|
 |
|
Every so often a book comes along that is really special, a book on which the word gets out and everyone wants to read the manuscript or the advance proofs. In some cases it's the next big blockbuster and in others it will be a book that quietly and surely stands out from the crowd. In this regular series we'll hear from editors, publicists and various people from different parts of the company about the books that they are working on at the moment that they feel passionately about. These are the Ones to Watch. And don't forget - you heard it here first!
In this month's Ones to Watch, Penguin Editor Michal Shavit on The Atomic Bazaar by William Langewiesche.
 Take a look at the Ones to Watch... |
 |
We're committed to giving you access to the hottest talent around and this is the place where you can get the low down on our authors, new titles and new happenings. Get the real insider deal with photos, interviews and biographies of your favourite stars.
|
Black Mass
The major new title from the bestselling author of False Dawn and Straw Dogs.
A truly frightening and challenging work by one of the country's leading thinkers, Gray's Black Mass promises to deliver a profoundly chilling message on the growth of right wing political utopianism.
John Gray's recent works examine the dynamic nature of the modern world, powerfully dissecting philosophical ideologies with astonishing results. In Black Mass: Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of Utopia John proposes that during the last century utopian projects shaped global politics, leading to the outbreak of war and terror on an unprecedented scale. His comprehensive new book argues that the death of utopia does not mean peace, but rather acts as the catalyst for a resurgence of ancient myths. In Black Mass, he portends that apocalyptic religion has returned as a major force in global conflict, though in a uniquely modern guise.
Read our interview with John here to discover what a black mass really is.
|
|
Every so often a book comes along that is really special, a book on which the word gets out and everyone wants to read the manuscript or the advance proofs. In some cases it's the next big blockbuster and in others it will be a book that quietly and surely stands out from the crowd. In this regular series we'll hear from editors, publicists and various people from different parts of the company about the books that they are working on at the moment that they feel passionately about. These are the Ones to Watch. And don't forget - you heard it here first!
|
|
|
In this month's Ones to Watch, Penguin Editor Michal Shavit on The Atomic Bazaar by William Langewiesche.
A critique of today's nuclear environment, William Langewiesche charts the rise and development of nuclear weapons technology, and asks, is nuclear proliferation inevitable?
The nuclear arms race is a reality for all of us. The Atomic Bazaar is not only timely - it is critical to our understanding of where our world is heading today. As more and more unstable and undeveloped countries find ways of acquiring the ultimate arms, William Langewiesche argues that the process of nuclear proliferation is inevitable and that no amount of manoeuvring will keep these nations from developing nuclear arsenals. Even more disturbing is the possibility of such weapons being manufactured and deployed by guerrilla non-state terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda.
From Hiroshima to the present day, he describes a reality of urgent consequence - one that the West must face up to, but without the blinkered response of suppressing civil liberties, limiting trade or waging blind wars on 'rogue' nations. The Atomic Bazaar is brilliant, hard-hitting reportage at its very best and will appeal to anyone interested in current affairs and in understanding the most critical political problem the world now faces.
Sign up to be alerted when The Atomic Bazaar is published here |
|
 |
|
 |
|
Beverley Cousins Editorial Director, Crime and Thrillers and Penguin Most Wanted editor on King of Swords by Nick Stone
Are you ready to meet the King of Swords?
Last year, there was one novel that I simply couldn't stop talking about - Nick Stone's debut thriller Mr Clarinet, which I'm pleased to say, went on to become a bestseller in paperback and won the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for best thriller of 2006.
I thought it would be hard for Nick to top that novel. But with his second, King of Swords, he's not only topped it, he's delivered a real tour de force. No hyperbole there - it is a masterpiece of crime fiction, rivalling some of the greats of the genre for my favourite thriller of all time.
King of Swords is a prequel to Mr Clarinet and describes the first terrifying encounter between Miami detective Max Mingus and his nemesis Solomon Boukman, a man few have seen but who all fear. Beginning with the discovery of a torn-up tarot card in a murder victim's stomach, the novel takes Max and his partner Joe into a nightmarish world of black magic, murder, police corruption and voodoo sacrifices.
