Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Ottakar's is taken over by HMV
The independent bookstore chain Ottakar's has been taken over by HMV, the music and books group, who own Waterstones. Many authors and publishers will not be happy with this, fearing that this will mean less choice for the customer as book stock will be limited to mainly best sellers.
The chief executive of HMV denies this saying,
"This will enable Ottakar's to offer an even wider and more relevant range of books, and to provide customers with an enhanced shopping experience."
It is sad to see the smaller independent booksellers struggling against the competition from the larger chains and the supermarkets. It would be extremely sad if all book shops ended up looking identical and selling exactly the same range of books.
I think it is important to support the smaller bookseller in your town if you are lucky enough to have one!
The chief executive of HMV denies this saying,
"This will enable Ottakar's to offer an even wider and more relevant range of books, and to provide customers with an enhanced shopping experience."
It is sad to see the smaller independent booksellers struggling against the competition from the larger chains and the supermarkets. It would be extremely sad if all book shops ended up looking identical and selling exactly the same range of books.
I think it is important to support the smaller bookseller in your town if you are lucky enough to have one!
Friday, May 19, 2006
READ THE BOOK, SEE THE MOVIE
The Thief Lord by the German author, Cornelia Funke, is the latest children's novel to be made into a movie and will be released on May 26th. This tells the story of Prosper who rescues his little brother, Bo, and together they escape to Venice where they meet the mysterious Thief Lord. Thief Lord is an action packed adventure with plenty of chases and escapes and with a touch of magic at the end. Not to be missed!
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
CARNEGIE SHORTLIST
Carnegie Medal Shortlist
There are five books on the shortlist for the prestigious Carnegie Medal. Last year Frank Cottrell Boyce won the award with his novel, Millions. This year his latest novel has been shortlisted. Framed is set in a small Welsh village and tells the story of a family who own the garage at the foot of a mountain. Make sure you check out this book in the library. David Almond has also previously won the award with his book, Skellig, and he is shortlisted again with a thought-provoking book, Clay. Geraldine McCaughrean's books are always outstanding and The White Darkness was also on the shortlist for the Whitbread Award. Jan Mark, another outstanding author, died unexpectedly and suddenly in January and she is shortlisted posthumously for her novel, Turbulence. Finally Mal Peet, author of Keeper, is shortlisted for his World War Two novel, Tamar.
Find out more about the Carnegie Medal by visiting the website. The winning title will be announced on July 7th.
http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/carnegie/carn.html
