The Donut Diaries of Dermot Milligan: Revenge is Sweet

Calling all Children's Reading Groups! Are you fans of the gloriously funny and disgusting Donut Diaries or you new to the series? Or do you just love DONUTS?! Email Harriet at hvenn@randomhouse.co.uk to get a Donut Diaries' activity pack, including how to host your very own Donut Olympics, donut recipes, donut decoration sheets and more. You can even send in your donut designs for your chance to win a set of the books!

Continue reading The Donut Diaries of Dermot Milligan: Revenge is Sweet

Mistress of the Storm & Heart of Stone

Mistress of the Storm and the sequel Heart of Stone by M L Welsh are stories of adventure, magic and friendship. Set in a blustery coastal town and featuring Verity, a feisty girl heroine and her two friends they are perfect for boys and girls aged 9-11. If you would like to receive copies of Mistress of the Storm for your reading group please contact
lbennett@randomhouse.co.uk

http://veritygallant.co.uk/

Continue reading Mistress of the Storm & Heart of Stone

Night Waking

As the nights draw in curl up with Sarah Moss's critically acclaimed, darkly funny portrait of life with small children.

'Tartly humorous, sad and clever ... a passionately written meditation on motherhood, with all the monotony, desperation and visceral feelings faithfully recorded' Elizabeth Buchan, Sunday Times

'Highly enjoyable... The upbeat conclusion to this blend of middle-class satire, historical fiction and campus novel does not soften Moss's withering take on sexism and her stark view of motherhood' Daily Telegraph

'Moss writes marvellously (and often hilariously) about the clash between career and motherhood. Allison Pearson for intellectuals' Times

Continue reading Night Waking

The Shakespeare Thefts

Who stole Shakespeare?

Join a determined literary sleuth and his team of folio hunters in their quest to uncover the amazing stories behind the stolen First Folios in The Shakespeare Thefts.

To celebrate the publication of this extraordinary true literary detective story, Palgrave Macmillan have A3 posters and bookmarks to give away to any library or reading group that will find them useful.

Continue reading The Shakespeare Thefts

Missing Julia by Catherine Dunne

A powerful and compelling story which explores one of the most difficult decisions we might ever have to make.

One morning in October, William Harris is confronted by the shocking disappearance of the woman he loves.

Julia Seymour has vanished without trace - from his life, from her daughter's and from her own. Her sudden departure seems to be both deliberate and final.

But William is determined to find her. In the days that follow, he tries to piece together what might have driven her away. His search takes him to London, to India - and to Julia's life before he met her.

In the process, William discovers secrets about Julia's past that challenge and disturb his view of all they shared together. Secrets that illuminate the present in ways he could never have expected.

Contact Fergus Edmondson (f.edmondson@macmillan.co.uk) if interested in copies for your reading group.

Continue reading here http://catherinedunneauthor.com/

Continue reading Missing Julia by Catherine Dunne

The Night Season by Chelsea Cain

A city on flood alert, a killer on the rampage.
 
Heavy rains have burst the banks of the Willamette River; several people have died in the furiously rising waters ... but the latest victim didn't drown: She was killed before she went into the water. Soon, other victims are found, and Police Detective Archie Sheridan realizes that Portland has a new serial killer on its hands.

This is brilliantly atmospheric - set in a flood soaked Portland where the rain won't stop falling, this will appeal to fans of the film Seven.

Contact Fergus Edmondson (f.edmondson@macmillan.co.uk) if you are interested in copies for your reading group

Continue reading here http://chelseacain.com/

Continue reading The Night Season by Chelsea Cain

One Summer by David Baldacci

When thirty-four-year-old ex-war veteran Jack Armstrong is told he has only weeks to live, his first concern is for his beloved wife Lizzie, and their children: baby Jackie, twelve-year-old would-be actor Cory and rebellious teenage daughter Mikki. It seems so cruel that an apparently fatal illness should claim him, a survivor of Afghanistan and Iraq, when he still has so much left to live for.

