AbeBooks' Reading Copy

The Presidential inauguration reigns supreme this month as both the President and Rick Warren ride the top of this month’s best sellers… 1. The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren 2. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama 3. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston 4. The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx [...]

The death of Bill Frindall removes another familiar voice from my childhood. Listening to Test Match Special on the radio was a part of my life until moving to North America (Sadly, the BBC blocks me from listening on the Internet because I’m in Canada). Amazing that a cricket statistician should be so loved. Bill [...]

Boyd Tonkin, the Independent’s wonderful book person, riffs on writing about the suburbs following the death of John Updike. He says the Americans are better at writing about the ‘Burbs than the Brits -I always thought the British were pretty good at dissecting suburban angst. What about E.M. Forster tackling Edwardian class in the suburbs [...]

Interesting commentary from the Chicago Tribune‘s Cultural Critic, Julia Keller. Keller takes a closer look at what is meant when people refer to Obama as a “literary president”. It is true that President Barack Obama writes books. So, of course, did previous presidents. If you want a real treat, read Theodore Roosevelt’s “The Rough Riders“—or [...]

John Mortimer, creator of Rumpole of the Bailey, has died at 85. Here’s The Guardian’s report. The novelist, playwright and former barrister, who was born in London in 1923, was known and loved for the comic lawyer Rumpole, whose dedication to cheap wine and motto “never plead guilty”, has been his most enduring creation. “He [...]

This morning NPR listeners will have heard an item about Barack Obama’s love of books. It was short and sweet, and if you want to learn more about the books that the president-elect reads then you should check out this feature. I’ve attempted to list every book that Obama has spoken about or been seen [...]

AbeBooks.co.uk top 10 bestsellers for the month of December 2008 1. Hitman by Bret Hart 2. The Isles of Scilly by Rosemary Parslow 3. Mrs. Hudson and the Malabar Rose by Martin Davies 4. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama 5. The Secret Life of Words by Henry Hitchings 6. Little Dorrit by Charles [...]

Here is a list of the top ten bestselling signed books for December 2008 on AbeBooks. 1. A Mercy by Toni Morrison 2. A Most Wanted Man by John Le Carre 3. Netherland by Joseph O’Neill 4. Indignation by Philip Roth 5. 2666: A Novel by Robert Bolano 6. Widows of Eastwick by John Updike [...]

I don’t read nearly enough. That bothers me because I thoroughly enjoy it, there are hundreds of books I’d love to read and I come from a family of readers – I’m letting the side down for heaven’s sake! I am determined to read more (maybe I should consider learning to speed read) and part [...]

Ooooh, I’ve completed The Guardian’s 2008 book quiz. I got 17 out of 20, that’s my best ever score in a Guardian quiz. However, last week I researched and wrote this year in review article for AbeBooks so I was unusually well prepared for the tough questions thrown at me. Speaking of the year in [...]