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Bound proofs available
March 2010
We have bound proofs of The Wilding available to reading groups who are happy to write reviews for us.
In her second novel Maria McCann returns to 17th-century England, where life is struggling to return to normal after the horrific tumult of the Civil War.
Please see http://www.faber.co.uk/work/wilding/9780571251780/ for more information.
Continue reading Bound proofs available
Posters Available
March 2010
Posters available for Roald Dahl Funny Prize winner Philip Ardagh's Grubtown Tales series.
Continue reading Posters Available
CrimeFest 2010 - Free Posters and Flyers
Deadline: 1pm, Friday 5 March 2010
CrimeFest is an international convention for people who like to read an occasional crime novel as well as for die-hard fans who read the genre exclusively. The convention draws top crime novelists, readers, editors, publishers and reviewers from around the world and gives delegates the opportunity to celebrate the genre in an informal atmosphere. The weekend includes interviews with the Featured Guest Authors, panels, a Gala Dinner with award presentations, as well as one or two surprises. All Full Pass and Day Ticket holders receive a convention bag, a programme, and a selection of books.
We have teamed up with CrimeFest to offer a limited number of flyers and A4 posters about the festival, for you to display and distribute in your libraries. If you would like to receive some free poster and flyer packs, please fill out this form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KVCWJFK
More information about the crime convention can be viewed here: http://www.crimefest.com/
Continue reading CrimeFest 2010 - Free Posters and Flyers
Derek Landy, Skullduggery Pleasant Dark Days Tour
Talk, Q&A and public signing to promote the thrilling new instalment in the Skullduggery Pleasant series, Dark Days. For fun and games around the series, check out http://www.skulduggerypleasant.co.uk
8th April 2010 Swords, Dublin, Ireland
10th April 2010 Easons O'Connell St, Dublin, Ireland
20th April - morning Brunel Academy, Bristol
20th April 4pm Waterstones, Broadmead, Bristol
22nd April 2010 11am - 1.30pm Skoke Dameral Community College, Plymouth
22nd April 2010 6.30pm Waterstones Plymouth
23rd April 2010 11am - 1.30pm St John Kitto Community College, Plymouth
23rd April 2010, 4.30pm WHSmith Exeter, Guildhall Shopping Centre
24th April 2010, 12pm Waterstones, Bournemouth
24th April 2010 4pm Waterstones Southampton
25th April 2010 2pm Norrish Central Library, Portsmouth
26th April 2010, 12pm St Andrews High School for Boys, Worthing, Brighton
26th April 2010 4pm Waterstones Brighton
27th April 2010, 10am Peacehaven Community School, East Sussex
Continue reading Derek Landy, Skullduggery Pleasant Dark Days Tour
Rachel Caine and The Morganville Vampires
27th May - 25th June 2010
Rachel Caine will be touring the UK to promote the latest in her YA series The Morganville Vampires during the month of June 2010 and is available for library events.
Claire Danvers thought that Morganville, Texas was a sleepy college town, until she discovered it was run by vampires hungry for fresh blood. The series will be eight-strong in May with the release of Kiss of Death. You can read more about the books, Rachel and view extracts by going to: http://www.allisonandbusby.com/book/glass-houses
Continue reading Rachel Caine and The Morganville Vampires
Join Markus Zusak in our online chat on 24th February!
24th February, 5.30-6.30pm
Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief, will log in from Sydney to talk about his book Fighting Ruben Wolfe. Sign up to take part: http://www.markuszusak.co.uk/
Continue reading Join Markus Zusak in our online chat on 24th February!
Oxford Literary Festival
The young people's programme at the Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival, 20-28 March 2010, includes the chance to meet Anthony Horowitz, Louise Rennison, Philip Pullman, Malorie Blackman, Geraldine McCaughrean, Philip Reeve, Steve Cole, Zizou Corder, Cressida Cowell, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Meg Rosoff, Mal Peet, William Nicholson, Andrew Lane (the author of a new series about Young Sherlock Holmes), star illustrators including Chris Riddell and Axel Scheffler (of The Gruffalo) as well as teen circumnavigator Mike Perham and the captain of the England women's cricket team, and more. Most events take place in Christ Church or Corpus Christi College, or in the Sheldonian.
Highlights of the 270 events on the adult programme include John le Carre, P D James, Ian McEwan, Martin Amis, Hilary Mantel, Victoria Hislop, Anthony Beevor and Jung Chang. Events for young people are £5 or £6
Continue reading Oxford Literary Festival
Karen Campbell available for events
All year round
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. She 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 Karen Campbell available for events
Jane Austen in the 21st Century
During 2010
Juliet Archer is a 19th-century mind in a 21st-century body. Actually, some days it's the other way round. She is on a mission to modernise all six of Jane Austen's completed novels, as a series called 'Jane Austen in the 21st Century'. Her first novel, 'The Importance of Being Emma', was shortlisted for the 2009 Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance. She offers a 45-minute talk, with readings from her work, on why and how she is updating Jane Austen.
Continue reading Jane Austen in the 21st Century
Proofs and Bookmarks available - THE VICE SOCIETY
Feb and March 2010
The Vice Society - James McCreet
An ingenious gothic mystery from the brightest - and darkest - new star in historical crime fiction.
'Full of vividly depicted squalor and grotesquery... Well worth reading' Guardian
'Evoking gaslit streets and alleys where danger lurks, this is Victorian melodrama at its best'
Choice magazine
Continue reading Proofs and Bookmarks available - THE VICE SOCIETY
Win a Sony e-reader pre-loaded with dozens of books!
