Black Friday – bah cut-price humbug who needs that – but I very
much like the idea of Civilised Saturday and the inaugural event is
tomorrow – so very good luck to all you booksellers who are giving this a whirl!
Leslie Oliver from The Bookworm in Selkirk said: "Last year Black Friday was
all a little bit bonkers, wasn't it? I don't think the Black Friday proposition;
everything sold at a huge discount; is really the right proposition for books
and book lovers. I think Civilised Saturday works much better for bookshops and
our customers. I think it is a lovely idea." I do too, and you can read
about it in the Bookseller here.
What would be the ideal book to
sell on Civilised Saturday do you think? I would probably suggest
John Burningham's Champagne (hb, 978
0993386206, £25.00) published by LochAwe Books and also 101 Gins To Try Before You Die (hb 978 1780272993,
£12.99) by Ian Buxton which is published
by Birlinn.
Being civilised is undoubtedly a thoroughly good
thing of course – but is Civilised Saturday just an example of how very
middle class we’re all becoming? Has the UK
Harm (pb, £8.99, 978 1910692738) by Hugh Fraser is currently part of a major front of
store promotion at Waterstone’s – and when I tell you that on the table at
Waterstone’s Piccadilly, it was placed in between I am Pilgrim and I
Let You Go it will give you a good idea of how good this debut crime thriller is! If the name
Hugh Fraser is ringing a bit of a bell,
you’d be right, he is a very well known actor, playing Captain Hastings in
Agatha Christie's Poirot and also the Duke of Wellington in
Sharpe. However, this novel can stand alone – it has a cracking cover and
an action packed story full of mystery and intrigue. It begins in 1956, when
15-year-old Rina is scavenging and stealing to support her siblings and her
alcoholic mother. When a local gangster attacks her younger sister, Rina wreaks
revenge and kills him. Innocence betrayed, Rina faces the brutality of the
post-war London underworld and by 1974 she’s an
assassin on an assignment in Acapulco
Watch a short promotional film for it on YouTube
here
Oooh I do love a good revenge read – doesn’t
everyone? There’s nothing like watching a score being settled and payback justly
received. Have a look here for the Guardian’s top ten
novels!
In the Heart of the Sea is a thrilling film that is due to release in a
couple of weeks – if you have been to the cinema recently you are certain to
have seen the trailer for it, it’s also been shown on TV, and if it’s passed you
by completely, then you can watch it
here! The book in which it is based, Beneath the Heart of the Sea: The Sinking of the Whaleship
Essex (pb, £7.99 978 1843915607) by Owen
Chase is published by Hesperus Classics – and I do think
anyone who sees the film – or even the trailer, would be tempted to find out
more, as it is a pretty gripping and extreme account of shipwreck survival. On
the morning of November 20 in 1820, in the Pacific Ocean 2,000 miles from the
coast of South America, an enraged sperm whale rammed the Nantucket
whaleship Essex . As the boat began to sink, her
crew of twenty, including first mate Owen
Chase, grabbed what little they could before piling into frail boats
and taking to the open seas. So began their four-month ordeal and struggle for
survival. A bleak story, only eight men survived having endured starvation and
dehydration, giving in to cannibalism, murder and insanity Owen Chase recorded the extraordinary account in
his autobiography; (which was originally published in 1821) this new edition is
a very handsome looking paperback which mentions the film on the cover, and you can find out more here.
What do you know about Dhaka ? If you’re like me, not much, but having now swotted
up a bit I can tell you that it is the capital city of Bangladesh , which emerged as a nation state in
1971 after a violent struggle for independence from West
Pakistan and is now the world’s tenth largest city with a population
of more than 18 million people. There is no doubt that a great way to find out
more about the world is to read its fiction – and I don’t have to tell you that translated
fiction is a big growth area at the moment.
The Book of Dhaka, (from the same
team that bought you The Book of Gaza) is
a unique anthology of ten short contemporary stories set in Dhaka , Bangladesh
As the Times succinctly put it, “Everyone
can relate to F**k It.” In his latest book, John
C. Parkin brings the power of saying “F**k It” to the subject of
doing what we love. F**k It: Do What You
Love sets out to prove that when our job is something we love we're
actually more likely to be happier, healthier, wealthier and more successful.