What makes this novel so special? Firstly it is Nick's effortless prose which recreates scenes so vividly - and often viscerally - it's like a film running in your head. Secondly it is his rich, energetic and detailed evocation of violent and crime-ridden Miami in the early eighties. And finally it is in an electrifying cast of original, multi-dimensional characters, from the menacing forked tongued Solomon, to the sinister Eva Desamours, a six-stone fortune teller who could give Hannibal Lecter a run for his money.
To my mind, Nick Stone is the most exciting and talented thriller writer to emerge on the scene since Jeffery Deaver. Few writers can shock you to the core, tug at your heart strings and make you laugh out loud all on the same page - but that's Nick Stone's specialty!
Buy your copy of Mr Clarinet here.
Sign up for an alert for when King of Swords is published here. |
|
|
 |
|
Beverley Cousins Editorial Director, Crime and Thrillers and Penguin Most Wanted editor on Absolution by Caro Ramsay
Calling all Ian Rankin fans…
In June 2007 we publish a fantastic debut crime novel - Absolution by Caro Ramsay - and we're billing it quite succinctly as the launch of the 'female Ian Rankin'!
However Caro is a very special author in her own right - and this is one of the most exciting debuts of a British crime series for a long time, probably since Mark Billingham burst onto the scene in 2001. It's a wonderfully dark and intelligent crime novel set in Glasgow and featuring a vivid cast of police characters in DCI McAlpine, DS Anderson and DS Costello. Normally for a British crime series we take a measured approach to building sales slowly, but this novel is so outstanding we're going out all guns blazing from the word go. And, I'm pleased to say, the launch is now backed by a fantastic endorsement from Val McDermid:
'Glasgow comes alive in Caro Ramsay's dark, vivid and daring thriller debut' Val McDermid
Scottish crime writing is very much in vogue at the moment, with the recent success of Stuart MacBride and Denise Mina. But I have no doubt that very shortly Caro Ramsay will be at the head of this pack.
Find out how Absolution started life in our interview with Caro |
|
|
|
 |
|
In this month's Ones to Watch, Chris Mooney's forthcoming thriller
The Missing is under interrogation, plus, find out how to enter The Missing film competition for a chance to see your name in lights at the Odeon Leicester Square.
The Missing
When Boston CSI Darby McCormick finds a raving and emaciated woman hiding at the scene of a violent kidnap, she runs a DNA search to identify the Jane Doe. The result confirms that the woman was abducted five years earlier and has somehow managed to escape from the dungeon in which she's been caged.
With a teenage couple also missing and the Jane Doe seriously ill, the clock is ticking for Darby as she hunts for the dungeon before anyone else disappears or dies. And when the FBI takes over the investigation, it becomes clear that a sadistic serial killer has been on the prowl for decades - and is poised to strike again at any moment…
The Missing Film Competition
Think you could make a film trailer for The Missing? Now's your chance. Penguin Books are offering one filmmaker the chance to bring The Missing to life on the big screen by producing a trailer for the book, which will be shown at the Odeon Leicester Square - the biggest cinema in the UK...
A selection of the best entries will also be showcased on The Missing site. Find out more at themissingbook.co.uk
|
|
|
|
 |
|
The Senior Commissioning Editor for Penguin Press is Talking of Love on the Edge of a Precipice by Boris Cyrulnik
Recently, while Boris Cyrulnik was waiting for a plane, a young woman approached him to thank him for changing her life. This happens to Boris Cyrulnik a lot (when we went to meet him in Paris earlier this year, we enjoyed being in his presence so much that we missed our train home). He writes about resilience. All of us suffer from trauma in our lives, whether it be a difficult childhood, the end of a love affair, or a violent experience. Yet rather than be controlled by our pain, it is possible for us to grow in the face of our problems and create a new life for ourselves. In his groundbreaking work on the healing power of resilience, Boris Cyrulnik has created a new way for us to understand ourselves and our pasts.