Deadline: 30th April 2010
When William Kamkwamba, a young Malawian, stumbled across a picture of a wind turbine in a book in his local library, he decided to build one himself despite having little resources or technical knowledge. Now, his windmill has brought electricity to his community and he's sharing his incredible true story around the world in his book The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.
If, like William, a book has inspired a new idea or taken your life in a new direction, tell us your story and you could win a Sony e-reader.
To enter we want to know which book has inspired you and how. Please submit your answer here -
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=UcT6dUX9Trx7Ugu9jpyn1Q_3d_3d
Continue reading Win a Sony e-reader pre-loaded with dozens of books!
Reading Group Events for The Return of Captain John Emmett
During the First World War, over 300 young British and Commonwealth soldiers were court marshalled and executed for 'crimes' such as cowardice and desertion. It was a peculiarly British feature of military discipline, given the number of executed German soldiers was only 48. And it was class-ridden; out of all of those shot, only 3 were officers.
Inspired by this fact and by the tragedy of those left behind - mothers, fathers, wives - who were left not knowing, and often had to cover up what had happened to avoid the public shame, Elizabeth Speller presents us with her first novel, The Return of Captain John Emmett.
Continue reading Reading Group Events for The Return of Captain John Emmett
CHANGELING series trailer
Check out this this brand new trailer for the ferociously fantastic CHANGELING book series by Steve Feasey. CHANGELING is a compelling, spine-chilling adventure series packed full of high-octane adventure and a cast of despicable demons, werewolves and vampires. Book 3, BLOOD WOLF, was published on 5th February and follows on from DARK MOON and CHANGELING.
Continue reading CHANGELING series trailer
WIN a new £25 National Book Tokens Gift Card!
Deadline: 1st March 2010
National Book Tokens has launched its new Gift Card which is more flexible and convenient than ever. Sold and accepted in bookshops across the UK, these Gift Cards are the new way to share your passion for reading. For more information, visit www.nationalbooktokens.co.uk/newgiftcard
For your chance to win a new £25 National Book Tokens Gift Card, simply answer the following question:
Name the five presenters of the new TV Book Club.
Please email your answers to sandeep.mahal@readingagency.org.uk
Continue reading WIN a new £25 National Book Tokens Gift Card!
Cara Black on Murder in the Latin Quarter
26th April to the 7th May
Murder in the Latin Quarter is the latest in Cara Black's highly regarded Aimee Leduc Parisian crime series.
A Haitian woman arrives at the office of Leduc Detective and announces that she is Aimee's sister, her father's illegitimate daughter. Aimee is thrilled. A virtual orphan since her mother's disappearance and her father's death, she has always wanted a sister. Her partner, Rene, is wary of this stranger, but Aimee embraces her and soon finds herself involved in murky Haitian politics, which leads to murder in Paris's bohemian Latin quarter.
Cara Black lives in Noe Valley, San Francisco with her bookseller husband, Jun. She's a San Francisco Library Laureate, Macavity and three time Anthony award-nominee for her series, Aimee Leduc Investigations, set in Paris. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Crime Writers and the Marais Historique Society in Paris.
Continue reading Cara Black on Murder in the Latin Quarter
How to Make Your Vote Count, X Marks the Box, Daniel Blythe
Danile Blythe is giving away free copies of the e-book edition of his new book, How to Make Your Vote Count, X Marks the Box, from 11 February until the publication of the print edition. It will be available from www.xmarksthebox.co.uk for three weeks.
Recipients of the ebook will be required to submit a valid email address and their full name to be given a link to download it. The ebook will be provided in PDF format which can be read on screen or on any current e-readers.
Icon Books will publish the print edition [ISBN 978-184831-051-3] on 4th March 2010 in paperback at £7.99, which will be available from all good bookshops
About the book . . .
What is politics? And why does it matter? Self-confessed 'born-again voter' Daniel Blythe presents a popular, forceful argument designed to shake up anyone's apathy.
Politics sets the agenda. Climate change, education, crime, housing - these are political issues, but for many, party politics is still a turn-off.
Continue reading How to Make Your Vote Count, X Marks the Box, Daniel Blythe
Emily Gravett
Join award winning picture book author and illustrator Emily Gravett on Tuesday 16th February 2010 as she talks about her life and reads some of her fantastic books including Monkey and Me. And then become an author yourself as you help her to make up a brand new story! Emily will be at Ridge Avenue Library, Enfield, London (N21 2RH) from 11am and at Palmers Green Library, Enfield, London (N13 4EY) from 2.30pm. Suitable for children aged 4 to 8 and their families. Tickets are free but please book in advance by calling T: 020 8379 2708
Continue reading Emily Gravett
Free Book Giveaway - Amy Green: Summer Secrets
Walker Books are delighted to offer your reading groups FREE reading copies of AMY GREEN: SUMMER SECRETS by Sarah Webb. First come, first served!
Everyone's favourite agony aunt is back solving problems for teen girls everywhere. Teen problem-solving supremos Amy and Clover are trapped in family holiday hell - a week in rainy Ireland with a neurotic aunt, nagging mum, crazy step-dad and irritating cousin. The summer seems set for disaster until Clover gets the chance to interview an American movie star for The Goss magazine. And there's no way she's leaving Amy behind! Look out, US of A-mazing - here they come!
