Compass Points 134

Summer reading lists in all the weekend papers – doncha love ‘em? Assuming that the zillions of punters do come into your shops clutching a copy of the paper with the relevant titles highlighted, and their credit cards all ready to make a purchase; here are the titles from Compass you need to make sure will be easy to find in the front of your store!

The big Guardian and Observer summer reading feature this weekend included:

John Banvill; who wrote: “I detest holidays and have to be dragged off on them; books are the only consolation. This year, to County Carlow and Lucca, I shall take Clive James’s Sentenced to Life (Picador £14.99), his superb, late poems on mortality, his own and everyone else’s. Also in my bag will be Pascal Garnier’s Boxes (Gallic Books £7.99), which is sure to freeze the cockles of my heart nicely. For those unacquainted with Garnier’s work, think Simenon and Patricia Highsmith mixed, with jokes added to the black brew.“

Jackie Kay; who said:”…and Curriculum Vitae, Muriel Spark’s autobiography (Carcanet, £8.99) – been meaning to read this for years. “

Blake Morrison who wrote: “While by the east coast, I’ll have Julia Blackburn’s Threads (Jonathan Cape £25) with me, her illustrated biography of John Craske, a Norfolk fisherman who turned to painting and embroidery when he fell ill. Marine by Alan Jenkins and John Kinsella (Enitharmon £9.99) will also be essential reading – two very different poets both writing about the sea. “

Damian Barr; who said “I’ve found a secret garden in Brighton with high flint walls and shade-dappled corners. I am going to cool my feet, and some bottles, in the pond. I discovered To Kill a Mockingbird when I turned 13 – I wonder if I’ll revert to my teen self when I reread it in prep for the new Harper Lee. I will have to ration Janice Galloway’s new short story collection, Jellyfish (Freight £12.99).”

Great to have so many of our fab indie publishers in such a prestigious summer reading supplement – well done all!

And talking of summer reading – what do you think are the best depictions of summer in a novel? Have a look at this top ten list of fictional summers in the Guardian, to see if you agree!

Business books are two a penny, but something a little bit different is The Commando Entrepreneur, by Damian McKinney . Following the success of his previous book The Commando Way, Damian McKinney draws on his own experience as a Royal Marine and as a highly successful international business consultant, and writes about the values of being a Marine that have served him well in his commercial life. He suggests that the ‘commando entrepreneur’ is a particularly vital and valuable role in business success, the strengths offered by a disciplined ‘maverick’, able to innovate outside the restrictions of everyday business. Business leaders have commended this title; Howard Boville MD of BOA said “This book is a must-have if you are working through how to deliver break through results for your firm” and Alex Pratt, CEO of Serious Brands said “Outstanding people are no mistake … Commandos don’t dabble. They decide. They deploy. They deliver.” There’s plenty of approval for this title on Twitter too, with bloggers saying “The Commando Entrepreneur by Damian McKinney is a MUST READ for any budding entrepreneur” and “If you want high performance, read The Commando Entrepreneur!” The Commando Entrepreneur, by Damian McKinney (pb, 978 1909273610, 12.99) has just been published by Urbane Publications and you can find out more and order it here.

Now, take yourself, if you will, back to the mid-1990s, when ordinary Russians are reeling from the collapse of the Soviet Union. Old habits clash with new money, and war rages between Russia and the breakaway Chechen republic. Our hero, Leonid, a hard-luck lorry driver, lives with his senile, military-veteran father in Moscow and ferries shipments of illicit goods all over Russia for his Mafia bosses. He nurses a single wish: to leave behind the country of his birth, for which he feels nothing but disdain, and immigrate to the United States – the land where dreams come true. During a haul to the Caucasus with a cargo of vodka intended for parched soldiers on the front line of the campaign against Chechnya, Leonid and his dim-witted sidekick take a wrong turn. They wind up in the centre of the Chechen capital Grozny, at the height of one of the cruellest bombardments of the twentieth century. What follows will shock Leonid into a confrontation with reality. Drinking and Driving in Chechnya, a short, biting debut by Peter Gonda is destined to become a bit of a cult classic. Leonid is a hard nut with a soft centre, and however amoral his behaviour, even he cannot fail to be moved by the events he witnesses. This exciting debut by a novelist with a strikingly original voice and a gift for memorable characters is told with a tough-guy sensibility redolent with moral indignation, reminiscent of Chuck Palahniuk and Norman Mailer and has attracted considerable early attention from international foreign-rights buyers and film producers. Drinking and Driving in Chechnya (pb, 978 859641057, £9.99) by Peter Gonda is published in September by Periscope Books and you can order it here