A renowned psychologist who has worked with individuals all over the world, dealing with anti-social teenagers, marriage break-ups, children scarred by warfare, and people with disabilities, Boris Cyrulnik is incredibly resilient himself. Born in France, his parents were deported to the concentration camps during the Second World War. They never returned. His theory of resilience is filled with hope; a new way of imagining ourselves and the world we live in. As such, it has become incredibly influential in Europe, for individuals, governments and international agencies. Hailed as 'the man who saved France', his books remain on bestseller lists across Europe for years at a time. Talking of Love on the Edge of a Precipice - which argues that falling in love is the most important way in which we can remake ourselves after trauma - is the first of his books to be properly published in Britain. We are incredibly excited to be introducing him and his ideas to the UK.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Are you In the Mood for Food?
What do you feel like eating right now?
Are you feeling hungry but lazy and uninspired? Or are you trying to impress, revealing the exhibitionist in you? Is romance in the air? Or are you looking for the food equivalent of a sleeping bag? Are you trying to be healthy and pure (for once)? Or are you giving in to indulgence? Whatever mood you are in, Jo Pratt has the perfect recipe to suit it, guaranteeing you eat exactly what you want, when you want it.
In the Mood for Food is the perfect cookbook for busy, young, working women who don't have the time to spend hours shopping or cooking but want to produce delicious things when their friends come round, saucy dinners for their boyfriends or really good packed lunches to take to work. The recipes are written with today's lifestyle in mind; the food is simple and delicious, looks great and it won't cost too much either.
Jo Pratt is a home economist and food writer. She is as stylish as she is beautiful and her recipes frequently appear in Elle, Glamour and Olive. She is a regular guest on Saturday Cooks with Anthony Worrall-Thompson and has already been singled out as the new face in cooking for 2007 by Waitrose Food Illustrated.
Happy eating! Editorial Director - Cookery
|
|
|
|
And, Publishing Director of Penguin Press on the forthcoming Great Journeys series
GREAT JOURNEYS
They have been nearly frozen to death, died of thirst, gone mad with fever, been eaten by crocodiles, bitten by a cobra, electrocuted by giant eels or clubbed to death by hostile tribesmen. They have clambered through jungles to see toucans and orangutans, sipped iced sherbet from gold dishes, seen great clouds of fruit-bats pour from the mouth of a cave in the Philippines, strolled through Paris at the height of its can-can decadence, encountered a family of gorillas in the depth of the Congo forest. They have endured monstrous waves in the Southern Ocean, a labyrinth of jagged icebergs, leech-infested tropical rivers, starvation, shipwreck, the merciless desert sun. They have been slaves, scientists, settlers, explorers, pirates, merchants, tourists, soldiers, total idiots. They have travelled by camel, pony, canoe, train, palanquin, steamer, jeep, galleon.
These are the writers of Great Journeys - 2,500 years of human ingenuity, idealism, folly and tragedy in 20 little books, spanning every continent and every ocean, every religion, every temperature and pretty much every altitude. These are all great journeys but not necessarily good ones - there can be few things grimmer than Orwell's journey to the front lines of the Spanish Civil War, Chekhov coming face to face with the reality of Siberian exile, Equiano sold into slavery. Cabeza de Vaca's story of how almost every one of his companions on what had been a proud, confident, well-funded expedition to Florida were killed one by one is the first and still the best (or worst) in the 'travel horror' genre. Others were more lucky: few more so than Isabella Bird cavorting around the Wild West, Mark Twain enjoying the follies of France and Italy, Mary Wortley Montagu visiting harems and seraglios disguised in Turkish clothing or Sir Richard Burton travelling to Mecca, absurdly pretending to be a Persian dervish. There are also the heroic scientist explorers: Humboldt on the Orinoco, Bates watching great armies of ants devouring everything in their path, Wallace on an ocean-going prau sailing through the Moluccas.
I have been asked to choose three favourites—a fiendishly hard task as every book in the series has been included because it is tremendous in one way or another. First off though has to be the wholly wonderful Mary Kingsley, an explorer of tropical Africa whose curiosity, scepticism and sense of humour remain incredibly vivid over a century after her tragic death - once read nobody can forget her magical accounts either of the deep forest and the people and creatures she meets there or of her breathtakingly foolhardy decision to climb Mount Cameroon. Next has to be the incomparable Mas'udi, one of the great Arab travellers and historians who in his Meadows of Gold collects amazing tales, the whole book being a sort of extraordinary time machine allowing us glimpses of empires, cities, civilisations and peoples all long vanished. And last and by no means least has to be William Dampier - perhaps Britain's worst pirate, a man who accidentally went three times around the world, unwittingly inspired both Gulliver's Travels and Robinson Crusoe, gave the first (and horrible) account in English of Aborigines in Australia and left behind him a fabulous picture of a freebooting life in the margins of the world over three hundred years ago. His descriptions of a ludicrously botched pirate raid on a Spanish port in South America and of his chaotic attempt to get from the Nicobar Islands to Sumatra in a woefully inadequate little boat during the typhoon season have to be read to be believed. As with many of the authors of Great Journeys though, the main source of astonishment is that he lived to tell the tale..