For first chapter sampler, author blog, diary entries, downloads and much, much more, please visit www.askamygreen.com.
For your free copy of Amy Green, please contact Jo.humphreys-davies@walker.co.uk. All we ask in return is that you tell us what you think!
Continue reading Free Book Giveaway - Amy Green: Summer Secrets
Dorothy Koomson: THE ICE CREAM GIRLS: Proofs Available
DOROTHY KOOMSON The Ice Cream Girls
Two sets of eight proofs available for reading groups.
Dorothy's stunning new novel covers thought provoking subjects including domestic abuse and the impact of a crime on family life. A page-turning read guaranteed to spark lively discussion.
Continue reading Dorothy Koomson: THE ICE CREAM GIRLS: Proofs Available
Books for Reading Groups: Henry's Sisters by Cathy Lamb
HENRY'S SISTERS by Cathy Lamb.
Allison & Busby are delighted to offer 40 copies of HENRY'S SISTERS by Cathy Lamb to reading groups. Henry's Sisters is Cathy's first book to be published in the UK, following the three very different Bommarito sisters during various events, illnesses, giant cupcakes and, oh, a grandmother who believes she's Amelia Earhart. Read more about the book and Cathy here: http://www.allisonandbusby.com/book/henrys-sisters
Don't miss out on this opportunity to discover a wonderful new author! As a special incentive, groups who review Henry's Sisters will be in with the chance of winning sets of other Allison & Busby reading group favourites. For more information, please contact Lesley Crooks lesley@allisonandbusby.com.
Continue reading Books for Reading Groups: Henry's Sisters by Cathy Lamb
Proofs available - The Cobras of Calcutta by Grant Sutherland
MACMILLAN'S HISTORICAL FICTION LAUNCH OF 2010 - an 18th century military adventure that introduces series hero Alistair Douglas and the elite corps of decipherers.
Please contact proofs@macmillan.co.uk
Continue reading Proofs available - The Cobras of Calcutta by Grant Sutherland
Free samplers for LEGENDS by ANTHONY HOROWITZ available
Free samplers of LEGENDS by ANTHONY HOROWITZ are available. The samplers contain one story from each of the LEGENDS books; LEGENDS: BATTLES AND QUESTS and LEGENDS: BEASTS AND MONSTERS. The titles wil be published on 7 May 2010 and are suitable for readers aged 9+.
Continue reading Free samplers for LEGENDS by ANTHONY HOROWITZ available
History Panel - Law & Disorder: How to Make an Impression throughout History
Three talented historical fiction authors discuss Law and Disorder on a panel event. Viking historian Giles Kristian with his Raven series, M.C.Scott has the Romans covered with The Emperor's Spy and Ariana Franklin talks Henry 2nd's England in Relics of the Dead.
Three eras, three novelists, three times the value! Press releases can be found at http://bit.ly/56Qxak
Continue reading History Panel - Law & Disorder: How to Make an Impression throughout History
Proof copies of DREAMING OF AMELIA by JACLYN MORIARTY
Advance proof copies of the stunning new novel by JACLYN MORIARTY (author of FEELING SORRY FOR CELIA) are available.
Perfect for fans of bittersweet, unputdownable novels, DREAMING OF AMELIA tells the story of Amelia & Riley, a glamorous, talented and totally in-love couple who become the obsession of the pupils of Ashbury High School. But all is not as it seems - Amelia and Riley have secrets and everyone at Ashbury is about to find out that the past casts a very long shadow . . .
Suitable for readers aged 11+, publishing 02/04/2010
www.jaclynmoriarty.com
Continue reading Proof copies of DREAMING OF AMELIA by JACLYN MORIARTY
Proofs available: Aatish Taseer's The Temple-Goers
We have advanced copies available of Aatish Taseer's searing fiction debut The Temple-Goers. Heralded as the 'Indian Brett Easton Ellis' by The Bookseller and as a 'writer to watch' by V.S. Naipaul, Aatish Taseer is a stunning new voice in fiction, exposing the ruthless heart of India's modern elite: a world of drink and designer labels, literature and laptops, politics and sex. Please get in touch if you would like to read one of the most exciting debuts of the year.
A young man returns home to Delhi after several years abroad and resumes his place among the city's cosmopolitan elite - a world of fashion designers, media moguls and the idle rich. But everything around him has changed - new roads, new restaurants, new money, new crime - everything, that is, except for the people, who are the same, only maybe slightly worse.
Then he meets Aakash, a charismatic and unpredictable young man, who introduces him to the squalid underside of this sprawling city. Together they get drunk and work out, visit temples and a prostitute, and our narrator finds himself disturbingly attracted to Aakash's world. But when Aakash is arrested for murder, the two of them are suddenly swept up in a politically sensitive investigation that exposes the true corruption at the heart of this new and ruthless society.
In a voice that is both cruel and tender, The Temple-Goers brings to life the dazzling story of a city quietly burning with rage.
Continue reading Proofs available: Aatish Taseer's The Temple-Goers
Proofs available: Sarah Blake: The Postmistress
We have 10 advanced copies available of Sarah Blake's sweeping, romantic and unforgettable novel of love and war, The Postmistress. Please get in touch if you would like to read what is set to be one of the most talked about books of the year.
