Green Books

Whilst scrolling through the many publishing related newsletters that land in my inbox everyday, I noticed the latest research carried out by the Rainforest Action Network. They recently conducted research on which children's publishers are most committed to rainforest protection, and have now published a simple guide based on these findings. According to their sources Hachette, Penguin, Simon and Schuster, Scholastic, Macmillan and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt are all recommended. That is that these publishers 'are committed to the protection of Indonesia's forests, and forests worldwide. They have committed to phasing out controversial Indonesian fiber and suppliers APP and APRIL until reforms are achieved and have a comprehensive environmental paper policy or a commitment to create one'. Random House and Sterling Publishing recieved 'can do better' labels as although they are committed to improving paper practices, they have not committed to avoiding controversial suppliers. On the other hand, Disney, HarperCollins and Candlewick Press were all tarnished with the 'avoid' label as they have 'no commitment to protecting Indonesia's or other endangered rainforests. They do not have public, environmental paper policies'.

This got me thinking about how green I am with my book choices. I'd like to think I do my bit environmentally; I recycle papers, plastics, tins, glass and food waste; I have a garden waste compost bin, I buy my milk from the milk man (with glass bottles and an electric delivery float), I always buy recycled notebooks, cards and so forth. But when it comes to books it would seem I'm pretty ignorant.

I began by consulting my trusty friend Google, about publishers using recycled paper and I came across this rather interesting report from Eco-Libris.

Number of new titles published annually in the U.S.: 172,000

Number of books produced annually in the U.S.: 4.15 billion

Number of books sold annually in the U.S.: 3.09 billion

Annual net sales of books in the U.S.: $23.9 billion

Annual net sales of e-Books in the U.S.: $313 million

Annual Revenue of  European Book publishers: Euro 22.3 billion

Number of book publishers in the U.S.: over 80,000

Top 5 Book Formats: Trade paperback (35%), Hardcover (35%), Mass market paperback (21%), Audio (2%), E-book (2%), Other (5%).

Number of U.S. book publishers who signed the Book Industry Treatise on Responsible Paper Use initiated by the Green Press Initative to improve their ecological footprint: about 250

Market share of publishers with environmental policies in place and goals for increasing their recycled/FSC-certified paper usage: about half.

The number of trees that are cut down annually to produce the books sold in the U.S.: more than 30 million.

Percentage of recycled paper currently used by U.S. book publishers in the production of books: 5-10%

The carbon footprint of a book: 8.85 lbs, in cardbon dioxide terms.

The total carbon footprint of the book publishing industry: 12.4 million metric tons.

The biggest contributor to the industries footprint: using virgin paper.

National Book Awards

Beginning in 1950, the National Book Awards have recognised great creatives for sixty years. It 'continues to recognise the best of American literature, raising the cultural appreciation of great writing in the country while advancing the careers of both established and emerging writers'. From the 1,115 books submitted, the winners have been announced. For futher information and for interviews with all the winners and those shortlisted, go to the National Book Awards website.

Fiction

Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon

Nonfiction

Just Kids by Patti Smith

Poetry

Lighthead by Terrance Hayes

Young People's Literature

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine 

Costa Shortlist

The Costa book awards recognise the most enjoyable books from English and Irish based writers in the categories first novel, novel, biography, poetry and children's book. The shortlist was announced earlier this week, and the winners will be announced on 5th January. To find out more visit the Costa Book Awards website.

Costa First Novel Award

Witness the Night by Kishwar Desai
Coconut Unlimited by Nikest Shukla
The Temple-Goers by Aatish Taseer
Not Quite White by Simon Thirsk 

Costa Novel Award

Whatever You Love by Louise Doughty
The Blasphemer by Nigel Farndale
The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell
Skippy Dies by Paul Murray

Costa Biography Award

How to Live A Life of Montaigne by Sarah Bakewell
My Father's Fortune by Michael Frayn
The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal

Costa Poetry Award

Standard Midland by Roy Fisher
The Wrecking Light by Robin Robertson
Of Mutability by Jo Shapcott
New Light for the Old Dark by Sam Willetts

Costa Children's Book Award

Flyaway by Lucy Christopher
Annexed by Sharon Dogar
Bartimaeus: The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud
Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace

Round Up

I always find it riveting to discover other people's favourite books and their reasons behind it. Reading is such a personal past time, and everyone has different tastes, views and opinions. Yesterdays Best Books of the Year: 2010 article in the Observer was therefore of particular interest. Containing a list of favourite books of key figures, the results were truly intriguing. Sam Mendes listed Freedom by Jonathon Franzen as his top choice, whilst Sabastian Faulks surprisingly chose The Big Short, a book about the world of banking, by Michael Lewis. Even more surprisingly, Jeremy Hunt, the Culture Secretary, chose Tony Blair's autobiography. The poet Wendy Cope claims that the tone of voice in Hitch 22 is exceptional, whilst Nick Hornby enjoyed How to Live a Life of Montaigne. The list continues as creative, academics, scholars and comedians each choose their favourite book.

The telegraph recently published an equally interesting article entitled Evolving English, a review of the British Libraries new exhibition. Apparently the English spoken in the Appalachian mountains of America preserves the language that Shakespeare would have spoken. There is a 1,000-year-old sole manuscript of Beowulf, still singed round the edges from being snatched from a fire in 1731. Furthermore, slang while being denigrated by those who feel above it, exercises a fascination on them because of a suspicion that slang-users are hiding something from them.

George Bush's autobiography continues to attract speculation, firstly because where is he going to be 1.5 million people that wish to buy his book and line his already rather full pockets, and also because there is now suggestions of plagiarism.

Finally, the Independent has published its list of 50 best winter reads, follow the link to see what you should be snuggling up with this winter.

Predicted Christmas Bestsellers

According to the lovely people who spend their time predicting the future, we will be buying the following books as Christmas presents.

The Millenium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson

At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Book) - A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race by Jon Stewart

The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values by Sam Harris

Conversations with Myself by Nelson Mandela

The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

A Simple Amish Christmas by Vanetta Chapman

Yet it will remain, and probably always will, that the Bible is the bestselling book of all time. A book that took over forty men hundreds of years to complete, and I haven't even read it! Perhaps thats what I should be reading this Christmas, after all, Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ.

What a lot to say

I feel like I have lots to say today! Not that I'm complaining, sometimes I have to scratch my head for something of interest, but not today.

First and foremost today is, of course, Remembrance Day. Without dwelling on the subject too much, or becoming morbid, I would like to express my sincere sympathy to the families who have suffered the loss of a family member in all wars, past and present, and to thank our servicemen, whom do their job without the praise and appreciation they deserve. In the two minute silence observed this morning ' we remember those who fought for our freedom during the two World Wars. But we also mourn and honour those who have lost their lives in more recent conflicts. Today, with troops on duty in Afghanistan and other trouble spots around the world, Remembrance, and this two minute tribute, are as important as ever'.

On to literary news, last night was the annual Galaxy Book Awards, celebrating the very best of British publishing. Terry Pratchett and Martin Amis collected awards for outstanding achievement, Stephen Fry won the Biography category, despite competition from Tony Blair and Lord Alan Sugar. Andrew Marr received the More4 Non-Fiction Book of the Year award for 'The Making of Modern Britain', One Day by David Nicholls was named Popular Fiction Book of the Year and Hilary Mantel was honoured with the Waterstones Author of the Year award. The host of other awards can viewed on the Galaxy National Book Awards website, where you can also vote for the Galaxy book of the year. The ceremony will be televised in the UK on Saturday.

This morning I received an email from Red Room asking all bloggers to advocate the importance of freedom of speech. Coincidentally whilst watching the news this evening I was reminded of this by concern expressed over the murders of journalists and bloggers in recent times. We have a natural right to make use of our pens as of our tongue, at our peril, risk and hazard. –Voltaire, Dictionnaire Philosophique, 1764

The British amongst you have no doubt also been following the news of the student protests in London yesterday. Though I absolutely do not condone violence of any form, I was delighted to see such a huge number of students out protesting against the proposed university fee increased. All too often the British have a habit of sipping tea and complaining yet never actually doing anything about it. I hope that the government takes note of the public uproar. University should be available to all that have the ability and want to study, not an elite privileged minority.

Finally, I just thought I'd let you know, I'm thoroughly enjoying reading Suite Francaise and I can't wait to review it.

Christmas is Coming the Goose is Getting Fat...

... please put a penny in the old man's hat!