The Great Journeys series is out in February 2007. Watch this space... |
|
|
|
 |
|
The Penguin Classics & Reference Publisher talks about the rejacketing of Franz Kafka's backlist.
In January we publish stunning new translations of all the stories Franz Kafka published in his lifetime, in renditions by award-winning translator Michael Hofmann. To emphasize the new light Hofmann's translations shed on Kafka's writings, we wanted to commission cover artwork that immediately suggests that whether you've read Kafka before or never read a line it was worth (another) look. Our art director invited advertising agency Mother, who were working with us on our brilliant summer anniversary campaign for Classics, to design not only a cover for Metamorphosis and Other Stories but also our entire Kafka backlist.
We wanted a distinct new look for Kafka, but even so were bowled over by the originality of both the photography and the complementary typography Mother came up with. Given how notoriously difficult Kafka's writings are to visualize - many previous designers have given up and resorted either to type only or very obvious images like a beetle for Metamorphosis - I'm delighted with the originality and unmissable designs Mother has created for one of the last century's greatest writers.
See the whole backlist here |
|
|
|
 |
|
It's out this month, but we've just not had chance to tell you about it until now, so, this month on Ones to Watch; Viking's Assistant Editor on Number One in Heaven
Death, in its most spectacular guises, has been an integral part of the rock 'n' roll lifestyle since the poisoning - by a jealous husband - of blues legend Robert Johnson in 1938. Like sex, drugs, or booze, death has stalked the music industry like a psychotic fan, lurking nervously in the vomit-stained corridor of a luxury hotel.
Of course, as Jeremy Simmonds' wonderful new encyclopaedia of the greatest rock 'n' roll deaths makes clear, death is sometimes a beginning as much as it is an ending. It devastates families and tears bands apart, but it's also played a large role in shaping the great myths of pop music. It would seem to be that as much as musicians are driven to create, there's always been a corresponding drive towards self-destruction too: 'live fast, die young, make a good-looking corpse', as legendary DJ Alan Freed put it.
Many of the readers who pick up this book will know that Buddy Holly died in a plane crash, that Brian Jones was found dead in a pool, or that Kurt Cobain shot himself. But Number One in Heaven is full of the kind of amazing detail and revelation that's just not available anywhere else. The stories Simmonds tells, some of them about people you've not even heard of, are absolutely mind-blowing.
Number One in Heaven is, quite obviously, a labour of love which stems from a long-standing passion for music. But the book is about much more than pop songs. It's a guided tour through the backstreets of music culture.
Buy now |
|
|
|
 |
|
This month the Senior Commissioning Editor for Penguin Press on That's Bollocks! by Albert Jacks.
It's not every book that gives you the opportunity to climb onto a pitch-black stage, to the Twilight Zone music, and then, clutching a torch under your chin, tell spooky stories to a hundred people… But then That's Bollocks! is an highly unusual book.
Albert Jack has been obsessed with urban legends all his life. He has spent the last year going round the world tracking down the best versions of the tallest tales, finding out where they come from and whether or not they're true. Whereas I've spent the last year laughing out loud at a series of hilarious emails announcing his latest discoveries, whether it's Winston Churchill being a Druid, lemmings not having a death wish, Charlie Chaplin failing a Chaplin impersonation competition or even the ghost that appears in the background of Three Men and a Baby.
The finished book is Tales of the Unexpected meets the Darwin Awards. From missing kidneys and alligators in sewers to gypsy curses and musical breast implants, it is packed with mind-boggling, unforgettable stories. And some of them have even turned out to be true. (But you'll have to read it to find out which.)