What on earth is going to happen to the Labour party? Every day seems to bring some new challenge, and anyone seriously interested in the future of the left should be reading Peter Hain’s new books: Back to The Future of Socialism (hb 978 1447321682, £9.99)  published by Policy Press in September. Anthony Crosland’s The Future of Socialism (1956) provided a creed for governments of the centre left until the global banking crisis. Now Peter Hain, with over 50 years’ experience in politics, revisits this classic text and presents a stimulating political prospectus for today. Hain argues that capitalism is now more financially unstable and unfair, productive but prone to paralysis, dynamic but discriminatory. A rousing alternative to the neoliberal, right-wing orthodoxy of our era, Hain’s asks what’s gone wrong with capitalism and how should governments respond? Did Big Government or Big Banking cause the global financial crisis? Is the answer austerity or investment in growth; untrammelled market forces or regulating for the common good? With over nearly 50 years in UK politics, Hain is known for favouring candour over caution, and plain speaking over political spin. He has published over twenty books – including his memoirs Outside In (2012) appearing widely on radio and television. Archbishop Desmond Tutu called Back to The Future of Socialism "A clarion call for justice, equality and liberty to triumph. Greed and selfishness, a widening chasm between the haves and the have nots, indifference to climate change and poverty, threaten the very future of humankind." This new hardback has an updated preface and chapter on the 2015 election, and there will be plenty of author publicity when it comes out in September. Find out more and order it here

Well, we can’t mention a book called Back to the Future without showing a clip of you know what can we?! Wow, I LOVE that film!

If you don’t want to trust in the politicians to sort out your future, then how about turning to celestial powers instead? The Angel Oracle: Working with the Angels for Guidance, Inspiration and Love by Ambika Wauters reassures us that angels have the power to touch every one of us with their protection, guidance and eternal love. This is a handsome boxed set containing 36 beautifully illustrated angel cards – one for each of the angels in the heavenly realm – which promises to offer clarity of thought, knowledge and insight to help you with everyday problems as well as the major challenges of life. Hey – it’s worth a shot. The book includes a full commentary for each card, along with clear advice on interpreting the meanings and choosing the card spread most suited to your situation. Whether you’re seeking past, present and future perspective on something that is troubling you or simply looking for a quick, definitive answer regarding an emotional issue, the angels will bring you positive healing energy. Ambika Wauters is a bestselling author both here and in the US and The Angel Oracle: Working with the Angels for Guidance, Inspiration and Love (boxed set of cards, 216 x 150, 978 185906183 £17.99) is published by Connections in September.

Find out more and order it here

Is women's empowerment critical to environmental sustainability? When Friends of the Earth asked this question on Facebook half of respondents said yes and half said no, with women as likely to say no as men. This collection of articles and interviews, from some of the leading lights of the environmental and feminist movements, demonstrates that achieving gender equality is vital if we are to protect the environment upon which we all depend. It is a rallying call to environmental campaigning groups and other environmentalists who have, on the whole, neglected women's empowerment in their work. Friends of the Earth hope that the book will encourage the environmental movement and women's movement to join in fighting the twin evils of women's oppression and environmental degradation, because they firmly believe that social justice and environmental sustainability are two sides of the same coin. Interesting stuff – and Friends of the Earth will be marketing this book strongly to their 150k supporters. Why Women Will Save the Planet features contributions from Caroline Lucas, Maria Mies, Vandana Shiva and Mary Robinson among others. It makes a provocative argument that environmental movements have too often neglected the struggle for women’s empowerment; and this is the first book to present this crucial argument to a general audience. Why Women Will Save the Planet (pb, 978 1783605798, £9.99) is published by ZED Books and Friends of the Earth in September and you can find out more and order it here

Here’s a short film from Friends of the Earth which I think you will like if this book strikes a chord with you.

