Who enjoys
the “The Books That Made Me….” feature in the Guardian? Last
weekend it was the turn of Essex Serpent author Sarah Perry to discuss
her favourites and she chose Dan Rhodes’ When the
Professor Got Stuck in the Snow (£8.99,
pb, 978 1910709016), published by the fabulous Aardvark Bureau as The
Book I Think is Most Underrated. She called it “a comic masterpiece to
rival Jerome K Jerome or PG Wodehouse. Like the best comedy, it’s also deeply
serious. I am astonished that Rhodes wasn’t crowned with an entire hedge worth
of laurel wreaths.” You can read the whole piece here.
Hear hear Sarah – and this is the ideal book to have in a winter books
display – in fact it could be a snowy books table where you could include a top
ten of books about the white stuff – which for me would have to include Snow
Falling on Cedars, Miss Smilla's Feeling For Snow, Dr Zhivago, The Call of the
Wild, The Long Winter, The Snow Queen, The Snow Goose, The Snowman (both
Nesbø and Briggs)…. Any more? You could maybe include Robert Sabbag’s Snowblind
too – or would that really not be appropriate?
And here you go – just to
get you in the wintery mood – the Top Ten Snow films!
Charlotte Peacock will be on Woman’s Hour on Thursday December 14th
talking about her wonderful biography of Nan Shepherd; Into the Mountain (hb,
£20, 978 1903385562) which has just been published by Galileo. There has
already been a great review in the Observer and there’s an article in Country
Life coming up, as well as pieces in The Literary Review and the Spectator.
And I’m happy to tell you that Charlotte will be on the BBC 4 programme Open
Country, on December 28th. Here you can see a really lovely window display at Golden
Hare Books in Edinburgh where it is currently their Book of the Month. This beautifully
written book unravels the mysteries, dispels some of the rumours and gives
insight into the life and work of this extraordinary writer.
Talking of
Scotland, I found this
both funny and true – top tips to help you survive a winter north of the
border!
The Supermum Myth (£12.99, pb, 978 1910336342) had a splendid launch event in Leeds
yesterday and continues to get lots of publicity with a feature in the Daily
Mail plus a lot of regional coverage for its authors Dr Rachel Andrew and Anya Hayes. The two authors
are booked onto the Scummy Mummies podcast which will be aired in
December – this is an influential podcast so should give a boost to sales! You
can read a brilliant review of the title here on
the MuffinTopMummy blog (love that name!) which says “I’ve read
plenty of ‘not-so-supermum’ blogs to know that a lot of mothers aren’t breezing
through life in an Instagram-filtered world. But that’s not what I took away
from this book. It isn’t simply another regurgitation of ‘we don’t all have
this motherhood thing nailed’. It’s both a deeper dive into WHY Supermum
doesn’t exist and, crucially, how we can deal with our feelings. Real,
practical advice and exercises. Yes, I did say exercises. Because this is a
book that you can use, not just read.”
I was very
pleased to see this
story in the Guardian, bringing us the welcome news that many small
indie publishers are reporting booming sales. Some of the big boys may be
struggling, but hurrah, figures for sixty of the smallest players in the UK
industry show that sales were up 79% in the last year.
You
booksellers have more power than you may believe! I loved this
story here from the Bookseller all about how Nic Bottomley,
owner of Mr B's Emporium in Bath, persuaded our favourite Welsh indie Parthian
to reprint a title by promising to buy half its print run! Hummingbird (£10, pb, 978 1910901908) by Tristan Hughes was
recommended to Bottomley by a colleague and when he heard the title was going
out of print, he persuaded Parthian to reprint by promising to buy half
its second print run of 400. "We enjoy practicing a very opinionated
form of bookselling at Mr B’s - hand-selling and recommending books at every
opportunity", Bottomley said. "And we love nothing more than
finding a book, like Hummingbird, that we believe is brilliantly written and
that will appeal to many different types of readers – particularly when it’s
published by an indie press like Parthian." He added: “My
colleague Tom has been going on about Hummingbird non-stop since May and when I
finally read it last month I understood why. It has the perfect blend of plot,
oddball characters and a superb sense of place. It’s been selling well
throughout the summer and we’ve been getting incredible feedback on it from the
customers who’ve read it. With three more months of customer conversations, our
Christmas catalogue and an event at Mr B’s with the author between now and
Christmas, we’re going to need a LOT of copies. I really hope other bookshops
give it the reading-time and display it deserves too”. We hope so too – it
truly is a lovely book! The Daily Mail called it “Lean and
lyrical...beautifully nuanced and utterly touching” and it has a truly
gorgeous cover!