A moving story of love, second chances and the importance of family from the Number One International Bestseller.

Email Fergus Edmondson (f.edmondson@macmillan.co.uk) if you are interested in copies for your reading group.

Continue reading at http://davidbaldacci.com/

Continue reading One Summer by David Baldacci

The Bliss Bakery trilogy - Book 1

"It was the summer Rosemary Bliss turned ten that she saw her mother fold a lightning bolt into a bowl of batter and learned - beyond the shadow of a doubt - that her parents made magic in the Bliss Bakery." - A delicious new novel for girls, the first in a trilogy.
For reading group proofs, email Rosi on rosi.crawley@harpercollins.co.uk

Continue reading The Bliss Bakery trilogy - Book 1

The Bloody Meadow by William Ryan

Free proofs available of the second novel in the Captain Korolev series set in Stalinist Russia.

William Ryan was shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger 2010, Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award 2011 and the Irish Fiction Award 2010 and 2011.

Continue reading here - http://www.william-ryan.com/books/the-bloody-meadow/

Continue reading The Bloody Meadow by William Ryan

The Phoenix Files: Arrival

Luke is having a rough year. When his parents split up, his mum drags him to Phoenix, a brand-new town in the middle of nowhere. Luke is fairly unimpressed, until he uncovers a plot to wipe out the human race! 100 days remain until the end of the world ... not something Luke thought would ever be HIS problem.

Phoenix Files: Arrival is the first in an action packed new series for ages 9+ and perfect for fans of Joe Craig and Charlie Higson's Young Bond series. Scholastic have 20 copies of

The Phoenix Files to give away. Email Catherine Alport (calport@scholastic.co.uk) if you are interested in copies for your reading group.

Continue reading The Phoenix Files: Arrival

Free Samplers - The Language of Flowers

Free samplers of the global bestseller that everyone is talking about.

Now published in 33 countries, The Language of Flowers is a Top Ten bestseller in the UK. It's a heartbreaking but uplifting novel about the meaning of flowers, the meaning of family and the meaning of love.

For full synopsis, extract and book trailer visit www.whatsyourmessage.co.uk

Continue reading Free Samplers - The Language of Flowers

The Report

It is a spring evening in 1943 when the air-raid sirens wail out over the East End of London. From every corner of Bethnal Green, people emerge and set off for the shelter of the tube station. But at the entrance steps, something goes badly wrong, the crowd panics, and 173 people are crushed to death. When an enquiry is called for, it falls to the local magistrate to find out what happened during those few, fatally confused minutes. But as testimony is gathered the picture grows ever murkier. The more questions asked, the more difficult it becomes to disentangle truth from rumour. It is only decades later, when the case is reopened by one of the children who survived, that the facts can finally be brought to light ... This is a book which will have you in passionate conversation for hours!

http://www.portobellobooks.com/page/3012/The-Report/7017

Are you part of a reading group which would like to get their hands on free copies of The Report? Email kpike@granta.com and say something about your reading group and include contact details.

Continue reading The Report

The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball

Portobello are offering a limited number of copies for reading groups of The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball, a true story of following your dreams, getting covered in mud, and learning to grow your own happiness.

http://www.portobellobooks.com/page/3012/The-Dirty-Life/7037

Continue reading The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball

Sunny

Looking for something to help turn story time into a great art lesson?

We have two copies of Sunny to give away along with these great activity sheets (enough for a class of 30)

A mixture of black and white and colour, these are great for cutting out, sticking and collage work!

Please e-mail ellen.john@hachettechildrens.co.uk with your details!

Continue reading Sunny

Daniel Polansky, proofs available

August 2011

Welcome to Low Town.

Here, the criminal is king. The streets are filled with the screeching of fish hags, the cries of swindled merchants, the inviting murmurs of working girls. Here, people can disappear, and the lacklustre efforts of the guard ensure they are never found.