The wireless crackles with news of blitzed-out London and of the war that courses through Europe, leaving destruction in its wake. Listening intently on the other side of the Atlantic, newly-wed Emma considers the fragility of her peaceful married life as America edges closer to the brink of war. As the reporter's distant voice fills the room, she sits convincing herself that the sleepy town of Franklin must be far beyond the war's reach.
But the life of American journalist Frankie, whose voice seems so remote, will soon be deeply entangled with her own. With the delivery of a letter into the hands of postmistress Iris, the fates of these three women become irrevocably linked. But while it remains unopened, can Iris keep its truth at bay?
Continue reading Proofs available: Sarah Blake: The Postmistress
Diane Janes on The Pull of the Moon
Diane Janes is a full-time writer of crime novels and investigative non-fiction. Her novel Moonshadow was highly commended in the 2006 CWA Debut Daggers Award for unpublished works. She is available for library events and to speak to reading groups.
The Pull of the Moon is a gripping novel of psychological suspense in the tradition of Frances Fyfield and Barbara Vine.
When Kate Mayfield receives a letter from Mrs Ivanisovic, she realises that the secret she has kept for more than thirty years is not so safe as she imagined. Haunted by the echoes of a vanished summer which changed her life for ever, Kate is forced to confront memories she would rather forget... a dead white face in a flickering beam, not flinching when the soil hit it...
Mrs Ivanisovic is dying and demands to be told the truth, but is Kate's story of love, lies and murder really what Mrs Ivanisovic wants to hear? And how much does she herself already know?
http://www.constablerobinson.com/?section=books&book=the_pull_of_the_moon_9781849010467_paperback
Continue reading Diane Janes on The Pull of the Moon
Alison Bruce on Kimberly's Song
Alison Bruce is a scriptwriter, DJ and author of two non-fiction crime books. She is available for library events and to speak to reading groups. Following her stunning debut Cambridge Blue, this is the second DC Gary Goodhew mystery.
Kimberly Guyver and Rachel Golinski had always hoped their old life wouldn't catch up with them, they'd hoped they could leave it all behind but within hours, Rachel's home is burning and Kimberly's young son, Riley, is missing.
DC Gary Goodhew begins to sift through their lives and starts to uncover an unsettling picture of deceit, murder and accelerating danger. Kimberly seems distraught but also defensive and uncooperative. Is it fear and mistrust of the police which are putting her son at risk or is it darker motivations? With Riley's life in peril, Goodhew needs Kimberly to make choices, but she has to understand, the one thing she cannot afford is another mistake.
http://www.constablerobinson.com/?section=authors&author=alison_bruce&dir=asc&imprint=
Continue reading Alison Bruce on Kimberly's Song
D.J. Taylor on At the Chime of a City Clock
D.J. Taylor is available for library events and to speak to reading groups. For more information, click on continue reading.
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 see:
http://www.constablerobinson.com/?section=books&book=at_the_chime_of_a_city_clock_9781849010245_hardback
Continue reading D.J. Taylor on At the Chime of a City Clock
Cath Staincliffe on The Kindest Thing
Cath Staincliffe is available for library events and to speak to reading groups. For more information, click on continue reading.
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.
For more information see:
http://www.constablerobinson.com/?section=books&book=the_kindest_thing_9781849012737_hardback
Continue reading Cath Staincliffe on The Kindest Thing
POPPY LOVE ACTIVITY PACK
POPPY LOVE ACTIVITY SHEETS
Poppy Love loves to dance. Take a pinch of Strictly Come Dancing, blend it with Britain's Got Talent, add a girl who loves to dance more than anything in the world, and you've got Poppy Love!
Life at the Blue Horizon Dance School in Brighton is brimming with spangle, sparkle and cha cha cha, for Poppy and her dance partner Zac. It's a world of fabulous fun, tough competitions, dazzling dance festivals, music and make-up - not to mention all the family and friends to fit in too!
Step into Poppy's world of fabulous fun, dazzling dance competitions, spangle and sparkle with our free activity and colouring sheets. Please contact jo.humphreys-davies@walker.co.uk.
For more fun activity sheets and games, visit www.walker.co.uk
Continue reading POPPY LOVE ACTIVITY PACK
Host a WHERE'S WALLY? event at your library!
Host a WHERE'S WALLY? event at your library! It's as easy as 1, 2, 3, Wally!
1. Hire a FREE Wally costume from Walker Books
2. Order your Where's Wally? stickers and poster (activity sheets on the reverse) from Rebecca Harper at Rebecca.Harper@walker.co.uk
3. Download activity sheets from www.walker.co.uk/wheres wally
Have a wonderful Wally time!
Continue reading Host a WHERE'S WALLY? event at your library!
GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU activity pack
GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU Activity Pack!
In this downloadable activity pack, you'll find everything you need to hold a Guess How Much I Love You activity day in your library. Containing activity and colouring sheets, greeting cards and games - this is perfect for Valentine's promotions!
For more information, packs and stickers, please contact jo.humphreys-davies@walker.co.uk
For more fun activity sheets and games, please visit www.walker.co.uk
Continue reading GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU activity pack
THE ROAD film posters
We have a limited number of film posters to give away for Cormac McCarthy's THE ROAD.
THE ROAD is a global bestselling, Pulitzer Prize winning book by Cormac McCarthy, and now a major film starring Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce and Robert Duvall.
