Friday, 7 June 2019

Compass Points 308


From Russia to India, Mongolia to Germany, Saudi Arabia to Turkey, and America, Canis lupus – the grey wolf – is widely distributed around the globe. Social animals, wolves hunt in packs and travel in families. They are territorial, and, as supreme predators, only humans and tigers pose a serious threat to them, although in folk memory it is we humans who fear the wolves. Endangered and protected, their numbers are now increasing as they are gradually reintroduced, or finding their own way into more locations. Wolves (£9.99, hb, 978 1782747673) is a brilliant examination of these intelligent, adaptable, playful and fierce creatures. With around two hundred outstanding colour photographs including some stunning close ups and amazing action shots; it has just been published by Amber. Zoology graduate and leading natural history writer Tom Jackson has worked on more than sixty books and was on Talk Radio Europe last week talking about it this stunning title, and an image from it was also included in the Mail online's Picture This feature.

There is no doubt that wolves exert a powerful grip on our imagination. Here are the ten best wolves in literature and here are the top ten wolves in film!

Here's a very thought-provoking article about what happens when children realise that their entire life is already up there for all to see, online. The article focusses on group of 11-year-olds who discover that their mothers have been posting photos of them (without prior approval, obviously since babies can’t give consent!)  for much of their life. A pertinent discussion, which leads us to the launch of The Mummy Bloggers by Holly Wainwright (pb, £8.99, 978 1789550535) which is published by Legend this week. The book includes a cover endorsement from YOU Magazine who called it “Hilarious, warm, witty and oh so real” and there will be a major blog tour for the books with 29 key bloggers and Instagrammers - you can see the deatils here. There was an interview with Holly in last weekend’s Mail on Sunday.

Lots of controversy surrounding the new film about Ted Bundy, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile starring Zac Efron and Lily Collins, which is out now. You can see a trailer here. With excellent timing, Ted Bundy: America’s Most Evil Serial Killer (978 1789501773, pb, £9.99) has just been published by Arcturus. Much was made in the media of whether Zac Efron was too good looking to play Bundy, but as the book explains, Ted Bundy was indeed handsome, fun and very charming and many women found him irresistible. But deep inside he was an evil monster, using his insider knowledge of law enforcement to evade detection and escaping from imprisonment twice before his eventual capture. While he confessed to thirty killings, the real figure was probably much higher and many of the bodies have never been found. Crime writer and journalist Al Cimino delves into this astonishing and tragic tale, providing a detailed account of Bundy's crimes.


We love a picturesque books table – and they don’t come much more scenic than this selection at Waterstone’s in Kendall – featuring loads of the fabulous Wild Things titles. Thanks guys!

A double spread in the Express for D-Day: The First 24 Hours by Will Fowler (hb, £19.99, 978 1782747550) and a big feature in the Mail Online which you can see here.  Beginning with an overview of the immense preparations for this historic event, it looks at the airborne and glider landings that preceded the main assault, and each of the individual beach landings, from west to east, bringing the turning point of World War II vividly to life. It’s published by Amber

A very well attended and interesting panel discussion at Waterstone’s High Street Kensington this week with Leanne Maskell author of The Model Manifesto discussing exploitation in the fashion industry. This followed a big spread in the Mirror entitled Bullies, body-Shaming and weekly Weighs-ins: Model reveals dark side of fashion which you can see here.  

Have you ever felt stuck or unmotivated about life? Are there things you want to do or dreams you want to achieve, but you don't know how to get started or how to reach your goals? In Cut the Crap and Feel Amazing (£10.99, pb, 978 1781809228) experienced hypnotherapist Ailsa Frank provides you with the knowledge and tools you need to take control of your life and ensure that it follows a more positive direction - the direction in which you want it to go. It’s published on 4th July by Hay House and was recently featured in Woman’s Way magazine, which has a circulation of 50,000.

“She weaves a deliciously dark, completely riveting story around Jane, a young woman accused of witchcraft who escapes execution in the first book. The book is a simmering cauldron of ancient lore superstitions and forbidden love.” So writes blogger @Beadyjan about Sunwise (pb, £8.99, 978 1911293255) the second novel from Helen Stedman which has just been published by Impress. There are nothing but five-star reviews for this title from readers (and the first book Widdershins (£8.99, pb, 978 1911293040) was the same) with bloggers saying that even those who didn’t usually like historical fiction were “immersed in the world of rural 17th Century northeast England. I can only put this down the beauty of Steadman’s writing and the precision of her plotting. Sunwise is by turns heartbreaking, hilarious, thrilling, spilling, and endearing. Whatever you do, dear reader, don’t miss this one. Five stars.”

“In an abandoned place, anyone with any imagination lets their mind roam over what it was like in its heyday," says author Lawrence Joffe, whose new book Abandoned Sacred Places (£19.99, hb, 978 1782747697) examines tombs, cathedrals, churches, mosques, synagogues and burial places across the world, which time has marauded and nature reclaimed. There’s a great article about it on CNN Travel here which shows that the appeal is not just that the images in his book are not just aesthetically striking; they also give an extraordinary insight into the history of the world.It's published by Amber.

And finally, as we say farewell to Theresa, here's her political legacy summed up in funny tweets on Buzzfeed; and let’s just enjoy a final watch of the hilarious Cassetteboy!

That’s all folks, more next week!

This weekly blog is written for the UK book trade. If you would like to order any of the titles mentioned, then please talk to your Compass Sales Manager, or call the Compass office on 020 8326 5696. Every Friday an e-newsletter containing highlights from the blog is sent out to over 700 booksellers and if you’d like to receive this then please contact nuala@compass-ips.london



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