Warden is an ex-soldier who has seen the worst men have to offer; now a narcotics dealer with a rich, bloody past and a way of inviting danger. You'd struggle to find someone with a soul as dark and troubled as his.

But then a missing child, murdered and horribly mutilated, is discovered in an alley.

And then another.

With a mind as sharp as a blade and an old but powerful friend in the city, he's the only man with a hope of finding the killer.

If the killer doesn't find him first.

To get a free copy of this title email:

Continue reading Daniel Polansky, proofs available

Starcrossed

26 July 2011

Macmillan have a limited number of super proofs available for Josephine Angelini's teen paranormal romance debut Starcrossed.

Contact Amy Lines to request yours.

find out more here

Continue reading Starcrossed

Alyson Noel

To mark the final book in Alyson Noel's Immortals Series we have created an all in one chapter sampler/poster/Q&A /50% off voucher for Everlasting. Contact Amy Lines to request a quanitity.

Find out more about the series here: www.alysonnoel.co.uk

Continue reading Alyson Noel

Win a copy of Blood Red Road

The Telegraph called it "a splendid, stylish debut"

The Times said it was a "shot of pure adrenalin"

The Herald thinks it "grabs you in its claw on the first page and refuses to release you until the last"

Now it's your chance to read the book everyone is talking about - Blood Red Road. Scholastic Children's Books are giving you the chance to win a copy of this critically acclaimed debut novel from Moira Young. Saba lives in a broken world - her only joy comes from spending her days with her twin brother, Lugh. But when he's kidnapped, Saba sets out on a perilous rescue mission where death waits at every turn...

The first 20 people to email publicity@scholastic.co.uk will get their hands on a copy.

Continue reading Win a copy of Blood Red Road

Guts, Glory and Adventure!

Get your reading group enthused with our fantastic Guts, Glory and Adventure sampler! It contains action-packed extracts from four brilliant books including the fantastic Pip and the Woodwitch Curse, How to Train Your Dragon, Undead Ed and Beast Quest!

Please email Sarah Mays with how many copies you would like for your reading group.

Continue reading Guts, Glory and Adventure!

Dragonese Day

To celebrate the release of the 9th title in the bestselling How to Train Your Dragon series; How to Steal a Dragon's Sword, Hodder Children's Books are launching Dragonese Day on 6th October 2011!

To mark this exciting national event, we have created a downloadable teacher's pack full of fun and educational activities. The activities included in this pack are suitable for cross-curricular teaching for children between the ages of 5 and 11, covering topics such as Vikings and Dragons and curriculum links including History, Geography, Drama, Art and Literacy.

The objectives and curriculum links for each resource are clearly laid out in each section and the pack is suitable to be used for a full half term of lessons!

Register for your pack here

Continue reading Dragonese Day

Free Mills & Boon Book

Read and rate this FREE book and you could win £500!

Mills & Boon are offering a FREE BOOK to everyone in your reading group! Go to www.datemillsandboon.com/library. Each reader can request one of two FREE BOOKS by Heidi Rice from Mills & Boon's fabulous new RIVA line. Choose between a book sent to your front door, or an eBook you can download straight away.

You also have the chance of winning £500 if you go back to the website and leave your feedback before 31st July 2011!

And if you recommend a friend, you could also win a luxury spa break worth £500!

There is limited stock so make sure you request your free book today!

Continue reading Free Mills & Boon Book

The Breakfast Club by Kate Costelloe

Hachette Children's Books have 250 copies of _The Breakfast Club_ to give away. It's a brand new book for 9+ girls filled with fashion, fun and friendship.

Billie, Lexie, Ella and Natalie are all 14 years old, living in the fashionable and hip Notting Hill Gate. They're as different to each other as all four of Sex and City friends, but that's what makes them such good friends. Lexie's the sporty, practical tomboy, Ella's ever-so-sligthly ditzy, but creative fashionista, with a heart of gold; Nat's the witty, self-depracting hopeless romantic and Billie's the resident musician and Lily Allen in the making. Each of them have their own set of issues - whether it's school, parents or boys... and support is there, every week at their weekly breakfast catch up in their favourite cafe. 