For more film and book information go to www.panmacmillan.com/road
Continue reading THE ROAD film posters
Celebrity Shopper by Carmen Reid
March 2010
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
Village Teacher by Jack Sheffield
February 2010 onwards
Jack Sheffield is the extremely charasmatic author of the Teacher series, the fourth book of the series - Village Teacher - will be published in January. The books are very much in the style of Gervase Phinn, Heartbeat and The Royal and are perfect fun, anecdotal stories that will make you laugh and spill your tea! Jack used to be a Headmaster in Yorkshire from the 1970s onwards and many of his stories are based on true accounts from his own experiences!
Being an ex-Headmaster Jack is exceptional at commanding an audience and people always come away from Jack's events well entertained. The books are perfect for Reading Groups and I'd like to suggest an "Afternoon Tea with Jack Sheffield" style event.
Continue reading Village Teacher by Jack Sheffield
Catrine Clay on Trautmann's Journey
March - April 2010
Catrine Clay is available for library events.
Trautmann's Journey is an astounding story of war and football - the first biography of Manchester City goalkeeper and former Hitler Youth star Bert Trautmann.
Continue reading Catrine Clay on Trautmann's Journey
Tom English on The Grudge
March - April 2010
Tom English is available for library events.
The Grudge is a gripping inside story of the 1990 Calcutta Cup, when an England Scotland rugby match became more than just a game.
For further information, please see http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/catalog/book.htm?command=Search&db=main.txt&eqisbndata=0224082760
Continue reading Tom English on The Grudge
Because I am a Girl - various authors
Mid January - Mid March 2010
Tim Butcher, Xiaolu Guo, Joanne Harris, Kathy Lette, Deborah Moggach, Marie Phillips, and Irvine Welsh are available for library events. For more information, click on continue reading.
Seven authors have visited seven different countries and spoken to young women and girls about their lives, struggles and hopes. The result is an extraordinary collection of writings about prejudice, abuse, and neglect, but also about courage, resilience and changing attitudes.
Proceeds from sales of this book will go to PLAN, one of the world's largest child-centered community development organisations.
For more information, see http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/catalog/book.htm?command=Search&db=main.txt&eqisbndata=0099535920
Continue reading Because I am a Girl - various authors
Druin Burch on Taking the Medicine
January - February 2010
Druin Burch is available for library events.
For years patients have placed their trust in doctors and the drugs they prescribe. Yet as Druin Burch's thought-provoking history of medicine demonstrates, our trust has often been misplaced. Only with the development of antibiotics after the Second World War did doctors begin to cure more than they killed but even in this supposedly advanced age patients feel victim to tragedies such as the Thalidomide scandal.
For more information, see http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/catalog/book.htm?command=Search&db=main.txt&eqisbndata=1845951506
Continue reading Druin Burch on Taking the Medicine
Rob Eastaway and Mike Askew on Maths for Mums and Dads
January - February 2010
Rob Eastaway and Mike Askew are available for library events.
Guiding parents through the basics of the maths their children are learning today at school, MATHS FOR MUMS AND DADS will cover the dilemmas and problems you are likely to be confronted with up to your child leaving primary school.
For more information, see: http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/catalog/book.htm?command=Search&db=main.txt&eqisbndata=0224086359
Continue reading Rob Eastaway and Mike Askew on Maths for Mums and Dads
Panos Karnezis on The Convent
January - February 2010
Panos Karnezis is available for library events.
The Convent is a major new novel from one of our finest young writers, author of Little Infamies and The Maze.
For more information, see http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/catalog/book.htm?command=Search&db=main.txt&eqisbndata=0224079344
Continue reading Panos Karnezis on The Convent
Clare Clark on Savage Lands
Mid March to Mid May 2010
Clare Clark is available for library events and to speak to reading groups about her book. For more information, click on continue reading.
Rich in tactile detail, heart-wrenching in its portrayal of people clinging on to their humanity against the brutality of nature and commerce, this is historical fiction at its best. So absorbing is Clare Clark's recreation of eighteenth-century Louisiana that the reader won't want to leave it, even though the unstable ground on which New Orleans is putting down its first foundations proves far from hospitable.
For more information, see http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/catalog/book.htm?command=Search&db=main.txt&eqisbndata=1846553512
Continue reading Clare Clark on Savage Lands
Henry Sutton on Get Me Out of Here
Late January to Late March 2010
Henry Sutton is available for library events and to speak to reading groups about his book.
Get Me Out of Here is a novel of comic anger, of success and failure, commerce and culture - and, fundamentally, belief - in a busted city.
For more information, see http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/catalog/book.htm?command=Search&db=main.txt&eqisbndata=1846552842
Continue reading Henry Sutton on Get Me Out of Here
John Fuller on Pebble & I
April - May 2010
John Fuller is available for library events and to speak to reading groups about his book.
Pebble & I is an enquiring and elegiac new collection from one of Britain's most respected and accomplished poets.
Continue reading John Fuller on Pebble & I
Andela Thirlwell on Into the Frame
Mid February to Mid April 2010
Angela Thirlwell is available for library events and to speak to reading groups about her book. For more information, click on continue reading.
Into The Frame: The Four Loves of Ford Madox Brown is a vivid account of the public art and private demons of Ford Madox Brown, the finest but least understood of Pre-Raphaelite artists and the four central women in his life: his two wives and models and his two secret loves.
For more information, see http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/catalog/book.htm?command=Search&db=main.txt&eqisbndata=0701179023
Continue reading Andela Thirlwell on Into the Frame
Sarah Bakewell on How to Live
Mid January - Mid March 2010
Sarah Bakewell is available for library events.
