Reading Copy

Today in the Guardian’s Blog they take a look at literatures finest smokers!

… When asked for his favourite smoking moment in literature, James Walton proffered Raymond Chandler’s book The Little Sister. Marlowe is being hired by a seemingly prissy young woman, who voices her disapproval of liquor, adding “I don’t think I’d care to employ a detective that uses liquor in any form. I don’t even approve of tobacco.” To which Marlow rejoins “Would it be all right if I peeled an orange?”

Popularity: 12% [?]

There is some news…. librarians in Delaware are preparing for the World Book Cart Drill Team Championship.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Aside from the thrilling announcement that the Spice Girls are reuniting, there really isn’t much news about today. USA Today has lots of lists for summer reading - here are some beach reads, the AP says Oprah is opening a store (packed full of self-help books, non-fiction books that are completely made up and perhaps the odd rather disturbing dystopian novel), and in the UK The Guardian asks how did science fiction get so popular.

Back to the Spice Girls… surely, the small girls who loved them in 1996 are now moody teenagers and into hip hop.

Popularity: 8% [?]

“No…no….we’re going to be fine. Yes, we know Harry Potter ends on July 21 but we’re going to be fine. No… really.”

The BBC reports on Bloomsbury.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Publishing News writes about Tunnels and reveals an extra 30,000 copies have been printed to accompany the original 20,000. Buy it here and we’ll soon know if it really is the next Harry Potter.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Khaled Hosseini’s latest book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, is one of AbeBooks’ bestselling titles at the moment with signed copies in much demand - here’s an interview with the author originally printed in the Los Angeles Times.

In his new book, Hosseini offers a bleak, heartbreaking portrait of Afghan women: He writes of mothers who were denied anesthesia for C-sections in Taliban-run hospitals. He tells of beatings and rapes that became a routine form of punishment for women. But he also describes a new day in Afghanistan, where young girls are skipping through the streets in the mornings to schools that are now open to them for the first time in years.

Popularity: 9% [?]

About six months ago, I read my first ever large print book. I’m 39 and I borrowed it from the library because it was the only copy available and I really wasn’t that bothered about the size of the text. I found the whole large text reading experience pretty good. I wear glasses for driving the car and when people project Powerpoint presentations on to a wall at AbeBooks.com, but have never needed them for reading books…. yet.

At AbeBooks.com, we’re very aware that the Baby Boomer generation encompasses our core customers and that their vision isn’t getting any better. Therefore, we’re doing some research into large print books and we’re interested to hear from you if you have any sort of problems with your eyesight and love reading books.

Just click here and the survey will take about two minutes. Many thanks.

Popularity: 9% [?]

We’ve been deluged by Potter Poets keen to win our unique Harry Potter bookshelf. With the closing date fast approaching, here is a small selection of poetry saluting the Boy Wizard. We’ll post more poems soon.

Thanks to everyone who has entered so far.

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A Dublin auctioneer selling a typewriter used by Irish author Christy Brown has withdrawn it from sale. It followed Brown’s sister questioning claims that the Olympia Splendid 99 typewriter was used by the author to write his autobiography, My Left Foot, reports the BBC.

Popularity: 9% [?]

It’s not easy being a teenage fantasy writer when your debut book is published under the looming shadow of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

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A “priceless” manuscript of Pearl S. Buck’s The Good Earth has been found, reports Associated Press.

“The manuscript has been missing since at least 1966 and is considered priceless,” the FBI said in a news release yesterday.

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With Tony Blair bidding goodbye today, The Guardian blogs about literary farewells.

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Meg Rosoff, author of the award-winning Just In Case, writes about why it’s good for children to face their fears through books - even if those fears now include rapists and murderers rather than scruffy dogs and hobbits.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Bill Bryson - the American author from Des Moines, Iowa - is fronting a major campaign to tackle litter in the UK. The Times has the longest article on rubbish that I’ve ever seen. (By the way, I agree with Bill - the UK has become filthy because so many selfish people just throw their garbage on the floor even when there is a rubbish bin just yards away)

Popularity: 9% [?]

Ian Rankin describes why crime fiction fascinates him in a new Rough Guide to the genre.

Popularity: 8% [?]