Christmas really is on the way now, and I've been giving some thought to what to buy people for Christmas. I always try to buy people books, I think a really well chosen book is a delight to unwrap, and it shows thought and sentimentality whilst also providing entertainment. So far I have bought my Mum A Simples Life by Aleksandr Orlov, she loves the adverts and I think she'll have a giggle over the book, and I've got my best friend the annual Ripley's Believe It Or Not book, which always provides hours of entertainment. Also, whilst perusing the internet looking for inspiration, I hopped on the the BookPeople website and found they have a deal on to buy all the books from the Booker Prize shortlsit for just £30, I can't decide whether I should buy this for someone or ask for it myself :)

Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan, illustrated by Sophie Blackall

I always find that at this time of year the bestsellers lists go a bit mad, and become crammed with all kinds of gift books, and much less literature. Not that I'm complaining too much as I love books in all forms; recipe books, autobiographies, picture books, annuals, not just fiction. But I'm always greatful for amazon's fiction only bestsellers lists.

The final delight I stumbled across today was the Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2010, as selected by the Book Review. All the winners looked great, but I particularly love Children Make Terrible Pets, Big Red Lollipop and Henry in Love.

News News News

Publishers have had a hard time of late. A decline in the sales of books and the rise of e-books started creating a problem, then the recession hit and publishers struggled to make ends meet. I had hoped that they were through the worst of it, but it seems that's not the case...

Doom and Gloom in the Publishing World

Overall there has been a fall over -4% in the total value of book sales.

Lagardere Publishing, Hachette's parent group, have seen their turnover fall by 5% in the first nine months of 2010. Though the plateauing sales of Stephanie's Meyers twilight series has been partly to blame, Hachette also cited 'challenging retail conditions' as a problem. Despite this Hachette continues to hold it's position as the leading publishers with a market share of 16.6%.

Penguin is the only publishers of the Big Four to have an increase in sales for the first three quarters of 2010.

Harper Collins saw the biggest decline with a drop of -7%, Bloomsbury too dropped by -7% but their market share dipped only slightly from 2.0 to 1.9%.

Although they managed to hold on the their market share of 13.2%, Random House sales were down by -4%.

Canongate dropped drastically by -45% despite digital sales being ahead of the publishers expectations.

On the plus side
Simon & Schuster and Quercus sales both increased, as did Pan Macmillan.

Moving on

There has been speculation in bucket loads this week about the possible return of Harry Potter. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, when asked about a potential for a new Harry Potter book, J K Rowling said: "They're all in my head still. I could definitely write an eighth, a ninth book." When asked if she would write another book, she replied: "I'm not going to say I won't. I feel I am done, but you never know." In the same interview Ms Rowling also revealed that she turned down an offer from Michael Jackson to turn the books in to a musical. Harry Potter fans are, of course, eagerly awaiting the release of the penultimate film on the 19th of this month.

Negations for a 'X-Factor style' television show entitled Britain's Next Bestsellers for the People's Book Awards are continuing. Current plans  involve thirteen one hour shows involving author discussions and celebrity guests with the hope of glamourising books and engaging more of the public in books.

The hugely popular and prestigious Hay Festival hits India for the first time this week, from 12-14 November. The literary festival makes its Indian debut in Kerala with over 50 authors in the line-up, including Mani Shankar Aiyar, Gillian Clarke, William Dalrymple, Tishani Doshi, Marcus du Sautoy, Simon Schama and  Vikram Seth.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend, and that your Monday isn't too depressing!

A Peek in to My World

I thought today, rather than my usual Sunday papers review, I'd give you a little peek in to my world. This is a snap of my desk and some of my books. I tidied my desk especially for you all, I hope you appreciate it.

I'm going to a firework display this evening. I hope you all enjoy your Sunday, take care.

Seasonal Prose

As it is bonfire night/ firework night/ guy fawkes night, I thought I'd share with you a few poems. The first is a more historical work, whilst the last two are fun little rhymes. I hope you enjoy them, and have a fun but safe night.

The Gun Powder Plot Poem

Some twelve months ago,
An hundred or so,
The Pope went to visit the devil;
And as, you will find,
Old Nick, to a friend,
Can behave himself wondrous civil.

Quoth the De'il to the Seer,
What the De'il brought you her
It was surely some whimsical maggot:
Come, draw to the fire;
Nay, prithee, sit nigher:
Heree, sirrah! lay on t'other faggot.

