Great news for Birlinn – Silver Skin by Joan Lennon is one
of three titles to be shortlisted for the first ever Scottish Teenage Book Prize. Scottish Book Trust launched
the teenage book prize in May along with the Bookbug
Picture Book Prize. These two new prizes replace the former annual Children’s Book Awards. You can find out more
about the prizes here.
The three shortlisted books are: The Last Soldier, a
dyslexia-friendly story set in 1920’s Texas, by Keith Gray (Barrington Stoke);
the thriller Black Cairn Point by Claire McFall (Hot Key
Books); and Silver Skin, set in
Stone Age Orkney, by Joan Lennon (Birlinn). Heather Collins, at Scottish Book
Trust, said the teenage book prize was set up as a “celebration of the very
best of Scottish YA fiction”. She added: “I defy any teenager to put
these books down once they have read the first page – they all contain the
ingredients of a gripping read and I predict a close-run competition." Children
in Scotland aged 12-16 can now vote for the winner by submitting a class vote
via the Scottish Book Trust
website. The winner, who will receive a £3,000 prize, will be announced on 1st
March 2017. The other two shortlisted authors will be given £500 each. Silver Skin is set
on Skara Brae, Orkney, the end of the Stone Age. The sun is dying, storms
batter the coast and people fear the end of the world. When Rab crawls out of
the sea wearing the remains of his Silver Skin, he throws the islanders into
confusion. Who is he? Why has he come? Thousands of years from home, injured
and desperate, Rab must learn fast about this ancient world. What started as a
high-tech study trip has turned into a struggle to survive. Bookbag said of the
title: “This story mixes sci-fi and historical fiction to spectacular
effect. It's original. It's interesting. It's imaginative. It's beautifully
written. The plot is compelling. And it mixes science and the supernatural to
great effect.” Silver Skin (978 1780272849, pb, £6.99) was published in June and
has had many more rave reviews from readers on Amazon: super cover too!
Scottish National Party Leaders (978 1785900921, hb, £25.00) by James Mitchell and Gerry Hassan is
published next week by Biteback, and the Sunday Times will be
serialising it this weekend. They will be using the chapter on Nicola Sturgeon,
making use of an exclusive story. By any measure, the story of the Scottish National
Party is an extraordinary one. Forced to endure decades of electoral
irrelevance since its creation in the 1930s, it virtually swept the board in
the 2015 general election, winning all but three of Scotland's fifty-nine seats
in Westminster. What's more, under its current leadership, the SNP has never
been a more important force in the landscape of British politics. The leaders
who have stood at its helm during this tumultuous eighty-year history, from Sir
Alexander MacEwen to Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond, have all contributed to
the shape, purpose and ultimate goal of the party of government we see today.
The latest addition to the acclaimed British Political Leaders series, Scottish National Party Leaders examines each of these senior figures for the first
time, and is essential reading for anyone curious about how this former fringe
party evolved into a political phenomenon, changing not only the face of
Scottish politics, but British politics as well.
Talking of politics, I think you will enjoy this – a
Lego version of Donald Trump – which I think we’d probably all prefer to
the real one?
At the end of this month Red Planet are bringing
out what I think will be a great photographic gift book for Christmas: Classic Kids TV: A TV-Based Trip Down Memory Lane by Mark Young (hb, 978 1905959969, £12.99). This is a fun “annual”
for grown-ups and this 128-page landscape hardback is jam-packed with great
colour photos and entertaining descriptions. There are loads of terrific
anecdotes and stories about the programmes, characters and presenters we loved
when we were growing up. The Clangers, Bagpuss, Teletubbies,
Rentaghost, Blue Peter, Postman Pat, Sesame Street,
Grange Hill, The Banana Splits, Thunderbirds – they’re all
here – plus many other favourites. This title has plenty of cross-generational
appeal; it includes a huge range of the best-loved, iconic TV programmes,
ranging from the Sixties right up to the present day and is fantastically
browsable, with immediate visual impact. It’s available to order now.
Here is a top ten of the best animated British
children’s TV shows – lots of golden oldies that’s for sure! But do you
think the number one should really be Thomas the Tank Engine –
beating Paddington, Postman Pat and Dangermouse?! Have a look here to see if
you agree!
If you really want classic TV though, I think you need to
go back to the 70's.
Ahh – that’s much more like it!
Well, if you want to settle down on the sofa and watch
loads of kids’ TV – what you really need is a kid – and if you’re in the happy
position of expecting one, then you’ll definitely need My Pregnancy 2017 (£14.99,
pb, 978 1910336281)! This is the ONLY annually updated pregnancy guide and was
winner of the Prima Baby & Pregnancy Awards
2016. This completely updated 2017 edition brings you the most
up-to-date medical breakthroughs and latest research including the latest
advice on antenatal care, including the latest advice about the new Downs tests
and whooping cough vaccines. Every stage of pregnancy and birth covered in
detail by an expert team of writers including an obstetrician and a midwife.
