Let’s start
with some music – favourite Christmas songs anyone? Who likes a brand new
re-recording of a classic – such as Ed Sheeran and Anne-Marie singing Fairytale
Of New York – you can listen to that here or Sam Smith performing
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas here. You’re welcome!
A nice bit
of seasonal publicity from Carcanet - Alison
Brackenbury will be discussing Christmas
Poetry on the Boxing Day edition of the Today Programme on Radio 4,
and she’ll be reading her poem Christmas on the
Radio which is published in her
latest collection Skies (£9.99, pb, 978
1784101800). Skies is Alison Brackenbury's ninth Carcanet collection
and in these poems, Brackenbury sustains delicate proximities between war and
love, joy and sadness, summer and winter. It is the poet's quiet conviction to
savour life, to take seriously its succulent variety, that defines this
collection: the poems attest to the special privileges of age: wisdom,
self-sufficiency, a deepening patience with the world; the ability to be, as
Brackenbury says of an apple, “self-sweet”. Also, Sinead Morrissey will
be appearing on Radio 4's Woman's Hour as part of a day of poetry on 21
December, celebrating the Winter Solstice. She’ll be interviewed and reading
her poem, Last Winter from her award-winning collection, On Balance (978
1784103606, £9.99, pb).
John Holmwood, author of Countering Extremism in British
Schools: The Truth About the Birmingham Trojan Horse Affair,
(£12.99, pb, 978-1447344131) was on BBC Radio 4's Thinking Allowed this
week talking about his new book which has just been published by Policy
Press. This important title highlights the major injustice inflicted on the
teachers in this affair and shows how it was used to criticise
multiculturalism, and justify the expansion of a broad and intrusive counter
extremism agenda. John Holmwood and his co-author Therese
O’ Toole challenge the accepted
narrative on this story, and draw on the potential parallel with the
Hillsborough disaster to suggest a similar false narrative has taken hold of
public debate.
Lovely
reviews coming in for The Good Pilot, Peter
Woodhouse by Alexander McCall Smith (978
1846974090, £14.99, hb). The Yorkshire Post called it a “shaggy dog
story infused with his familiar – and welcome – positivity. A gentle romp
through the world of land girls, war-time romance and exceptional pets”
while the Mail on Sunday made it one of their Books of the Year
and called it “Period pet lit from a pro” which I think is a great strap
line – maybe Polygon should put it on the paperback jacket?!
Always love
a bit of twitter twaddle about a literary character – so am very much enjoying
the current debate as to whether Roald Dahl’s Matilda would beat Stranger
Things Eleven in a head-to-head! You can catch up on all the possible
answers to that question here!
The BBC National Short Story Award 2018 is now open for entries. The new
partner for the Award, Cambridge University, has just been announced, along
with the judging panel which includes previous winner K J Orr. The head judge
is TV personality and author Mel Giedroyc. It's the thirteenth year of the
Award and for the ninth time, Comma will be publishing the shortlist
anthology next year. The winning award is worth £15,000 and this will be
presented to the author of the best, eligible short story, in the opinion of
the judges. There will also be four awards of £600 for the other four
shortlisted stories and the deadline for receipt of entries is 9am Monday 12
March 2018. You can find out more here.
We were
thrilled to hear that The Recovery Letters edited by Olivia Sagan and
James Withey published by Jessica Kingsley is going to be one
of the titles given away on World Book Night – 23rd April 2018. The
organisers have curated a “diverse selection of commercial and literary
fiction, poetry, non-fiction and young adult” for the public, with a
spotlight on mental health. The literacy charity aims to "harness” the
link between reading and mental health through its selection this year. You can
read more about World Book Night in the Bookseller here.
Sue Wilkinson, chief executive of the Reading Agency said: “We
know from our work on the Reading Well programme that there is a powerful link
between reading and positive mental health. We are delighted to be able to
include on the 2018 World Book Night list several titles that deal with this
directly as well as others that we hope will lift readers’ moods or help them
confront life’s difficulties.” De Waal, described the scheme as “a great
opportunity for readers to discover new books and for books to find new
audiences”. She added: “Reading and understanding different lives and
experiences has never been more important.” The
Recovery Letters (978-1785921834,
£9.99, pb) is an anthology of letters from by people recovering from
depression, addressed to those currently affected. They are interspersed with
motivating quotes and additional resources and this powerful collection of
personal letters will serve as a comforting resource for anyone on the journey
to recovery.
Got any New
Year resolutions yet? How about making them online
here and then BuzzFeed will reveal your Patronus to you! And yes, I
do think it’s a worry if it turns out to be a pig. Accio 2018!