There has been loads more publicity for Getting Out Alive by Roger Mosey (hb, £20.00, 9781849548311) which has just been published by Robson Press. Of course the itming could not be better, with the furture of the BBC being hotly debated by all and sundry at present.  The New Statseman  gave it a rave review calling it  "a hugely entertaining insider’s account of life at Auntie’" and "a candid and clear-eyed book by one of the best and the brightest of the Beeb’s recent bosses. The BBC needs more Roger Moseys." There is more coverage to come for this excellent book, watch this space! and you can find out more and order it here. 

Dancing Through Red Dust is the long awaited UK and global English debut of the new novel by New York Times columnist and blogger Murong. This is his first novel in English since emerging as one of China’s leading dissident voices and takes readers into new fictional territory with the first fictional representations of China’s prisons and death row. The New York Times calls him “China’s poet laureate of corruption” and the Guardian‘s preview of this vast novel says “Blimey! What an immense novel. Hugely entertaining.”  This is a panoramic book of patchwork brilliance, relentless energy and dark humour: a gripping thriller that delves into the secretive world of China’s legal system. Lawyer Wei Da destroys evidence, hides his assets and plans to flee China. About to escape, he is incarcerated in the horrific Cao River Remand Centre. The worst of human nature is exhibited here and even as Wei Da tries to atone, the day of his execution encroaches. Celebrated for his darkly funny tales of contemporary Chinese urban life, New York Times columnist Murong became a cult hit amongst young middle class Chinese looking for writing that pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable literature. In 2010 he won China’s leading literary prize but was prevented from accepting it. Through his NYT column, and speeches in New York, Oslo and Hay, he has emerged as a beacon for independent writers everywhere. There will be interviews with Murong publicising this book on BBC TV and radio stations. The last quarter of the novel is almost a self-contained novel within a novel, which starts immediately following the main character's arrest and takes him through interrogation, imprisonment and execution. It is very strong writing and there has been a lot of media interest in adapting it – if anyone would like to read it, we can email you a PDF. Please contact nuala@compass-ips.london with Red Dust PDF in the subject box! Dancing Through Red Dust by Murong (hb, 978 9881410535, £17.99) is published by Forty Six in September and you can find out more and order it here

Compass is on Twitter! Follow us @CompassIPS. Here are some of our favourite tweets from last week...

Wild Things Books ‏@wildthingsbooks 

Today @Splodz recommends our #wildsummer book. Experience wild swimming, camping & ruins! http://bit.ly/1K8Vg1w 

Birlinn Books ‏@BirlinnBooks  

'The illustrations... are lovely, very evocative of the countryside' - fab review of Precious and the Zebra Necklace: http://bit.ly/1LhZR2U 

Harry Potter Logic™ ‏@HPotterLogic  

Dementor 1: I hate this job Dementor 2: I know; it's soul destroying Dementor 1: AYYYYYYYYYYYYY Dementor 2: Azkabanter

Polygon Books ‏@PolygonBooks  

Heard @malachytallack's Sixty Degrees North on @BBCRadio4 this week? Fancy hearing him live? Get on down to @WaterstonesGla tmrw at 1830!

Shirley Golden ‏@shirl1001  

Well, never thought I'd say this: I signed a publishing contract today with the lovely @urbanepub @urbanebooks Still not sunk in yet!!

BackPage Press ‏@BackPagePress  

"He’d kick the shit out of you but was happy to take it if you responded in kind" http://goo.gl/nwhlUZ  #CostaWar

Here’s hoping that the summer sun reaches you this weekend – and to finish here are 42 of the most beautiful literary quotes about summer - from our friends at BuzzFeed!

That’s all for now folks, more next week!

This newsletter is taken form a blog which 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 click here to go to the Compass New Titles Website or talk to your Compass Sales representative.

Compass Points 133

Ah the warm sun, the long lunches and the boozy evenings – truly when we’re not slogging away at a hot computer or in a steamy bookshop, summer 2015 is definitely shaping up to be La Vie en Rose or possibly La Vie en Rosé.  Which brings me neatly to the subject of our first book – and here's an aural clue...