Continue reading The Breakfast Club by Kate Costelloe

Fun dictionary activity sheets

Oxford University Press has created some colourful and inventive activity sheets to inspire children to have fun with words which can be found on our webpage.

Compiled by author/poet John Foster, these resources include Anagram Antics, Riddle-Me-Ree, and Spot the Synonym.

Continue reading Fun dictionary activity sheets

Sky Hawk publicity material

Something lives deep within the forest . . . something that has not been seen on Callum's farm for over a hundred years. Iona and Callum make a pact to keep the magnificent bird of prey secret and safe. From the glittering lochs of Scotland to the mangrove swaps of the Gambia, Sky Hawk is an inspiring story about the importance of the natural world, and the power of friendship and hope.

We have Sky Hawk posters and postcard packs to give away. There are also some fantastic reading group notes available on the OUP website.

Please email tradepublicity.uk@oup.com.

Continue reading Sky Hawk publicity material

Buttercup Mash facebook page and trailer

The glee-themed, laugh-out-loud new novel from best-selling Rachel Riley author Joanna Nadin has its own Facebook page: www.facebook.com/buttercupmash.

Buttercup has ISSUES. Her family's dysfunctional, her best friend's a drama queen and she doesn't know who her dad is! What's a girl to do?

Isn't it obvious? Join the school glee club, embarrass the hell out of yourself singing rock ballads and dancing like a demented giraffe on a sugar rush and write a diary for an internet shrink about your messed up life.

Visit the Facebook page for information about the book, news, reviews, a hilarious video trailer, and downloads.

Continue reading Buttercup Mash facebook page and trailer

Sweet Hearts Event

20 - 24 June 2011

Jo is author of the Sweet Hearts series and in June we will be doing a promotional tour to celebrate the publication of the third Sweet Hearts book, Sweet Hearts: Forget Me Not. Jo's event is a very humorous and lively presentation on how a book comes to be published. Most children (and even adults) don't really know what the publishing process involves. Jo goes through the whole process including pitching to publishers, editing and cover design, using the Sweet Hearts series as an example. Jo is a former teachers and actress and is very entertaining and normally has the kids giggling away.

If you would be interested in having Jo come to your school to do an event between 20 - 24 June (or at a later date), please email Louise Vallant. As this is a promotional tour, there will be no fee for the event.

Continue reading Sweet Hearts Event

Launch of Acorn Grow!

Acorn Grow is now LIVE!!!!! Our first digital product is alive and kicking. For further information please visit the Raintree website, or go directly to Acorn Grow and see what you think.

Continue reading Launch of Acorn Grow!

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID 2: RODRICK RULES will hit the silver screen on 27th May! FREEBIES FROM PUFFIN

May 2011

In this sequel to 2010's smash hit, Greg Heffley, the kid who made "wimpy" cool is back in an all-new family comedy based on the best-selling follow-up novel by Jeff Kinney. As he begins seventh grade, Greg and his older brother - and chief tormentor - Rodrick must deal with their parents' misguided attempts to have them bond.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid trailer:

To celebrate the film release Puffin have bookmarks, mini posters, door hangers and games up for grabs!! Email kirsten.grant@uk.penguingroup.com with your preferred quantity by May 19th

Continue reading DIARY OF A WIMPY KID 2: RODRICK RULES will hit the silver screen on 27th May! FREEBIES FROM PUFFIN

HCIndyThinking

News, updates and free proofs from HarperCollins

HarperCollins has launched a new monthly 'Independent Thinking' email newsletter offering news, updates and special offers to independent booksellers in the UK and Ireland. The newsletter also offers a selection of advance proofs available to request and read each month. Much of the information is equally relevant to librarians and offers a quick and easy way to stay in touch with HarperCollins' new and forthcoming releases. If you would like to join the Independent Thinking list, email 'JOIN' to independentthinking@harpercollins.co.uk. You can also keep in touch at the accompanying site www.hcindythinking.co.uk or on Twitter @HCindythinking.