How to Live: A Life of Montaigne in one question and twenty attempts at an answer is a spirited and singular biography (and the first full life of Montaigne in English for nearly fifty years), relating the story of his life by way of the questions he posed and the answers he explored. It traces his bizarre upbringing (made to speak only Latin), youthful career and sexual adventures, his travels, and his friendships with the scholar and poet Etienne de La Boétie and with his adopted 'daughter', Marie de Gournay.
For more information, see: http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/catalog/book.htm?command=Search&db=main.txt&eqisbndata=0701178922
Continue reading Sarah Bakewell on How to Live
Jeffrey Lewis - author events and book signings for Adam the King and Meritocracy: A Love Story
2010 marks the publication of two exciting new titles by Jeffrey Lewis:
1) Adam the King (March 2010)
- "Lewis catches the thrill of proximity to America's eastern WASP aristocracy to an uncomfortable degree: their studied vagueness, their heartiness, the aloofness that cannot be copied." - Los Angeles Times - This first book of the quartet won both the Independent Publishers Book Award for General Fiction and the ForeWord Book of the Year Silver Award for Fiction.
2). Meritocracy: A Love Story (May 2010)
- "Meritocracy is a dramatic, riveting novel of our times." - New York Review of Books
Jeffrey Lewis won two Emmys as a writer and producer of Hill Street Blues. He lives in Los Angeles and Castine, Maine.
Continue reading Jeffrey Lewis - author events and book signings for Adam the King and Meritocracy: A Love Story
Beast Quest Activity Packs
In this booklet, you'll find everything you need to hold your own beastly Beast Quest party! Includes poster, games and activities plus special tips on how to add extra grrr power to the day!
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Free copies for teen reading groups
31 January 2010
PEER PRESSURE SUCKS. SO DO VAMPIRES.
To celebrate the publication of FADE OUT, the seventh in the Morganville Vampires series, Allison & Busby are offering 40 free copies of the first book GLASS HOUSES to teen reading groups to introduce them to Morganville, Texas. All we ask is that you read the book and let us know what you think. The best review will receive books 2-7 absolutely free (UK residents only).
Continue reading Free copies for teen reading groups
Online Content Available for Your Library Website!
Oxford Children's Books have trailers, games and author video clips to share! We have the following content to offer for your library website:
- Winnie the Witch's Looney Laundry Game
- Dinosaur Cove Fossil Hunting Game
- Trailers for Blade (Tim Bowler's gripping teenage series) and Hero.Com/Villain.Net (Andy Briggs' action-packed series and anti-series for 9+)
- Meet the Author clips for Where I Belong (Gillian Cross, publishing April 2010), The Death Defying Pepper Roux (Geraldine McCaughrean, 2009), Shark Island (David Miller, 2009), Bloodchild (Tim Bowler, 2009).
Continue reading Online Content Available for Your Library Website!
Film posters available - THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS
We have a limited number of film posters to give away for THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS.
'Goats' is a bestselling book by Jon Ronson, and now a major film starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges.
Please contact proofs@macmillan.co.uk
Continue reading Film posters available - THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS
Janet Skeslien Charles on Moonlight in Odessa
February 2010
Moonlight in Odessa by Janet Skeslien Charles, is a wry and sparkling debut novel - a cross between A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian and Desperate Housewives. Originally from Montana, Janet Skeslien Charles now lives in Paris where she teaches creative writing at Shakespeare & Co. Moonlight in Odessa was inspired by her two years in Odessa as a Soros Fellow. Janet would be happy to come and talk to reading groups or talk on a panel alongside other writers.
Continue reading Janet Skeslien Charles on Moonlight in Odessa
Angela Huth on Land Girls
February – October 2010
Angela Huth is available for library events and to speak to reading groups. For more information, click on continue reading.
Angela Huth is the author of Land Girls which became a feature film starring Anna Friel and Rachel Weisz. Her new book, Once a Land Girl is the brilliant and moving sequel. The war is over, but life goes on for Prue, Stella and Ag. While two of the girls are married, Prue, the incorrigible flirt, has no one and is engaged in a quest for a man to provide her with security and gold taps. Yet, in the puzzling world beyond the fields, Prue, in her indomitable way, open as ever to each chance encounter, remains buoyant, optimistic and quite sure that the life she imagines is just round yet another corner.
Angela Huth has written eleven novels and four short-story collections as well as TV, radio and stage plays. Two of her novels - Virginia Fly is Drowning and Sun Child - she adapted for the BBC. She is an established freelance journalist, critic and broadcaster.
For more information see:
http://www.constablerobinson.com/?section=books&book=once_a_land_girl_9781849012751_paperback
Continue reading Angela Huth on Land Girls
Bookmarks for Carole Matthews
I have beautiful bookmarks to offer libraries featuring the ever-popular Carole Matthews' two new books - The Loving Feeling and The Difference a Day Makes.
Continue reading Bookmarks for Carole Matthews
Wishing For Tomorrow Proofs
The perfect sequel to a timeless and much-loved classic.
Hilary McKay revisits Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies after the events of A Little Princess and Sara Crewe's happily ever after. But Sara is much missed - and most acutely by best friend Ermengarde, who laments that 'nothing is the same as it was before'.
But life must go on at Miss Minchin's as new friendships are made, rivalries continued, lessons learned and, most importantly, fairytale endings are had.