As many of
you will be aware, exactly where you live in the UK can have a starting effect
on your health. A new title from Policy Press, entitled Health Divides: Where You Live Can Kill You by Clare Bambra (pb,
978 1447330356, £12.99) was recently Highly
Commended at the 2017 BMA
awards and explores this subject fully. Although this subject area is
already in the public consciousness, it has largely been absent from
publications. Health Divides uses extensive maps and visualisations to communicate
the subject matter and the judges for the BMA awards said it was “very
accessible and engaging to a wide variety of audiences. It is an exceptional
book; I found it to be the best I have reviewed by some margin. It is an
important subject, elegantly presented in an easy and engaging fashion. Health
inequalities should not be tolerated as normal or inevitable and this book adds
greatly to that end.” Health Divides examines the social, environmental, economic and
political causes of health inequalities, how they have evolved over time and
what they are like today, revealing gaps in life expectancy of up to 25 years
between places just a few miles apart.
I do
appreciate that your bookshops are groaning under the weight of treats from
celeb chefs right now; but cookbooks don’t come much more gorgeous and genuine
than The Italian Regional Cookbook (hb,
978 0754832409, £25.00) by Italian-cooking expert Valentina
Harris. Each area of Italy is examined in turn, with a carefully
curated selection of recipes, and detailed instructions and photographs to help
you achieve an authentic, and completely delicious, end result. This 624-page
comprehensive book is a must-have reference for anyone who is passionate about
cooking authentic Italian food. It’s published by Lorenz and you
can see some spreads from it and find out a bit more here.
Betting the House: The Inside Story of the 2017 Election (£14.99, pb, 978 1785902956) which
has just been published by Biteback is getting loads of press coverage
with articles in the Mail
on Sunday, The
Sun, the Independent,
the
Guardian, The
Mirror and an interview on LBC
plus many more. Through new interviews and candid private accounts from key
players, political journalists Tim Ross and Tom
McTague have pieced together the
inside story of one of the most dramatic and important of elections in recent
years – and there are loads of juicy titbits within its pages! I particularly
enjoyed the account mentioned in the
Guardian slagging off Teresa May’s culinary know-how, saying “Chicken
lasagne and boiled potatoes??! As Lynton Crosby apparently quipped, it is
possible to tell a lot about a leader from the menus they serve. In this case,
it is clear that Theresa May cares as little about respecting the culinary traditions
of fellow Europeans.” It sounds Theresa needs a copy of the aforementioned Valentina Harris cookbook
pronto! The Mail called Betting the House “the political book of the year … gripping”
and there will be more coverage for this one to come I’m sure.
Queen are
playing all round the UK during December – they are in Liverpool on 28 Nov,
Birmingham on 30 Nov, Newcastle on 1 Dec, Glasgow on 3 Dec, Nottingham on 5
Dec, Leeds on 6 Dec, Manchester on 9 Dec, London on 12,13 and 15 Dec then
finally Birmingham on 16 December; so please do make sure that you have lots of
copies of Queen in 3D (978 0957424685, hb, £50.00) on display if you have a
bookshop in one of these cities! Brian May has been known to pop in unannounced to bookshops
while he’s in town and start signing copies for delighted fans – so do make
sure you’re prepared for the Santa Claus of rock to call in on you! Here you can see an excellent window display from Waterstones’s
in Liverpool which is where the Queen tour kicks off next Tuesday – nice
one guys, thanks very much! There was an excellent piece on Queen in 3D in Saga
magazine this month – which you can read here and the Scotsman
will run a big spread on the book on 1st Dec, including lots of extracts and
images from the book. It is published by the London Stereoscopic Company.
There’s
never been a better time to be a woman. Thanks to those feminists who fought
for liberation, young women today have freedom and opportunities their
grandmothers could barely have imagined. Girls do better at school than boys
and are more likely to go to university. Yet Dr
Joanna Williams argues that rather
than encouraging women to seize the new possibilities open to them,
contemporary feminism insists on telling them that they are still oppressed. Women vs Feminism: Why We All Need Liberating from the Gender
Wars (pb, £14.99, 978 1787144767) has
just been published by Emerald, and unsurprisingly is generating a lot
of media coverage! The book was launched at a debate; The Battle of Ideas
discussing the many issues the book raises which you can watch on YouTube here . And here is Joanna Williams talking
on the Channel 4 news about the book in the light of the Sexminster
scandal and #Me Too. You can also listen to a podcast by Joanna on Spiked
Online here. Clare Fox, from the
Institute of Ideas said “For those of us who’ve been involved in fighting
for women’s liberation for years, it has been tragic to watch contemporary
feminism become the enemy of freedom. Do not despair. Joanna Williams’s
wonderful book not only uses erudition, philosophy and polemics to explain how
on earth this betrayal has happened but more importantly it is a bravura
clarion call urging women to throw off the shackles of hapless victimhood and
instead take control of their destiny. I loved every word.” It has a punchy
eye-catching cover – and is available now!