You're welcome to Hell;
I hope friends are well,
At Pareis, Madrid, and at Rome;
And ,now you elope,
I suppose, my dear Pope,
The conclave will hang out the broom.

Then his Holiness cry'd,
All jesting aside,
"Give the Pope and the Devil their dues;"
For, believe me, Old Dad,
I'll make thy heart glad,
For, by Jove, I do bring thee rare news.

There's a plot to beguile
An obstinate isle;
Great Britain, that heretic nation,
Who so shyly behav'd,
IN the hopes of being sav'd
By the help of a d--d Reformation.

We'll never have done,
If we burn one by one,
Tis' such a d--d numerous race!
For no sooner one's dead,
Like the fam'd Hydra's head,
Than a dozen spring up in his place.

But, believe me, Old Nick,
We'll play them a trick,
The like was ne'er hatched in France;
For this day before dinner,
As sure's I'm a sinner,
We'll burn all the rascals at onece.

When the king with his son
To the parliament's gone,
To consult about old musty papers,
We'll give them a greeting,
Shall break up their meeting,
And try who can cut the best capers.

There's powder enough,
And combustible stuff,
Inf fifty and odd trusty barrels,
Which will blow all together,
The Devil cares whither,
And decide at one blow all our quarrels.

But this was scarce said,
When in popp'd the head
Of an old Jesuitical Wight,
Who cry'd You're mistaken,
They've all saav'd their bacon,
And Jemmy still stinks with the fright.

Then Satan was struck,
And said 'tis bad luck,
But you for your news shall be thanked:
So he call'd to the door
Seven devils or more,
And they toss'd the poor dog in a blanket.

Watts, Isaac, Horae lyricae. Poems, By I. London, 1706

The next two are written by children, taken from www.bonfirenight.info

Fireworks bang
Bonfire sizzle
Laughter breaks through
A November drizzle
Sparklers burn down
Right down to the core
A sound of disappointment
But wait there is more
The fireworks ended
It’s time to go now
As the people hustle and bustle
In my head it’s still wow

 

 

 

Bonfire Night Poem

Look at the big Rocket, Mother,
Leaving burning, fairy flowers
Showering from the skies.

Watch the Roman Candle, Mother,
See it shoot and spark,
Why! There's fiery, golden rain,
Patterns in the dark.

Catherine Wheel, Oh, Catherine Wheel,
I love to see you spin,
Look at all the magic fire
Circling round the pin!

The sky is full of trees, Mother,
See their blossoms shake,
Painting all the dreaming air
Like a Magic Lake.

Oh, now look at the sad, old Guy,
He's very nearly gone,
His hat has toppled over,
But still he blazes on.

The Fireworks have all ended, Mother,
The Bonfire's nearly done;
But weren't the colours bright, Mother?
Didn't we have fun?

Childhood Horror

I think I am becoming slightly addicted to childhood literature. I'm hoping it is not just me that finds this riveting. The Daily Telegraph last week published an article entitled 'Early memories of horror' in which various authors and writers reveal the stories that gave them sleepless nights in their childhood. Jeffrey Archer reveals finding Bill Sykes from Oliver terrifying, Amanda Craig recollects 'absolute terror' at Alice in Wonderland. Emma Donoghue disturbingly remembers reading a Victorian novel in which a child is kidnapped and sold in to the white slave trade, she becomes a child whore and lays down and lifts her skirt whenever a man enters the room. Both Charlie Higson and Alexander McCall Smith both express utter fright at Der Struwwelpeter. For me, well I had was scared witless by Pinocchio, the thought of those children turning in to donkeys disturbed me permanently.

The article was of particular interest to me as I am currently studying how much unpleasantness can be embedded in to a fairy tale before it becomes damaging to the child. Fairy tales of modern society have been significantly watered down in comparison to their eighteenth century counter parts in which brutal revenge is common, and blood, gore and violence the norm.

What books or tales do you remember finding particularly terrifying as a child?

Crimson China by Betsy Tobin

Perhaps the appeal of this book is that, despite being a work of fiction, the idea is entirely plausible. So plausible, in fact, that I found myself wondering if one day the events that unfold in Crimson China will turn out to be factual.