Continue reading HCIndyThinking

ORANGE INHERITANCE

10th - 31st March 2011

Six Orange Prize winners (Lionel Shriver, Rose Tremain, Anne Michaels, Ann Patchett, Helen Dunmore and Linda Grant) have selected the classic novel that they would like to pass on to the next generation. Vintage Classics will publish these selected novels with an introduction from the Orange Prize winners in April and would like you, the 'next generation', to review the books and give your feedback for a major press and online campaign. If you are under 21 and would like to receive a free copy of one of the six books* to review for us, please email Indira who can tell you the choices (*subject to availability)

Continue reading ORANGE INHERITANCE

Devil's Consort by Anne O'Brien

Anne O'Brien's first book 'Virgin Widow' was described by The Bookseller as 'Better than Philippa Gregory' and she returns with 'Devil's Consort' - a wonderfully gripping depiction of Eleanor of Aquitaine's early life.

We have 5 x 10 proofs to give away on a first come, first served basis. Please contact Bethan Ferguson if interested.

Continue reading Devil's Consort by Anne O'Brien

Live chat with Sarra Manning, author of You Don't Have to Say You Love Me

24 February 2011

Join Sarra Manning live in our next next online chat to discuss her book YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME:
http://www.sarramanning.co.uk

Register at following URL to take part and share your views with other reading groups:
http://www.rchatrandom.co.uk/

Continue reading Live chat with Sarra Manning, author of You Don't Have to Say You Love Me

Louise Welsh

18 January

Louise Welsh is the award-winning author of The Bullet Trick and The Cutting Room.

Her new novel, Naming the Bones, sees academic Murray Watson on a quest to find the truth behind long-dead writer Archie Lunan. Loaded with Welsh's trademark wit, insight and gothic charisma, this adventure novel weaves the lives of Murray and Archie together in a tale of literature, obsession and dark magic.

For more information, please contact Anna Frame

Continue reading Louise Welsh

The Memory Cage

Alex's beloved grandfather is sick. His memory is failing, and Alex's parents want to put him in a home. Alex has promised Grandad that he won't let that happen. But Alex has broken promises before. When he was growing up in the Bosnian War, he swore that he would protect his brother. It was a promise that he couldn't keep. Alex can't fail again. But the only way to save Grandad could shatter the family ... and it may also tear Alex apart.

This is a brilliant debut from Ruth Eastham and perfect for reading and discussion groups of 10+.

Continue reading The Memory Cage

Goldseekers

In 17th century Cornwall, Jude's mother was called a witch. Now her son is a 'finder', born with a rare and strange power. Jude can sense the presence of gold wherever it is hidden. But this is a talent as dangerous as it is precious - especially when he leaves his childhood home after his parents' sudden deaths. Captured by a sinister one-eyed sea-captain, he is plunged into terrifying magical adventures on the magnificent, mysterious Cornish coast.

Proofs for this fantastic new novel from Jane Johnson are available for reading groups and libraries. Email Catherine Alport to request copies.

Continue reading Goldseekers

Diary of a Parent Trainer

Katie Sutton is an undiscovered genius. She has mastered the art of controlling and operating the strange species of grown-up. But when her mum starts dating AWFUL Stuart, Katie isn't sure of what to do ... her mum is behaving completely out of character, and Katie's tried and tested methods are no longer working. Katie needs to take drastic action to gain control over her grown-up again ... and fast!

Proofs for this fantastic debut novel are available for reading groups and libraries. Email Catherine Alport to request copies.

Continue reading Diary of a Parent Trainer

Fruitloops & Dipsticks Teaching Notes

Teaching notes for Fruitloops & Dipsticks by Ulf Stark can be found here.