Many people feel that: “doing what you love is for time-off, not work”,
or “I could never make a living from doing what I love”; but through
no-nonsense ideas and motivating calls to action, John brings us from pessimism
to inspiration. By the time you’ve finished the book you will be thinking
“F**k it, I can't waste any more of my life” and “F**k it, I will find
a way to make this work”. F**k It: Do What
You Love by John C Parkin (pb,
978 1781802465, £10.99) is published by Hay House in January - find out about it here.
So what are the top ten best jobs? Is
bookselling one by any chance I wonder? Have a look here at this picture list from the Telegraph to find out
what we in the UK
Hmm – I actually think most of those choices are
kind of dull. What I want to do is get paid to eat sweets all day – or drink
wine – yes that’s much more like it! Here’s a film of
the 15 dream jobs according to YouTube!
Congratulations to poet Kate Miller who is on the Costa Award shortlist for Observances (pb, 978 1 906188 15 3, £9.99) which
is published by Carcanet. The Guardian describes her as the
“oddball entry” which isn’t entirely complimentary but might catch
people’s attention and intrigue them enough to buy a copy! Observances are atmospheric studies of distance,
sea and landscape, the loosening of family ties and anticipations of birth and
death, which have already received much acclaim. Winners in the five categories
will be announced on Monday 4th January 2016 and will receive £10,000 each. The
overall winner of the 2015 Costa Book of the
Year will receive £30,000 and will be selected and announced at the
Costa Book Awards ceremony in central
London
’Tis the season to be jolly, there’s no doubt about
that – but what do you think are the ten best parties in literature? Have a look
here at this entertaining list from the Huffington
Post – it’s not necessarily the ones you might first think of – Satan’s
Rout anyone?
Come January, never mind all of that feasting; what
your customers will be ready for is something virtuous – yet nourishing. What
they need is… bone broth. This is a trend that has been bubbling away for a
while (sorry) and is set to be a big thing in 2016 – chuck away that
Nutribullet, turns out all you need all you need is a saucepan and a piles of
bones in order to be both healthy and deeply hipster. The Bone Broth Secret by Louise Hay and Heather Dane is a beautiful
4-colour book, which revives one of the oldest healing forms of nourishment.
Louise and Heather show how you can use
this simple, effective and almost effortless tool to boost your health, energy
and radiance. Whether you're a complete beginner or an expert in bone broths,
the book will teach you practical tips which take into account our busy modern
way of life, and show you how to incorporate bone broth into your existing diet
and lifestyle. The book includes fifty delicious recipes as well as ideas of
what else can be made with broth, such as soups, compotes and even dessert! Yet
the most important thing that you will take away from this book is what is
unique to all of Louise's teachings: listening to your body to create recipes
that nourish exactly what you need, and infuse your food with love and
affirmations. Sounds pretty tempting I must say, and The Bone Broth Secret by Louise Hay and Heather Dane (pb, 978 1401950088,
12.99) is published by Hay House in January and you can order it and find out more
here.
Has any film been more heavily promoted this week
than Bridge of Spies
Never mind Tom Hanks in Bridge of Spies
(although I’m sure he’s awesome) what we really really love is him in the
Carly Rae Jepson video – which you can watch
here!
Compass is on
Twitter! Follow us @CompassIPS. Here are some of our favourite tweets from this
week...
The Oldie @OldieMagazine
Have excess weight and your cock peek it into a bed?
Mark Mason on funny translations, December Oldie
Freight Books @FreightBooks
Last night we launched The Social Bite Cookbook &
heard inspiring stories behind the recipes
BibliophileBookClub @BibliophileBC
Thanks @urbanepub for this beauty #Boundfeetblues!
Guisborough Bookshop @guisboroughbook
It's Civilised Saturday this week, and to celebrate
we will be offering 10% off everything! #Civilised
Saturday
Upcoming @McCallSmith events: St. Andrews &
Arbroath
IPG @ipghq
Breedt: Ebook sales affected by idea that there’s a
problem with giving digital things as gifts. ‘No-one buys an ebook as a gift!'
booksaremybag @booksaremybag
#Civilised
Saturday: The Antidote to Black Friday
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 click here to go to the Compass New Titles
Website or talk to your Compass Sales
representative.
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