And while
we’re on the subject of the wizarding one, I wonder how good our colleagues at Birlinn
and all those booksellers north of the border would be at translating the Scots
version of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone? Does Hoggiehaugh
mean Hogwarts, Hagrid, or Hogsmeade for example? You can take
that quiz here!
What would
you say is the newest superfood trend? Well, I can tell you, it is seaweed,
which as you can read in the Telegraph here
has seen “sales soar as it swims into the mainstream.” Waitrose has
announced that it will stock fresh seaweed in its stores, while sales of the
green stuff soared by 125 per cent after Jamie Oliver claimed it had helped him
lose weight. “Seaweed is one of this year’s biggest trends in veg which
we’re seeing on the menus of some of London’s top and most creative
restaurants," says Waitrose’s product developer. And I’m pleased
to say that we have the perfect book to capitalise on this; The Seaweed Cookbook: A Guide to Edible Seaweeds and How to
Cook with Them (978 0754832874, £15,
hb) which has just been published by Lorenz. Its authors Caroline Warwick-Evans and Tim van Berkel are
mentioned in the Telegraph piece and there has been loads more recent
seaweed related press coverage! The Guardian wrote here
about “a cry for kelp” suggesting that its “complete nutrient
profile” means “it can heal the world”. The Huffington Post
wrote about its many health benefits here,
the Daily Mail called it “the latest nutritional powerhouse set
to take over from kale as the trendy new ingredient to add to your diet” here
and BBC Good Food wrote about its many health benefits here. The Seaweed Cookbook, as you’d expect from Lorenz
is gorgeously illustrated and a great price too. It explores the different
types of seaweed, tells you where to find them, and includes lots of creative
recipes. Whether dried, rehydrated or eaten raw, treated as a vegetable, flaked
and sprinkled as a seasoning, or munched as a crispy snack, there is plenty of
inspiration with photographs that will leave you eager to get foraging and
feasting. Go to the authors’ website www.cornishseaweed.co.uk
to see spreads and recipes from the book – and also find out more about how
much media coverage they’ve been getting recently! This is already big – but is
going to get even bigger – the authors Caroline and Tim have recently been
filmed recently for a new series with Jamie Oliver (Jamie's Friday Night
Feasts) which is broadcasting in January.
Primary
schools should use books featuring transgender parents or celebrating gender
identity, according to fresh guidance from the National Association of Head
Teachers. The new guidance has also been endorsed by Stonewall, the government
and Ofsted. It covers a range of issues aiming to help schools "become
places where all staff can thrive and feel confident to be authentic about who
they are” adding "Primary school leaders may want to ensure books
featuring trans parents or celebrating gender identity and difference are
included in the curriculum". Not everyone agrees with this of course –
there was a big piece in the Times this week which you can see here
where Chris McGovern, head of the Campaign for Real Education, said:
"Indoctrination in the politically correct anxieties, passions and
neuroses of adults has no place in school. This latest intrusion into childhood
will cause upset, confusion and trauma for many youngsters." Whatever
your opinion, here is bound to be a surge in demand for titles addressing this
issue for children – and Jessica Kingsley are
the market leaders. You will want to stock, A
Practical Guide to Gender Diversity and Sexuality in Early Years
(pb, £14.99, 9781785922893) by Deborah Price which is an easy-to-read and practical guide for
early years professionals on how to discuss this with very young children. How to Transform Your School into an LGBT+ Friendly Place: A
Practical Guide for Nursery, Primary and Secondary Teachers (pb,
£14.99, 9781785923494) by Dr Elly Barnes MBE and Dr
Anna Carlile is coming in April and also do look out for some really
excellent picture books on the subject which JKP are publishing in
spring and summer 2018. Vincent the Vixen (hb, £9.99, 978 1785924507) by Alice Reeves and Phoebe
Kirk is about a fox who is assigned
male at birth, but who knows they are actually a girl. With the help of family
and friends, Vincent begins to understand their gender identity and the
importance of accepting and being authentic to who they truly are. Phoenix Goes to School (hb,
£9.99, 978 1785928215) is an empowering and brightly illustrated book for
children aged 3+ which is co-authored by a mother and daughter – the main
character being based on the daughter who identifies as trans. A House for Everyone is
by Jo Hirst who
is one of the leading transgender advocates in Australia (well known for their
previous children’s book The Gender Fairy) This title includes a guide
for parents and professionals and also a lesson plan.
That’s all for 2017 folks! More in the New Year!
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.
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