Continue reading Fruitloops & Dipsticks Teaching Notes

TRASH Readers Notes

Download readers notes for Trash by Andy Mulligan, one of the best books of 2010.
'Outstanding...an exceptionally satisfying plot.' The Times
'Fast paced and brilliant, this is a book about a country fighting corruption and making right a terrible wrong. Mulligan has written something great. You simply must read it!'
Askews Library Service
'Harrowing, exhilarating, humbling and quite brilliant' The Bookseller

Please download HERE.

Continue reading TRASH Readers Notes

FREE 2010/2011 Year Planner

Orion Children's Books; Bringing books to life!

Brighten up your library walls with Orion Children's Books' FREE 2010/2011 YEAR PLANNERS in two different designs, featuring characters from Orion Books for older and younger children. Please email Louise.Heskett@orionbooks.co.uk to receive these fun and helpful posters.

To preview the posters, just click HERE for the KS2 planner and HERE for the KS3.

The adventure also continues online at our new resource area for teachers and librarians. Go to http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/promotions/resources-for-teachers to download a range of resources and activities for all ages.

To sign up to the new ORION STAR newsletter, visit www.orionbooks.co.uk/newsletters.

It's time to have some fun with reading!

Continue reading FREE 2010/2011 Year Planner

Bella Donna Activity Sheets

Piccadilly Press has fun activities available for download here for Ruth Symes' Bella Donna books. The activites include inventing spells, wordsearches and pictures that need some creative colouring in. Perfect for readers, teachers and librarians.

For more information visit: http://www.belladonnaonline.co.uk/

Continue reading Bella Donna Activity Sheets

Ciaran Murtagh available for author events

Ciaran Murtagh is the author fo four books for children aged 6 and over published by Piccadilly Press - Dinopants, Dinopoo, Dinoburps and Dinoball.

As well as writing children's books and high profile children's TV programmes, Ciaran is a brilliant and very funny performer and is keen to get out and about talking to children in schools, libraries and bookshops.

Visit www.ciaranmurtagh.com for more information.

Continue reading Ciaran Murtagh available for author events

Mo-Bot High creator Neill Cameron available for events

October 2010 onwards

Neill Cameron, creator of the Giant Robot Action Schoolgirl Comedy epic Mo-Bot High, is available for events with children aged 7-12 for a HOW TO MAKE (AWESOME) COMICS WORKSHOP (max 30) and for an ILLUSTRATED TALK for larger audiences of ages 12+

Mo-Bot High is published by David Fickling Books as part of the brilliant Comic Book Library.

To set up an event with Neill please contact neill@neillcameron.com and for more info on him and Mo-Bot High please visit: http://www.neillcameron.com

Continue reading Mo-Bot High creator Neill Cameron available for events

Free samplers: Simon Pulse - Teen Paranormal Romance

Introducing the SIMON PULSE list from Simon & Schuster - books to get your pulse racing.

From demons to fallen angels, werewolves to zombies, these are thrilling, scary, spine tingling and romantic books for teenagers and young adults. Launch titles include the bestselling debut from Becca Fitzpatrick, Hush, Hush and new editions of the mother of vampire novels - Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

For FREE multiple copies of a sampler with extracts from 6 Simon Pulse books - please send an email to childrensbooks@simonandschuster.co.uk - with title PULSE SAMPLER, no. required and contact details.

Continue reading Free samplers: Simon Pulse - Teen Paranormal Romance

Finding Sky postcards available

Finding Sky is the fantastic new teen read from Oxford University Press.

When English girl Sky catches a glimpse of bad boy Zed in her new American high school, she can't get him out of her head. He talks to her with his thoughts. He reads her mind. He is the boy she will love for ever.

In this story, there are no vampires, no angels - but soulfinders.

"When a soulfinder speaks telepathically to her partner, it's like all the lights coming on in a building. You lit me up like Vegas."

Discovering your soulmate has never been so dangerous.

Oxford University Press have Finding Sky postcards to give away.