Edith Piaf was one of 20th-century France’s brightest stars, an international sensation, and since her death in 1963 has become a legendary figure. Her life story is so compelling that it has become difficult to separate the truth from the hearsay, thanks to a wealth of stories, plays, films and biographies about her life: that she was born on the pavement of Rue de Belleville 72 on a pile of coats; raised in a brothel; a hero of the French resistance; losing the love of her life in a plane crash, and her untimely death from liver cancer. Shrouded by fantastical stories, the ‘real’ Edith Piaf is often indistinguishable from the legend. December 2015 will see Edith Piaf’s centenary, and in November, Oberon Books are publishing a shocking new Piaf title Find Me A New Way To Die: Edith Piaf The Untold Story by David Bret who is a prolific and bestselling author of revelatory – and often controversial – celebrity biographies. This new book centres around exclusive interviews with Piaf’s friends, lovers, colleagues and songwriters, as well as Bret’s close friend Marlene Dietrich and for the first time, David Bret is in a position to reveal some sensational material that was much too controversial to publish whilst the interviewees were alive. This new book will mean a significant revision to the Piaf myth and Find Me A New Way to Die will be compelling reading for all of Edith Piaf’s legions of fans plus all those who love celebrity biographies. Find Me A New Way To Die: Edith Piaf The Untold Story (pb, 978 1783199297, £8.99) will be serialised in a national newspaper. It is published in November, and you can find out lots more about it and order it here.

Let’s hear a bit more from the little sparrow shall we?

 Now we’ll move from one raddled iconic musician to another – Keith Richards. Rock’s seemingly indestructible hero has been photographed by many people over the past half a century: from the early days of The Rolling Stones, with a relatively baby-faced ‘Keef’ sporting a hounds-tooth jacket, to his heroic piratical look of the present day.  Keith Richards: A Life in Pictures by Dave Brolan is a beautifully produced comprehensive collection of portraits and candid shots collected to match the passing moments. Police busts, global superstardom, a legendary Glastonbury set, a satisfying appearance in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise and an unlikely 2008 advertising stint as a lifestyle icon for Louis Vuitton, as photographed by Annie Leibowitz – they’re all here. Among the other legendary photographers who took the pictures in this book are Jim Marshall, Terry O’Neill, Deborah Feingold and Neil Preston. Keith Richards: A Life in Pictures by Dave Brolan (pb, 978 1780384399, £24.95) features more than 250 photographs in colour and black-and-white and is published in September by Omnibus Press. Find out more and order it here

And here is the mighty Keith as Captain Teague in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End – a brilliant cameo in an otherwise shockingly awful film!

Being Someone is a debut novel from Adrian Harvey which is prominently displayed in the WHS Fresh Talent promotion at the moment, with their Travel Fiction buyer Matt Bates saying: “Our Fresh Talent promotion is going from strength to strength, showcasing the very best in new and emerging writing talent… this is undoubtedly a very strong selection.”  Being Someone is also getting great coverage on social media – and if you have are wondering what all this has to do with you, then let me quote you a review from Amazon, which starts “I came across this book because there was a spike of considerable hype on social media, highlighting the author’s use of location and quality of his writing”. There is no doubt that the combination of a chain bookstore promotion plus enthusiasm online can definitely equal increased sales for all of you independent bookshops – so I would urge you not to let Amazon scoop up all the sales for this book – order it now!  One reviewer describes it thus; this is “a novel about making a life and an identity for yourself among the infinite possibilities and ancient traps of a global city. Protagonist James is carving a career for himself in the London arts scene. Meanwhile, a parallel story follows the tragic, epic tale of an elephant and its mahout (handler) in Southern India. The two stories circle each other, converging and separating, and more and more connected. Adrian Harvey writes very well about everyday life, including the apparently small mistakes that become life-defining disasters. The struggle we all face to define our identities and live lives that match the stories we tell ourselves is acted out, step-by-step. The result is moving, harsh and surprising in equal measure.” Another said “Being Someone is a beautiful lyrical book that brought me back to reading after a long reading drought. It begins intriguingly with the tale of an elephant in India - so far so good I thought. Then it moves back to a contemporary London setting with the start of a romance between James, who does PR in the art world and Lainey, a beautiful American lawyer. In the hands of a lesser writer, many readers would have lost interest at this point – after all the affairs of the heart of privileged North London types can be hard to care about. But I was hooked, wanted to find out more and especially how this all tied back to the elephant we were introduced to at the start. The story moves along with a good pace, which combined with a strong sense of place and an accurate ear for dialogue, drew me in and I raced through the book in two sittings.”  Being Someone by Adrian Harvey (pb, £7.99) 978 1909273092) is out now from Urbane Publications and you can find out more and order it here.