Let me know when this is published |
|
|
|
 |
|
This month Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl, published September 2006
Special Topics in Calamity Physics is a mesmerizing debut novel that combines the storytelling gifts of Donna Tartt and the suspense of Alfred Hitchcock. A darkly hilarious coming-of-age tale and a richly plotted suspense story, told with dazzling intelligence and wit - complex yet compelling, erudite yet accessible.
As teenager Blue van Meer tells her story we are hurled into a dizzying world of murder and butterflies, womanizing and wandering, American McCulture, The Western Canon, political radicalism and juvenile crushisms. Structured around a syllabus for a Great Works of Literature class (with hand-drawn Visual Aids), Blue's wickedly funny yet poignant tale reveals how the imagination finds meaning in the most bewildering times, the ways people of all ages strive for connection, and how the darkest of secrets can set us free.
'Beneath the foam of this exuberant debut is a dark, strong drink'
Jonathan Franzen, author of The Corrections
Read an extract from Special Topics in Calamity Physics |
|
|
|
 |
|
This month the Editorial Assistant for Hamish Hamilton on The World to Come by Dara Horn, published August 2006.
The World to Come is a dazzling gem of a novel -- one to really fall in love with. I first read it last summer in almost one sitting, having jumped off a bus halfway home to go and sit in Russell Square so I could give it my full attention. It was only when I turned the last page -- a little tearful, a little dazed, but happy -- that I realised it was almost dark, and I'd been sitting in the middle of the grass on top of a suitcase for the past two hours. The book has already caused quite a stir at 80 Strand, and we've had people e-mailing us with stories of staying up til 3am, having to explain that they're late for work because they were so engrossed they missed their stop, bursting into tears on the tube and dreaming about the characters.
We begin with the story of a million-dollar Chagall painting, which disappears from the wall of a New York museum during a singles' cocktail evening. Around this true story, and that of Chagall himself, Dara Horn weaves the tale of the painting's unlikely thief, Benjamin Ziskind, once a child prodigy and now a lonely divorcee compelled in a moment of madness to reclaim what he thinks is a painting that once hung in the living room of his family home. As Ben evades the museum's attempts to solve the mystery, his twin sister Sara tries to create a forgery convincing enough to take its place, and a wondrous kaleidoscope of events unfolds, tracing the history of the painting and the fate of those who have come into contact with it, and taking us on an ever-spiralling journey from a Jewish orphanage in 1920s Soviet Russia, to Vietnam, to suburban New Jersey, and to the very boundaries of life itself…
With themes ranging from art, truth and forgery to birth, death, where we come from and where we might some day find ourselves, The World to Come is as rich, as compelling and as intoxicating a book as you could wish for. It's as deeply human as it is gloriously imagined, and as funny as it is moving. Here's hoping that you'll get a chance to read it, and that you'll love it enough to tell everyone you know about it.
Inform me when this is available to buy |
|
|
|
 |
|
The Second Wife by Elizabeth Buchan
Elizabeth Buchan returns with The Second Wife the wonderful follow up to the Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman. Elizabeth has a very special quality in her ability to capture the multifaceted relationships within family life, and also in the way she explores her female heroines with such acute honesty and emotion.
The Second Wife is essentially about all the complexities of a second marriage - the frightening experience of meeting the 'new family', trying to bond with the children and last but certainly not least, dealing with the ex-wife. This is an absolute gripping tale - wise, witty and comic.
Read what the critics say about Elizabeth Buchan's books:
'Enthralling, sophisticated storytelling'
Woman and Home
'Buchan is a cut above the rest in this field'
Sunday Mirror
'She deftly juggles multiple characters and plots in a perceptive analysis of contemporary life'
Independent on Sunday
'Buchan writes intelligently and movingly'
Good Housekeeping
Read more |
|
|
|
 |
|
Seven Days to the Sea by Rebecca Kohn
I remember finishing the Red Tent and feeling rather forlorn - it was unlike anything I had ever read before not least because it transported me to an era that I knew little about and brought it strikingly to life with strong female heroines. It wasn't until I read Rebecca Kohn's first novel The Gilded Chamber of Queen Esther, that I felt that feeling of sheer excitement in discovering another author who could write such mesmerising historical fiction.
