding you about human nature. Two I would like to share:
From the back cover of the said book.
“Do you have this children’s book I’ve heard about?”
“It’s supposed to be very good.”
“It’s called Lionel Richie and the Wardrobe.”
and a gem from inside
Customer:If my daughter wants to buy books from the teenage section do you need to see some form of ID? It was her thirteenth birthday this weekend. I can show you pictures of the cake. You can count the candles.
Do pick up this book for yourself and your friends, it will make you laugh out loud. I have linked to Jen’s blog if you want to find out more.
And so back to work, hopefully I will keep a bit more up to date with sharing things!
The Book Jotter 