Who’s enjoying the Tour de France? Much better than all that dreadful grunting tennis in my opinion – and if you agree with me, then you might also like this list from the Guardian  of the top ten books about cycling!

You did extremely well with the Popmaster Quiz Book last year, so I’m sure you’ll be very pleased to hear that the Popmaster Quiz Book 2 is coming in September! Popmaster Quiz Book 2: Hundreds of Official Questions and Answers by Phil Swern and Neil Myners). More than 20,000 of the first Popmaster book were sold pre-Christmas last year- and once again this title will get on air promotion on BBC Radio 2. More than 8 million people listen to the to Popmaster quiz on BBC Radio 2’s Ken Bruce show every day; Ken has a massively loyal fan-base and 66,500 Twitter followers. The book can be used solo, to test your pop trivia knowledge, or as a fun game with friends and this is the ideal Christmas book for any age – for anyone who loves music, quizzes or both! Popmaster Quiz Book 2 (pb, 978 19059 59792, £9.99) is published by Red Planet and you can find out more and order it here

Well, talking about quiz books always puts me in the mood for a bit of BuzzFeed timewasting – so it’s time to find out which To Kill a Mockingbird Character you are!

And while we’re on the subject, what do you think of the dramatic revelations in the first chapter which has been published today of the eagerly anticipated Go Set A Watchman? Have a look here if you want to find out more – and don’t mind spoilers!

The ongoing question of what on earth is going to happen Greece's finances rumbles on and on – and two people who might know the answer are the outgoing Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and the new incoming Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakolotos. How fortunate that they both have books out at the moment so the rest of us can find out what their thoughts on the crisis are! Global Minotaur and Crucible of Resistance are zooming up the Amazon charts – and are currently at 2 and 3 in their International Economics section – so I strongly recommend that get them on display, in order to improve the finances of your own bookshop - never mind Greece!

Yanis Varoufakis was elected as Greek Finance Minister and Member of Parliament following Syriza’s electoral victory, and has been called “The emerging rock-star of Europe’s anti-austerity uprising” by the Telegraph. This new edition of The Global Minotaur: America, Europe and the Future of the Global Economy features a foreword from Channel 4’s Paul Mason and is a remarkable and provocative book. Yanis Varoufakis explodes the myth that financialisation and ineffectual regulation of banks were the root causes of both the Eurozone crisis and the global economic crisis and instead traces the current disastrous situation back to a much deeper malaise which can be traced all the way back to the Great Crash of 1929, then on through to the 1970s: the time when a 'Global Minotaur' was born. Varoufakis reveals how we might reintroduce a modicum of reason into what has become a perniciously irrational economic order. The Global Minotaur by Yanis Varoufakis (pb, £8.99, 978 783606108) is published by Zed Books and you can find out more and order it here.

Crucible of Resistance: Greece, the Eurozone and the World Economic Crisis argues that Greece’s exceptionalism is largely a myth. The blame game that has been played by the EU powers is an ideological tool used to shift attention from the realities of both European and global capitalist economic order. Euclid Tsakalotos and economist Christos Laskos suggest that there is very little that differentiates Greece from other countries struggling under austerity, and that parties such as Syriza could usher in a new, democratic and socialist era across the continent. Crucible of Resistance: Greece, the Eurozone and the World Economic Crisis by Christos Laskos and Euclid Tsakolotos (pb, £12.99, 978 0745333809) is published by Pluto Press. You can find out more and order it here.