With Rebecca's second novel Seven Days to the Sea she has taken on a colossal theme in retelling the story of Moses' flight from Egypt through the eyes of the two women who loved and lost him - his sister Miryam and his lover Tzipporah. What I absolutely love about Rebecca's writing is her skill for retelling biblical stories with such imagination and eye for detail that you really do feel like you've been catapulted into another world. There are few authors who are able to truly capture a biblical period in the way that Rebecca does. She has undertaken extensive research in order to allow the reader's imagination to run wild with what life might have been like all those thousands of years ago - this is very much a novel for the senses.
Read more |
|
|
|
 |
|
If I Were You by Julia Llewellyn
As soon as I read the title of Julia's second novel I was already hooked. I can't think of a single woman who hasn't contemplated what it would be like to live someone else's life, particularly their best friends. I read a lot of women's fiction and more often than not, I find myself quite disengaged from the main female characters largely because I can not relate to them in any way.
However with If I Were You, Julia has created two very real heroines in Natasha and Sophie and I constantly found myself remarking out loud 'I do that!' or 'I've so been there before!'. Her writing is refreshingly witty, playful and honest and you find yourself completely entangled in the lives of her characters.
Make sure you set aside a whole day to read this book because you wont want to put it down, not even for a minute.
Read more |
|
|
|
 |
|
WARNING: Greg Palast seriously damages the careers of the corrupt and powerful.
'You want something heartwarming? Buy a puppy. ... But if you want just the facts, ma'am
- facts rarely cuddly or cute
- here's your book...'
Award-winning guerrilla journalist Greg Palast has gone where most are too scared to go to unearth the ugly truth about America today. And he's got the documents to prove it.
In Armed Madhouse he reveals just how scary it's got: how the Patriot Act has sent a nation crazy with fear. How ballot stuffing and black voter snuffing meant John Kerry actually won in '04, and the Republicans have '08 in the bag. How no child is left behind - in the queue for jobs cleaning toilets, that is. And how Bush's 'ownership society' means corporations buying up the planet. Plus the story of the trillion-dollar Gulf War oil babies, why some people like to call Greg a Pinko bed-wetting freak, and how to join insurgency USA …
He's been called both Tony Blair's and George Bush's worst nightmare. He's the journalist George Monbiot admires the most. And according to Private Eye, he's 'The Most Evil Man In The World'.
Armed Madhouse is dynamite of the most funny and powerful kind.
Read more |
|
|
|
 |
|
Look out for... Fig Tree, the first new hardcover imprint launched by Penguin in the UK for twenty years: it's been variously described as:
'A mini publishing phenomenon: expect the unexpected'
Vogue
'A chic boutique imprint'
The Evening Standard
'Lively, entertaining, extremely well-written, educative, sexy, and funny'
Publishing News
Launch titles House of Orphans by Helen Dunmore and Julie & Julia by Julie Powell have both got off to a great start - with superlative reviews in both cases, and there are plenty more treats and surprises to come this year, from Liz Kettle's affecting Broken Biscuits, to the completely contrasting follow up to Plum Sykes' Bergdorf Blondes, which takes you into the rarefied American (at least $10 million) millionaire world of The Debutante Divorcee.
Then there's Martin Gayford's fascinating account of the nine weeks when Van Gogh and Gauguin were housemates a history of the Black Hole of Calcutta by FT Arts Editor Jan Dalley, and with novels to come from newcomer Mohni Mohsin, bestselling columnist Rachel Johnsona hysterically funny and unexpected fictionalised diary of a 60th year by Virginia Ironside, and in the autumn, new novels by Orange Prize Winner Suzanne Berne and Margaret Drabble.
Highlights for 2007 include new novels from Marina Lewycka (of A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian fame) and Zoe Heller.
Watch Fig Tree grow from strength to strength. |
|
|
|
 |
|
Debut author Linzi Glass is a voice in young fiction to listen out for. Publicity Director Puffin Books on The Year the Gypsies Came, out later this month.
