AbeBooks' Reading Copy

As of now in 2013, Doris Lessing is 93. She was born in 1919 and her second novel, published in 1956, was titled Retreat to Innocence. All of this, coupled with her round, sweetly wrinkled face and penchant for wearing her white hair parted at the middle and pulled back into a bun, might give [...]

While I absolutely love chicken, and would enjoy learning new methods to prepare it, and this might even be a legitimately good cookbook, I think it is safe to say that 50 Shades of Grey has now officially jumped the shark. Yes, there is a parody cookbook called Fifty Shades of Chicken by F.L. Fowler [...]

Since 1982, the last week of September has been known as Banned Books Week, and is a time to reflect on censorship in the literary world, celebrate the freedom of information and access to literature, and review the most frequently banned and challenged titles today. For the annual observance of Banned Books Week last week, [...]

The publishing sensation that just won’t quit… still hasn’t. E.L. James’ naughty, erotic Fifty Shades Trilogy still shows little signs of slowing. Rumors abound about who’s playing Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele in the movie version. Police sketch composite technology is used to generate a picture of Christian Grey. Otherwise respectable women in their thirties [...]

Ahahaha. Wow, I never thought I would find a way to incorporate the term “feminist” and the term “Christian Grey” into the same blog post title. Kudos to me. Two vaguely literary items of note regarding the gorgeous golden god that is Ryan Gosling: 1) The web site “Feminist Ryan Gosling” now has an accompanying [...]

Oh Gods, kill me now. According to the Time Magazine NewsFeed, who I can only pray are having some peculiarly-timed April Fool’s-style laugh at our expense, things are about to get a whole lot worse. Publishers eager to cash in on the current craze of….”mommy porn”….*shudder* are reportedly planning to release steamier versions of some [...]

We recently put together a feature highlighting some of the life and books of Edith Wharton. As you can see from the article, when we think of Edith Wharton, we tend to think of a very buttoned-up woman. Serious literary writing, gardening, maybe some architecture and interior design…. but erotica? Edith Wharton? Apparently, yes. Michelle [...]

We usually try to keep the content between our AbeBooks UK blog and this blog different, but this entry was just too good not to steal. I’m sorry to come back to Fifty Shades of Grey once again but frankly there is a story a day at the moment. Richard’s Cakes (their tagline is ‘Quality [...]

Picture using image-composite technology. But instead of using it for police purposes to track down a criminal, it is instead to titillate and engage millions of lust-crazed fans of the bestselling erotica phenomenon Fifty Shades of Grey (you can read my review of 50 Shades of Grey here). How? By creating your very own image [...]

Move over Fifty Shades of Grey, there just might be a new sexy book in town, going viral and breaking the usual publishing rules. On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves was rejected by 14 traditional publishers and 40 different book agents. But Garvis-Graves, who lives in Des Moines, Iowa, persevered, published it as an e-book, [...]