As we all know, food trends come and food trends go (kale and quinoa smoothie anyone?) but something that genuinely does look here to stay is the trend for eating more raw (and therefore less processed) food. The Uncook Book: The Essential Guide to a Raw Food Lifestyle by Tanya Maher (hb, 978 1781805640 £16.99) is the perfect book for anyone who wants to celebrate life through food. Offering easy-to-follow, accessible recipes with a modern edge, Tanya draws on her years of experience as a raw food nutritionist and guides you through brilliant basics, fun family favourites and elegant entertaining. Tanya Maher has been hailed as the UK's top wellness coach in numerous publications, including Vogue magazine and the Evening Standard. She opened London's first 100% organic raw food restaurant, Tanya's Café, just under 6 months ago, and has been in the media spotlight ever since - her blog receives over 100,000 views per month. The Uncook Book will be excerpted in the September issue of Women’s Health and featured in a future issue of Health & Fitness and BBCgoodfood.com (4.3 million unique monthly browsers). The book will also be excerpted in the October and December issues of Red magazine; a future issue of Fabulous magazine and the September/October issue of Kindred Spirit. With beautiful photography plus easy-to-source, familiar ingredients; these recipes are tasty and easy to achieve – there’s even a section on delicious superfood cocktails; ah now that’s more like it! The Uncook Book: The Essential Guide to a Raw Food Lifestyle by Tanya Maher (hb, 978 1781805640 £16.99 is published by Hay House in September and you can find out more and order it here.

If you’d like to find out more about Tanya’s recipes and ideas, then have a look at her inspirational blog: www.betterraw.com - today's post is The Ice Cream That Broke the Internet - yum!

Compass is on Twitter! Follow us @CompassIPS. Here is my favourite Happy Friday picture tweet from today – from the lovely BooksAreMyBag!

That’s all for now folks, more next week!

This blog is taken from a newsletter which 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 click here to go to the Compass New Titles Website or talk to your Compass Sales representative.

Compass Points 132

A lovely bright and sunny day here at Compass Towers, so naturally that leads me to thoughts of despondent depressing music – yep, that’s right, I must be talking about those miserable Mancunians, The Smiths.  Sorry, sorry, of course I meant to say the most important alternative rock band to emerge from the British independent music scene of the 1980s. But how irritating must it be to be a member of such an iconic group only to be booted out just before they become properly famous (aka the Pete Best syndrome)? In September, we bring you Boy Interrupted, Memoir of a Former Smith by Dale Hibbert. Dale was a member of The Smiths during their formative years, so was privy to the hopes and dreams and bizarre ideas of young Morrissey and Johnny Marr. He is a fund of hitherto untold stories – how The Smiths were to be launched as a 'gay' band, each of them bearing the stage name of a serial killer. There was also a plan to wear stage clothes based on American baseball teams. Dale helped shape the band's sound at his recording studio. He produced their first demo tape. He even gave Morrissey a lift to sessions on the back of his motorcycle. On the cusp of The Smiths’ breakthrough, Hibbert was replaced on bass by Andy Rourke. For the first time, he reveals the full details of his sacking. And, The Smiths aside, Dale has lived an incredible life, often tragic but always dogged and hopeful. It is also a comprehensive look at Manchester and its fascinating music scene both before and just after the advent of punk rock. The imminent publication of Boy Interrupted has already got Smiths fans all het up – I give you a sample of some of the online comments:

“That is actually so sad. Why ... oh why do people do it?”

 “I always thought that dale handled the situation great.”

“Yes it was right to replace dale with andy. andy suited the smiths perfectly. dale understood that, anyone would have but i am amazed that he controlled himself. if i was replaced by andy i would have gone but not before i had broken both morrisseys and marrs nose.”

“Think how terrible it is to be thrown out of the smiths......... I mean its the smiths for godsake.”

 “Kudos to you Dale you are a great guy”,

 “Why the negative attitude here? We have someone who has a genuine insight into a pivotal period in the story. I, for one, am very interested in what Dale has to say.”

 “Genuine insight? He was the bass player for about 6 months. He could have titled his autobiography differently, without the word "smiths" in it since this life period was rather small compared to his whole life.”

 “The Smiths were a gay band. Anyone who disagrees is either straight or stupid – The Smiths were the gayest band ever.”

“What does that even mean lol...”

 “Am I the only person sceptical of these claims?”

Ooh – we at Compass Points do love a bit of informed, intelligent online comment – and all this controversy can only be good for sales of the book Boy, Interrupted (£9.99, pb, 978 1904590309 )which is out from Pomona Books in September!

Order it here!

And here they are at their brilliant best – sorry Dale, I don’t think they’re missing you!

