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Top 10 bestselling books of 2011 on AbeBooks.com

Friday, December 23rd, 2011

What is it about Stephen Covey, Dale Carnegie and Spencer Johnson that keeps book buyers coming back? I think these three authors have been on our annual bestselling lists as far back as I can remember. This Year Kathryn Stockett gave them a definite run for their money but once again The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was the most popular book on AbeBooks.com.

Top 10 bestselling books on AbeBooks.com

1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
2. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
3. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
5. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
6. Who Moved my Cheese? By Spencer Johnson
7. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
8. The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
9. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
10. Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals by Jamie Oliver

Posted in bestsellers, books, lists | No Comments »

Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials Set

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

… And speaking of great Christmas presents for readers, all three His Dark Materials books by Philip Pullman – The Golden Compass, the Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass – are now available in a single volume, put out by Everyman’s Library. And look – it’s gorgeous!

Posted in AbeBooks, bestsellers, books, Christmas, fantasy | No Comments »

Hunger Games Trailer – Movie Preview

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

So, it’s no secret that around here we love The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins:

A more exciting, fast-paced, engaging read than I’ve come across in a long time. A real adventure. And now…now! At long last, the trailer for The Hunger Games movie is out.

If Jennifer Lawrence (who plays main character Katniss Everdeen)’s performance in the film Winter’s Bone is any indicator, I’m very optimistic.

Start popping that corn, everyone – it’s all happening in March.

Posted in AbeBooks, bestsellers, film, movies, review | No Comments »

AbeBooks Bestsellers October 2011

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

October’s Top 10 bestselling books on AbeBooks.com
1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
2. The Giver by Lois Lowry
3. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
4. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
5. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
6. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
7. Tintin in the Congo by Hergé
8. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
9. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
10. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

October’s Top 10 bestselling books on AbeBooks.co.uk
1. The Dukan Diet Recipe Book by Pierre Dukan
2. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
3. Newsletter Design: A Step-By-Step Guide to Creative Publications by Edward A Hamilton
4. Exploring Corporate Strategy by Prof. Gerry Johnson
5. 100 Carols for Choirs by David Willcocks
6. Welsh Retrospective by Dannie Abse
7. The Internet is a Playground by David Thorne
8. The Quiet American by Graham Greene
9. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carre
10. Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo

AbeBooks top 10 bestselling signed books of October 2011
1. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
3. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
4. Marriage Plot by Jeffery Eugenides
5. The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje
6. Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
7. Steve Jobs: A Biography by Walter Isaacson
8. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
9. The Fear Index by Robert Harris
10. Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks

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Jamrach’s Menagerie by Carol Birch – Design Deja Vu

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

Just an observation while reading about the runners-up for the 2011 Booker Prize (congratulations Julian Barnes) – is it just me, or does the paperback version of Carol Birch’s book Jamrach’s Menagerie bear an uncanny resemblance to David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas?

I suppose there are trends in cover design and only so many combinations of colors and layouts and shapes etcetera – but these do seem awfully close, to me. Anybody else notice that?

Posted in awards, bestsellers, books | 3 Comments »

Chick Lit going out of fashion

Tuesday, September 27th, 2011

Has the UK’s book-buyers given up on chick lit? The Independent asks why sales for some major writers are tanking. Even books from Marian Keyes and Jodi Picoult are remaining on the shelves.

Anyone familiar with a book called The Tipping Point?

Posted in author, bestsellers, booksellers | No Comments »

Lucy the Wonder-Pup Picks the Booker

Monday, September 26th, 2011

I am heartily in favor of this video I came across from the Harvard Book Store in which they employ a scientific and methodical approach to predicting the winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize:

(Though I disagree with Lucy – my money for the winner is on Esi Edugyan).

(This will prove embarrassing, if I am out-predicted by a puppy).

(She’s already cuter than I am).

Posted in AbeBooks, awards, bestsellers | 2 Comments »

The Next Big Thing – The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Monday, September 19th, 2011

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

So reads part of the publisher’s description of a new novel of magical realism called The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Called lush, imaginative, creative, wildly inventive and suspenseful (to name a few of the adjectives I saw most repeated), The Night Circus is generating a lot of buzz, and critics are wondering if it’s going to be the next Harry Potter or Twilight.

Personally, I find circuses scary enough even when not shrouded in mystery (all those clowns *shudder*), but it sounds intriguing. I look forward to reading it. I like magic.

If anyone has read it already, give us a clue in the comments of how you liked it and what it’s like.