Please contact tradepublicity.uk@oup.com

Continue reading Finding Sky postcards available

Monkey Nuts - authors available for events

September 2010 onwards

The Etherington Brothers, creators of the wonderful and whacky Monkey Nuts, are available for events with boys and girls age 8+ and are happy to speak to audiences from 10-200.

Monkey Nuts is published by David Fickling Books as part of the brilliant Comic Book Library.

To set up an event with The Etheringtons please contact theetheringtonbrothers@hotmail.co.uk and for more info on them and Monkey Nuts please visit: http://theetheringtonbrothers.blogspot.com

Continue reading Monkey Nuts - authors available for events

Author available - Melanie Welsh

Melanie Welsh, author of the magical 'Mistress of the Storm' published by David Fickling Books is available for events with boys and girls age 9+ and is happy to speak to audiences from 10-200.

The Bookseller described 'Mistress of the Storm' as 'A really gripping magical debut with a strong girl heroine.'

To set up an event with Melanie please contact melanie@veritygallant.co.uk and for more info on Melanie and the book please visit www.veritygallant.co.uk

Continue reading Author available - Melanie Welsh

Author available: Stephen Moss, The Bumper Book of Nature

15th May - 15th October

Stephen Moss is available to talk about his Bumper Book of Nature.

'This book deserves to be a bestseller' - BBC Wildlife

'Terrific, beautifully designed, inventive, creative and various. Bravo.' - Michael Morpurgo

Contact fmurphy@randomhouse.co.uk

Continue reading Author available: Stephen Moss, The Bumper Book of Nature

Author available: Stuart Neville, Collusion

June - December 2010

Stuart Neville is available to talk about his new book, Collusion.

The brilliant follow-up to the debut thriller of 2009, The Twelve.

'This is some guy to watch out for in a dark alley.' - James Ellroy

Contact fmurphy@randomhouse.co.uk

Continue reading Author available: Stuart Neville, Collusion

Author available: Allison Pearson, I Think I Love You

1st June - 31st December

Allison Pearson is available to talk about her new book, I Think I Love You.

From the No. 1 bestselling author of I Don't Know How She Does It: a hilarious and poignant story about a young girl who falls hopelessly in love with her teenage pin-up and some twenty years later, with her life in pieces around her, finally gets to meet him.

Contact fmurphy@randomhouse.co.uk

Continue reading Author available: Allison Pearson, I Think I Love You

Author available: The Twisted Heart by Rebecca Gowers

March 2010 onwards

Rebecca Gowers is availble to talk about her new book.

The Twisted Heart made the longlist for this year's Orange Prize. It was not Rebecca's first time there: she was Orange-longlisted in 2007 for her debut novel, When to Walk, and was also shortlisted for the 2004 CWA non-fiction Golden Dagger Award for The Swamp of Death. The Twisted Heart hit the press on publication last year for revelations contained in the plot about the real-life links between Charles Dickens and the death of a London prostitute. However, the book also received praise in the broadsheets for its deft and realistic handling of a very modern love affair between the two Oxford academics at the heart of the novel. She lives in Oxford.

'A literary jeu d'esprit in the style of Scarlett Thomas's The End of Mr Y...skittish, stream-of-consciousness prose, ultra-realistic dialogue and a genuinely puzzling historical murder mystery. Fresh and clever and very funny.' - Guardian

Continue reading Author available: The Twisted Heart by Rebecca Gowers

Author availble: Mari Strachan, The Earth Hums in B Flat

May 2010 onwards

Mari Strachan is available to talk about her new book.

The Earth Hums in B Flat caused a media storm when it was released last year. Narrated by 12 year old Gwenni, living in a small Welsh village in the 1950s, it is a story of family secrets best left buried and the power of the imagination. Mari was the top Waterstone's New Voice, an Amazon Rising Star and one of the Independent's Rising Stars. The book was picked as a R4 Book at Bedtime, as one of Amazon's Top 10 Fiction titles of 2009, and shortlisted for both the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award and the USA's Indies Choice Book Awards 2010 Adult Debut Book of the Year (results for both next month). She has been immersed in books all her life, working as a librarian in academic, school, public, private and prison libraries. She has also been a book reviewer, researcher, translator, copy writer and web editor.