Linzi Glass' debut novel is a truly stunning piece of writing, with a story so evocative of a time, so vividly drawn and so achingly tragic I quite literally couldn't put it down. Set in 1960s Johannesburg it tells the story of a fractured white family in the time of apartheid. The arrival of an Australian family at first makes life less tense for everyone but inevitably leads to terrible tragedy. We see the story through the eyes of 11-year-old Emily who has never been happier since the arrival of the Australians, but her newfound tranquility is soon shattered by a devastating tragedy that changes all of their lives forever. I believe we have a classic of the future.
Read:
An extract from The Year the Gypsies Came
A note from the author
Author question and answer
Buy now |
|
|
|
 |
|
We didn't have chance to tell you about this exciting new book by Cammie McGovern before now, so here's the Editorial Director for Viking on Eye Contact out this month.
When the body of a little girl is discovered in the woods behind the local school, uncertainty and suspicion mount within the community of this small American town. The mother of the only witness - a 9 year old boy with autism - tries to prove to herself, the police and her neighbours that her son can help them catch the killer, but just as we discover how much the little boy has understood, his mother begins to fear that her son's safety could soon be in jeopardy.
This is the kind of 'must-read' book that hooks you in from the opening, and demands that you keep turning the next page and the one after that until the truth has been revealed. It's a thriller with the tense atmosphere and suspense of Mystic River and The Lovely Bones, in its disturbingly realistic portrayal of how a small community responds to a crime so close to home.
We've had a fantastic response to Eye Contact so far, and here are a couple of quotes from different parts of Penguin HQ:
'I don't think I have ever been quite so moved by such a collection of supposed "misfits". I was especially touched by the ending; a poignant expression of hope in the triumph of love and compassion over all expectations of logic and understanding. To put it in biblical terms, a victory of spirit over reason!' Sue
'It has the pace and excitement of a thriller . . . very affecting and utterly convincing' Jo
'I had to finish it, which is always a good sign, and I was kept guessing about the identity of the culprit until the last few pages' Chris
'This psychological suspense novel takes time to get into but once you're in, it's page-turning until the end. The story is clever and thrilling. It explores the subject of autism with real insight and leaves you feeling fully satisfied at the end' Amy
'Eye Contact is a gripping thriller, but it is also so much more, taking you inside the mind of an autistic child in a very vivid way. It is a work of incredible imagination and empathy, and one that you will not be able to put down once you've started' Amelia
Buy now! |
|
|
|
 |
|
Publishing Director of Michael Joseph sings about Rock Me Amadeus
Seb Hunter's Rock Me Amadeus: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Handel is laugh out loud funny account of his efforts to see if classical music is all it's cracked up to be. It ends up being a fabulously silly romp around Europe that involves hallucinating nuns, over twenty different kinds of Austrian sausage and a drunken assault on the Kremlin.
Did you know Mozart was a coprophiliac? No, neither did I. I love it because it makes me cry with laughter.
Rock Me Amadeus.
Provisional publication date, May 2006
[Please note jacket image and publication date maybe subject to change] |
|
|
|
 |
|
Editorial Director of Penguin Press tells us about The Tibetan Book of the Dead, edited by Graham Coleman
The arrival of the full Tibetan Book of the Dead (more than half never before being translated out of Tibetan) is such an extraordinary event that usual publishing hyperbole simply won't do. It is absolutely true to say that this is the last major spiritual text to appear in English. The new Penguin Tibetan Book of the Dead completes a process by which over several centuries the world's most significant religious works across all cultures have been gradually brought into English. It has taken some 15 years, the cooperation of the Dalai Lama, the advice of many senior Tibetan lamas, and an immense amount of intellectual labour by Gyurme Dorje to achieve this.
The initial reviews have been ecstatic (see below). An earlier, very fragmentary version of the book, has been a global bestseller, continuously in print for eighty years. The Penguin version now completely replaces it.
Some reviews of the book:
'This is an event. A new and comprehensive translation of one of the seminal works of Tibetan Buddhism attributed to Padmasambhava. More accurately titled Liberation through Hearing in the Intermediate State, this book gives us an experiential explanation of the dying process, with its psychological and spiritual meanings intact. His Holiness the Dalai Lama's substantive introduction provides a solid framework for understanding the nature of consciousness and personal identity.'