Breezeway by John Ashberry (pb, £9.99. 978 1784101152) has just been published by Carcanet. John Ashberry is undoubtedly America’s greatest living poet and this is a momentous new collection encompassing a colourful range of subjects from Middle English mysticism to a peculiarly-paced samba, a drugstore, a supermarket, and Batman and his dog, Pastor Fido.  John Ashberry has won the Pulitzer Prize, the National Circle of Book Critics Award, and many more, and has produced over twenty volumes of poetry including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror. The Financial Times said last week of Breezeway; “His acrobatic, jazz-like, playful verse merits multiple readings” and it was also the Guardian Poem of the Week which you can read here_. I think you will enjoy it; as the Guardian commented; it contains “a generous measure of fun.”

You can find out more and order Breezeway here

The BBC is rarely out of the news at the moment. Whether it’s sacking Clarkson, justifying its licence fee or loosing the Olympic coverage; everyone in the country has an opinion on “auntie”. But what is it actually like to work there? Getting Out Alive by Roger Mosey is the memoir of one of the most respected figures from the broadcasting industry and provides a fascinating account of what it's like to be at the very top of the BBC; the pressure of handling big broadcasting events, the personalities, the day-to-day politics – and the pain for some individuals. Roger Mosey was in senior roles at the BBC for more than twenty years, from being editor of Radio 4's Today programme and head of television news to leading the coverage of the London 2012 Olympics, and finally becoming the BBC’s editorial director. He was at the centre of BBC Sport, too, responsible for abolishing Grandstand and then building the BBC’s acclaimed role in the Olympics. Getting Out Alive is a unique and candid insider account of the BBC, how it works and where it falls down. John Humphrys has called it “Perceptive, revealing and honest, Getting Out Alive reveals what makes the BBC tick. It’s funny, too. A delight” and as you would expect, the media are all over this book like a rash.  Roger Mosey has been interviewed in the last week on LBC, BBC Radio 5 live, BBC Radio Ulster, BBC Radio Leeds, Talk Radio Europe, BBC Radio Cambridge and BBC Radio Lincolnshire. There have been articles in the Express, the Times diary column and the Sunday Telegraph and there was a big article on it in the Spectator which you can read here. Getting Out Alive by Roger Mosey (hb, £20.00, 9781849548311) has just been published by Robson Press and you can find out more and order it here.

Of course we all know that if you really want to know what goes on at the BBC, you just watch the highly entertaining W1A - here's one of its many hilarious moments!

The Drone Eats with Me: Diaries from a City under Fire by Atef Abu Saif (pb, £9.99, 978 1905583713) published by Comma Press has been shortlisted for a MEMO (Middle East Monitor) Palestine Book Award. You can find the whole shortlist here. The Drone Eats With Me is a first-hand account of life in Gaza during Israeli bombardment of summer 2014, from the editor of The Book of Gaza. Atef’s eye-witness diary pieces were published in a range of major outlets (The Sunday Times, the Guardian, New York Times, etc) and became a unique porthole into the conflict for western readers. The Drone Eats With Me offers a compelling perspective on one of the world’s most contested political crises and taps in to current discussions about drones, refugees, terrorism and western foreign policy.

Street Culture: 5o Years of Sub Culture Style by Gavin Baddeley is getting some great publicity and you can see lots of the brilliant pictures from it on a Guardian gallery here – the Guardian describes the book as taking the reader from hippies to hip-hop heads: 50 years of style tribes in pictures; which is an excellent summary of its contents! Street Culture explores the family tree of youth movements, examining the lines that tie beatniks to bikers, punks to emos, goths to metalheads and is illustrated throughout with over 125 fab black and white images. Beatniks, Rockers, Hip-Hop, Hippies, Punks, Grunge, New Romantics, Metalheads, Goths, Teddy Boys, Mods, Hipsters, Psychobillies, Skinheads – they are all in here, and Street Culture takes us from sharp-suited mods and acid-dropping hippies to leather-clad metalheads and straight-edge hardcore punks; piecing together a vibrant history of countercultural rebellion. Street Culture: 5o Years of Sub Culture Style by Gavin Baddeley (978 0859654753£14.99, pb) is published by Plexus and you can find out more and order it here

There is also an excellent ten minute interview with the Street Culture author Gavin Baddeley; and you can watch that here.