This award-winning comprehensive pregnancy bible is with mum-to-be every step
of the way, from coping with morning sickness to preparing for labour. There’s
tons of practical advice and information on subjects such as the latest changes
to maternity benefits, and information about the guidelines on which foods are
safe to eat when you’re expecting. There’s also the latest on which baby names
are in and out of fashion – including a section on the rise and rise of gender
neutral names! Mother and Baby magazine said this title contains “everything
you need to know” and it’s true – there’s no better pregnancy guide on the
market – this title from Crimson is the out and out bestseller – so make
sure you’ve got it in stock; the 2017 edition is published this month!
Do you want to live forever? This is THE question facing
anyone pursuing immortality. But what happens when eternal life is
disappointing, and everyone around you keeps dying? Ben Ferguson-Cripps, a
struggling writer with a surname that gets more attention than his creative
endeavours, sets aside his literary ambitions to join the mysterious Life Assistance Agency. Their first case is to
trace a missing person with links to the Elizabethan angel-caller Dr John Dee.
Pursued by a shadowy organisation - and the ghosts of Ben's past - the trail
leads through Europe into the historic streets of Prague, where the long-buried
secrets of Dr Dee's achievements are finally revealed, and Ben discovers there
is far more to life than simply living.
The Life
Assistance Agency (pb, £8.99, 978
1911129035) is Thomas’s Hocknell’s
debut novel – you can reading a very entertaining blog
piece here from him on what a brand new author is meant to do while waiting
for publication! Not long to go now Tom, The Life
Assistance Agency is out on 22
September from Urbane!
Albert Einstein
famously wrote “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy
tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” An
interesting piece here
discusses whether there is in fact a clash between kids and culture – and
how much reading affects our ability to learn, to process information, to
understand emotions and use our imagination.
Lots of us in the office are currently reading and
thoroughly enjoying Enrique Vila-Matas'
brilliant short story collection Vampire in Love and we have some proofs available – if you’d like one
then please email nuala@compass-ips.london
– those booksellers who’ve read it so far have given us some great feedback!
Gathered for the first time in English and spanning his entire career, Vampire in Love (hb,
£12.99, 978 1908276865) is published in October by And Other Stories and
offers a selection of the finest tales from this Spanish virtuoso. An
effeminate, hunchbacked barber on the verge of death falls in love with a choir
boy. A fledgling writer on barbiturates visits Marguerite Duras' Paris
apartment and watches his dinner companion slip into the abyss. An unsuspecting
man receives a mysterious phone call from a lonely ophthalmologist and visits
his abandoned villa. The stories have been selected and brilliantly translated
by Margaret Jull Costa, and are all told
with Vila-Matas' delightful erudition and
wit, and his provocative questioning of the interrelation of art and life. This
is adventurous Spanish-language literary fiction which will appeal to readers
who love Patrick Modiano, Javier Marías, Borges, Bolaño and Aira – and all
those with a passion for European literature and European cities: Paris, Lisbon
and Barcelona all feature prominently. Enrique
Vila-Matas is one of the great
European storytellers. Translated into 37 languages, he has won numerous
international literary prizes and lives in Barcelona.
And talking of vampires – what’s not to love about this – the top ten
vampires of all time!
Compass is on Twitter! Follow us
@CompassIPS. Here are some of our favourite tweets from this week...
Comma
Press@commapress: Everyone should
go follow @DauntBooksPub, who have joined us on twitter! #readindie
And
Other Stories @andothertweets: Seconded -
they're cool dudes and have great and beautiful books
LSE
Review of Books @LSEReviewBooks: More Sex, Lies
and the Ballot Box: 'A welcome salve for the rash of political madness in the
UK at the moment' @BitebackPub
Plexus
Publishing @plexusbooks: 'It is
amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness' #wisewords from
Leo Tolstoy, born #OnThisDay, 1828 @Tolstoyquote
@corbynjokes @corbynjokes: What do you call a massive sell-out
pandering to the MSM? The Little Red Book Of Corbyn Jokes. ‘Very funny. The
perfect stocking filler for the bourgeois New Liberal Red Tory MSM Stooge in
your life’ Michael Deacon
Jewish
News @JewishNewsUK: Between a lox
and a hard place! The boss of the UK’s oldest smoked salmon maker tells Jewish
News how London’s Olympic Games almost wrecked his 100-year-old family firm.
an
Brigden @Briggy44: So happy! As
Weekends Go is published in paperback today :) Dream come true. Thank you
@ChocLituk #Excited
Laura
Waddell @lauraewaddell: Thanks again to
@heraldmagazine for front cover and spread on Natural Light II last weekend
Hay
House @HayHouseUK: Check
out @ESLifeandStyle's best self-help books list feat. @IAmMelWells &
@galadarling
SF
Said @whatSFSaid: I saw a whole
row of people READING BOOKS on the Tube today. Real books, every one of them.
There's hope after all!
That’s all for now folks! More
next week!
This blog is taken from a newsletter iwhich s 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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