Richard Gere
'In reading The Tibetan Book of the Dead I feel that I am embarking on a great journey which will give me greater peace of mind and benefit all around me'
Gayle Hunnicut
'Whether seen as a religious guide or an epic poem of great beauty and complexity this is a thrilling approach to death and the afterlife. The doctrinal introduction by His Holiness the Dalai Lama opens a compassionate window on to an ancient and unfamiliar landscape and makes it seem like home. An enthralling book of immense spiritual importance'.
Joanna Lumley
'From my perspective, I can't imagine anybody aware of his or her own temporal humanity not wanting to find out what this book says.'
Jah Wobble
A Transforming Perspective on Bereavement - article by Graham Coleman
Get 25% off of The Tibetan Book of the Dead until 3 January 2006
Buy now! |
|
|
|
 |
|
Editorial Assistant for Viking on Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos
If you've ever imagined yourself racing around Rome on a scooter being driven by Gregory Peck, or sauntering poolside with Cary Grant, or even slugging down a gin with Humphrey Bogart - you will love this book. It's warm, funny, smart, moving and romantic. It will have you laughing out loud one minute and sniffling the next.
Picture yourself - 31 years old, manager of a hip little café that you've made your own home-away-from-home, where your regulars come to while away the day, gossiping, playing chess and generally becoming part of the furniture. Then one day, in walks your very own Cary Grant - 6 foot, if he's an inch, dark hair, lazy grin - and he wants to whisk you over the Atlantic for a long weekend of…well, getting to know you. This is exactly what happens to Cornelia; 'My life - my real life - started when a man walked into it, a handsome stranger in a perfectly cut suit, and, yes, I know how that sounds.'
We all know how that sounds, but this is not just another love story. On the other side of the city is an 11-year-old girl, Clare, whose father has left and whose mother is becoming more and more unreachable as depression takes hold. When Clare and Cornelia meet, their lives are completely and unexpectedly changed forever.
Sarah Jessica Parker, who describes the book as 'exquisite and stylish', has snapped up the film rights and will take the role of Cornelia.
Love Walked In is set to be a huge success, and has already received some wonderful quotes;
'A touching, triumphant story of the power and variety and responsibility of love. A joy to read, filled with characters you wish you knew in real life. Love Walked In is every bit as engaging as the classic movies Marisa de los Santos lovingly invokes'
Karen Joy Fowler, author of The Jane Austen Book Club
'A bewitching, warm-hearted grown-up fairy tale about old movies, charming princes, and finding happily ever after in the place where you'd least expect it.'
Jennifer Weiner, author of Good in Bed, In Her Shoes, and Little Earthquakes
'An impossibly warm, acute, romantic spree, with room in its heart for all of us. Marisa de los Santos offers us two fine young heroines, Cornelia and Clare, and she trains a rich, brimming, silver screen light on their sorrows and elations. Since Love Walked In borrows so magically from the spirit of a certain Frank Capra film, I'll second the motion: It's A Wonderful Novel'
David Schickler, author of Kissing in Manhattan
Love Walked In will be published April 2006
[Please note jacket image and publication date maybe subject to change] |
|
|
|
 |
|
Commissioning Editor for Viking on England: The Autobiography, edited by John Lewis-Stempel
When I first heard the idea behind England: The Autobiography I thought it was so brilliant that I couldn't believe it hadn't been done before. A history of England, from 55 BC to the present day, told through eyewitness accounts. All the great and influential events in our history are included - the Norman Conquest, Magna Carta, the Great Fire of London, the Industrial Revolution, two world wars. So too are the less obvious happenings that capture the nation's social history - such as the Black Death of 1349 or life as a chimney sweep in 1817 - as well as those that have shaped the nature of 'Englishness', like hunting in 1898 or the 1966 World Cup.
England: The Autobiography is a revelatory collection that offers a vivid portrait of England and the English - and the unique place of both in world history.
Read an extract
Buy now
|
|
|
|
The Editorial Assistant for Penguin Reference tells us about Talking for Britain
I'm sure you'll all have noticed the recent BBC splash about 'Voices' - 'putting the accent on how people speak' - with shows on Radio and BBC 4 and across local radio stations. There's also a fantastic website | |
Two Penguin titles - 