'The Earth Hums in B Flat is a richly evocative, warm but unsentimental tale of a child detective struggling to piece together clues about the lives around her. These lives, and the characters who live them, are so vividly drawn and Mari Strachan's careful unraveling of the secrets they hide is extremely compelling. I loved this novel.' - CATHERINE O'FLYNN

Continue reading Author availble: Mari Strachan, The Earth Hums in B Flat

Author Available: Karen Campbell

All 2010

Karen Campbell is a police officer turned crime writer and is available for library events, reading group sessions and readers' days. She is happy to give solo talks, or take part in a panel event.

Karen lives in Glasgow and joined the Strathclyde Police in 1987, but after a career break to have her family, she applied to Glasgow University's Creative Writing programme. In 2003, Karen was awarded a Scottish Arts Council New Writer's Bursary. Her debut novel, The Twilight Time, was published in 2008 to great acclaim and was followed last year by After the Fire. Her third novel, Shadowplay, will be published in May 2010.

Visit Karen's website www.karencampbell.co.uk

Continue reading Author Available: Karen Campbell

D.J. Taylor on At the Chime of a City Clock

March - December 2010

D.J. Taylor is available for library events and to speak to reading groups.

Set against a backdrop of the 1931 financial crisis and acted out in shabby bed-sitters and Lyons tea shops, At the Chime of a City Clock is a brilliantly evoked slice of Thirties' noir.

D.J. Taylor is married to the novelist Rachel Hore and lives in Norwich. He is the author of two acclaimed biographies, Thackerary, and Orwell: The Life, which won the Whitbread Biography Prize in 2003. He has written six novels, the most recent being Kept: A Victorian Mystery. He is also well known as a critic and reviewer, and his other books include A Vain Conceit: British Fiction in the 1980s and After the War: the Novel and England since 1945.

For more information click here

Continue reading D.J. Taylor on At the Chime of a City Clock

Author Available: Cath Staincliffe, The Kindest Thing

July - December 2010

Cath Staincliffe is available for library events and to speak to reading groups.

A fictional account looking at the fiercely contested topic of assisted suicide, The Kindest Thing is a love story, a modern nightmare and an honest and incisive portrayal of a woman who honours her husband's wish to die and finds herself in the dock for murder.

A finely written page-turner that charts the life of a marriage and all the joys and stresses of bringing up a family and contrasts this with the terrifying experience of being imprisoned and at the mercy of the full weight of the criminal justice system. The Kindest Thing tackles a controversial topic with skill and sensitivity. A book that begs the question: what would you do?

Cath Staincliffe is part of Murder Squad, a collective of seven crime writers from the North of England. She is the author of the acclaimed Sal Kilkenny mysteries and the creator of ITV's hit police series, Blue Murder, which recently returned to TV with three new episodes featuring DCI Janine Lewis, played by Caroline Quentin. Cath's first novel, Looking for Trouble, shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association's best first novel award, was serialized on Woman's Hour.

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Continue reading Author Available: Cath Staincliffe, The Kindest Thing

Celebrity Shopper by Carmen Reid

March 2010 onwards

Carmen Reid is a wonderful author of the Personal Shopper series starring the incorrigible Annie Valentine. The fifth book in the series - Celebrity Shopper - is published on 4th March.

In 2009 we undertook some fantastic events with Carmen in various libraries across Scotland and the North. These events were incredibly popular with mothers and daughters as Carmen is also the author of a young adult series of books about a boarding school called St Jude's.

More of the same event style would be fantastic but it would also be fabulous to get Carmen doing some solo events or joint events with other adult authors, possibly with input from local businesses such as boutiques and salons to make it a true Girls Night In.

For further information about Carmen please visit her website - www.carmenreid.com

Continue reading Celebrity Shopper by Carmen Reid