Crimson China is based around the Morecambe Bay tragedy, when twenty one illegal Chinese migrant workers drowned and a further two went missing on 5^th February 2004. This tragedy haunted Tobin who ‘kept a file of clippings before eventually embarking on the novel in 2007, some three years after the disaster’.  Indeed she is finds it poignant ‘that you could journey to a strange land and perish without any lasting imprint of your presence seems unimaginably sad’. The story builds on the possibility that maybe the two workers who went missing did not drown, but survived, somehow evading death by the freezing waters that took the lives of their fellow cockle pickers. From one of the cockle-pickers whose body was never found Tobin creates Wen, an illegal immigrant who is miraculously pulled from the water by Angie who is attempting suicide. As Angie immerses herself in the water she is faced with Wen, seeing this as a sign that now is not the time to take her own life, she rescues him and takes him to her home.  Rather than relish in the fact that he survived when so many perished Wen is ashamed of his fate, believing that there are others who deserved to live so much more than him, that he allows the world, including his twin, to believe he is dead. Lili is Wen’s twin, and the other strand to this cleverly woven story. Devastated by the death of her brother she goes to London to find and free Wen’s spirit. Little does she realise that her brother kept many secrets from her, including the price he paid for his migration.

Although one would expect emotional melodrama, Tobin ingeniously manages to portray events with a tragic realism that doesn’t call for theatrics. Instead there is a deep rooted emotion here that doesn’t require fireworks, rather it is an aching throb that seeps through the novel. Wen, despite earning less than £2 an hour for most of the laborious jobs he is forced to undertake as an illegal immigrant, rarely complains, nor does Angie who despite being an alcoholic somehow manages to plod through life with minimal self pity. Within this patchwork of underground activity, often fuelled by desperation, is a struggle of identity. Tobin has ‘always been drawn to the notion of identity and culture’. For the Chinese immigrants in her novel, as in real life, living in the illegal Chinese community in Britain is extremely isolating. As one of the characters in the novel insists, the Chinese living illegally in Britain ‘are like shadows, and when a shadow disappears, nothing remains’.

Crimson China is well informed, it realistically represents life as an illegal immigrant and the risks involved. Similarly, even for those such as Lili who arrive with a visa and work as a teacher, Tobin successfully uncovers the mystery of British culture and the battle to maintain your own identity whilst also embracing a new one. At the same time she considers the many different faces of loss and how to deal with grief, whilst all the while creating a novel that oozes survival and maybe even contentedness, even when life is dealing you all the bad cards.

Tobin aimed to ‘create a lasting monument to those died: to carve into our collective memory so they would not be forgotten. But also to conjure a tale of hope, rather than despair’. She is successful both by her own standards, and by those of her readers, for she has created a captivating novel with a marvellous realism.

UK and US Bestsellers

It has come to my attention that quite a lot of the people visiting this blog are from America, so I decided to have a look at the bestsellers lists for Britain and for the USA and see how much of a difference there is. Quite a lot of difference it turns out. There are of course some similarities as the Millenium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson features in the top ten in both charts, as does The Confession by John Grisham and Worth Dying For by Lee Child. The Help by Katheryn Stockett appears in the top twenty in both too, though it is currently doing better in the UK. But other than that I found myself rather baffled by the US chart.

The UK Bestsellers list is fimiliar to me. I have read a good many of them, a good many more are on my 'to read' list. Even those that I have no intention of ever reading, I recognise the author and know the style. In comparison, from the US list I have never heard of Nora Roberts, Vince Flynn or J. D. Robb. I have no idea what I would be purchasing if I was to indulge in The Reversal, Shaken or Safe Haven.

I decided to do a little more delving in to the differences, but my finds weren't very illuminating. One source claims that American books are considerably cheaper than in Britain, but The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest, for example, is £3.86 and $9.99. Another academic source insists that in England novelists gradually become well known, but if they are fortunate enough become famous they will probably remain so. In America, apparently, fame is likely to wash over a writer overnight, but is equally likely to leave them in a second. Other sources claimed that British taste in literature is more limited, yet another claimed in fact the opposite was true with British tastes providing variety.

As I have only briefly travelled to America, and I do not have an American friend or relative to consider this with, I will leave to you, my dearest readers, to let me know your experiences and opinions. In the mean time, I am going to try to sample more authors popular in America, rather than just here in England.