When it come to affairs of the heart; I daresay, like many of us here at Compass, you spend some time wishing that the men in real life were half as dashing as those between the pages of romantic novels. But are you yearning after Mr Darcy – or are you more of a Christian Grey fan? Take this BuzzFeed quiz to find out which literary hero is the right man for you!

And if you’re having a bit of a BuzzFeed Friday – then how about finding out if your sex style is determined by your taste in books? It brings a whole new meaning to the term hardcover that’s for sure– and you can take that quiz here!

We like a celebrity endorsement for a book, and they don’t get much more “slebby” that Elton John. This week he said “Paul has been my friend for over forty years. He is a brilliant and honest individual who suffered demoralising and unnecessary anguish. This book more than puts the record straight. Read it and get very angry!” The Paul he is referring to is of course Gambaccini, whose account Love, Paul Gambaccini: My Year Under the Yewtree (hb, £17.99, 978 1849549110) will be published by Robson Press in September. Paul Gambaccini was arrested in October 2013. Forced awake in the middle of the night, he had many of his possessions confiscated for more than a year. He was disgraced in the press and made unemployable, despite having to pay tens of thousands of pounds in legal fees during a year in which he had no income. Finally, and inevitably, he became the latest celebrity to be exonerated over allegations of historic sexual abuse. This book is a full, no-holds-barred story of Paul Gambaccini’s twelve months of horror and trauma. This is the inside story that looks set to trigger a change in how we prosecute allegations of abuse in the UK, and there will be a major press campaign with a guaranteed serial in a major national newspaper. Helena Kennedy QC said of it “Paul Gambaccini was tested almost beyond endurance by false allegations, and his account exposes the cruelty that is inflicted when the legal system is captured by populist sentiment. His account is a timely reminder that past wrongs are not made right by creating witch hunts.” And Stephen Fry has called it “An important and ultimately inspiring book that forces us to imagine how we might have responded in the face of such a nightmare”

You can find out more abut Love, Paul Gambaccini and order it here

Is there a way to write a guaranteed bestseller? Well Waterstone’s think they’ve cracked the magic formula – find out how on their blog post here!

Copies of 60 Degrees North by Malachy Tallack will be arriving in your shops this week, if they haven’t already; so fingers crossed that this beautiful book captures the imagination of the public in the same way that it has charmed the media. Just to remind you, it’s going to be a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week from 13th July and there will be reviews in the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph, the Scotsman, and the Times Literary Supplement. The Radio Times will highlight the book in their 11th July issue and Love Reading are running an online promotion for it to over 200,000 members in July and again in August, when it has been selected as a Non-Fiction Book of the Month.

Find out more about 60 Degrees North here

With all the publicity surrounding the film Amy, and BBC documentary about Amy Winehouse; don’t forget to stock Amy Winehouse: A Losing Game by Mick O'Shea (pb, 978 085965482 1) from Plexus, which is a fully illustrated (40 photos) biography telling her story in full, from childhood through to the pleasures and pains of superstardom, her blazing talent, the years she lost to her addictions, and the legacy of her raw and heartfelt music.

Compass is on Twitter! Follow us @CompassIPS. Here are some of our favourite tweets from last week...

Clapham Books ‏@claphambooks  

I'm #SingleBecause I prefer book characters to anyone in the real world.

Waterstones ‏@Waterstones  

"I cannot stay faithful to just one book. I'm always reading another. I am a book bigamist."

Enitharmon Press ‏@EnitharmonPress  

"And we are all there / together" - vibrant & rousing poetry at our #EdDorn launch last night. Thanks for coming!

Gallic Books ‏@gallicbooks  

Did you see Sagan, Paris 1954 in today's @StylistMagazine ? Yup, part of The Style List

Plexus Publishing ‏@plexusbooks  

My Magical Oasis spotted by @CompassIPS's Martin in @JarroldBooks @JarroldsNorwich #exciting #plexusbooks

Wild Things Books ‏@wildthingsbooks  

Ready to head to the beach? We reveal Britain’s most beautiful secret sea-side spots: http://bit.ly/1FtLjvF 

BackPage Press ‏@BackPagePress  

Get ready to go to war. DIEGO COSTA - The Art of War. New biog out soon. More here. #Chelsea

That’s all for now folks, more next week!

This blog is taken from a newsletter which 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 click here to go to the Compass New Titles Website or talk to your Compass Sales representative.