We have some spare proofs if you would like them for reading groups and/or yourselves.
Continue reading Wishing For Tomorrow Proofs
LEVIATHAN TRAILER
An amazing trailer for the brand new series by Scott Westerfeld, LEVIATHAN, is online! Click to watch, or we have limited numbers of the trailer on disk that we can send to your library!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_lGmAvH4lM
Continue reading LEVIATHAN TRAILER
SIGNED COPIES OF THE DEMON'S LEXICON
We have ten SIGNED copies of The Demon's Lexicon by debut author Sarah Rees Brennan up for grabs! Drop an email to childrensbooks@simonandschuster.co.uk for a chance to win...
Continue reading SIGNED COPIES OF THE DEMON'S LEXICON
Activity sheets available!
Check out the Simon and Schuster children's website for a variety of activity sheets!
http://books.simonandschuster.co.uk/tagged_assets/yuck_colourin_3409.pdf
http://books.simonandschuster.co.uk/tagged_assets/beastly_activities_final_150dpi_3701.pdf
http://books.simonandschuster.co.uk/tagged_assets/ak03_1416917055_674.pdf
More of these can be found via the website so check it out at http://kids.simonandschuster.co.uk!
Continue reading Activity sheets available!
FALLEN
Proofs available for FALLEN by new author Lauren Kate, an epic battle between Heaven and Hell, with echoes of Paradise Lost, and a story of a love doomed to fail over and over again.
"Sexy and fascinating and scary . . . I loved loved loved it!"--P.C. Cast
Continue reading FALLEN
Morris the Mankiest Monster
Limited copies of Morris the Mankiest Monster by Giles Andreae and Sarah McIntyre available plus disgustingly brilliant monster activity sheets designed by Sarah. 'The most revolting picture book of the Year' THE BOOKSELLER
Continue reading Morris the Mankiest Monster
Win Claire Letemendia's The Best of Men and discuss the book with the author live online!
Win free copies of Claire Letemendia's The Best of Men on CompletelyNovel.com, the social reading and publishing hub, and discuss the book live online with the author who will be joining the ReadersPlace chat forum from Toronto on 10 December, 7pm GMT!
"A completely gripping, brilliantly researched, unputdownable novel of conspiracy, passion and treason, set during the English Civil War."
Enter the competition:
http://www.completelynovel.com/reader_competitions/2#
Read a free sample:
http://rhwidget.randomhouse.co.uk/flash-widget/widget_lg.do?isbn=9780224089371&menu=0&mode=1&cf=336699&cb=FFFFFF
Continue reading Win Claire Letemendia's The Best of Men and discuss the book with the author live online!
Go Dutch! (Authors and samplers available)
Go Dutch is a promotion of new Dutch writing published in English. It features eight writers, many of whom will be available for events in the UK (with most costs being covered by the promotion). We also have quantities of a sampler of New Dutch Writing to make available at no cost to library authorities and readers groups. More details are on www.nlpvf.nl/godutch. The Go Dutch promotion runs until June 2010.
Continue reading Go Dutch! (Authors and samplers available)
Proofs available - THE DISAPPEARED
Proofs available for THE DISAPPEARED by M.R. Hall. This is the second in the stunning new series featuring coroner Jenny Cooper. The first in the series, The Coroner has been shortlisted for the 2009 CWA crime and thriller awards, and been widely acclaimed by both critics and readers.
'M.R.Hall has created a wonderful heroine in a genre we haven't seen before' - Lynda La Plante
Please contact proofs@macmillan.co.uk
Continue reading Proofs available - THE DISAPPEARED
Reading groups newsletter
Pan Macmillan are in the process of updating the reading group area of our website, and will now be sending out newsletters via email. If your reading group/library would like to be added to the mailing list, please sign up at http://bit.ly/48vHSO
Continue reading Reading groups newsletter
Football Fiction Posters Available
Free A4 posters featuring eight of Tom Palmer's Football Academy and Football Detective stories available. Any amount from 10 to 100+. Also photocopiable samplers of the first of each series for classes and Chatterbooks groups. Free postage.
Contact: info@tompalmer.co.uk
Website for Tom: www.tompalmer.co.uk
Continue reading Football Fiction Posters Available
Posters available - THE CORONER
We have a limited number of A2 posters available for THE CORONER by M.R. Hall.
'A brilliant, original and gripping first novel' - Sophie Hannah
'M.R. Hall has created a wonderful heroine in a genre we haven't seen before' - Lynda La Plante
'A fast-paced debut thriller' - The Times
'An outstandingly interesting first novel' - Literary Review
Contact proofs@macmillan.co.uk
Continue reading Posters available - THE CORONER
Jenny Valentine Proofs
We have some wonderful proofs of Iggy and Me by Jenny Valentine (winner of the Guadrian Fiction Prize) to give away.
First come first serve!
Age range 6+ yrs
Continue reading Jenny Valentine Proofs
CHANGELING by Steve Feasey samplers available
Macmillan Children's Books has samplers available of the second thrilling book in a new series for young people by Steve Feasey. CHANGELING: DARK MOON tells the story of fourteen-year-old Trey Laporte who discovers he is a hereditary werewolf. Suitable for boys and girls aged 11+, this is an action-packed fantasy adventure which will have you gripped from the very first page.