And while
we’re on the thorny subject of #MeToo and sexual harassment allegations, can I
recommend Helen De Witt's brilliant novel
Lightning Rods (£7.99,
pb, 978 1908276292) from And Other Stories. This is a fantastic backlist
title (published in 2013) that seems to have foreseen recent events, a sharp,
uproarious satire on sex, work and corporate culture. The Independent on
Sunday wrote “Nasty idea; very funny book. Helen DeWitt maintains a
strong, clear, narrative voice throughout, pitch-perfectly parodying management
speak, corporate culture and self-help bibles” while the Telegraph
wrote that this novel by “Helen DeWitt [will be] recognised in the future as
one of the most interesting of its time.” Here's
a review from the New York Times calling it a “funny,
filthy book” which gives you a good feel for it (as it were!).
Tis the
season where we start to eat our own weight in festive treats every day – but
of course it IS possible to eat fat and not GET fat – by eating the RIGHT fats
(and I don’t think that means pigs in blankets). The
Fat for Fuel Ketogenic Cookbook by Dr
Joseph Mercola and Pete Evans (978
1401955410, hb, £23.99) which has just been published by Hay House will
be featured in January’s What Doctors Don’t Tell You and an exclusive
recipe and a Q&A with Dr Joseph Mercola will also be featured in NOW Magazine in
January. This new volume is a companion to Dr
Mercola's best-selling Fat for Fuel,
and is an impeccably researched, beautifully illustrated, comprehensive guide
to eating the ketogenic way in epicurean style. In its pages, you'll find a
clear explanation of what ketogenic eating is and how it can transform your
health together with nearly 100 delicious ketogenic recipes, from basics like
Beef Bone Broth, to showstopper entrées like Crispy Duck Confit, to irresistible
treats like a Chocolate Fat Bomb!
While most
children are thinking about Christmas in an entirely straightforward “Hmm,
will-Santa-be-able-to-fit-all-my-presents-down-the chimney-I-wonder” sort
of way, sadly for some, the strong emotions involved at this time of year makes
it not quite so simple. Jessica Kingsley are the masters of titles
helping children deal with worries of all kinds; and My Secret Dog (hb, £9.99, 978 1785924866) by Tom Alexander is a
new, beautifully understated hardback which depicts a child's sense of slowly
discovering that getting what they want is not as straightforward as it might
first appear.
JKP’s top selling therapeutic children’s title this year
has been the fabulous All Birds Have Anxiety (hb, £9.99, 978 1785921827) which humorously explores
the symptoms of anxiety disorder and its impact on day-to-day life through
colourful images of life as a bird. Kathy Hoopmamn’s
previous titles All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome (978-1843104810) and All
Dogs Have ADHD (978 1843106517) are
also huge bestsellers for the publisher. Other current top titles for the
publisher are: The Princess and the Fog (hb, £10.99) which is designed to be read with
children aged 5-7 who are suffering from depression. Using metaphor and full of
humour, it is a relatable, enjoyable and positive read for all – and also
includes a guide for parents and carers by two clinical paediatric
psychologists. Big Tree is Sick (hb, £11.99, 978 1785922268) is a warm and comforting
picture book portraying the anger and emotion that many children encounter when
a close relative or friend is diagnosed with a long-term illness, such as
cancer. The story of Big Tree depicts how things are often out of your control
and sets out effective strategies for dealing with these emotions in times of
illness and loss. Minnie and Max are OK
(hb, £10.99, 978 1785922336) is a great confidence builder, to help kids
develop a positive body image – an increasingly important issue for young
children. And You Make Your Parents Super Happy
(£8.99, hb, 978 1785924149) explains why parents decide to separate in simple,
understandable language; this candid and reassuring story with its relatable
fun characters, can be a lifeline during a confusing time. If you’d like to
have a browse through the entire Jessica Kingsley Children’s Catalogue,
then it's
here!
Good to see Lost Lanes: 36 Glorious Bike Rides in Southern England by Jack Thurston (pb, £14.99, 978 0957157316) from Wild
Things in amongst a lovely Christmas Picks display at Foyles
this week which you can see here. I’m loving the retro cover look working so well together from many
different publishers – all these books look like highly tempting gifts!
We're
thrilled to see stories by two New Island authors, June Caldwell and Nuala O’Connor (which are
included in their collections in Room Little Darker (pb, £9.99, 978 1848406094) and Joyride to Jupiter £9.99,
pb, 9781848406155)) nominated for the Short
Story of the Year in the 2017 BGE Irish Book Awards. The winners will be announced at the Gala Dinner and Awards ceremony on
28th November which will be televised on RTE 1. Voting has now closed, but you can read the stories
and find out more about these fantastic writers on the Awards website here.
I love this
fantastic initiative from Book Trust who suggest you can brighten up
Christmas by sending a book gift to a child in care. Through their Letterbox
Club, they send book parcels out during the year and for many children, it may
be the first time they have had a letter or parcel through the post – and for
some, these may be the first books they’ve owned. This Christmas, they want to
surprise these children by sending each child a special book gift. Go to the
website to find out how you can donate.
That’s all for now folks! More next week!
This
newsletter is sent weekly to over 700 booksellers as well as publishers and
publicists. If you would like to order any of the titles mentioned, then please
talk to your Compass Sales Manager, or call the office on 020 8326 5696.
No comments:
Post a Comment