Posted in AbeBooks, bestsellers | 5 Comments »

Just My Type – the font of all knowledge

Friday, September 9th, 2011

It’s interesting to see Simon Garfield’s Just My Type selling so well. The book is a history of fonts from the days of Gutenberg to the present era of corporate logos aplenty. Garfield tackles the ‘what your font selection says about you’ theme, and offers lots of anecdotes and historical background. Typefaces are interesting… to me at least.

Want to see more books on typography? Check out on feature from earlier this summer – ABC of Books about Typography, Typographers & Typophiles.

Posted in bestsellers, books, design | No Comments »

AbeBooks’ top 10 bestsellers of June 2011

Monday, July 4th, 2011

June’s Top 10 bestselling books on AbeBooks.com
1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale
3. The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
4. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
5. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
6. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
7. Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
8. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
9. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
10. How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas. C Foster

June’s Top 10 bestselling books on AbeBooks.co.uk
1. Damage by Josephine Hart
2. A Time of Gifts: On Foot to Constantinople by Patrick Leigh Fermor
3. Animal Farm by George Orwell
4. The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund De Waal
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
6. It’s Your Ship by Michael Abrashoff
7. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest by Stieg Larsson
8. Between the Woods and the Water by Patrick Leigh Fermor
9. What Type am I? Discover Who You Really Are by Renee Baron
10. Wonder, Fear, and Longing by Mark Yaconelli

June’s Top 10 bestselling signed books on AbeBooks
1. The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht
2. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
3. Robopocalypse by Daniel Wilson
4. A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
5. Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver
6. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
7. A Moment in the Sun by John Sayles
8. The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler
9. The Stranger’s Child by Alan Hollinghurst
10. About Grace by Anthony Doerr

Posted in bestsellers, lists | 1 Comment »

It’s never too late to write a bestseller

Monday, June 20th, 2011

Jacket Copy asks what do bestselling authors Michael Connelly, Charlaine Harris, Jo Nesbo, James Patterson and Geraldine Brooks have in common?

They’re all over 50, and did not have their first books published until they were at least in their 30s.

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Vote for Your Favourite Harry Potter Character

Monday, May 16th, 2011

With the theatrical release of the last Harry Potter movie (part 2 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) just months away, Harry Potter mania is of course ramping up again. This time, over on the Bloomsbury site, fans can vote for their favorite Harry Potter character of all time.

Compiled from all 7 of the books (the last three of which were enormous, you may recall), readers can choose from 40 key players, ranging from Dobby the House Elf to Minerva McGonagall to assorted Weasleys (if you’re the type to go in for gingers). At the kickoff, JK Rowling, author of the series revealed that her own favourite character is Harry himself. I suppose that’s appropriate, since she put his name in all the titles. I’m a Neville Longbottom woman, myself. He might need a kick in the self-esteem, but the kid’s got heart.

Posted in AbeBooks, bestsellers, blog, books, children's book, Harry Potter | No Comments »

Contest: Two scholarships to the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

Are you a rare bookseller or a book collector and want to learn more about the world of antiquarian bookselling? AbeBooks is sponsoring two lucky winners to attend the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar in August. This week-long seminar will guide you through a myriad of topics including where to find rare books, how to photograph books, price them and then sell your rare treasures, plus some fascinating guest speakers and so much more. This is one of the finest events on the rare book calendar.

Entering our contest is easy, simply write a short essay about the book or books that inspired you to become a collector or bookseller, and send it to pictures@abebooks.com along a photo of the book(s).

For more information visit the contest page.

Posted in AbeBooks, antiquarian, bestsellers, contest | No Comments »

Land of Painted Caves signed edition

Thursday, March 24th, 2011

land-of-painted-caves1 The book of the moment is definitely The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel. It’s the sixth book in Auel’s Earth’s Children series and continues to tell the story of Ayla and Jondalar, and is set 25,000 years in the past.

Who would have thought a series of novels about life in prehistoric Europe featuring Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals would become bestsellers?

Apparently, more than 45 million copies of the series have sold worldwide. The other books in the series are The Clan of the Cave Bear, The Valley of Horses, The Mammoth Hunters, The Plains of Passage and The Shelters of Stone. The Land of Painted Caves is going to sell in huge numbers.

land-of-painted-caves-limited-edition2 I’m sure the hardcore Auel fans will be thrilled to hear there is a signed numbered limited edition of The Land of Painted Caves. There are only one thousand copies and they won’t last long.