For more information on Steve Feasey and the CHANGELING series, see www.panmacmillan.com/children
Continue reading CHANGELING by Steve Feasey samplers available
Frank Cottrell Boyce samplers available
Macmillan Children's Books have samplers of COSMIC by Frank Cottrell Boyce available for reading groups. Perfect for girls and boys aged 8-12 and anyone who loves funny, adventure books. COSMIC was shortlisted for the 2009 CILIP Carnegie Medal and the 2008 Roald Dahl Prize. Frank is also the author of FRAMED and MILLIONS.
For more information on Frank and his books visit www.bebo.com/frankcottrellboyce
Continue reading Frank Cottrell Boyce samplers available
M.C. Beaton on Agatha Raisin/Hamish MacBeth
July 2009 - March 2010
M.C. Beaton is the author behind the two much loved and bestselling crime fiction series featuring Agatha Raisin and Hamish MacBeth.
She is available for library events for audiences of 40+ and to speak to reading groups about her books. For more information, click on continue reading.
Continue reading M.C. Beaton on Agatha Raisin/Hamish MacBeth
Christopher Kelly on Attila The Hun
Sept 2009 - Feb 2010
Known to the Romans as 'the Scourge of God', Attila himself and his crucial role in the fall of Rome are vividly recreated in this brilliant and compelling account.
http://www.rbooks.co.uk/product.aspx?id=1844139158
Christopher is available for library events and talks to reading groups.
Continue reading Christopher Kelly on Attila The Hun
Nicky Haslam on Redeeming Features
Oct 2009 - Jan 2010
Redeeming Features is a dazzling and witty account of his frenetic life - from the '50s to the present - in London, the souht of France, New York, Arizona and Los Angeles, in a crowd of friends and acquaintances that includes virtually all of the cultural icons of our time.
Nicky is available for library events and talks to reading groups. For more information go to
http://www.rbooks.co.uk/product.aspx?id=0224089714
Continue reading Nicky Haslam on Redeeming Features
Helen Simpson on In-Flight Entertainment
Sept 2009 - Feb 2010
'A masterful contemporary exponent of the genre. Simpson now deserves to be compared with Flannery O'Connor and Alice Munro.' - Observer
Helen is available for library events and talks to reading groups. For more information go to
http://www.rbooks.co.uk/product.aspx?id=0224089641
Continue reading Helen Simpson on In-Flight Entertainment
Bryan Talbot on Grandville
Sept 2009 - Feb 2010
Inspired by the work of nineteenth-century French illustrator Gérard (who worked under the pseudonym 'Grandville') this steampunk masterpiece tells ths story of detective Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard as he stalks a gang of murderers through the heart of Belle Epoque Paris.
Bryan is available for library events and talks to reading groups. For more information go to http://www.rbooks.co.uk/product.aspx?id=0224084887
Continue reading Bryan Talbot on Grandville
Alison Weir on The Lady in the Tower
Sept 2009 - Feb 2010
A compelling story of the last days of one of history's most charismatic, controversial and tragic heroines - Anne Boleyn.
Alison is available for library events and talks to reading groups. For more information go to
http://www.rbooks.co.uk/product.aspx?id=0224063197
Continue reading Alison Weir on The Lady in the Tower
Tim Dee on The Running Sky
Sept 2009 - Feb 2010
The Running Sky is an extraordinary and inspiring book about a lifetime of observing birds.
Tim is available for library events and talks to reading groups.
Continue reading Tim Dee on The Running Sky
Sara Wheeler on The Magnetic North
Sept 2009 - Feb 2010
Smashing through the Arctic Ocean with the crew of a Russian icebreaker, herding reindeer across the tundra with Lapps and shadowing the Trans-Alaskan pipeline with truckers, Sara Wheeler uncovers the brutal reality of the Arctic in The Magnetic North.
Sara is available for library events and talks to reading groups.
Continue reading Sara Wheeler on The Magnetic North
Calling all fans of magic and fantasy - review copy of THE ALCHEMYST for reading groups
Random House Children's Books are delighted to offer 30 copies of THE ALCHEMYST by Michael Scott to children's or teenage reading groups. This is the first in Scott's internationally bestselling series; the third and newest book, THE SORCERESS, comes out in July. Catch up with this epic contemporary fantasy series which mixes real figures and events from history with myth, legend and Scott's amazing imagination. Scott is recieving almost 2000 emails from fans per week - isn't it time you read it?
Continue reading Calling all fans of magic and fantasy - review copy of THE ALCHEMYST for reading groups
New James Kelman paperback available
First come, first served early copies of James Kelman's new paperback Kieron Smith, boy available to reading groups. The book The Times called 'a vibrant, beautiful portrait of childhood'.
Continue reading New James Kelman paperback available
Exclusive KATE MORTON Author Video
Limited number of copies available of this exclusive author video
Kate Morton is the bestselling author of THE HOUSE AT RIVERTON and THE FORGOTTEN GARDEN
Contact proofs@macmillan.co.uk
Continue reading Exclusive KATE MORTON Author Video
Find out more about your favourite authors on AuthorsPlace.co.uk!
Welcome to AuthorsPlace, a new website from The Random House Group. We've invited our authors to create their own unique profile pages on AuthorsPlace, the first of which are now live. Find out more about the authors and their books, read interviews, watch videos, browse picture galleries, and talk to them on their blogs and message board.
There will be more authors signing up with AuthorsPlace every week, so check here regularly to see who's new on the site!
Continue reading Find out more about your favourite authors on AuthorsPlace.co.uk!
